1. Paragraphs A How To…

2. The Parts of a Paragraph  Topic Sentence  The topic sentence tells your readers what your paragraph is about  Formula for and effective TS  Interesting subject+  Specific feeling =  Effective topic sentence  Topic Sentence  The topic sentence tells your readers what your paragraph is about  Formula for and effective TS  Interesting subject+  Specific feeling =  Effective topic sentence

3. Example  The average cost of a Hollywood film (interesting subject) runs between 30 and 50 million dollars. (specific feature)  Does the topic sentence always need to be the first sentence?  NO!  The average cost of a Hollywood film (interesting subject) runs between 30 and 50 million dollars. (specific feature)  Does the topic sentence always need to be the first sentence?  NO!

4. The Body  Main part of the paragraph  Details that support the topic sentence  Facts  Statistics  Quotes  Anecdotes  Arrange in a logical order  Example:  The salary of a top star such as Bruce Willis or Harrison Ford can add 20 million dollars to the cost of a major film.  Main part of the paragraph  Details that support the topic sentence  Facts  Statistics  Quotes  Anecdotes  Arrange in a logical order  Example:  The salary of a top star such as Bruce Willis or Harrison Ford can add 20 million dollars to the cost of a major film.

5. Closing  Comes after all the details are presented  May remind readers of the subject  Keep them thinking about the subject  Link the paragraph to another Example: Anyone who has bought a movie ticket recently knows that the consumer pays for these extravagant productions.  Comes after all the details are presented  May remind readers of the subject  Keep them thinking about the subject  Link the paragraph to another Example: Anyone who has bought a movie ticket recently knows that the consumer pays for these extravagant productions.

6. How long should a paragraph be?  Paragraph length will vary depending on topic and details.  A good rule of thumb:  Topic sentence  3 supporting sentences  Closing sentence  So each paragraph should have a minimum of 5 sentences.  Paragraph length will vary depending on topic and details.  A good rule of thumb:  Topic sentence  3 supporting sentences  Closing sentence  So each paragraph should have a minimum of 5 sentences.

7. Sample Paragraph  The average cost of a Hollywood film runs between 30 and 50 million dollars. There are many reasons for this outlandish expense. The currently popular action-adventure productions are filled with special effects that cost huge amount of money. In addition, most producers think in terms of blockbuster films. Instead of making a number of smaller, less-expensive films, they focus on big, elaborate films that could be smash hits. Of course, blockbuster films require big stars, which adds significantly to the production costs. The salary of a top start such as Bruce Willis or Harrison Ford can add 20 million dollars to the cost of a major film. Then, the nonstop, full-throttle promotion of a film adds another enormous expense. All of these factors have contributed to the inflated costs of making and watching movies. Anyone who has bough a movie ticket recently knows that the consumer pays for these extravagant productions.