Baluyot, Ma. Rochelle B.

Writing in the Discipline

BSED-Fil3 MWF 1:00-2:00
10-25-19

METHODS OF PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT

1.DEFINITION
-Explains what a term means. It uses denotation or connotation
1. Tells readers what term is being defined.
2. Presents a clear and precise basic definition.
3. Uses examples to show what the writer means.
4. Uses words and examples that readers will understand.

EXAMPLE:
1. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, gossip is a “trivial rumor of a personal
nature,” but this definition makes gossip sound harmless. At first, gossip might not
seem so bad. One person tells a second person something about someone, and that
second person tells a third person, and so on. The information passes from person to
person. However, gossip is much more than just information and rumor. As the rumor
continues, it grows and changes, People do not know all the facts, so they add
information. As the gossip goes from one person to another, the damage continues,
and the person who is the subject of the gossip can’t do anything to answer or protect
himself or herself. Because the potential damage may range from hurt feelings to a lost
career, gossip is much worse than simply a “trivial rumor.”

2. "Park" is difficult to define in Florida, because there are so many kinds of parks.
Basically, a park is a place to go for outdoor recreation-to swim, picnic, hike, camp,
walk the dog, play tennis, paddle your canoe, and, in some places take rides in
miniature trains or swish down a waterslide. Florida has a rich variety of parks, ranging
from acres of RVs ringed around recreation halls, to impenetrable mangrove
wilderness. To make things more complicated, not all of them are called "parks," and
even the ones called "parks" come in several varieties.

Comments on definition:
• Never define anything by the "according to Webster's" method. Meaning is found in
the world, not in the dictionary. Bring the world into your story and use it to define your
terms. • Saying what something is NOT can help readers; but make a strong effort to
say what it IS.

2.EXAMPLE OR ILLUSTRATION
-Uses examples to show, explain, or prove a point.
Good Illustration:
1. Makes a point.
2. Gives detailed and specific examples.
3. Gives enough examples to get the point across.
 EXAMPLE:
Although they don’t consider it stealing, many people regularly take things from their
jobs. The most common items to disappear are pens and pencils that the employees
almost unconsciously stuff into their purses and pockets. Over time, they may
accumulate a lot of them. Another big item is all kinds of paper: pads of lined paper,
little notepads, and file folders. Finally, one of the most significant ways people steal
from their employers is by taking home samples of products the company makes.
Employees think they are entitled to these products and even give them to friends.
These examples many not seem like stealing, but the results are the same: extra costs
to the company, which may result in lower pay raises.

3.GIVING DETAILS OR REASON

This is the most common and easiest form of paragraph development: you simply expand on a
general topic sentence using specific examples or illustrations.

EXAMPLE:
Work tends to be associated with non-work-specific environments, activities, and
schedules. If asked what space is reserved for learning, many students would suggest
the classroom, the lab or the library. What about the kitchen? The bedroom? In fact,
any room in which a student habitually studies becomes a learning space, or a place
associated with thinking. Some people need to engage in sports or other physical
activity before they can work successfully. Being sedentary seems to inspire others.
Although most classes are scheduled between 8:30 and 22:00, some students do their
best work before the sun rises, some after it sets. Some need a less flexible schedule
than others, while a very few can sit and not rise until their task is completed. Some
students work quickly and efficiently, while others cannot produce anything without
much dust and heat.

The topic sentence makes a general claim: that school work tends not to be associated
only with school. The rest of the sentences provide various illustrations of this
argument. They are organized around the three categories, "environment, activities,
and schedules," enumerated in the topic sentence. The details provide the concrete
examples which your reader will use to evaluate the credibility of your topic sentence.

4.COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

-are describing two or more things which have something, but not everything, in common.
-Show similarities and differences among people, ideas, situations, or items. They are used to
explain two subjects and help you decide between two options.
1. Uses subjects that have enough in common to be compared/contrasted.
2. Serves a purpose- either to help readers make a decision or understand subjects.
3. Presents several important, parallel points of comparison/contrast.
4. Arranges points in a logical organization.

