2. Types of paragraph
1. Descriptive paragraph,
2. Narrative paragraph, and
3. Expository paragraph
a. Paragraph of division and classification,
b. Paragraph of illustration,
c. Paragraph of cause and effect,
d. Paragraph of comparison,
e. Paragraph of contrast, and
f. Paragraph of definition
nandkishore sarap
3. Descriptive paragraph
On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on
a tiny unicycle- a gift I received last Christmas from a close
friend. The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its
ears but is parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined
in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from the brows. It has
cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin
disappears into the wide, white ruffle around its neck. The
clown wears a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of
the outfit is light blue, and the right side is red. The two
colours merge in a dark line that runs down the centre of the
small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising its long
black shoes are big pink bows. The white spokes on the
wheels of the unicycle gather in the centre and expand to the
black tire so that the wheel somewhat resembles the inner
half of a grapefruit. The clown and unicycle together stand
about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good friend
Tran, this colourful figure greets me with a smile every time I
enter my room.
nandkishore sarap
4. Narrative paragraph
I went to see Anne Frank’s (a Jewish victim of the Nazi
persecution during World War II) hideout in Amsterdam, Holland.
I had read Anne’s published diary when I was younger, so I was
extremely thrilled to actually have the chance to see where she
and her family hid from the Germans for so many months. I
walked up the stairs of an apartment building and into a room
with only a bookshelf in it. From what I remembered from
reading the diary, there was a doorknob behind the books. I
found the doorknob and turned it and there was the secret annex.
When I stepped into the room behind the bookshelf, I felt as if I
had stepped back into history. I found Anne’s room still with
pictures of her favourite celebrities on her walls. The Frank
family’s furniture was still placed where they had left them in the
rooms, everything just as described in the diary. I toured each
room in awe of actually seeing how they had lived, yet with
sadness to know how it all ended. Anne’s diary was no longer just
a book to me, but true heart-felt, emotional life story written by a
girl I felt I almost knew.
nandkishore sarap
5. Paragraph of division and classification
"Americans can be divided into three groups- smokers,
non-smokers and that expanding pack of us who have quit.
Those who have never smoked don't know what they're
missing, but former smokers, ex-smokers, reformed smokers
can never forget. We are veterans of a personal war, linked by
that watershed experience of ceasing to smoke and by the
temptation to have just one more cigarette. For almost all of
us ex-smokers, smoking continues to play an important role in
our lives. And now that it is being restricted in restaurants
around the country and will be banned in almost all indoor
public places in New York State starting next month, it is vital
that everyone understand the different emotional states
cessation of smoking can cause. I have observed four of
them; and in the interest of science I have classified them as
those of the zealot, the evangelist, the elect and the serene.
Each day, each category gains new recruits."
nandkishore sarap
6. Paragraph of illustration
Many college students face a number of pressures. For
instance, many students have to manage a job while at the same
time balancing their school work. This can be very stressful for a
college student. Students also face many financial pressures. For
example, numerous students have to pay for their college on
their own. This gives them no other alternative but to take out
student loans. Which could leave them in debt for many years.
Another example of financial pressures for students is having to
support a family while attending college. Supporting a family
while attending college can be extremely difficult. Finally, many
college students go to different cities and states and have to
make new friends and adjust to a different atmosphere. Being a
college student can be very rewarding but, there may also be a
lot of pressures that need to be dealt with.
nandkishore sarap
7. Paragraph of cause & effect
Letting alcohol take control over your life has many
negative effects on a person and the people around them. One
important effect is the damage you can do to your body.
Drinking can lead to severe illness and even eventual death;
some health consequences to consider might be liver disease,
kidney failure and, for pregnant women, the loss of their
unborn child. Another detriment is that an addiction could lead
to drinking and driving; possibly causing a fatal car accident
for either yourself and/or an innocent bystander. Another
concern to consider is the relationships alcohol can destroy.
Alcohol abuse can have very serious affect on a person’s
temperament, which can lead to spousal and even child
abuse. Alcohol often is the number one cause in divorce and
spending time in jail. It can also affect relationships outside of
the family; many people have lost life long friends whether it
is due to foolish arguments and behaviour or possibly death.
Lastly, drinking has negative effects on self-esteem and
rational thinking. People become more self-centred, develop
low self-esteem, doing things or behaving in ways that they
would not normally. They have little or no regard to the
outcomes of what is said or done when they grow reliant on
getting that alcohol high. The negative effects of alcohol abuse
are overwhelming when considering the many consequences
that drinkers and the people around them have to deal with.
nandkishore sarap
8. Paragraph of comparison & contrast
Even though Arizona and Rhode Island are both states of
the U.S., they are strikingly different in many ways. For
example, the physical size of each state is different. Arizona is
large, having an area of 114,000 square
miles, whereas Rhode Island is only about a tenth the size,
having an area of only 1,214 square miles. Another
difference is in the size of the population of each state.
Arizona has about four million people living in it, but Rhode
Island has less than one million. The two states also differ
in the kinds of natural environments that each has. For
example, Arizona is a very dry state, consisting of large desert
areas that do not receive much rainfall every
year. However, Rhode Island is located in a temperate zone
and receives an average of 44 inches of rain per year. In
addition, while Arizona is a landlocked state and thus has no
seashore, Rhode Island lies on the Atlantic Ocean and does
have a significant coastline.
nandkishore sarap
9. Paragraph of definition
Webster’s dictionary gives the definition of courage as
fearlessness. However, I feel that most acts of courage are
done out of necessity. To some little children, the act of
courage means spending the night alone or in a dark room.
This is done out of the need to be accepted by their
playmates. Adults give out medals of courage to soldiers for
killing the enemy in times of war. The majority of these
soldiers shoot at the enemy just in hopes of surviving. Also,
society feels that if someone stands up for his rights -whether
for political, religious, sexual, or racial reasons- he is
displaying courage. In today’s society, however, it is
unavoidable for a person to take a stand because society does
not exactly hand out rights to him on a silver platter.
Courage: is it fearlessness or necessity? I personally agree
with the necessity point of view.
nandkishore sarap