READING AND WRITING

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHS

The word paragraph comes from two Greek words: para which means “beyond” or “beside” and graphein which means “to write”.

A paragraph is a collection of related sentences with one central idea. Each sentence shows connection to other sentences in the
paragraph.

A paragraph is an independent unit or a related unit. As an independent unit, it is complete in itself. As a related unit, it is a part of a
composition that is combined with other paragraphs to make a larger composition.

Whether a paragraph is an independent unit or a related unit, it has its beginning, middle and end.

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHS

One of the most important elements in writing is the form or structure. It is worth noting that without a solid structure in place, the content
you have gathered would fall apart. After constructing an outline and writing your first draft, it is time to get on to paragraph writing.

An effective paragraph shows the unity of the sentences used in developing the main idea. A paragraph is made-up of the topic sentence
that contains the main idea, the supporting details and the conclusion or the clinching sentence at the end.

Topic sentence – it reveals the main or central idea of the paragraph. It does not necessarily have to be placed at the beginning of the
paragraph. It may be found in the middle of the first and the last sentence or at the end. If it is found at the end of the paragraph, it may be
used as a clinching or concluding sentence. 

Supporting details – they give the paragraph life as it elaborates on the scope given by the topic sentence.

Clinching sentence – it closes your paragraph. According to Dagdag (2010), this “may be a restatement of the topic sentence, a summary,
or a conclusion based on the supporting details.”

NARRATION

Narration, from the root word narrates, originated from the Latin word narrare - which means related or told.
It gives a written account of an event or story, or simply, storytelling. The sequence of events is told in chronological order.

It usually contains the following: who, what, and when.

A narrative must have “vivid” description of details, a consistent point of view and verb tense, and a well-defined point or significance.”
(Tiongson, 2016).

At the end of writing it, it must send a clear message to its readers through the story.

A narrative paragraph simply tells what happened and establishes facts.  It is sharing of personal experiences that offer lessons and
insights.  It  is  more   than  just  a  chronological  sequence  of  events  that  happen  to  the  different characters.  It also contains elements
of drama and tension.

            Narration is the most common type of paragraph development. It has the following elements:

Setting. It is the time and location in which a story takes place.

Characters. The life-giving element of the story.

Plot.  It is the logical series of events in the story.

The five essential parts of the plot are:

Exposition. It is the part of the story where the characters and the setting are revealed.

Rising Action. It  is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is exposed.

Climax. This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story.

Falling Action. The events and complications begin to resolve themselves.

Denouement. The final resolution of the plot in the story.

Point of View. It is the perspective of the writer in narrating the story.

First person point of view. The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters using pronouns I, me, we.
Second person point of view. The author tells the story in second point of view using the pronouns you, yours, and your.

Third person point of view. The narrator is not part of the story but describes the events that happen. The writer uses the pronouns he, she,
him, and her.

DESCRIPTION

Description gives information of what a person, an object, a place or a situation is like.

It appeals to the reader’s senses.

A descriptive paragraph has concrete and specific details, which are carefully chosen by a writer to paint a picture in the mind of the
reader.

Descriptive writing emphasizes a reader’s ability to paint vivid pictures using words on a reader’s mind. This relies on the writer’s ability to
appeal to his/her five senses: the sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing.

To rouse feelings, emotions and reactions from the readers is what descriptive paragraphs aim for. Simple adjectives will not simply cut it
for readers desiring for appropriate description of an event, thing, place or person.

According to Dagdag (2010), there are two types of description: objective and subjective.  Objective description is a factual description of
the topic at hand. This relies its information on physical aspects and appeals to those who crave for facts.  Meanwhile, subjective
description allows the writer to explore ways to describe an emotion, an event, a thing, a place or person, appealing to emotions. Often, this
is an artistic way of describing things, mostly from the eye and perspective of the writer.

Here is a word bank of sensory words to refer to when you want to add descriptive details to your paragraphs:

SIGHT SOUND SMELL TOUCH TASTE

sparkling yelp musty sticky spicy

gloomy shriek rotten grainy sweet

glossy whisper fragrant smooth sour

 bright hiss fresh satiny bitter

dazzling screech pungent pointy bland

cloudy chortle fruity clammy creamy

blurred sneeze stinky furry delectable

DEFINITION
Definition explains a concept, term or subject. Its main purpose is to tell what something is.

It consists of three parts: (1) the term, concept or subject to be defined; (2) the general class to which it belongs; and (3)
the characteristics that differentiate it from the other members of its class.

A definition explains what a term means. When you want your readers to know exactly how you are using a certain term or an unfamiliar
concept, you use definition.

Definition is the main constituent of any dictionary. In developing a paragraph by definition, you should take account of these things:

a) the term to be defined

b) the class to which the term belongs

c) the characteristics that distinguish the term from the other members of its class.

Take a look at this example of a definition:

An owl is a bird with a large head, strong talons and has a nocturnal habit.

Owl – is the term to be defined

Bird – is the class where the owl belongs

with a large head, strong talons and has a nocturnal habit – are the characteristics that distinguish the owl from the other birds.

The following are the different types of definitions:

1. Formal Definition.  The definitions provided in dictionaries.

2. Informal Definitions. The three common informal definitions are operational definitions, synonyms, and connotations.

a. Operational Definitions  give  the  meaning  of  an  abstract  word  for  one  particular  time  and  place.

b. Synonyms or words that mean the same as another word.

c. Denotation is the exact meaning of the word

d. Connotation  is  an  idea  or  meaning  suggested  by  or  associated  with  a word  or  things.

3. Definition Paragraph. It is  a  definition  sentence  which is extended  into  a  paragraph  by  adding  meanings, descriptions,
narrations , and  other kinds  of  paragraph  development  to  make  clear  the  term being  defined.

CLASSIFICATION

Classification paragraphs group items into categories, to establish a clear distinction.

If the topic encompasses a large body of information, one effective way of elaborating it is through classifying things of distinct features into
groups/classes.

Classification groups items into categories to establish a clear distinction between related or similar ideas. Similar items are grouped into
categories for the readers to better understand and analyze the material at hand.

In a  classification paragraph  you  tell  readers  how  a  collection  of  items  can  be  sorted  into  categories.  It  is  an  activity of  sorting 
items (people,  things , ideas )  into  categories.
1. Terms  that  signal  classification:

            aspects                          kinds              qualities                      traits

            areas                            levels               systems                        types

2. Transitional  Expressions:

can be divided                        can be categorized

can be classified                      the first type

COMPARISON & CONTRAST

A comparison tells how two things are similar.  A contrast tells how they are different.

A paragraph developed by comparison and contrast has a unifying idea or purpose of attempting to weigh decisions between two ideas or
subjects.

A comparison and contrast paragraph must be balanced in such a way that there is an equal amount of information for each subject to
avoid bias.

There are two ways in writing a comparison and contrast paragraph.

1. Subject – by - Subject Method. You present all of the facts and supporting details about one topic, and then you give all the facts and
supporting details about the other topic.

2. Point – by - Point Arrangement. You discuss each point for both subjects before giving on the next point.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
A cause is what makes a particular thing happen.

An effect is what results from a particular situation, activity, or behavior.

A paragraph developed by causal analysis must not only raise the question why, but also give answers to the satisfaction of the reader.

Cause and Effect paragraphs are written for the following purposes:

to discuss why a certain phenomenon occurs to predict an outcome

to discuss the results of a phenomenon, event, feeling or action to entertain

to understand a situation to persuade

to solve a problem

Some of the signal words used in this type of paragraph are the following:

For For this reason

Because As a result

Since Consequently

Due to Otherwise

So Therefore

But Thu