Paragraph Construction

Paragraph Construction

What do you know about paragraphs?

What is a paragraph? • A paragraph is a group of sentences related to a main idea. • Every sentence is related to the main idea. • A good sentence has three parts. • A topic sentence • A body • A concluding sentence

Note: As writers, it is important to think about our readers needs and concerns. The last thing we want is a lost reader. In order to avoid a lost reader, we have to provide guidance and structure.

What is a topic sentence? What does a topic sentence do? • A topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph • It lets the reader know what the paragraph will be about • A topic sentence names the subject and the focus or main point • It is often found at the beginning of a paragraph Note that the topic is in red and what the paragraph will be talking about is indicated in yellow. Example from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/rhet-terms/pop3a.cfm When I first brought my cat home from the Humane Society, she was a mangy, pitiful animal.

What is the body of a paragraph? • The body of a paragraph provides support or description for the main idea • If there is no support, the assertion made in the topic sentence is without value. Example: She was so thin that you could count her vertebrae just by looking at her. Apparently she was declawed by her previous owners, then abandoned or lost. Since she couldn't hunt, she nearly starved. Not only that, but she had an abscess on one hip. The vets at the Humane Society had drained it, but it was still scabby and without fur. She had a terrible cold, too. She was sneezing and sniffling and her meow was just a hoarse squeak. And she'd lost half her tail somewhere. Instead of tapering gracefully, it had a bony knob at the end.

Here are things that can be used as evidence. • Details • Facts • Statistics (number facts—56% of students enjoy Pride Time four days a week) • Explanations • Examples • Personal experiences

What is the concluding sentence?When should I use a concluding sentence? • A concluding sentence reminds the reader of the main point • If the paragraph is very short, there may be no need to have a concluding sentence. Example: She was in a bad state.

When I first brought my cat home from the Humane Society she was a mangy, pitiful animal. She was so thin that you could count her vertebrae just by looking at her. Apparently she was declawed by her previous owners, then abandoned or lost. Since she couldn't hunt, she nearly starved. Not only that, but she had an abscess on one hip. The vets at the Humane Society had drained it, but it was still scabby and without fur. She had a terrible cold, too. She was sneezing and sniffling and her meow was just a hoarse squeak. And she'd lost half her tail somewhere. Instead of tapering gracefully, it had a bony knob at the end. She was in a bad state.

Here is another example The punishment of criminals has always been a problem for society. Citizens have had to decide whether offenders such as first-degree murderers should be killed in a gas chamber, imprisoned for life, or rehabilitated and given a second chance in society. Many citizens argue that serious criminals should be executed. They believe that killing criminals will set an example for others and also rid society of a cumbersome burden. Other citizens say that no one has the right to take a life and that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime. They believe that society as well as the criminal is responsible for the crimes and that killing the criminal does not solve the problems of either society or the criminal. Punishing criminals is a significant problem for societies. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/paragraphs.htm

What have we learned? Define the following Topic sentence The paragraph body Concluding sentence

Paragraph Construction