EXAMPLE:
1. When they get lost while driving, women and men have very different ways to find the
right route. As soon as a woman thinks she might be lost, she will pull into a store or
gas station and ask for directions. As she continues on, is she’s still not sure of the
 directions, she will stop again and ask someone else for help. Until they know they are
on the right track, women will continue to ask for directions. In contrast, men would
rather turn around and go home than stop and ask for directions. First, a man doesn’t
readily admit he is lost. When it is clear that he is, he will pull over and consult a map. If
he still find himself lost, he will again pull out that map. Either the map will finally put the
man on the right route, or – as a last resort – he will reluctantly stop at a store or gas
station and let his wife go in and ask for directions. Many battles of the sexes have
raged over what to do when lost in the car.

2. Although the interpretation of traffic signals may seem highly standardized, close
observation reveals regional variations across this country, distinguishing the East
Coast from Central Canada and the West as surely as dominant dialects or political
inclinations. In Montreal, a flashing red traffic light instructs drivers to careen even more
wildly through intersections heavily populated with pedestrians and oncoming vehicles.
In startling contrast, an amber light in Calgary warns drivers to scream to a halt on the
off chance that there might be a pedestrian within 500 meters who might consider
crossing at some unspecified time within the current day. In my home town in New
Brunswick, finally, traffic lights (along with painted lines and posted speed limits) do not
apply to tractors, all terrain vehicles, or pickup trucks, which together account for most
vehicles on the road. In fact, were any observant Canadian dropped from an alien
space vessel at an unspecified intersection anywhere in this vast land, he or she could
almost certainly orient him-or-herself according to the surrounding traffic patterns.

This paragraph compares traffic patterns in three areas of Canada. It contrasts the
behavior of drivers in the Maritimes, in Montreal, and in Calgary, in order to make a
point about how attitudes in various places inform behavior. People in these areas have
in common the fact that they all drive; in contrast, they drive differently according to the
area in which they live.
It is important to note that the paragraph above considers only one aspect of driving
(behavior at traffic lights). If you wanted to consider two or more aspects, you would
probably need more than one paragraph.

5.ANALOGY
When explaining difficult concepts, use something with which the reader is likely to be familiar
and compare it to the concept in question.
EXAMPLE:
Marriage works best (difficult concept) when husband and wife are pulling in the same
direction, not unlike two horses pulling a wagon over a bumpy field (easily understood
comparison).

6.CAUSE AND EFFECT

-Explain what made an event happen and what occurred as a result. 1. Clearly distinguish
between cause and effect. 2. Give clear and detailed examples of causes and/or effects.
EXAMPLE:
Much to her surprise, lottery winner Sylvia Lee found that sudden wealth was a mixed
blessing – the results were both good and bad. After her win was announced, she was
constantly hounded by people who wanted to sell her something. She got an unlisted
phone number, but the more aggressive salespeople just camped out on her doorstep.
 Another negative result was that people started treating her differently. “I was shocked,”
said Lee. “Everyone from the checkout clerk at the supermarket where I’ve shopped for
years to my next-door neighbor acted as though I had changed. I’m still the same; I’ve
just got money now.” Lee admits, though, that most of the changes have been positive.
“It’s really a relief not worrying about money all the time. I actually went on my first
shopping spree ever, and it was great.” Lee expects that other new and unexpected
results of her sudden wealth are yet to come, but she’s not discouraged: so far, at least,
the pluses far outweigh the minuses.

7.PROCESS
-Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third.
-Although monotonous, process paragraphs are the simplest way to explain how to do
something.

EXAMPLE:
1. You can safely swim with piranhas, but it’s important to know how and when to do it.
First, chose an appropriate time, preferably at night and during the rainy season. Avoid
piranha-infested waters during the dry season, when food supplies are low and
piranhas are more desperate. Piranhas feed during the day, so night-time swimming is
much safer. Second, streamline your movement. Wild or erratic activity attracts the
attention of piranhas. Swim slowly and smoothly. Finally, never enter the water with an
open wound or raw meat. Piranhas attack larger animals only when they are wounded.
The presence of blood in the water may tempt the fish to attack. If you follow these
simple precautions, you will have little to fear.

2. The first point to establish is the grip of the hand on the rod. This should be about half-
way up the cork handle, absolutely firm and solid, but not tense or rigid. All four fingers
are curved around the handle, the little finger, third finger and middle finger contributing
most of the firmness by pressing the cork solidly into the fleshy part of the palm, near
the heel of the hand. The forefinger supports and steadies the grip but supplies its own
firmness against the thumb, which should be along the upper side of the handle and
somewhere near the top of the grip. (from Roderick Haig-Brown, "Fly Casting")

The topic sentence establishes that the author will use this paragraph to describe the
process of establishing the "grip of the hand on the rod," and this is exactly what he
does, point by point, with little abstraction.

