Paragraph-Writing

P ARA

GRAPH

WRITING

1

PARAGRAPH WRITING

PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION

What is a paragraph?

1. A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develop one main idea.

2. It is made up of three kinds of sentences that develop the writer’s main idea, opinion, or feeling

about a subject. These sentences are:

a. Topic sentence

b. Supporting sentences

c. Concluding sentence

3. The number of sentences is unimportant in a paragraph; however, the paragraph should be long enough to

develop the main idea clearly.

4. A paragraph may also be one part of a longer piece of writing such as a chapter of a book or an essay.

A.. TOPIC SENTENCE

A topic sentence has several important functions:

A. A topic sentence should always be a complete sentence. The following are not

complete sentences.

Driving on freeways.

The importance of money.

How to register for college classes.

B. A topic sentence supports the idea of the paragraph subject.

There are several advantages to growing up in a small town.

Idea of the paragraph subject

C. It directs the order of the sentences and it briefly indicates what the paragraph is

going to discuss

Most US universities require a 550 point TOEFL score for a number of reasons.

the paragraph is going to discuss

D. It is a complete sentence and has three parts:

1. a subject

2

main idea

sentence

sentence

sentence

sentence

Topic Sentence ...................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................................

Supporting sentences.........................................................................................................................

Supporting sentences.........................................................................................................................

Supporting sentences.........................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................................

Concluding sentences........................................................................................................................

2. a verb

3. a controlling idea

1-2: Subject - Verb

Samples:

a. Telephones / intrude into / the privacy of our daily lives.

Subject / verb / controlling idea

b. Most adults / find / learning a foreign language difficult.

Subject / verb / controlling idea

c. My roommate, John, / helps / me to speak English correctly.

Subject / verb / controlling idea

NOTE: The topic sentence is to the paragraph what the thesis statement is to the essay.

3. Controlling Idea:

The controlling idea of a topic sentence is a word or phrase that controls the information in the rest of the

paragraph. Usually, the topic comes first and the controlling idea comes second in the topic sentence. However, the

controlling idea may come first.

a. Violence in Turkey society has several causes.

Topic controlling idea

b. There are several causes of violence in Turkish society.

controlling idea Topic

c. A good architect is both an artist and a mathematician.

Topic Controlling idea

d. Artistic talent and mathematical ability are two qualities of a good architect.

Controlling idea Topic

A sample Paragraph:

Parents can help their children be successful in school by encouraging them. Children usually enjoy

playing games

Topic Controlling idea

instead of studying. Therefore, parents should take the responsibility to monitor their studying.

They should also remind their children to do their homework at home after school. Moreover, parents

can encourage them to study by buying story books with pictures, or they can buy text books or

tapes that help children learn to spell or read. The best way to encourage children to study efficiently

is to reward them when they get an “A”. As a child, I experienced this. My parents gave me a gift

when I got ‘A’ in my math lesson. I was very excited. As result, if parents really want their children

to succeed in school, they need to pay attention to their children’s studies and encourage them.

In the paragraph above, the topic sentence is the following:

Parents can help their children be successful in school by encouraging them.

The topic of the sentence is how parents can help children succeed in school; the controlling idea is

encouraging. The reader might ask the following questions and expect the paragraph to answer them:

How can parents encourage their children?

What specific things should parents do to encourage their children?

How will this encouragement lead to success?

The topic sentence gives the writer’s attitude, opinion or idea about the topic. In the topic sentence, the writer

makes a judgment.

PRACTICE: Choose the best topic sentence.

a.

Too general: My neighborhood is a nice place to live.

A good topic sentence: My neighborhood is fascinating because people from many countries live in it.

b.

Too general: Sports are exciting.

Still too general: Watching a soccer game keeps me involved.

Much better: Watching 2002 the Istanbul derby between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray kept me

on the edge of the chair.

1. Topic: “My room”

a. ………My room is a perfect place for one person to live.

3