Writing Paragraphs

Instructor Nadia Shaukat

Communication Skills
LECTURE # 1. March 2018
Paragraphs

• What is a paragraph?
• A paragraph is a group of sentences that develops an idea.
• The first sentence of a paragraph should be dipped.
• The sentences in the paragraph support and give examples of the
main idea.
Paragraphs: A Bad Example

I live in a house in west Provo. I like the view from our house. We
have lived there since November. We also have a car that I like very
much. We were in an accident a few months ago. We hit a deer that
was crossing the street at night. I felt sorry for the deer, but it cost a
lot of money to repair the car.
Paragraphs: A Good Example

My husband and I bought our first house last November,

and we love it. It is located in west Provo near a Lake.
Although we cannot see the lake from our house, we do
have a beautiful view of Mount Timpanogos. Our house has
three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a family
room, and a large kitchen and dining area. We also have a
large backyard and a small garden. We are very happy to
own our own home, and I hope that we will live there for
several years.
 Paragraph Shape
Indent
½”
Paragraph Structure

• A paragraph should have a logical structure

that is easy to put into an outline:
I. Topic Sentence
II. Supporting Detail
III. Concluding Sentence
Topic Sentences

•A topic sentence is the sentence that tells the

reader the main idea of the paragraph.
■ The topic sentence presents your main idea in

a complete sentence.
■ It introduces your topic + your position on the topic.

•The topic sentence is often found at the beginning

of the paragraph, but it can be in other places, too.
The Topic Sentence

•Find the topic sentence in this

paragraph:
Homeless people have
many problems. In winter, it’s
hard to stay warm and it gets
too hot in summer. It’s also
hard to keep things safe
without a home. Worst is the
lack of privacy.
The Topic Sentence

• There are many reasons that I love to teach. First of

all, I love to teach because I love being at school.
Another reason I love teaching is that the days go by
quickly. A third reason I love to teach is because I love
seeing a student understand something new. Finally, I
love to teach because I love to be around kids. These
are just a few reasons I love to teach.
Practice with Topic Sentences

•Write a topic sentence for each of

the following topics:
A) your favorite possession
B) an interesting person you know
C) a beautiful place
Supporting Details

•Supporting details prove the value of the main idea.

What are they here?

• Homeless people have many problems. In

winter, it’s hard to stay warm and it gets too hot in
summer. It’s also hard to keep things safe without a
home. Worst is the lack of privacy.
The Closing Sentence

•Should look a lot like There are many reasons that I

the topic sentence. love to teach. First of all, I love to
teach because I love being at school.
Another reason I love teaching is
•Needs to summarize that the days go by quickly. A third
the topic. reason I love to teach is because I
love seeing a student understand
something new. Finally, I love to
•Needs to be an teach because I love to be around
kids. These are just a few reasons
obvious end to the I love to teach.
sentence.
Paragraph Development
Topic sentence
1 or 2 general ideas
Conclusion

Topic sentence

Put lots of
“meat” in your
paragraph
sandwich!

Conclusion
“Maria offered to help her mother clean the
house. She vacuumed the living room and
dusted the furniture. She picked up the toys in the
playroom.
She ate a beef sandwich for lunch.
Then, she washed the kitchen floor.

Which sentence does not support

the main idea?
Find the sentence that does not support the
main idea…
“Winter provides the opportunity for many
outdoor activities. Many people enjoy ice
skating on a pond. Swimming in the pond in
summer can also be fun.
Skating can be a thrilling experience too.
After a new snowfall,
you can even build a snowman!”
You try it…
“The rain forest is home to many creatures. Monkeys,
toucans and macaws live in the rain forest. Butterflies
and anteaters also live in the rain forest.”

What is the main idea?

A) Sloths and tapirs are other creatures that live in the rain
forest.
B) The rain forest is home to many creatures.
C) Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest.
Try another…
“Soccer players learn many skills when playing
soccer. Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass
the ball. They also learn how to control the ball so
they can eventually score. Most importantly, soccer
players learn how to work together with their
teammates.”

What is the main idea?

A) They also learn how to control the ball so they can

eventually score.
B) Soccer players learn how to dribble.
C) Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.
 Four Steps in the Writing Process

•A. Pre-writing: Think of ideas

B. Planning: Organize your ideas
C. Drafting: Write the first draft
D. Revising and Editing: Improve your writing
Brainstorming

•Brainstorming is a way to think of new ideas.

Brainstorming means you write every idea that is in
your head (your brain). When you brainstorm, you
write all your ideas and all the words you can think
of about a topic. Do not say "This idea is a bad
idea." When you are brainstorming, all ideas are
good ideas.
WORDS OR PHRASES

•You do not write complete sentences when you

brainstorm. You just write words or phrases. Write
all the things that you think of.
EXAMPLE

•Here is an example of what an office worker wrote

when he brainstormed about the topic Daily
Routine:
BRAINSTORMING
Clustering
•Clustering is another way to think of new ideas. The
word "cluster" means a group of similar things.
Clustering means putting words into groups. Each
group, or cluster, has a number of words that are
related to each other.
CLUSTERING-BRAINSTORMING

•Clustering is similar to brainstorming. You try to

think of many words and phrases. When you make a
cluster map, you write the words and phrases in
groups.
EXAMPLE
Write the topic in the centre of your page, inside a
circle.
Write general ideas about the topic around
the circle.
. Write more ideas about each general idea
Continue until you can think of no more
ideas.
☺ THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION