PARAGRAPH

In each PARAGRAPH one particular idea or topic (topic sentence) is

developed and explained.
A paragraph is a three-TREE sandwich.
Topic Sentence
(Background)
Transition Word / Reason/ Explanation/ Example/ T R E E
Conclusion
The News
My favorite pastime is reading the newspaper. I pick it up every evening
after I eat dinner. First, I enjoy the variety the paper offers. I like news
stories, feature articles and creative writing. Last Friday, I learned about tax
cuts and Latin bands and read a childs poem written to an angel. Next, the
paper entertains me. I laugh out loud at the ideas in its humor columns. In
Sundays issue, Dave Barry made fun of a baker who complained about an
essay on fruitcakes. Dave then called another of his readers a fruitcake
because she disagreed with his ideas about electricity. Most of all, I use
the practical advice that I find in the paper. Because I like to save time,
money and energy, I scan Heloises hints every week. Last month, a reader
suggested printing recipes on one piece of paper at a time; that way, a twopage recipe fits on one sheet. She spends less on paper, and the recipes are
easy to file. For these reasons, I rarely miss reading my daily paper.
Find the Topic Sentence! (at the beginning , end or elsewhere)
1. Spanish is spoken in many countries. It is spoken throughout Latin
America. Of course, it is the language of Spain. In some countries, like the
Philippines, it is one the official languages. Many people throughout the
world use Spanish to communicate.
2. Some people walk on a treadmill at home or ride a bicycle. Others like to
go out dancing, do aerobics, or work out in a gym. Some people prefer to
swim. Most people have a favorite way to exercise.
3. Some people leave too many lights on around the house. Some arent
careful about how much water they use. Americans waste a lot of resources.
Most people buy products with a lot of unnecessary packaging that isnt
good for the environment.
4. In most paragraphs, the topic sentence appears first. In many paragraphs,
however, it comes last. Sometimes it is stated both at the beginning and at
the end, in different words. Every paragraph must have a topic sentence in
order to be effective.
Write good topic sentences to begin each of the following
paragraphs.

1.
Americans relaxing at home, for example, may put on kimonos, which
is a Japanese word. Americans who live in a warm climate may take an
afternoon siesta on an outdoors patio without even realising that these are
Spanish words. In their gardens, they may enjoy the fragrance of jasmine
flowers, a word that came into English from Persian. They may even relax on
a chaise longue, while sipping a drink made with vodka, words of French and
Russian origin, respectively.
2.
In European universities, students are not required to attend classes.
In fact, professors in Germany generally do not know the names of the
students enrolled in their courses. In the United States, however, students
are required to attend all classes and may be penalized if they do not.
Furthermore, in the European system, there is usually just one
comprehensive examination at the end of the students' entire four or five
years of study. In the American system, on the other hand, there are usually
numerous quizzes, texts, and homework assignments, and there is almost
always a final examination in each course at the end of the semester.
3.
For example, the Eskimos, living in a treeless region of snow and ice,
sometimes build temporary homes out of thick blocks of ice. People who live
in deserts, on the other hand, use the most available material, mud or clay,
which provides good insulation from the heat. In Northern Europe, Russia
and other areas of the world where forests are plentiful, people usually
construct their homes out of wood. In the islands of the South Pacific, where
there is a plentiful supply of bamboo and palm, people use these tough,
fibrous plants to build their home.

Paragraphs must be:

UNIFIED (all the sentences belong together and develop one main idea/topic
sentence)
e.g. It is commonly recognized that dogs have an extreme antagonism
toward cats. This enmity between these two species can be traced back to
the time of the early Egyptian dynasties. Archaeologists in recent years have
discovered Egyptian texts in which there are detailed accounts of canines
brutally mauling felines. Today this type of cruelty between these two
domestic pets can be witnessed in regions as close as your own
neighborhood. For example, when dogs are walked by their masters (and
they happen to catch sight of a stray cat), they will pull with all their strength
on their leash until the master is forced to yield; the typical result is that a
feline is chased up a tree. The hatred between dogs and cats has lasted for
many centuries, so it is unlikely that this conflict will ever end.
COHERENT (all the sentences are clearly and logically connected to one
another) / with the help of TRANSITIONS (first, second, as a result, so that, on
the one hand, unlike etc..), REPETITIONS (e.g. If he had been born 20 years
earlier. If he had been born 20 years later)PRONOUNS, SYNONYMS (e.g.
Shakespeare brought great gifts to London, but the city was waiting with gifts
of its own to offer him

e.g. Let us therefore, as a preliminary conceptualisation of culture, define it

as those abilities, notions and forms of behaviour persons have acquired as
members of society. A definition of this kind, which is indebted to both the
Victorian anthropologist Edward Tylor and to Geertz (although the latter
stresses meaning rather than behaviour), is the most common one among
anthropologists.
Culture nevertheless carries with it a basic ambiguity. On the one hand,
every human is equally cultural; in this sense, the term refers to a basic
similarity within humanity. On the other hand, people have acquired different
abilities, notions, etc., and are thereby different because of culture. Culture
refers, in other words, both to basic similarities and to systematic differences
between humans.
[ ]A short definition of anthropology may read thus: Anthropology is the
comparative study of cultural and social life. Its most important method is
participant observation, which consists in lengthy fieldwork in a particular
social setting.

ORGANIZED (the sequence of sentences is logical and orderly) based on a

particular method .
e.g. chronological order (narratives, events), spatial (in descriptions), order
of importance (increasing, decreasing / in informational, persuasive writing),
cause and effect (historical, scientific, persuade or convince), comparison
and contrast (similarities and differences)
e.g. Henry, the second son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, was born
on 28 June 1491 at Greenwich Palace. After the death of his elder brother
Arthur in 1502, Henry became heir to the English throne.
When Henry VII died in 1509, this popular eighteen-year-old prince, known
for his love of hunting and dancing, became King Henry VIII. Soon after he
obtained the papal dispensation required to allow him to marry his brother's
widow, Catherine of Aragon.
In the first years of his reign Henry VIII effectively relied on Thomas Wolsey
to rule for him, and by 1515 Henry had elevated him to the highest role in
government: Lord Chancellor.

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Homework: Write a unified, coherent and organized paragraph of about 80100 words on one of the topics below, using the methods in brackets:
The process of applying for a job or A battle of X (chronological order)
A familiar place (spatial order)
Your goals for the next 5 years or Important books you have read (the order
of importance)
School spirit or Freedom (cause and effect)
Rural and urban living or Books and computers (comparison and contrast)