Writing Effective Paragraphs

Paragraph Focus
 The topic sentence presents your main
idea in a complete sentence.
 It introduces your topic + your position
on the topic.

TOPIC Your position on topic

 Paragraph Unity

TOPIC
Be careful! Don’t
lose sight of your
main idea.

Unrelated details
 Paragraph Development
Topic sentence
1 or 2 general ideas
Conclusion

Topic sentence

Put lots of
“meat” in
your
paragraph
sandwich!

Conclusion
Finding Ideas To Write About
 Freewriting
 Brainstorming
 Clustering
 Journal writing
 Other?
Arranging Your Ideas
 Time

 Space

 Importance
Paragraph Importance

The paragraph is the building block of

any document. Think carefully about
what you put into each paragraph and
where you break up your text.
Too short: feels choppy and
disconnected.
Too long: loses the main point.
Paragraph or Essay?

Same Structure, Different Size

 Essay

Thesis
Introduction
Paragraph
Topic sentence

Supporting ideas Supporting

paragraphs

Concluding sentence

Conclusion
Thesis
Statements
The
Foundation
of All Good
Writing
Thesis Statement
 The thesis statement sums up the
entire essay in one complete sentence.
 If it is not a complete sentence, it’s not
a thesis statement.
 Formula for a thesis statement:
 Topic + main point about topic
Thesis Statement

TOPIC
+ Your position on topic
Thesis Statement?
 My work history.

Not correct!

Position on topic missing

 Thesis Statement?
topic

 An individual’s work history reflects

continual growth and learning.

Correct!!
Main point about topic
 Thesis Statement?
 How can I describe my work history?

Not correct!

Question:
Position on topic missing
 Thesis Statement?
topic

 An individual’s work history is often a

journey filled with unexpected detours,
all leading individuals to where they are
meant to be.

Correct!!
Main point about topic
 Thesis Statement?
 This essay will be about my work history.

Not correct!

Announcement:
Position on topic missing
 Thesis Statement?
topic

 An individual’s work history indicates

that the person is doing what he or she
was meant to do: helping others as
others have helped him or her.

Correct!!
Main point about topic
Thesis Statement
 Thesis Statement Formula
 Topic + Position on topic = Thesis

Statement
 A topic alone is not enough!
 Announcing your topic in sentence form
is not enough!
 Stating your topic in question form is
not enough!
Thesis Statement
A strong thesis statement
 Is specific, not generic: fits only your essay
 Helps the writer by providing a clear focal
point around which to organize the rest of the
essay
 Helps the reader by showing the main point
that your essay will explain or prove
Thesis Statement
 Should be clear in the opening
paragraph(s)
 Should be reinforced in the closing
paragraph(s)
Definitions: Modifier
 Modifier: A word that provides
information about another word in the
sentence.
 The student sitting in the front row is
asleep.
Modifier: tells
which student you
are talking about.
Definitions: Present Participle
modifier
 Present participle: the –ing form of
a verb
 Walking quickly into the room, the
teacher started her lecture.

Present participle
modifier: shows what
teacher was doing
Definitions: Past Participle
Modifier
 Past Participle: the past tense form
of a verb (often ending in –d or –ed)

 Frightened by the doctor, the baby

began screaming.
Past participle
modifier: shows
how baby felt
 First Rule for Modifiers
 Be sure that the modifier points to a
word in the sentence. Don’t let your
modifier “dangle.”
?
 Working hard, my test scores improved
NO
quickly.

 Working hard, I improved my test scores

YES
quickly.
Second Rule for Modifiers
 Keep your modifiers as close as possible
to the words they are describing.

 I caught an elephant in my pajamas. (How

he got in my pajamas I’ll never know.)
 And one last warning
 Don’t let your “As” dangle!

 As a senior counselor, my paperwork is

no overwhelming.

 As a senior counselor, I find the paperwork

overwhelming.
Avoiding Run-on Sentences,
Comma Splices, and
Fragments
;
, Getting Your
Punctuation Right!
What Does a Comma Signal?
 A comma signals a
pause. (It tells the
reader to slow down
briefly, but then keep
going until the thought
is completed.)

 Because I like grammar ,

I like this class.
What Do Periods & Semicolons
Signal?
 Semicolons and periods
signal a full stop. Idea
is complete. STOP!

 I love grammar . I love

this class.
 I love grammar ; I love
this class.
What Is a Run-on Sentence?
 A run-on is a sentence error caused by
running one sentence into another,
without putting any punctuation in
between.
 We all like grammar we all love this class.

Run-on
What Is a Comma Splice?

 A comma splice is a sentence error caused by

putting just a poor, weak comma between
two complete sentences.


We all like grammar , we all love this class.
 How Can I Correct Comma Splices and
Run-ons? The 1st way is to…
 Separate them with a period, creating two
complete sentences.
STOP

We all like grammar . We all love this class.

Now you try! Use a period to correct
these run-ons and comma splices.
 These punctuation rules aren’t hard I know
how to avoid run-ons.
 These punctuation rules aren’t hard. I know
how to avoid run-ons. Correct!
 My new supervisor has been making all sorts
of changes, she is really causing problems.
 My new supervisor has been making all sorts
of changes. She is really causing problems.
Correct!
 How Can I Correct Comma Splices
and Run-ons? The 2nd way is to…
 Link them with a semicolon; this creates two
complete sentences just as a period does,
but the second sentence doesn’t start with a
capital letter.

STOP!

We like grammar ; we love this class.

No caps!
 How Can I Correct Comma Splices and
Run-ons? The 3rd way is to…
 End the first sentence with a semicolon
and begin the second with a
conjunctive adverb or transitional.
STOP
• We like grammar ; therefore, we
love this class.