The document provides guidance on writing effective academic paragraphs. It discusses the components of a paragraph, including the topic sentence, supporting sentences, details, and concluding sentence. Specific examples are given for each component, such as writing topic sentences that clearly state the topic and controlling idea. Guidelines indicate paragraphs should have a minimum of three supporting sentences, each with details, and conclude with a sentence that does not introduce new information. The overall aim is to teach participants how to construct well-written paragraphs with all essential elements.

1. Academic

2. Writing paragraphs:
sweet and simple
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David Estrella I., MBA, CELTA
November 2016

3. Objectives
At the end of this sesión, participants will be able to:
• Write correct topic sentences.
• Write adecuate supporting sentences and details.
• Write good concluding sentences.
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4. 1. Sentences
2. The topic
3. The topic sentence
4. The supporting sentences
5. The concluding sentence
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Contents

5. Subject + Verb + Direct object + Indirect object
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Sentences

6. Subject + Verb + Direct object + Indirect object
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Sentences
Subject = who does the action

7. Subject + Verb + Direct object + Indirect object
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Sentences
Verb= the action

8. Subject + Verb + Direct object + Indirect object
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Sentences
Direct object = the who or the what of the verb

9. Subject + Verb + Direct object + Indirect object
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Sentences
Indirect object = the where and when of the verb

10. Subject + Verb + Direct object + Indirect object
Roberto plays soccer in the park on weekends
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Sentences

11. • The topic sentence is used at the beginning of a
paragraph.
• It tells the reader what you are going to write about in
that paragraph.
• It contains the topic (most general idea) and the
controlling idea (the content of the paragraph)
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Topic Sentence

12. • Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809.
• Abraham Lincoln, born in 1809, was one of the most
influential politicians in history.
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Topic Sentence

13. • I am going to talk about cats.
• There are some interesting and curious facts about cats.
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Topic Sentence

14. Academic
Topic Sentence
Work with a partner and use the topics in the next slide to
write a topic sentence.

15. Academic
Topic Sentence
the beach cars school ESPOL
accidents good memories family
Holidays expectations Jobs movies
hobbies friends possessions

16. • Sentences that form the body of the paragraph
• Sentences used to illustrate the topic sentence.
• Sentences that develop the controlling idea.
• You need a minimum of three supporting sentences.
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Supporting sentences

17. Work with your partner and write three supporting sentences
for the topic sentence you wrote before.
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Supporting sentences

18. There are some interesting and curious facts about cats.
1. Cats do not have a sweet tooth.
2. While it is commonly thought that the Egyptians were the first
to domesticate cats, the oldest known pet cat was found in a
9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
3. The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicette, also
known as “Astrocat”.
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Supporting sentences

19. • Sentences used to exemplify the supporting sentences.
• You can write:
• a personal experience.
• an example
• statistics
• facts
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Details

20. There are some interesting and curious facts about cats.
Cats do not have a sweet tooth.
Scientists believe cats lost their sense of sweetness due to a mutation in a key taste
receptor located in their tongues.
While it is commonly thought that the Egyptians were the first to domesticate cats,
the oldest known pet cat was found in a 9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean
island of Cyprus.
This grave predates early Egyptian art depicting cats by 4,000 years or more.
The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicette, also known as “Astrocat”.
In 1963, France blasted the cat into outer space and fortunately, she survived the
trip.
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21. Work again with your partner and write the details for your
supporting sentence.
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Details

22. • A concluding sentence indicates that you are bringing closure to
a paragraph.
• it should not include any information that was not discussed in
the paragraph.
• It should start with words like: in conclusion, therefore, as
expressed, overall, as a result, thus, finally, lastly, for this
reason, in general
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Concluding sentence

23. • Every sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a
period.
• You can never write a full stop and start a sentence in the
next line.
• You should have, when you finish with your paragraph, a
mínimum of 8 sentences.
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Paragraph example

24. There are some interesting and curious facts about cats. Cats do not
have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe cats lost their sense of
sweetness due to a mutation in a key taste receptor located in their
tongues. While it is commonly thought that the Egyptians were the
first to domesticate cats, the oldest known pet cat was found in a
9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This
grave predates early Egyptian art depicting cats by 4,000 years or
more. The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicette, also
known as “Astrocat”. In 1963, France blasted the cat into outer
space and fortunately, she survived the trip. As expressed cats are
pets that have an interesting side to look at too.
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Paragraph example