8.EXPLANATION AND DISCUSSION

In an explanation paragraph, you need to explain how or why something happens. Very often
in social studies class, you will be asked to explore causes and effects of certain events.

EXAMPLE:
Write a paragraph explaining why so many Europeans moved to Canada during the
nineteenth century.
9.CLASSIFICATION
-Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic.
- Organizes, or sorts, people or items into categories.
A good classification paragraph:
1. Make sense of a group of people or items by organizing them into categories.
2. Uses useful categories.
3. Uses a single organizing principle.
4. Gives examples of what fits into each category.

EXAMPLE:
1. Piranhas comprise more than 30-60 species of fish, depending on whom you ask. The
many species fall into four genera: Pygocentrus, Pygopristis, Serrasalmus, and
Pristobrycon. Piranha in the Pygocentrus genus are the most common variety, the kind
you might find in a pet store. Pygopristis piranha are herbivores, feasting on seeds and
fruits, not flesh. In contrast, fish in the Serrasalmus genus eat only meat, and their teeth
are razor-sharp. Pristobrycon are the least friendly of all piranhas; they often bite the
fins of other fish, even fish of the same species. The label piranha, then, refers to a
wide variety of species.

2. Test questions generally fall into categories, depending on how they are answered:
objective and subjective. The first kind, objective questions, have definite right and
wrong answers. Multiple choice, matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions are objective.
Although they can be tricky because of their wording, most students prefer objective
questions. The answers are already there, and the student just has to choose the right
one. Subjective test items, such as short-answer and essay questions, have no single
correct answer. There is a range of possible responses. Students have to know the
information in order to answer each question, and they have to present it in their own
words. You can make a lucky guess on an objective question, but a subjective question
doesn’t offer much hope for a student relying on dumb luck.

10.NARRATION
- Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish.
-tells a story of an event or an experience.
Good narration:
1. Reveals something of importance.
2. Includes all the important events of the story.
3. Brings the story to life with a detailed account of what happened.
4. Presents events in a clear order.

EXAMPLE:
1. One North Carolina man found quite a surprise last year while fishing in the Catawba
River: a piranha. Jerry Melton, of Gastonia, reeled in a one pound, four ounce fish with
an unusual bite. Melton could not identify it, but a nearby fisherman did. Melton at first
could not believe he had caught a piranha. He said, “That ain’t no piranha. They ain’t
got piranha around here.” Melton was right: the fish is native to South America, and
North Carolina prohibits owning the fish as a pet or introducing the species to local
waterways. The sharp-toothed, carnivorous fish likely found itself in the Catawba River
when its illegal owner released the fish after growing tired of it. Wildlife officials hope
 that the piranha was the only of its kind in the river, but locals are thinking twice before
they wade in the water.

2. My most embarrassing moment happened when I was working in a Mexican restaurant.

I was a hostess working on a busy Friday night. As usual, I was wearing a blouse and a
long Mexican skirt. While I was taking some menus to a table, one of the waiters
accidentally stepped on the hem of my skirt. I didn’t even feel it fall off, and I walked
through the whole dining room in my slip! Almost every customer in the restaurant saw
me without my skirt on!

3. Around 2 a.m. something woke Charles Hanson up. He lay in the dark listening.
Something felt wrong. Outside, crickets sang, tree-frogs chirruped. Across the distant
forest floated two muffled hoots from a barred owl. It was too quiet. At home in New
Jersey, the nights are filled with the busy, comforting sounds of traffic. You always have
the comforting knowledge that other people are all around you. And light: At home he
can read in bed by the glow of the streetlight. It was too quiet. And much too dark. Even
starlight failed to penetrate the 80-foot canopy of trees the camper was parked
beneath. It was the darkest dark he had ever seen. He felt for the flashlight beside his
bunk. It was gone. He found where his pants were hanging and, as he felt the pockets
for a box of matches, something rustled in the leaves right outside the window, inches
from his face. He heard his wife, Wanda, hold her breath; she was awake, too. Then,
whatever, was outside in the darkness also breathed, and the huge silence of the night
seemed to come inside the camper, stifling them. It was then he decided to pack up
and move to a motel.

