Definition
A sentence may be one of four kinds, depending upon the number and type(s) of clauses it contains.
An independent clause contains a subject, a verb, and a complete thought.
A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb, but no complete thought.
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1. A SIMPLE SENTENCE has one independent clause.
Punctuation note: NO commas separate two compound elements (subject, verb, direct object, indirect object, subjective complement, etc.) in a simple sentence.
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(That's easy enough. It is obviously one independent clause.)
(It's longer, more challenging and contains bigger words, but it's still a simple sentence.
Being an English teacher with a penchant for syntactical complexity" is a participial phrase.
"With a penchant" and "for syntactical complexity" are prepositional phrases.)
(Amazingly, it's still a simple sentence. I am piling on phrase after phrase, but the sentence still contains only one independent clause.)
Definition
2. A COMPOUND SENTENCE has two independent clauses joined by
A. a coordinating conjunction ( for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so ),
B. a conjunctive adverb (e.g. however, therefore ), or
C. a semicolon alone.
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Punctuation patterns (to match A, B, and C above):
A. Independent clause , coordinating conjunction independent clause.
B. Independent clause ; conjunctive adverb , independent clause.
C. Independent clause ; independent clause.
(The independent clauses are in blue. This sentence contains no dependent clauses)
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Definition
3. A COMPLEX SENTENCE has one dependent clause (headed by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun ) joined to an independent clause .
Punctuation patterns (to match A, B, C and D above):
A. Dependent clause , independent clause
B. Independent clause dependent clause
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C. Independent , nonessential dependent clause , clause.
D. Independent essential dependent clause clause.
(The independent clause is in blue. The dependent clause is italicized.)
(This sentence contains four dependent clauses. The independent clause is in blue. Note that two of the dependent clauses are inside of and part of the independent clause. Don't be alarmed. That happens all the time.)
Definition
4. A COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE has two independent clauses joined to one or more dependent clauses.
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Punctuation patterns:
Follow the rules given above for compound and complex sentences.
A compound-complex sentence is merely a combination of the two
(The dependent clause is underlined, and the independent clauses are in blue.)
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(The independent clauses are in blue. The dependent clauses are italicized. Note that the dependent clauses occur within the independent clauses. It often happens.)
Summary:
The purpose of this handout is to give some basic instruction and advice regarding the creation of understandable and coherent paragraphs.
A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. Learning to write good paragraphs will help you as a writer stay on track during your drafting and revision stages. Good paragraphing also greatly assists your readers in following a piece of writing. You can have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas aren't presented in an organized fashion, you will lose your readers (and fail to achieve your goals in writing).
The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to keep one idea to one paragraph. If you begin to transition into a new idea, it belongs in a new paragraph. There are some simple ways to tell if you are on the same topic or a new one. You can have one idea and several bits of supporting evidence within a single paragraph. You can also have several points in a single paragraph as long as they relate to the overall topic of the paragraph. If the single points start to get long, then perhaps elaborating on each of them and placing them in their own paragraphs is the route to go.
To be as effective as possible, a paragraph should contain each of the following: Unity,
Coherence, A Topic Sentence, and Adequate Development. As you will see, all of
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these traits overlap. Using and adapting them to your individual purposes will help you construct effective paragraphs.
Unity
The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus. If it begins with one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another or wander within different ideas.
Coherence
Coherence is the trait that makes the paragraph easily understandable to a reader. You can help create coherence in your paragraphs by creating logical bridges and verbal bridges.
Logical bridges
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The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to sentence.
Successive sentences can be constructed in parallel form .
