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Development

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Paragraph Development
Development means to delve deeper into an idea
Immature writers avoid depth by giving in to generalities
and repetition, resulting in bland writing
How to address development?
Look for statements that go unexplained
Read over your paragraph the way a potential
reader might
sense where additional information is needed
For Example:
There are several reasons why summer is my favorite
season of the year. For one reason, I like to go bike riding.
For another, I like to play football. Furthermore, I enjoy
going to cookouts. In addition, I like to travel. But most of
all, I like to go swimming. Summer is my best season of the
year.
Read the expanded version of the same paragraph
below:
My favorite season of the year is summer. For one reason, I
enjoy riding my bike through the park on warm summer mornings
with my best friend. Sometimes we ride slowly looking at all the pretty
flowers or trees. When it is very hot, we ride as fast as we can so the
cool breeze will cool us off. Not only is bike riding a fun thing to do in
the summer, but it is also a great way to stay in shape.
In the summer time, I enjoy playing football at the park too. My
friends and I play every night after dinner when the sun isnt so
hot. These football games are a lot of fun because everyone in the
neighborhood plays and we always have a big game.
 I also enjoy cookouts in the summer at my grandmothers
house. Juicy hot dogs and hamburgers, corn on the cob, and
refreshing watermelon make the cookouts special. Best of all, I get a
chance to see all my relatives. When the sun goes down and
everyone is full, we just sit around and talk and laugh almost all night
long.
Furthermore, summer is vacation time. Every summer my family
and I go on long trips. Last summer we went to Disney World for two
weeks. I think this was the greatest summer of them all. Ill never
forget the exciting rides, the beautiful sights, and the funny Disney
characters.
 But most of all, summer is my favorite season because I can
enjoy my favorite sport, swimming, whenever I like. Theres nothing
like splashing in the Hillhouse pool or a cool lake on a hot July
afternoon. I guess if I had my choice, summer would stay all year
long.
The writer of this composition simply added words and
phrases to his short sentences which answer some basic
questions about the original short sentences. For
example, look at the original first sentence:
For one reason, I like to go bike riding. Where does
he go bike riding?
When?
With whom?
What do they do?
Why?
Short sentences can be expanded or made into
several sentences by adding words or phrases
which answer the following questions:

Where? When? How? Why? With Whom?

How Much?
How Many? What or Who? What do they do?
Example of Paragraph Development

Weak Example: It was the worst movie I've seen in a long

time. It was really boring. The characters were
undeveloped and the plot was one cliche after another. I
should have just stayed home. I'm sorry I wasted six dollars
on such a stupid film.
Strong Example This movie is to cinema what Boone's
Farm is to wine. It was about as action-packed as a tortoise
clipping his toenails. The characters were more like
caricatures and a four-year-old could have predicted the
ending. Next time I'll give my six bucks to charity.
Example of Paragraph Development

Strong Example: I was disappointed by the movie. The

soundtrack was tinny and flat, and when there was
supposed to be silence you could hear popping sounds and
white noise instead. There were little starts and skips in the
film where the cuts had been badly pasted together. The
picture itself was grainy and the colors were faded, as
though you were seeing them through gray-tinted lenses. It
didn't help that the springs had gone in my theater seat and
one of them was poking into my leg the whole time.
Example of Paragraph Development

Strong Example: This movie is an insult to the intelligence

of the audience. We are supposed to accept one
improbability after another: that the hero, a private
detective, is willing to take on the case out of the goodness
of his heart; that the police are willing to freely share with
him information on a case still under investigation; that the
villain just happens to be the man who killed his parents
when he was a boy. And of course the key witness turns
out to be a leggy, rich, and unattached blonde who is wildly
attracted to the detective.
Narration

tells a story of an event or an experience.

Good narration:
1. Reveals something of importance.
2. Includes all the important events of the story.
3. Brings the story to life with a detailed account of
what happened.
4. Presents events in a clear order.
Narrative Paragraph Example

My most embarrassing moment happened when I was

working in a Mexican restaurant. I was a hostess working
on a busy Friday night. As usual, I was wearing a blouse
and a long Mexican skirt. While I was taking some menus
to a table, one of the waiters accidentally stepped on the
hem of my skirt. I didnt even feel it fall off, and I walked
through the whole dining room in my slip! Almost every
customer in the restaurant saw me without my skirt on!
Description

Description creates a clear and vivid impression of the topic.

Description translates your experience of a person, place, or thing
into words, often by appealing to the physical senses.

Good description:
1. Creates a main impression-an overall effect, feeling, or image-about
the topic.
2. Uses concrete, specific details to support the main impression.
3. Uses details that appeal to the five senses.
Descriptive Paragraph Example

The subway is an assault on your senses. You walk down the steep,
smelly steps on the subway platform. On the far right wall, a broken
clock show that the time is four-thirty. You wonder how long it has been
broken. A mother and her crying child are standing to your left. She is
trying to clean dried chocolate syrup off the young childs face. Farther
to the left, two old men are arguing about the most recent tax increase.
You hear a little noise and see some paper trash roll by like a soccer
ball. The most interesting thing you see while you are waiting for your
subway train is a poster. It reads Come to Jamaica. Deep blue skies,
a lone palm tree, and sapphire waters call you to this exotic faraway
place.
Illustration

Uses examples to show, explain, or prove a

point.

