The Descriptive Paragraph

This type of paragraph describes something and shows the reader what a thing or a
person is like. The words chosen in the description often appeal to the five senses of
touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste. Descriptive paragraphs can be artistic and may
deviate from grammatical norms.

Example of Descriptive Paragraph

The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is
playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier
minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. The groups change
more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath; already there are
wanderers, confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become
from a sharp, joyous moment the center of a group, and then, excited with triumph, glide on
through the sea-change of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light.

The Narrative Paragraph

This type of paragraph tells a story. There's a sequence of action or there's a clear
beginning, middle, and end to the paragraph

Example of Narrative Paragraph

It's been almost ten years since I first ran for political office. I was thirty-five at the time,
four years out of law school, recently married, and generally impatient with life. A seat in the
Illinois legislature had opened up, and several friends suggested that I run, thinking that my work
as a civil rights lawyer, and contacts from my days as a community organizer, would make me a
viable candidate. After discussing it with my wife, I entered the race and proceeded to do what
every first-time candidate does: I talked to anyone who would listen. I went to block club
meetings and church socials, beauty shops and barbershops. If two guys were standing on a

corner, I would cross the street to hand them campaign literature. And everywhere I went, I'd get
some version of the same two questions.

The Process Paragraph

A process is a series, a sequence, an orderly progression. One step or event follows another: first
this, then that, then something else. You generally write a process paragraph to accomplish one
of two tasks:
1. To describe how to make or do something (directional process)
2. To describe how something works (informational process)

Example of Process Paragraph

How to Raise a Tent

When you reach the spot you are looking for, you will need to make camp by setting up a tent.
One person can set up the tent, although it is easier with two, and almost impossible with three or
more. First, clear a 9 by 9 foot area of snags, limbs, and anything that might pierce the bottom of
the tent. Unfold the tent so that the corners of the waterproof bottom form a square. Peg down
the corners of the bottom. Next, snap together all four external tent poles. Place a pole near each
of the pegs. Thread each pole through the two loops leading toward the top of the tent. After you
have all four poles in place, lift one of the poles. While holding the pole up, pull its rope tight
and peg it down, so that the pole is held up by the rope and the pegs on opposing sides of the tent
bottom. Lift the pole on the opposite side of the tent in the same way, but this time, fit it into the
upper end of the standing pole before securing its rope. Assemble the two remaining tent poles in
a similar manner. Finally, unroll the front flap to form an awning. Prop up the awning with the
two remaining poles and secure them with ropes. Congratulations, you are now ready to move in.

The Compare and Contrast Paragraph

In a compare and contrast paragraph, you write about the similarities and differences
between two or more people, places, things, or ideas.

Example of Compare and Contrast Paragraph

High School and College

Even though high school and college are both places of learning, they differ in at least
three ways. The first difference between high school and college is their social
atmospheres. In high school the building is usually smaller, so most students know each
other. In addition, students in high school have the same six-hour 7:40 to 2:30 day, which
helps them to know one another better. At college people are constantly coming and
going, rarely seeing the same person twice in one day. The second difference between
high school and college is their policies about homework. In high school, homework is
usually. Knowing they have to submit assignments in algebra or history makes students
keep up with these subjects. In college most homework consists of just studying; very
little of it is written and turned in. If students do their homework, it is to their advantage;
if they do not, the teachers will not force them to. The student is only wasting his own
money if he neglects his course work. The third and last difference between high school
and college is their attendance policies. In high school, students must attend class or their
parents will be called. In college, students may skip classes if they choose and refer to the
syllabus to get missed assignments or tests. It is the students responsibility to make work
up. In spite of these differences between high school and college, they both serve the same
purpose to prepare an individual for the real world.