Verbal bridges
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Key words can be repeated in several sentences
Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences
Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences
Transition words can be used to link ideas from different sentences
The transition from one paragraph to another often presents some difficulty - but it is essential to maintain continuity and give verbal signposts to your reader. Some common linking words and phrases which can help you to do this are: but, however, on the other hand, yet for example, that is similarly, moreover, furthermore, in addition therefore, consequently, as a result, thus then, after that, ultimately indicate CONTRAST indicate ILLUSTRATION indicate EXTENSION indicate CONCLUSION indicate THE NEXT STEP
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A topic sentence
A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with. Although not all paragraphs have clear-cut topic sentences, and despite the fact that topic sentences can occur anywhere in the paragraph (as the first sentence, the last sentence, or somewhere in the middle), an easy way to make sure your reader understands the topic of the paragraph is to put your topic sentence near the beginning of the paragraph. (This is a good general rule for less experienced writers, although it is not the only way to do it). Regardless of whether you include an explicit topic sentence or not, you should be able to easily summarize what the paragraph is about.
Adequate development
The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully and adequately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers should be wary of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences. It's a pretty good bet that the paragraph is not fully developed if it is that short.
Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well-developed:
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Use examples and illustrations
Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others)
Examine testimony (what other people say such as quotes and paraphrases)
Use an anecdote or story
Define terms in the paragraph
Compare and contrast
Evaluate causes and reasons
Examine effects and consequences
Analyze the topic
Describe the topic
Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)
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Prewriting Paragraphs
What is the prewriting stage?
The prewriting stage is when you think carefully and organize your ideas for your paragraph before you begin writing.
Six Prewriting Steps:
1. Think carefully about what you are going to write. Ask yourself:
What question am I going to answer in this paragraph or essay? How can I best answer this question? What is the most important part of my answer? How can I make an introductory sentence (or thesis statement) from the most important part of my answer? What facts or ideas can I use to support my introductory sentence? How can I make this paragraph or essay interesting? Do I need more facts on this topic? Where can I find more facts on this topic?
2. Open your notebook. Write out your answers to the above questions.
You do not need to spend a lot of time doing this; just write enough to help you remember why and how you are going to write your paragraph or essay.
3. Collect facts related to your paragraph or essay topic. Look for and write down facts that will help you to answer your question.
Timesaving hint: make sure the facts you are writing are related to the exact question you are going to answer in your paragraph or essay.
4. Write down your own ideas. Ask yourself: What else do I want to say about this topic? Why should people be interested in this topic?
Why is this topic important?
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5. Find the main idea of your paragraph or essay. Choose the most important point you are going to present. If you cannot decide which point is the most important, just choose one point and stick to it throughout your paragraph or essay.
6. Organize your facts and ideas in a way that develops your main idea. Once you have chosen the most important point of your paragraph or essay, you must find the best way to tell your reader about it.
Look at the facts you have written. Look at your own ideas on the topic. Decide which facts and ideas will best support the main idea of your paragraph. Once you have chosen the facts and ideas you plan to use, ask yourself which order to put them in the paragraph. Write down your own note set that you can use to guide yourself as you write your paragraph or essay.
You should start a new paragraph when:
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When you begin a new idea or point. New ideas should always start in new paragraphs. If you have an extended idea that spans multiple paragraphs, each new point within that idea should have its own paragraph.
To contrast information or ideas. Separate paragraphs can serve to contrast sides in a debate, different points in an argument, or any other difference.
When your readers need a pause. Breaks between paragraphs function as a short "break" for your readers—adding these in will help your writing be more readable. You would create a break if the paragraph becomes too long or the material is complex.
When you are ending your introduction or starting your
conclusion. Your introductory and concluding material should always be in a new paragraph. Many introductions and conclusions have multiple paragraphs depending on their content, length, and the writer's purpose.
In many languages, the fundamental unit of composition is the paragraph. A paragraph consists of several sentences that are grouped together. This group of sentences together discuss one main subject. In U.S. formal academic
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English, paragraphs have three principal parts. These three parts are the topic sentence, body sentences, and the concluding sentence. We will also talk briefly about details in paragraphs.
What is the topic sentence?
The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.
What does it do?
It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
How do I write one?
Summarize the main idea of your paragraph. Indicate to the reader what your paragraph will be about.
Example:
There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system.