Good Illustration:
1. Makes a point.
2. Gives detailed and specific examples
3. Gives enough examples to get the point across.

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Placelogo
orlogotypehere,
otherwise
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Illustrative Paragraph Example

Although they dont consider it stealing, many people regularly take

things from their jobs. The most common items to disappear are pens
and pencils that the employees almost unconsciously stuff into their
purses and pockets. Over time, they may accumulate a lot of them.
Another big item is all kinds of paper: pads of lined paper, little
notepads, and file folders. Finally, one of the most significant ways
people steal from their employers is by taking home samples of
products the company makes. Employees think they are entitled to
these products and even give them to friends. These examples many
not seem like stealing, but the results are the same: extra costs to the
company, which may result in lower pay raises.
Definition

Explains what a term means. It uses

denotation or connotation
1. Tells readers what term is being defined.
2. Presents a clear and precise basic definition.
3. Uses examples to show what the writer means.
4. Uses words and examples that readers will
understand.
Definition Paragraph Example

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, gossip is a trivial

rumor of a personal nature, but this definition makes gossip sound
harmless. At first, gossip might not seem so bad. One person tells a
second person something about someone, and that second person
tells a third person, and so on. The information passes from person to
person. However, gossip is much more than just information and rumor.
As the rumor continues, it grows and changes, People do not know all
the facts, so they add information. As the gossip goes from one person
to another, the damage continues, and the person who is the subject of
the gossip cant do anything to answer or protect himself or herself.
Because the potential damage may range from hurt feelings to a lost
career, gossip is much worse than simply a trivial rumor.
Classification

Organizes, or sorts, people or items into categories.

A good classification paragraph:

1. Make sense of a group of people or items by organizing
them into categories.
2. Uses useful categories.
3. Uses a single organizing principle.
4. Gives examples of what fits into each category.
Classification Paragraph Example

Test questions generally fall into categories, depending on how they

are answered: objective and subjective. The first kind, objective
questions, have definite right and wrong answers. Multiple choice,
matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions are objective. Although they
can be tricky because of their wording, most students prefer objective
questions. The answers are already there, and the student just has to
choose the right one. Subjective test items, such as short-answer and
essay questions, have no single correct answer. There is a range of
possible responses. Students have to know the information in order to
answer each question, and they have to present it in their own words.
You can make a lucky guess on an objective question, but a subjective
question doesnt offer much hope for a student relying on dumb luck.
Comparison & Contrast

Show similarities and differences among people, ideas,

situations, or items. They are used to explain two subjects and help
you decide between two options.

1. Uses subjects that have enough in common to be

compared/contrasted.
2. Serves a purpose- either to help readers make a decision or
understand subjects.
3. Presents several important, parallel points of comparison/contrast.
4. Arranges points in a logical organization.
Compare & Contrast Paragraph Example

When they get lost while driving, women and men have very different ways to
find the right route. As soon as a woman thinks she might be lost, she will pull
into a store or gas station and ask for directions. As she continues on, is shes
still not sure of the directions, she will stop again and ask someone else for
help. Until they know they are on the right track, women will continue to ask for
directions. In contrast, men would rather turn around and go home than stop
and ask for directions. First, a man doesnt readily admit he is lost. When it is
clear that he is, he will pull over and consult a map. If he still find himself lost,
he will again pull out that map. Either the map will finally put the man on the
right route, or as a last resort he will reluctantly stop at a store or gas station
and let his wife go in and ask for directions. Many battles of the sexes have
raged over what to do when lost in the car.
Cause and Effect

Explain what made an event happen

and what occurred as a result.
1. Clearly distinguish between cause and
effect.
2. Give clear and detailed examples of
causes and/or effects.
Cause & Effect Paragraph Example

Much to her surprise, lottery winner Sylvia Lee found that sudden wealth was a
mixed blessing the results were both good and bad. After her win was
announced, she was constantly hounded by people who wanted to sell her
something. She got an unlisted phone number, but the more aggressive
salespeople just camped out on her doorstep. Another negative result was that
people started treating her differently. I was shocked, said Lee. Everyone
from the checkout clerk at the supermarket where Ive shopped for years to my
next-door neighbor acted as though I had changed. Im still the same; Ive just
got money now. Lee admits, though, that most of the changes have been
positive. Its really a relief not worrying about money all the time. I actually went
on my first shopping spree ever, and it was great. Lee expects that other new
and unexpected results of her sudden wealth are yet to come, but shes not
discouraged: so far, at least, the pluses far outweigh the minuses.