PARAGRAPH WRITING

WHAT IS PARAGRAPH?

It is a group of sentences that introduces, presents and develops one main idea about the topic. And it can be divided into three major parts.

TOPIC SENTENCES SUPPORTING DETAILS CLOSING SENTENCES

Qualities of Good Writing

United (focused on a single thing) Coherent (easily understandable to a reader)

A paragraph has to be

Adequately developed

Neatly structured

TOPIC SENTENCES
WHAT IS TOPIC SENTENCES? It is normally the first sentence of the paragraph It conveys the overall point of the paragraph catch readers attention

WHAT DOES IT DO?

It introduces the main idea of the paragraph

It helps the writer focus on the idea written about

It helps the reader know about what the paragraph is all about

HOW TO WRITE ONE? Summarize the main idea of your paragraph Indicate to the reader what your paragraph will be about.

Example
There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.

SUPPORTING DETAILS

WHAT ARE SUPPORTING SENTENCES?

They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph

WHAT DO THEY DO?

They are sentences used to support the main idea stated in the topic sentence They give more information about the main idea through examples They say in details what the topic sentence says in general They should be strong convincing points on which the topic sentence can rely upon

HOW TO WRITE THEM?

You should give supporting facts, details, and examples

Example
There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.

CLOSING SENTENCES
WHAT IS THE CLOSING SENTENCES? The closing sentences is the last sentences in the paragraph. It is a reflection of the main idea pronounced in the topic sentences.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

It sums up what the topic sentence and the supporting details talk about It is the closing sentence that reminds the readers of what they have to value It eventually indicates the end of a paragraph It prepares the reader for a smooth transition to the next paragraph if there is one

HOW TO WRITE ONE?

Restart the main idea of the paragraph using different words

Example
There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.

PROCESS OF WRITING A PARAGRAPH

1. Came up with a good topic sentence and supporting ideas

Topic sentence: Choosing a college or university can be difficult. Supporting ideas: 1. Good Location 2. Affordable 3. Good preparation for major

2. Order these supporting ideas according to importance as shown in the next slide. 3. Put this information into outline form and added some example for each supporting idea

Topic sentence: Choosing a college or university can be difficult.

A. Good preparation for your major
1. thorough, solid curriculum 2. qualified professors

B. Affordable
1. must be able to pay tuition and living expenses 2. possibility of scholarships

C. Good Location
1. study environment 2. possibilities of parttime job in your major

Concluding sentence: You should consider these points carefully so you can choose the most appropriate college or university for you. 4. Finally, we wrote the paragraph using sentences and trying to make the paragraph coherent using different coherence strategies.