Mastering Paragraph Writing Structure
Topic Sentence and
Supporting sentence
Paragraph
•
A group of sentence that share a main idea. A paragraph can stand
alone as a composition or may be one part of a longer piece of
writing such as essay or report
•
Basic structure of a paragraph:
•
topic : The main idea
•
supporting : develop the main idea
•
concluding : give closure upon the main idea
Topic sentence
•
the sentence that clearly identifies the main idea in each paragraph. it
controls the focus of the paragraph. it is usually, but not always, the
first or second sentence within a paragraph
•
Topic sentence = main idea
common mistakes
•
too narrow
•
too broad
•
incomplete sentence
•
announce the topic
•
Example : Taking too many courses at once can have potentially
serious consequences
•
it is a strong topic sentence:
•
clear topic: taking too many courses at once
•
main idea: potentially serious consequences
•
it gives what kind of paragraph that the reader will be reading (causes
and effect)
decide whether is it strong topic sentence
•
Four out of five teenagers in Canada have cell phone.
•
Driving is very stressful
•
How I learned to be more patient
•
In this paragraph, I would like to discuss the importance of food in
Italian culture
•
Four out of five teenagers in Canada have cell phone.
•
too narrow/ specific
•
it is a fact (it is not good for topic sentence but it is good for supporting
sentence; it gives details)
•
no idea that can be developed in the supporting sentence
Cell phone should be banned from classrooms for several reasons
•
Driving is very stressful
•
too broad
•
it will have a lot of things to be discussed
•
Driving when
•
driving what
•
Driving in highway in heavy traffic is stressful for many motorist
•
How I learned to be more patient
•
it is not a topic sentence
•
the sentence is incomplete
•
Having a child taught me the important of being patient
•
In this paragraph, I would like to discuss the importance of food in
Italian culture
•
do not announce your topic simply state your opinion or main idea
•
Food is an essential part of Italian Cultures
Good Topic sentences
•
Clearly introduce the topic of the paragraph
•
Make point about that topic (main idea)
•
It makes a statement which neither too broad nor too narrow (right in
the middle)
•
It should also give the reader an idea of what type of paragraph he or
she will be reading (narrative, descriptive, opinion, comparison and
contrast, cause and effect, process, classification, etc)
Exercise
•
Communication is important
•
One of my wonderful childhood memory
•
This paragraph is about increasing divorce rate
•
Parents do not need to spend money in order to show they love their
children
•
Three reasons to study a language abroad.
•
Difficult experience while travelling taught me the importance of family
•
Technology is changing so fast
•
My daughter was born in the summer 2010
•
I would like to discuss how poverty affect educators
•
In some way friend can be more important than family.
•
Communication is important : too broad
•
Communication is important for marriage couple
•
One of my wonderful childhood memory : incomplete
•
Summer vacation was one of my wonderful childhood memory
•
This paragraph is about increasing divorce rate : state the topic
•
Increasing divorce rate has many effects in the society
•
Parents do not need to spend money in order to show they love their
children : good
•
Three reasons to study a language abroad. : incomplete
•
Three reasons why you should study language abroad
•
Difficult experience while travelling taught me the importance of
family : good (narrative)
•
Technology is changing so fast : too broad
•
Technology is changing so fast that the older generation has trouble keeping
up with the advancement.
•
My daughter was born in the summer 2010 : too narrow
•
My daughter's birth was the best day of my life
•
I would like to discuss how poverty affect educators : state the topic
•
There are many ways how poverty affects educators
•
In some way friend can be more important than family. : Good
Supporting sentence
•
It develops the main idea presented into the topic sentence. This
development can come in the form of examples, reasons, description
etc depending on the purpose of your paragraph
•
If for example you are writing an opinion based paragraph your
supporting sentences, will consist of reasons and details.
•
If, on the other hand, you are writing, description your supporting
statement will contain specific details to help the reader form mental
image
•
It is essential that your supporting statement stay on topic and clearly
related to the main idea of the topic sentence.
Topic sentence:
Taking too many courses at once can have
potentially serious consequences
1.
Students can become overwhelmed with the workload, and their GPA
can suffer as a result.
2.
Some students can get so stressed that they burn out and are unable to
finish their degree.
3.
Other students can be tempted by the use of illegal prescription drugs to
help them focus and keep them awake into the night.
4.
Taking more than the average number of courses at the same time can
be beneficial for students who want to graduate early.
5.
The pressure of an overly busy schedule can tempt a student into
committing academic fraud, which can lead to expulsion.
6.
Taking on too many responsibilities at work can have similar negative
effects
In the small town where I grew up I had many interesting and creative friends. one of my
friends, Mark, was talented musician. When a group of us would all hang out on the weekends,
he would entertain us by playing songs that he had written on his acoustic guitar. Another one of
my friends, Andrew, was a gifted artist; he could paint, draw, and sculpt. He was able to draw
really funny cartoons to make us laugh, but he could also create really dark oil paintings that
looked like the landscape of a creepy dream. Sometimes, the three of us would take Andrew’s car
go on a road trip together to Montreal which is an amazing city. My friend, Rob, was interested in
photography and was always carrying his camera around, taking really unique pictures whenever
we want. He could take a snapshot of an old garbage can and it would somehow beautiful and a
little sad. After high school, Rob and I moved away to a big city to go to college together. Having
such friends definitely made small town life much more interesting for me and I enjoy thinking
about the time we spend t
ogether.