All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live
A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; that is, it is usually the first sentence in a formal academic paragraph. (Sometimes this is not true, but as you practice writing with this online lesson site, please keep to this rule unless you are instructed otherwise.) Not only is a topic sentence the first sentence of a paragraph, but, more importantly, it is the most general sentence in a paragraph. What does "most general" mean? It means
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that there are not many details in the sentence, but that the sentence introduces an overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph.
For example, suppose that you want to write a paragraph about the natural landmarks of your hometown. The first part of your paragraph might look like this:
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is
Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.
(Notice how the first sentence begins with "My hometown..." a few spaces to the right of the paragraph edge. This is an indentation.
All paragraphs in
English MUST begin with an indentation.)
Note how the first sentence, My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing geographical features, is the most general statement. This sentence is different from the two sentences that follow it, since the second and third sentences mention specific details about the town's geography, and are not general statements.
Here are some examples of sentences that cannot be used as topic sentences.
Can you figure out why they are inappropriate?
1-My hometown is famous because it is located by Wheaton River, which is very wide, and because it is built near an unusually steep hill called Wheaton Hill.
2-There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission and two reasons why others like cars with manual transmission.
3-Clouds are white.
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The problem with sentence #1 is that it contains too many details. Topic sentences are general, and details should appear later in the paragraph. A better topic sentence would be like the one mentioned above, My hometown is famous for several amazing geographical features.
Sentence #2 is not appropriate as a topic sentence because it mentions two topics, not just one. Paragraphs are usually about one main thing and so their topic sentences should also be about only one main thing.
The problem with sentence #3 is that it is too general. It is also very boring!
Would you like to read a paragraph with this topic sentence? Most people would not.
We can rewrite sentences #2 and #3 in the following ways to make it better:
 There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission.
OR (in a different paragraph):
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There are two reasons why some people like cars with manual transmission.
The shapes of clouds are determined by various factors.
What are supporting sentences?
They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph.
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What do they do?
They give details to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.
How do I write them?
You should give supporting facts, details, and examples.
Example:
There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system.
All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live
Consider again the above-mentioned, short paragraph:
My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.
(Again, note how this paragraph is indented on the first line, about five or seven spaces in from the left-hand edge of the paragraph. Always remember to indent your paragraphs!)
When a reader reads a topic sentence, such as My hometown, Wheaton, is
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famous for several amazing natural features , a question should usually appear in the reader's mind. In this case, the question should be like, "What are the natural features that make Wheaton famous?" The reader should then expect that the rest of the paragraph will give an answer to this question.
Now look at the sentences after the topic sentence. We can see that the second sentence in the paragraph, First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful , indeed gives an answer to this question. That is, the second sentence gives some explanation for the fact that Wheaton is a famous town. Similarly, we can see that the third sentence also gives some explanation for the fact that Wheaton is famous by giving another example of an "amazing natural feature," in this case, Wheaton Hill.
The second and third sentences are called supporting sentences . They are called "supporting" because they "support," or explain, the idea expressed in the topic sentence. Of course, paragraphs in English often have more than two supporting ideas. The paragraph above is actually a very short paragraph. At minimum, you should have at least five to seven sentences in your paragraph . Here we can see our paragraph about Wheaton with a few more supporting sentences in bold font:
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is
Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old
Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old.
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Closing Sentence
What is the closing sentence?
The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph.
What does it do?
It restates the main idea of your paragraph.
How do I write one?
Restate the main idea of the paragraph using different words.
Example:
There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system.
All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.
In formal paragraphs you will sometimes see a sentence at the end of the paragraph which summarizes the information that has been presented. This is the concluding sentence. You can think of a concluding sentence as a sort of topic sentence in reverse.
