2. What is a Paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences that tells about
one subject or area.
Each sentence in a paragraph must give information
about the topic
3. Reasons to Write a Paragraph
1. Describe something
2. Tell a story
3. Explain something
4. To Persuade
4. Parts of a Paragraph
:
Topic sentence
States the main idea of the paragraph.
It tells the reader what the paragraph will be about. A good topic
sentence does two things: 1. It names a subject 2.) It give the
focus or main point
Ex: Subject: Egypt
Main Focus: Religion
Ex: Subject: Egyptian Religion Main Focus: Gods
Supporting Details
:
Sentences that are connected
to the main idea. They include information or details the reader
needs in order to understand the topic. Sentences should be
ordered in the best possible order. 3 main ways to do this is
either by time, location or importance.
Closing:
Sums up
the readers of the topic.
the paragraph’s message. It reminds
5. Topic Sentence
D
E
T
A
I
L
S
The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods
and goddesses and each one had their own role to play in
maintaining peace and harmony across the land. Some gods
and goddesses took part in creation. Other gods and goddesses
brought the flood every year. Some offered protection, and some
took care of people after they died. Egyptians had local gods
who represented towns, and minor gods who represented plants
or animals. The ancient Egyptians believed that it was
important to recognize and worship these gods and
goddesses so that life continued smoothly.
Closing Statement
6. Think of a good topic sentence for this
set of details.
Penguin Moms lay the eggs and afterwards leave to
get food for 2months.
Penguin dads incubate the egg until it hatches.
They take turns caring for their chick and feeding in
the sea.
Once the egg hatches, The young stay sheltered in
the pouch of the mother while the father brings food.
7. Student Examples of Topic Sentences
Mother and father penguins both take care of their
young.
Mother and father penguins play a very important
role in raising their young.
Penguin mom and dads are very good parents.
Penguin parents are very protective of their young
and I will show you how.
8. Paragraph Details
Topic Sentence:
Arizona has been thinking about extending the
school year from May to June, but I think that
they should not extend the school year.
What are some details
you would expect to see
in this paragraph.
9. Examples
Some details in this paragraph might be about…
Why Arizona is extending the school year
When they plan to extend the school year
Reasons why it is a bad idea
10. Transitions
Help your paragraphs flow together. They link
ideas so that they relate to one another
in the same way
as a result
similarly
therefore
likewise
finally
while
in conclusion
on the other hand
in summary
although
lastly
however
in addition
13. Descriptive paragraph
By writing a descriptive paragraph we can describe
any object, place, people or
how some thing happens
In Descriptive paragraph the writer has to create
words picture.
For writing descriptions the writer has to use
interesting adjectives and set of verbs
It is usually composed of statements and passive
sentences
14. A descriptive paragraph
A Friendly Clown
On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a tiny
unicycle--a gift I received on my last birthday from a close friend.
The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is
parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined in black with
thin, dark lashes flowing from the brows. It has cherry-red
cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin disappears into the
wide, white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears a fluffy, twotone nylon costume. The left side of the outfit is light blue, and the
right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs down
the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising
its long black shoes are big pink bows. The clown and unicycle
together stand about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good
friend Sayeed, this colorful figure greets me with a smile every time
I enter my room.
15. Narrative paragraph
In narrative paragraph the topic has to develop like a story with
important events arranged chronologically. The purpose of
narrative writing is to show readers what happened at a particular
time and place. A narrative is a story--a real or an imagined event—
that relies on specific details to answer the following
questions:
What happened?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Who was involved?
How did the event begin?
What was the outcome of the event?
Usually in narrative paragraph we use past tense or historical
present
16. A narrative paragraph
Peddling On My Own
Learning how to ride a bike for the first time was a nerve racking
independent moment. I was about five years old when my sister
informed me that I was too old to still be riding a bike with training
wheels. That was the time I decided not to depend on them anymore.
Even though I had some doubt, my sister and I went outside and
started to take the little wheels off my bike. After my bike went
through the transformation, I was now ready for the big moment.
With butterflies in my stomach, I slowly got on the bike, and with my
shaky hands, I gripped the handles tightly. Meanwhile my sister was
holding on to me to help keep my balance. I was so afraid the she
would let go, yet I was determined to ride this bike on my own. Next
with a little push from her, I started to peddle. The faster my bike
went the faster my heart raced. Finally I looked back nervously and
noticed that my sister let go of my bike a long time ago. I was so
excited that I accomplished freedom on my bike that I forgot to
peddle. The next step I remember, I was lying on the ground, yet I
did not care because of the adrenaline rush. I will never forget the
exhilarating moment and growing up stage of riding a bike without
training wheels.
17. Writing instructions
In the academic writings we need to write
instructions for describing various processes
These type of paragraphs require writer to
explain how to do some thing.
Usually imperative sentences are used for
writing instructions
It requires, the use of transitions
like, first, second, next, finally etc to keep the
information in logical order.
18. specimen for writing instructions
A Word of Advice
For those of you about to take advanced English
composition, I will give you a word of advice: first, do the
essays. Second, save those essays in a special folder.
Third, get an early start on your research paper. If you
follow this advice I can guarantee you a good grade
19. Compare and contrast paragraph
knowledgeable people and wise people may have the same amount
of intelligence and may be equally smart, but there is still a huge
difference between the two. Knowledgeable people know more often
when and where, but wise people know more of the reasons, how
something happened and why it is significant. For example, in the
case of a personal tragedy, a knowledgeable person would know
what was supposed to be said and when, but a wise person would
know what needed to be said and how, already knowing the
why.The most direct difference between wisdom and knowledge is
this: knowledge is only information, until it is successfully retained
in one's mind. Without a brain, knowledge is simply
information, whereas the application of knowledge, or
wisdom, cannot exist without a mind, not being something that one
can read about or memorize, because if there is no brain, there is no
wisdom.
20. Compare and contrast paragraphs
This type of paragraphs require the writer to find
similarities and differences between
people, places, events, functions, objects, etc.
For writing this type of paragraphs you need to have
concrete supporting details and structure of the
paragraph has to be logical and clear.
It is helpful to use a graphic organizer to write
compare and contrast paragraph.
