PARAGRAPH WRITING

WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH
A PARAGRAPH IS A GROUP OF CONNECTED SENTENCES THAT IS
GENERALLY MADE UP OFONE MAIN IDEA AND A GROUP OF
SUPPORTING SENTENCES. PARAGRAPHS ARE THE BASIC UNIT
FOR BUILDING LONGER PIECES OF WRITING, E.G. ESSAYS, REPORTS,
ASSIGNMENTS ETC.

PARTS OF PARAGRAPH
A PARAGRAPH HAS THREE PARTS.
TOPIC SENTENCE: IT IS USUALLY THE FIRST SENTENCE IN A PARAGRAPH. IT
INTRODUCES THE MAIN IDEA OF PARAGRAPH.
THE TOPIC SENTENCE HAS 2 PARTS:

TOPIC + CONTROLLING IDEA

THE TOPIC IS THE SUBJECT OF THE PARAGRAPH AND THE CONTROLLING
IDEA TELLS WHAT THE PARAGRAPH WILL TELL ABOUT THE TOPIC.
SUPPORTING SENTENCES: THEY SUPPORT THE INFORMATION OF THE TOPIC
SENTENCE. IT INCLUDES SPECIFIC DETAILS
CONCLUSION : IT REMINDS WHAT THE TOPIC SENTENCE WAS ABOUT.

THREE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF

PARAGRAPH
UNITY: IT MEANS THAT YOU DISCUSS ONLY ONE MAIN IDEA IN A PARAGRAPH.
THE MAIN IDEA IS STATED IN THE TOPIC SENTENCE AND THEN EACH SUPPORTING
SENTENCE DEVELOPS THAT IDEA.

ORDER: IT IS LOGICAL SEQUENCE OF THOUGHT OR DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUBJECT.

EVENTS MUST BE RELATED IN THE ORDER TO THEIR OCCURRENCE, AND ALL THE IDEAS
SHOULD BE CONNECTED WITH THE LEADING IDEA AND ARRANGED ACCORDING TO
THEIR IMPORTANCE OR ORDER.

COHERENCE: COHERENCE IS THE QUALITY THAT MAKES YOUR WRITING

UNDERSTANDABLE. SENTENCES WITHIN A PARAGRAPH NEED TO CONNECT TO EACH
OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER AS A WHOLE. ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO ACHIEVE
COHERENCY IS TO USE TRANSITION WORDS. THESE WORDS CREATE BRIDGES FROM
ONE SENTENCE TO THE NEXT. YOU CAN USE TRANSITION WORDS THAT SHOW ORDER
(FIRST, SECOND, THIRD); SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS (ABOVE, BELOW) OR LOGIC
(FURTHERMORE, IN ADDITION, IN FACT).

PARAGRAPH SAMPLE
CANADA: THE PLACE TO LIVE
CANADA IS ONE OF THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE
WORLD. FIRST, CANADA HAS AN EXCELLENT HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM. ALL CANADIANS HAVE ACCESS TO MEDICAL
SERVICES AT A REASONABLE PRICE. SECOND, CANADA HAS A
HIGH STANDARD OF EDUCATION. STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT BY
WELL-TRAINED TEACHERS AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO
CONTINUE STUDYING AT UNIVERSITY. FINALLY, CANADAS
CITIES ARE CLEAN AND EFFICIENTLY MANAGED, AND THEY
HAVE MANY PARKS AND LOTS OF SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE.
AS A RESULT, CANADA IS A DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE.

PROCESS TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH

THERE ARE FIVE STEPS

TO WRITE A GOOD
PARAGRAPH.

1. BRAINSTORMING
IN THIS STEP YOU SHOULD THINK AND
WRITE DOWN ANY IDEAS ABOUT A
TOPIC YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT.

2. ORGANIZING IDEAS
IN THIS STEP YOU SHOULD ORGANIZE YOUR
IDEAS BY CREATING AN OUTLINE ABOUT WHAT
YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT.

3. WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT

IN THIS STEP YOU SHOULD WRITE YOUR PARAGRAPH
FOR THE FIRST TIME, NOT TAKING MUCH INTO ACCOUNT
ABOUT THE COHERENCE GRAMMAR, OR SPELLING.

4. EDITING
IN THIS STEP YOU SHOULD REVISE ALL THE ERRORS
ABOUT COHERENCE AND ORDER THAT YOUR PARAGRAPH
MAY HAVE.

5. FINAL WORK
IN THIS STEP YOU SHOULD REVISE ALL THE
SPELLING OR GRAMMAR ERRORS. AND THATS IT.
YOUR PARAGRAPH IS DONE !

TYPES OF PARAGRAPH

Transition Paragraph
A transition paragraph is used to continue a topic by making a smooth change from one subject
to the other.
Example: "Unfortunately, the characteristics of the spoiled child do not vanish with childhood or
even with adolescence. A university training does not necessarily transform petulance into ripe
wisdom. Literary ability may only give fluent expression to a peevish spirit."