You can understand concluding sentences with this example. Consider a hamburger that you can buy at a fast-food restaurant.* A hamburger has a top bun (a kind of bread), meat, cheese, lettuce, and other elements in the middle
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of the hamburger, and a bottom bun. Note how the top bun and the bottom bun are very similar. The top bun, in a way, is like a topic sentence, and the bottom bun is like the concluding sentence. Both buns "hold" the meat, onions, and so on. Similarly, the topic sentence and concluding sentence
"hold" the supporting sentences in the paragraph. Let's see how a concluding sentence (in bold font) might look in our sample paragraph about Wheaton :
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is
Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old
Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.
Notice how the concluding sentence, These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place, summarizes the information in the paragraph. Notice also how the concluding sentence is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the topic sentence.
Not all academic paragraphs contain concluding sentences, especially if the paragraph is very short. However, if your paragraph is very long, it is a good idea to use a concluding sentence.
The short paragraph in this lesson is a fairly complete paragraph, but it lacks details. Whenever possible, you should include enough details in your paragraphs to help your reader understand exactly what you are writing about. In the paragraph about Wheaton, three natural landmarks are mentioned, but we do not know very much about them. For example, we
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could add a sentence or two about Wheaton river concerning HOW wide it is or WHY it is beautiful. Consider this revision (and note the additional details in bold ):
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. On either side of this river, which is
175 feet wide, are many willow trees which have long branches that can move gracefully in the wind. In autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover the riverbanks like golden
snow. Also, on the other side of the town is
Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. Even though it is steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there are some firm rocks along the sides that can be used as stairs. There are no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against the sky and can be seen
from many miles away. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.
If we wished, we could also add more details to the paragraph to describe the third natural feature of the area, the Big Old Tree.
Why are details important?
Consider the example of the hamburger, mentioned above.* If the hamburger buns are the topic and concluding sentences, then the meat, the cheese, the lettuce, and so on are the supporting details. Without the food between the hamburger buns, your hamburger would not be very delicious! Similarly, without supporting details, your paragraph would not be
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very interesting.
A Note on Formality.
In addition to having a particular kind of structure, academic paragraphs (and multi-paragraph essays, which will be topic of another lesson) are different from "ordinary writing" (such as letter writing) in that certain kinds of expressions are not allowed. For example, in formal essays, you should not use contractions such as don't or aren't.
Instead, you should write out the words in full, for example, do not and are not.
Also, in formal essays you should avoid the first and second person. That is, do not use the pronouns I or you.
The pronouns we and us are sometimes used in formal essays in some major fields, but in general you should not use these unless you are certain that they are customary in your field and/or your professor allows them. It is safer simply to use the third person.
TOO INFORMAL
ACCEPTABLE
(Do not use) don't do not doesn't aren't weren't can't couldn't won't does not are not were not cannot will not could not
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When I was growing up, one of the places I enjoyed most was the cherry tree in the back yard. Behind the yard was an alley and then more houses.
Every summer when the cherries began to ripen, I used to spend hours high in the tree, picking and eating the sweet, sun-warmed cherries. My mother always worried about my falling out of the tree, but I never did. But I had some competition for the cherries — flocks of birds that enjoyed them as much as I did and would perch all over the tree, devouring the fruit whenever I wasn't there. I used to wonder why the grown-ups never ate any of the cherries; but actually when the birds and I had finished, there weren't many left.
No sentence is completely irrelevant to the general topic of this paragraph (the cherry tree), but the sentences Behind the yard was an alley and then more houses and My mother always worried about my falling out of the tree, but I never did do not develop the specific idea in the first sentence: enjoyment of the cherry tree.
1 It is a fact that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime. 2 Statistics show that in states with capital punishment, murder rates are the same or almost the same as in states without capital punishment. 3 It is also true that it is more expensive to put a person on
Once again, no sentence in this paragraph (to the left) is completely irrelevant to the general topic
(capital punishment), but the specific focus of this paragraph shifts abruptly twice. The paragraph starts out with a clear claim in sentence 1: It is a fact that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime.
Sentence 2 provides evidence in support of the initial claim: Statistics show that in states with capital punishment, murder rates are the same or
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death row than in life imprisonment because of the costs of maximum security.
