Composing Effective Paragraphs

What is a PARAGRAPH?
-A group of related sentences that develop one main idea.
ELEMENTS OF A PARAGRAPH
UNITY
-It means “oneness”.
-Begins with a topic sentence
-Every paragraph has one single, controlling idea that is expressed in its topic, which is
typically the first sentence of the paragraph.
ORDER
-The way you organize your supporting sentences.
-Whether you choose chronological order, order of importance, or another logical presentation of
detail, a solid paragraph always has a definite organization.
COHERENCE
-“Sticking together”
-Establishing a relationship between the ideas presented in a paragraph and work together as a
whole.
-The best way to achieve coherency is to use transition words.
-These words create bridges from one sentence to the next.
-Using a consistent verb tense and point of view are important ingredients for coherency.
COMPLETENESS
-Means a paragraph is well-developed
-All sentences clearly and sufficiently support the main idea
Common kinds of logical order
1. Chronological order
For chronological order, you would use transition words: first, next, after that, finally, before the
last war, after 2010, since then.
2. Comparison/contrast
In describing differences (contrast), you would use transition devices like: the most significant
difference, larger than, unlike, on the other hand, in contrast, differ from.
3. Logical division of ideas
In a paragraph showing similarities (comparison), you would use transition devices such
as: similarity, similarly, as expensive as, just as, just like, compare with, in comparison.
4. Order of importance
In introducing order of importance, you would use transition words such as firstly, secondly,
thirdly to introduce each group.
5. Cause and effect
A cause and effect paragraph uses transition words that express reasons and results, such as: the
first cause, the next reason, because of ... the first effect, as a result, therefore.
Structure of a Paragraph
A basic paragraph structure consists of topic sentence, at least three supporting details, and a
concluding sentence.
Topic Sentence
-Ideally, should be the first statement of a paragraph.
-In some cases, however, it’s more effective to place another sentence before the topic sentence.
-Tells about the topic/main idea
-Subject and controlling idea of the paragraph

Dogs make wonderful pets because they help you to live longer.
(subject) (controlling idea)

Supporting Details
-Prove the value of the main idea
-Examples and extra information that help you understand the topic sentence
Concluding Sentence
Sum up the paragraph