Narrative Paragraph
A narrative paragraph tells the story of events, actions or people .
Example: "The barber was cutting our hair, and our eyes were

closed--as they are so likely to be. . . Deep in a world of our own,

he heard, from far away, a voice saying goodbye. It was a
customer of the shop, leaving. 'Goodbye,' he said to the barbers.
'Goodbye,' echoed the barbers. And without ever returning to
consciousness, or opening our eyes, or thinking, we joined in.
'Goodbye,' we said, before we could catch our self. Then, all at
once, the sadness of the occasion struck us, the awful dolor of
bidding farewell to someone we had never seen. We have since
wondered what he looked like, and whether it was really goodbye."

Descriptive Paragraph
Describes a person, animal, object or event by following a logical order.
Example: The Magic Metal Tube

Once in a long while, four times so far for me, my mother brings out the metal tube that
holds her medical diploma. On the tube are gold circles crossed with seven red lines
each--"joy" ideographs in abstract. There are also little flowers that look like gears for a
gold machine. According to the scraps of labels with Chinese and American addresses,
stamps, and postmarks, the family airmailed the can from Hong Kong in 1950. It got
crushed in the middle, and whoever tried to peel the labels off stopped because the red
and gold paint come off too, leaving silver scratches that rust. Somebody tried to pry the
end off before discovering that the tube falls apart. When I open it, the smell of China flies
out, a thousand-year-old bat flying heavy-headed out of the Chinese caverns where bats
are as white as dust, a smell that comes from long ago, far back in the brain.

Persuasive Paragraph
Presents an idea and tries to convince the reader about it.
Example: Owning a pet from the pound or Animal Rescue League has many

advantages. First of all, a child feels good about rescuing an abandoned or

abused animal and giving it a whole new life. Besides, if the animals from
the pound arent adopted right away, they might be put to sleep. Having a
pet also means lots of responsibilities. A child has to feed, clean up after,
brush, and exercise the pet.
Once you adopt a pet from the Animal Rescue League, it will quickly become
a part of your family. If you are thinking of adopting a pet, you might
consider choosing a dog or a cat. Dogs and cats can bring lots of happy
times to a family, and they can be excellent companions for a person who
lives alone or someone who has lost a loved one. Dogs are also a wonderful
source of protection. Cats are funny, and they may help to calm people
down when they are sad or mad.Please consider adopting an animal. If you
remember all of the advantages of adopting a pet from the pound, you
might find the bird, mouse, hamster, dog, or cat of your choice.
Adopting a Pet from the Pound

Expository Paragraph
Explains problems and situations by following and order and
using evidence and objective language to proof a point.
Example: Going to college can be expensive. First, college tuition

and room and board can cost anywhere from $2,000 to more than
$10,000 per semester. Other expenses make going to college even
more expensive. For example, books typically cost between $100
and $500 each term. Second, materials are also very expensive.
Paper, notebooks, writing utensils, and other supplies required
often cost more at the college bookstore than at any local discount
department store. For instance, a package of notepaper costing $2
at a discount store might cost $5 at a college bookstore. Finally,
there are all kinds of special fees added onto the bill at registration
time. A college student might have to pay a $50 insurance fee, a
$20 activity fee, a $15 fee to the student government association
and anywhere from $500 to $100 for parking. There is another fee
if a student decides to add or drop classes after registration. The

Comparative Paragraph
Shows the similarities and differences between two objects.
Example: Complaining vs. Moaning "Visitors to Britain are rarely able to grasp--sometimes

after decades of residency--the vital distinction its inhabitants make between complaining and
moaning. The two activities seem similar, but there is a profound philosophical and practical
difference. To complain about something is to express dissatisfaction to someone whom you
hold responsible for an unsatisfactory state of affairs; to moan is to express the same thing to
someone other than the person responsible. The British are powerfully embarrassed by
complaining, and experience an almost physical recoil from people who do it in public. They
do love to moan though. The background music of British life is a running aria of moaning
about pretty much everything--our weather, our politics, our permanently under-performing
national sports teams, our reality-TV-obsessed media, and so on. Moaning, a source of
entertainment in its own right, is also an important psychic comfort blanket, a way of venting
resentment without taking responsibility for effecting change."

INFORMATIVE PARAGRAPH
ANINFORMATIVE PARAGRAPHIS SIMPLY APARAGRAPHTHAT PROVIDES THE
READER WITHINFORMATION. IT IS SIMILAR TO A RESEARCH PAPER.

EXAMPLE:

ON JULY 16, 1969, THE APOLLO 11 SPACECRAFT LAUNCHED FROM THE KENNEDY
SPACE CENTER IN FLORIDA. ITS MISSION WAS TO GO WHERE NO HUMAN BEING HAD GONE BEFORE
THE MOON! THE CREW CONSISTED OF NEIL ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS, AND BUZZ ALDRIN.
THE SPACECRAFT LANDED ON THE MOON IN THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY, A BASALTIC FLOOD PLAIN,
ON JULY 20, 1969. THE MOONWALK TOOK PLACE THE FOLLOWING DAY. ON JULY 21, 1969, AT
PRECISELY 10:56 EDT, COMMANDER NEIL ARMSTRONG EMERGED FROM THE LUNAR MODULE AND
TOOK HIS FAMOUS FIRST STEP ONTO THE MOONS SURFACE. HE DECLARED, THATS ONE SMALL
STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND. IT WAS A MONUMENTAL MOMENT IN HUMAN
HISTORY!