Basic paragraph writing rules

1. Basic
Paragraph
Writing

2. Introduction
What is a paragraph?
•A group of sentences that deals with
one topic.

3. The Basics
Write about only one topic
Indent the first line
~7-15 sentences total

4. Three Parts of a
Paragraph
1. Topic Sentence
2. Supporting Sentences
3. Concluding Sentence

5. Topic Sentence
One sentence
Usually the first sentence of your paragraph
States the main idea of your paragraph
◦Tells the reader the subject of your paragraph

6. Topic Sentence
Has two parts:
1.Topic (the general subject)
2.Controlling idea (what the paragraph
will say about the topic)

7. Example Topic Sentences
Some marriages are a union of two families.
Some marriages are a union of two individuals.
Some weddings are very elaborate.
Some weddings are very simple.

8. Not Too General, Not Too
Specific
Topic sentences should not be too general
and not be too specific.
Look at the next few slides and decide
which sentence is the best topic sentence.
The answer and explanation follows each
problem.

9. Not Too General, Not Too
Specific
Marriage is an event in a person’s life.
The average age for people in the United States
to marry in the year 2000 was 25 for a woman and
27 for a man.
The average age for people in the United States
to marry has changed in the past 100 years.

10. Answer
Marriage is an event in a person’s life.
Wrong: This sentence is too general.
The average age for people in the United States to marry in the year
2000 was 25 for a woman and 27 for a man.
Wrong: This sentence is too specific. It is a statistic.
The average age for people in the United States to marry has changed
in the past 100 years.
Correct!: This sentence is neither too broad nor too specific. It is about
marriage but it is limited to “the average age over the past 100 years.”

11. Not Too General, Not Too
Specific
Advertisements sell products.
There are three major types of
advertisements.
Advertisements for Frito Lay chips use a
picture of a red sun in China.

12. Answer
Advertisements sell products.
Wrong: This sentence is too general. It is a fact. We cannot
write anything interesting about this fact.
There are three major types of advertisements.
Correct!: This sentence is a good topic sentence. It clearly
states that the writer will only talk about 3 types of
advertisements.
Advertisements for Frito Lay chips use a picture of a red
sun in China.
Wrong: This is a fact and is too specific!

13. Body of Paragraph –
Supporting Sentences
~5-12 Sentences
◦Give explanations and examples supporting the
main idea in your topic sentence.
◦Every sentence must have a reason for being in
your paragraph
◦Explain your examples so that it is clear that it
proves your topic sentence.
◦STAY ON TOPIC

14. Conclusion
~One sentence
Restate your topic sentence in different
words and/or add a transition to the
next paragraph
DO NOT add any new information!

15. Notes on Paragraph
Writing
In order to fully explain the idea presented in
your topic sentence, you may need to define
the concept and you must provide an
example (in the body sentences); you may
compare/contrast, narrate, illustrate, describe
or any combination of these as part of your
example/evidence. The concluding sentence
should be the idea from your paragraph that
YOU think is the most important for the
reader to remember.

16. Example Paragraph
(1) A creative person, first, is not limited in his
thinking to “what everyone knows.” (2) “Everyone
knows” that trees are green. (3) The creative artist is
able to see that in certain lights some trees look blue or
purple or yellow. (4) The creative person looks at the
world with his or her own eyes, not with the eyes of
others. (5) The creative individual also knows his or her
own feelings better than the average person. (6) Most
people don’t know the answer to the question, “How are
you? How do you feel?” (7) The reason they do not know
is that they are so busy feeling what they are supposed to
feel, thinking what they are supposed to think, that they
never get down to examining their own deepest feelings.