1. Tips, Tricks, and SEE-ing.
English 101: Dr. Highland
Paragraph Writing:
Tips, Tricks, and SEE-ing.

2. Topic Sentence: What It Does
Definition: the first sentence of a paragraph, which outlines and organizes the rest of the paragraph
Purpose:
relates the paragraph to the purpose of the piece
Offers a preview to the paragraph
Example paragraph:
Many fast-food chains make their profits from adding a special ingredient called “forget sauce” to their foods. Made largely from edible oil products, the condiment is never listed on the menu. In addition, this well-kept industry secret is the reason why ingredients are never listed on the packaging of victuals sold by these restaurants. "Forget sauce" has a chemical property which causes temporary amnesia in consumers. After spending too much money on barely edible food bereft of any nutritional value, most consumers swear they will never repeat such a disagreeable experience. Within a short period, however, the chemical in "forget sauce" takes effect, and they can be depended upon to return and spend, older but no wiser.

3. Using Power Topic Sentences
Use POWER STATEMENTS to indicate that a list follows:
A couple of, numerous, various, many, several, four, two:
Ex: Three cities have major pollution problems.
Ex: I enjoy four kinds of music.
Ex: The policy should be changed for three reasons.

4. Avoid using “there are” in your topic sentences
Instead, start with a who, what, where, or when.
There are two people I call best friends.
Who: Tamara and Eva are my two best friends.
There are three things that “friendship” means to me.
What: The word “friendship” means three things to me.
There are several friends of mine at school.
Where: At school, I have several good friends.
There were many interesting places my friend Sam traveled to last summer.
When: Last summer, my friend Sam traveled to various interesting places.

5. USE OCCASION PHRASES TO BEGIN TOPIC SENTENCES
Occasion phrases begin with:
Unless
Although
As long as
In order to
While
Since
Until

6. EXAMPLES: OCCASION TOPIC SENTENCES.
Although baseball cards are just pieces of cardboard with pictures on them, some of them are worth a lot of money.
Unless you say photos of my grandparents, you would never know that I am actually French.
Although Japan is located on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, many people have crossed the Pacific to become American citizens.

7. FREQUENT TOPIC SENTENCE PROBLEMS
TOO BROAD:
Shows in the medical field are very great shows for many reasons.
TOO SPECIFIC:
Although some people may think soap operas have cheesy actors, Grey’s Anatomy actors that do a splendid job staying in character; we never see them slip.

8. Examples of good topic sentences
Power Statement
Occasion/Position Statement
Grey’s Anatomy is worth watching for three good reasons, characters, setting, and plot.
Although most medical shows are overdone and boring, Grey’s Anatomy is a very well-made show.

9. Supporting a topic sentence
In order to write well-developed paragraphs, we’re going to help the audience SEE.
S: Say it– your topic sentence
E: Example– give one.
E: Explain it.
A thank you card may seem to formal but sometimes it is the best way to let a person know that you appreciate their kindness. When Noura received her card from Jenin, she was overjoyed. The thank- you card was personal, hand-written, and funny. This made Noura feel appreciated and acknowledged. There are many ways a person can say thank you, but sometimes a simple card of appreciation is just the right thing to give.

10. A little more on the “E”s of SEE:
Examples
Explanations
True story
Hypothetical story (anecdote)
Fact
Theory
Other example
Expert opinion
Proven statistic
Additional details
Discuss importance
Define terms
Other explanations, as necessary