A paragraph consists of a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. Learn how to craft strong topic sentences, avoid common mistakes, and develop effective supporting sentences. Understand the essential elements that make up a well-structured paragraph.
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Presentation Transcript
Topic Sentence and Supporting sentence
Paragraph A group of sentence that share a main idea. A paragraph can stand alone as a composition or may be one part of a longer piece of writing such as essay or report Basic structure of a paragraph: topic : The main idea supporting : develop the main idea concluding : give closure upon the main idea
Topic sentence the sentence that clearly identifies the main idea in each paragraph. it controls the focus of the paragraph. it is usually, but not always, the first or second sentence within a paragraph Topic sentence = main idea
common mistakes too narrow too broad incomplete sentence announce the topic
Example : Taking too many courses at once can have potentially serious consequences it is a strong topic sentence: clear topic: taking too many courses at once main idea: potentially serious consequences it gives what kind of paragraph that the reader will be reading (causes and effect)
decide whether is it strong topic sentence Four out of five teenagers in Canada have cell phone. Driving is very stressful How I learned to be more patient In this paragraph, I would like to discuss the importance of food in Italian culture
Four out of five teenagers in Canada have cell phone. too narrow/ specific it is a fact (it is not good for topic sentence but it is good for supporting sentence; it gives details) no idea that can be developed in the supporting sentence Cell phone should be banned from classrooms for several reasons
Driving is very stressful too broad it will have a lot of things to be discussed Driving when driving what Driving in highway in heavy traffic is stressful for many motorist
How I learned to be more patient it is not a topic sentence the sentence is incomplete Having a child taught me the important of being patient
In this paragraph, I would like to discuss the importance of food in Italian culture do not announce your topic simply state your opinion or main idea Food is an essential part of Italian Cultures
Good Topic sentences Clearly introduce the topic of the paragraph Make point about that topic (main idea) It makes a statement which neither too broad nor too narrow (right in the middle) It should also give the reader an idea of what type of paragraph he or she will be reading (narrative, descriptive, opinion, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, process, classification, etc)
Exercise Communication is important One of my wonderful childhood memory This paragraph is about increasing divorce rate Parents do not need to spend money in order to show they love their children Three reasons to study a language abroad. Difficult experience while travelling taught me the importance of family Technology is changing so fast My daughter was born in the summer 2010 I would like to discuss how poverty affect educators In some way friend can be more important than family.
Communication is important : too broad Communication is important for marriage couple One of my wonderful childhood memory : incomplete Summer vacation was one of my wonderful childhood memory This paragraph is about increasing divorce rate : state the topic Increasing divorce rate has many effects in the society Parents do not need to spend money in order to show they love their children : good Three reasons to study a language abroad. : incomplete Three reasons why you should study language abroad
Difficult experience while travelling taught me the importance of family : good (narrative) Technology is changing so fast : too broad Technology is changing so fast that the older generation has trouble keeping up with the advancement. My daughter was born in the summer 2010 : too narrow My daughter's birth was the best day of my life I would like to discuss how poverty affect educators : state the topic There are many ways how poverty affects educators In some way friend can be more important than family. : Good
Supporting sentence It develops the main idea presented into the topic sentence. This development can come in the form of examples, reasons, description etc depending on the purpose of your paragraph If for example you are writing an opinion based paragraph your supporting sentences, will consist of reasons and details. If, on the other hand, you are writing, description your supporting statement will contain specific details to help the reader form mental image It is essential that your supporting statement stay on topic and clearly related to the main idea of the topic sentence.
Topic sentence: Taking too many courses at once can have potentially serious consequences 1. Students can become overwhelmed with the workload, and their GPA can suffer as a result. 2. Some students can get so stressed that they burn out and are unable to finish their degree. 3. Other students can be tempted by the use of illegal prescription drugs to help them focus and keep them awake into the night. 4. Taking more than the average number of courses at the same time can be beneficial for students who want to graduate early. 5. The pressure of an overly busy schedule can tempt a student into committing academic fraud, which can lead to expulsion. 6. Taking on too many responsibilities at work can have similar negative effects
In the small town where I grew up I had many interesting and creative friends. one of my friends, Mark, was talented musician. When a group of us would all hang out on the weekends, he would entertain us by playing songs that he had written on his acoustic guitar. Another one of my friends, Andrew, was a gifted artist; he could paint, draw, and sculpt. He was able to draw really funny cartoons to make us laugh, but he could also create really dark oil paintings that looked like the landscape of a creepy dream. Sometimes, the three of us would take Andrew s car go on a road trip together to Montreal which is an amazing city. My friend, Rob, was interested in photography and was always carrying his camera around, taking really unique pictures whenever we want. He could take a snapshot of an old garbage can and it would somehow beautiful and a little sad. After high school, Rob and I moved away to a big city to go to college together. Having such friends definitely made small town life much more interesting for me and I enjoy thinking about the time we spend together.
