Writing Workshop

Paragraph Format

What Youll Learn:

The parts that make up a proper Paragraph.
How to construct a proper Paragraph.

The different types of Paragraphs.

Why Its Important:

So you will know how to construct a proper
Paragraph.
So you will have the basic skills to compose a
writing composition.

Paragraphs:
A Paragraph is a series of sentences developing
one topic.
There are four (4) types of paragraphs:
The Narrative Paragraph which tells a story.
The Persuasive Paragraph which tries to
convince the audience.
The Descriptive Paragraph which describes
something.
The Expository or Explanatory Paragraph which
gives information or explains something.

Topic Sentence:
The topic of a paragraph is stated in one sentence. This is
called the Topic Sentence.
The Topic Sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph
and should be clear and concise (short and to the point).
The first sentence in a paragraph is always indented.
An Indentation or Indention is a space between the
margin and the beginning of a line.
The standard Indentation for a Paragraph is five (5)
spaces.
Indentation

Margin

The most intelligent characteristic of a

Monkey is the manner in which it finds food.
They eat both vegetables and meat and they
search for food day or night.

Paragraph Body:
The rest of the paragraph consists of sentences that
develop or explain the main idea. This is called the Body
of the paragraph.
A topic sentence may
be developed by:
Giving details.

Giving examples.

Main Idea

Telling an incident.
Body

Every sentence in a paragraph

should support the main idea
expressed in the topic sentence.

Through the centuries

rats have managed to survive
all our efforts to destroy
them. We have poisoned
them and trapped them. We
have fumigated, flooded, and
burned them. We have tried
germ warfare. Some rats
even survived atomic bomb
tests conducted on Entwetok
atoll in the Pacific after
World War II.

The Clincher Sentence:

A Clincher or Concluding Sentence clinches or sums up
the point made in the body of the paragraph.
Your Clincher Sentence
should summarize your
paragraph.
One way to do this is to
restate your topic sentence
in different words.

Clincher Sentence

Through the centuries rats

have managed to survive all our
efforts to destroy them. We have
poisoned them and trapped them.
We have fumigated, flooded, and
burned them. We have tried germ
warfare. Some rats even survived
atomic bomb tests conducted on
Entwetok atoll in the Pacific after
World War II. In spite of all our
efforts, these enemies of ours
continue to prove that they are
the most indestructible of pests.

Coherence In a Paragraph:
Stick to the point: make sure your ideas have a clear
and logical relation to each other.
Put details, examples, and incidents in logical order:
Chronological
In relation to each other
In order of importance
When connecting sentences within
a paragraph, try to use transition
words.

4
3
2
1

Connecting Sentences
Within the Paragraph
chronological
order

Transition words
objects in relation to
one another

in order of
importance

first

next to

however

meanwhile

in front of

furthermore

later

beside

as a result

afterwards

between

in fact

finally

behind

yet

Assignment:

M1

Journal # 4: Your Favorite Animal

(Paragraph)
Take the ten (10) sentences from journal # 3 and put
them into paragraph format.
Your first sentence should be your topic sentence.

The body of your paragraph should support your topic

sentence.
Make sure every sentence is a complete thought, begins
with a capital letter, and ends with a punctuation mark.
Also be sure your paragraph follows a logical order.

Assignment:

M2

Journal # 4: Your Favorite Hobby

(Paragraph)
Take the ten (10) sentences from journal # 3 and put
them into paragraph format.
Your first sentence should be your topic sentence.

The body of your paragraph should support your topic

sentence.
Make sure every sentence is a complete thought, begins
with a capital letter, and ends with a punctuation mark.
Also be sure your paragraph follows a logical order.

Assignment:

M3

Journal # 4: Future Plans

Take the ten (10) sentences from journal # 2 and put
them into paragraph format.
Your first sentence should be your topic sentence.

The body of your paragraph should support your topic

sentence.
Make sure every sentence is a complete thought, begins
with a capital letter, and ends with a punctuation mark.
Also be sure your paragraph follows a logical order.