Comments on narration: • Normally chronological (though sometimes uses flashbacks)

• A sequential presentation of the events that add up to a story. • A narrative differs
from a mere listing of events. Narration usually contains characters, a setting, a conflict,
and a resolution. Time and place and person are normally established. In this
paragraph, the "story" components are: a protagonist (Hanson), a setting (the park), a
goal (to camp), an obstacle (nature), a climax (his panic), and a resolution (leaving). •
Specific details always help a story, but so does interpretive language. You don't just
lay the words on the page; you point them in the direction of a story. • This narrative
serves as the opening anecdote that illustrates the topic of the story

11.DESCRIPTION
-Description creates a clear and vivid impression of the topic. Description translates your
experience of a person, place, or thing into words, often by appealing to the physical senses.
Good description:
1. Creates a main impression-an overall effect, feeling, or image-about the topic.
2. Uses concrete, specific details to support the main impression.
3. Uses details that appeal to the five senses.

EXAMPLE:
1. The subway is an assault on your senses. You walk down the steep, smelly steps on
the subway platform. On the far right wall, a broken clock show that the time is four-
thirty. You wonder how long it has been broken. A mother and her crying child are
standing to your left. She is trying to clean dried chocolate syrup off the young child’s
 face. Farther to the left, two old men are arguing about the most recent tax increase.
You hear a little noise and see some paper trash roll by like a soccer ball. The most
interesting thing you see while you are waiting for your subway train is a poster. It reads
“Come to Jamaica.” Deep blue skies, a lone palm tree, and sapphire waters call you to
this exotic faraway place.

2. O'Leno is a good example of a state park in Florida. Surrounded by the tall, shaded
woods of a beautiful hardwood forest, the Santa Fe River disappears in a large, slowly
swirling, tree-lined pool. After appearing intermittently in scattered sinkholes, the river
rises three miles downstream in a big boil, then continues on to meet the Suwannee
and the sea. Nearby, stands of cypress mirror themselves in the still waters, walls of
dense river swamp rise before you, sudden sinkholes open in the woodlands-rich with
cool ferns and mosses. Farther from the river, expanses of longleaf pinelands stretch
across rolling hills. In the midst of this lovely setting, you find 65 campsites, 18 rustic
cabins, and a pavilion for group meetings. A diving platform marks a good place to
swim in the soft, cool waters of the Santa Fe, and canoeing up this dark river is like
traveling backwards in time in the direction of original Florida. Comments on
description: • Description is not what you saw, but what readers need to see in order to
imagine the scene, person, object, etc. • Description requires you to record a series of
detailed observations. Be especially careful to make real observations. The success of
a description lies in the difference between what a reader can imagine and what you
actually saw and recorded; from that gap arises a spark of engagement. • Use sensory
language. Go light on adjectives and adverbs. Look for ways to describe action. Pay
special attention to the sound and rhythm of words; use these when you can.

• Think that your language is not so much describing a thing as describing a frame
around the thing--a frame so vivid that your reader can pour his or her imagination into
it and "see" the thing--even though you never showed it. Portray. Also evoke. • The key
problem in description is to avoid being static or flat. Adopt a strategy that makes your
description into a little story: move from far to near, left to right, old to new, or, as in this
example, down a river, to give your description a natural flow.Think of description as a
little narrative in which the visual characteristics unfold in a natural, interesting,
dramatic order. Think of what pieces readers need, in what order, to construct a scene.
Try making the description a little dramatic revelation, like watching an actor put on a
costume--where you cannot decipher what the costume means until many of the parts
are in place. • Never tease readers or withhold descriptive detail, unless for some
strange reason that is the nature of your writing. Lay it out. Give your description away
as generously as the world gives away sights. Let it show as transparently as seeing. •
The cognitive difficulty in description is simple: People see all-at-once. But they read
sequentially, one-part-at-the-time, in a series of pieces. Choose the pieces. Sequence
them so they add up. Think: Readers first read this, now this, now this; what do they
need next? • Remember, you never just describe something: The description is always
part of a larger point. Use the description to make your point, or to move your story
along.