1. Writing Your GED Essay CHAPTER 11
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

2. CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing Paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of sentences that develops a central point or main idea.
MAIN IDEA
I had a terrible morning yesterday. First of all, I overslept because the alarm clock didn’t go off. When I looked at it, I found out that it was broken and that I needed a new one. I got ready in a hurry, but then I couldn’t find my keys. It took me 20 minutes to find them. When I finally left the house, I still had time to make it to work on time, but the bus was behind schedule, so I got to work late.
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

3. Writing the Introductory Paragraph
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Introductory Paragraph
A good introductory paragraph
Is organized from general to specific
States the topic and main idea clearly
Arouses the reader’s interest
Contains a thesis statement that previews the main ideas of the body paragraphs
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

4. Writing the Introductory Paragraph
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Introductory Paragraph
(Continued)
Use your notes about your topic and main idea to write your introductory paragraph.
Nowadays, we often hear that people spend too much time watching TV. However, people need to remember that TV can provide us with several benefits. In fact, TV has benefited my life in three main ways: it provides me with educational resources, it gives me information about the world around me, and it provides a lot of inexpensive entertainment.
Topic: TV
How to respond: Give examples
Main idea: TV provides many benefits.
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

5. Writing the Introductory Paragraph
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Introductory Paragraph
(Continued)
Remember the following when writing your introduction:
DO NOT announce your plans.
DO NOT apologize or make excuses.
DO NOT use empty words or repeat yourself.
DO NOT assume that your reader has read the title. State your topic at the beginning.
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

6. Writing the Body Paragraphs
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Body Paragraphs
Good body paragraphs
Are each about one main idea that supports the main idea of the essay
Are in the same order as they are mentioned in the thesis statement
Begin with a topic sentence that states the main idea of the paragraph
Contain detailed supporting sentences that back up the paragraph’s topic sentence
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

7. Writing the Body Paragraphs
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Body Paragraphs
(Continued)
Use your groups of ideas to write your body paragraphs.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
Television is a good source of education. Our public TV station has a GED preparation program every afternoon. I tape it and watch it after the kids go to bed. In addition, my kids love educational programs like Sesame Street. Both my children learned the alphabet from this show.
Education:
GED preparation program
Sesame Street—for kids
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

8. Writing the Body Paragraphs
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Body Paragraphs
(Continued)
Use your groups of ideas to write your body paragraphs.
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
There are a lot of good news programs on TV. My husband and I always watch the news before dinner. Some channels have news 24 hours a day. There are also great health programs on TV. TV has some great documentaries and biographies. Last night I watched a great biography of Sammy Davis, Jr.
Information:
News shows
Biographies
Documentaries
Health programs
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

9. Writing the Body Paragraphs
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Body Paragraphs
(Continued)
Use your groups of ideas to write your body paragraphs.
BODY PARAGRAPH 3
Entertainment
Game shows
Movies
Comedies
Football, baseball, and basketball games
Drama
Most importantly, TV has great entertainment. There are several exciting game shows on TV right now. You can also watch old and new movies and comedies. I Love Lucy is my husband’s favorite program. I love to watch football, baseball, and basketball on TV. The World Series is starting this week, and I plan to watch all the games on TV.
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

10. Writing the Concluding Paragraph
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Concluding Paragraph
A good concluding paragraph
Is organized from specific to general
Begins with a restatement of the thesis statement
Ends with a general statement that relates the topic to broader ideas
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

11. Writing the Concluding Paragraph
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Concluding Paragraph
(Continued)
Use a reworded version of your thesis statement to begin your concluding paragraph.
Thesis statement: TV has benefited my life in three ways: it provides me with educational resources, it gives me information about the world around me, and it provides a lot of inexpensive entertainment.
Clearly, TV has improved my life in three ways: it has provided education, news and other information, and hundreds of hours of wonderful entertainment. My favorable impression is not unique. Over the years, billions of people around the world have had their lives enriched by this magic box. By watching it, we can accomplish wonderful things from the comfort of our homes.
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

12. Writing the Concluding Paragraph
CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
Writing the Concluding Paragraph
(Continued)
Remember the following when writing your conclusion:
DO NOT announce your plans.
DO NOT apologize for your essay.
DO NOT bring up new topics.
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

13. CHAPTER 11: Writing Your GED Essay
THE END
Practice the skills you learned in this chapter by taking the Chapter Review Quiz or the GED Practice Quiz.
Copyright © 2002 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.