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1. Grassroots:
The Writer’s
Workbook
Chapter 3: Developing
Effective Paragraphs

2. When I was growing up, my older
brother Joe was the greatest person in my
world. If anyone teased me about my braces or
buckteeth, he fiercely defended me. When one
boy insisted on calling me “Fang,” Joe
threatened to knock his teeth out. It worked—
no more teasing. My brother always chose me
to play on his baseball teams though I was a
terrible hitter. Even after he got his driver’s
license, he didn’t abandon me. Instead, every
Sunday, the two of us went for a drive. We
might stop for cheeseburgers, go to a
computer showroom, drive past some girl’s
house, or just laugh and talk. It was one of
childhood’s mysteries that such a wonderful
brother loved me.
What do you notice?

3. Which of the following sentences
would make the best topic
sentence?
 Speed-walking three times a week is part of
my routine.
 Staying healthy and fit is important to me.
 Every night, I get at least seven hours of
sleep.
 I eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as
possible.

4. Staying healthy and fit is
important to me. Every night, I
get at least seven hours of
sleep. Speed-walking three
times a week is part of my
routine. I also eat as many fresh
fruits and vegetables as
possible.
So the paragraph might look like
this.

5. Find the topic sentence here.
 Some colleges are experimenting with using iPods to
deliver instructional material, complete with musical
clips, news, and even video.
 Runners, hikers, and bicyclists sometimes use their
iPods as personal trainers that plan a route and then
provide maps, distances, and time goals.
 Although most people still think of the iPod as a digital
musical players, others are using these gadgets in
creative and innovative ways.
 Video iPod owners can search for their soul mates
using PodDater software to download short video clips
and profiles of available singles.

6. Find the Topic Sentence.
 Each prisoner in the program receives a puppy, which he
feeds, cares for, and trains to be a service dog for a
combat veteran.
 The convicted felons often feel, many for the first time, a
sense of responsibility, compassion for other creatures,
and the power of unconditional love.
 The successful Puppies Behind Bars program improves
the lives of both inmates and disabled war veterans.
 When a dog “graduates,” each trainer presents his dog to a
vet who returned from Iraq or Afghanistan with brain or
bodily injuries.
 The disabled soliders say that the dogs not only open
doors, turn on lights, and dial 911 on special phones but
greatly ease their anxiety and depression.

7. What about here?
 Physical courage allows soldiers or athletes to
endure bodily pain or danger.
 Those with social courage dare to expose their
deep feelings in order to build close relationships.
 Those rare people who stand up for their beliefs
despite public pressure possess moral courage.
 Inventors and artists show creative courage when
they break out of old ways of seeing and doing
things.
 Psychologist Rollo May claimed that there are four
different types of courage.

8. Narrowing the Topic
 Often your first step is to narrow the topic.
 If you are asked to write about a person you know,
don’t make that person the topic.
 Brainstorm qualities of that person or funny
moments/stories.
 Zoom in and pick one aspect of that person: their
sense of humor or the way they are with their
family or their courage.
 Suddenly, you are no longer writing about a broad
topic, like “Joaquin,” but a narrow topic, like,
“Joaquin’s sense of humor” or “My trip to Baja with
Joaquin.

9. Understand
General and Specific
On a piece of paper, write:
1. __ chairs
__ furniture
__ Grandma’s oak rocking chair
__ household contents
Number the items with 1 being the most specific
and limited, 2 being the second most specific,
and the highest number being the most general.

10. On a piece of paper, write:
2. __ Malian singer Habib Koité
__ music
__ African music
__ music of Mali, West Africa
__ sound

11. 3. __ rose
__ flowering plants
__ living things
__ plants
__ the Betty Boop
rose
5. __ athletes
__ Curry’s skill
__ basketball
players
__ guards
__ Golden State
Warriors guard
Stephen Curry
4. __ Chronicle sports
writer Jim Jackson
__ California
__ North America
__ San Francisco
Chronicle office
building
__ Earth
6. __ actresses
__ movie stars
__ Halle Berry
__ successful black
actresses
__ human beings

12. Writing the Topic Sentence
 The next step is to write your topic sentence, which clearly
states, in sentence form, your narrowed topic and a point
about that topic.
 A topic sentence can be very simple (My relatives in
Nicaragua look just like my parents)…
 OR, better yet, it can state your attitude or point of view
about the topic (I was very moved by the similarities of my
Nicaraguan relatives with my parents).
 Think of the topic sentence as having two parts: a topic
and a controlling idea.
 Topic: the similarities of my Nicaraguan relatives.
 Controlling Idea: I was very moved by it.

13. Good Topic Sentences
1) Attending college has revolutionized my
career plans.
2) Attending college has put me in debt.
3) Attending college is exhausting but
rewarding.
These topic sentences all explore the same
topic—attending college—but each controlling
idea is different!

14. Write the Controlling Idea below
each sentence.
Computer games improved my study skills.
7.
White-water rafting increased my self-confidence
8.
Immigrants frequently are stereotyped by native-born Americans.
9.
A course in financial planning should be required of all college
freshmen.
10.

15. Your topic sentence should be
limited and complete.
It should make a point that is
neither too broad nor too narrow to
be supported in a paragraph.
The more specific the topic
sentence, the better the
paragraph.

16. Which topic sentence will
produce the best paragraph?
1) My recent trip to Colorado was really bad.
2) My recent trip to Colorado was disappointing
because the weather ruined my camping
plans.

17. Which topic sentence will
produce a better paragraph?
1) The Each-One-Reach-One tutoring program
encourages academic excellence at Chester
Elementary School.
2) Tutoring programs can be found all over the
country.

18. A Topic Sentence Must Be
Complete!
 It must contain a subject and a verb and express
a complete thought.
 Do not confuse a topic with a topic sentence
(COMMON MISTAKE!).
 Topic: The heroism of Captain “Sully”
Sullenberger.
 Topic Sentence: Because Captain “Sully”
Sullenberger landed a packed airplane on the
Hudson River and saved 155 lives, he is a true
hero.

19. More Top Secret Hints
 Don’t begin a topic sentence with “This
paragraph will be about…”
 Or, “I am going to write about…”
 These extra words contribute nothing.
 Instead, make your point directly.
 Make every word in the topic sentence count.

20. Rewrite These Sentences:
11. I am going to write about cell phones.
Rewrite:
12. A subject I want to write about is money.
13. This paragraph will discuss food.
14. Some things about college have been great.
15. Living in an apartment.

21. Narrow the topic and write a topic
sentence.
Choose from this list of topics or YOUR OWN
TOPIC. Narrow the topic and write a topic sentence
limited enough to produce a good paragraph. Make
sure your topic sentence is a complete sentence.
16. Narrowed topic:
_________________________
17. Topic sentence:
_________________________
18. Now write the complete paragraph!