4 Unfortunately, capital punishment has been used unjustly. 5 Statistics show that every execution is of a man and that nine out of ten are black. 6 So prejudice shows right through.
almost the same as in states without capital punishment.
Sentence 3, however, shifts the focus from capital punishment as a deterrent to crime to the cost of incarceration: It is also true that it is more expensive to put a person on death row than in life imprisonment because of the costs of maximum security.
Sentence 4 once again shifts the focus, this time to issues of justice: Unfortunately, capital punishment has been used unjustly.
Sentences 5 and 6, Statistics show that every execution is of a man and that nine out of ten are black and So prejudice shows right through , follow from 4 if one believes that executing men and blacks is in fact evidence of injustice and prejudice. More importantly, however, we are now a long way off from the original claim, that capital punishment does not deter crime. The focus has shifted from deterrence to expense to fairness.
The following paragraph on the same topic is much more effectively focused and unified:
1 The punishment of criminals has always been a problem for society. 2 Citizens have had to decide whether offenders such as first-degree murderers should be killed in a gas chamber, imprisoned for life, or rehabilitated and given a second chance in society. 3 Many citizens argue that serious criminals should be executed. 4 They believe that killing criminals will set an example for others and also rid society of a cumbersome burden.
5 Other citizens say that no one has the right to take a life and that capital punishment is
Sentence 1 puts forth the main claim: The punishment of criminals has always been a problem for society.
Sentence 2 specifies the exact nature of the problem by listing society's choices: Citizens have had to decide whether offenders such as first-degree murderers should be killed in a gas chamber, imprisoned for life, or rehabilitated and given a second chance in society.
Sentence 3 further develops the topic by stating one point of view: Many citizens argue that serious criminals should be executed.
The reasons for this point of view are then provided in sentence 4: They believe that killing criminals will set an example for others and also rid society of a cumbersome burden.
Sentence 5 states an opposing point of view: Other citizens say that no one has the right to take a life and that capital
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not a deterrent to crime. 6 They believe that society as well as the criminal is responsible for the crimes and that killing the criminal does not solve the problems of either society or the criminal.
punishment is not a deterrent to crime.
Sentence 6states the reason for the opposing point of view: They believe that society as well as the criminal is responsible for the crimes and that killing the criminal does not solve the problems of either society or the criminal.
How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph
Descriptive paragraphs include details that appeal to the five senses: sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing. In a descriptive paragraph, the writer must convey information that appeals to all the senses, in order to give the best possible description to the reader. Descriptive paragraphs are commonly used in fiction and nonfiction writing, to help immerse readers into the world of the author. Though there are no hard and fast rules for how exactly these paragraphs should be structured, there are several suggestions that can help you write an effective and appealing descriptive paragraph.
See Step 1 to get started today.
A-Writing a Descriptive Paragraph
1-Make sure to choose a meaningful person, place, or thing. Before you begin your paragraph, you have to be sure to pick something that is worth describing. If you want to describe a character, make sure the person is interesting in some way. If
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you want to describe an object, make sure it has some deeper meaning beyond itself so you have enough to write about. If you pick a place, make sure you can describe it in a unique way that can capture a reader's attention. o o
For example, in the opening pages of The Catcher in the
Rye, Holden Caulfield describes a baseball mitt. The mitt itself is not that remarkable, but he describes it in a way that fills it with meaning because it used to belong to his deceased brother. Though not every object you describe needs an elaborate backstory, if it has some meaning behind it, this can help the description carry weight.
If you want to pick a place, don't just pick any old spot at a beach, but one that is meaningful to you -- or, if you're writing fiction, to one of your characters -- in some way. This can add a layer of depth to the place in question.
2-Introduce the person, place, or thing you are describing. If you want to get the reader's attention, then you should let him or her know what you're describing as soon as possible instead of leaving them guessing. Here is an example of some opening lines in a descriptive paragraph: o
Natasha's basement was our sanctuary. I return to it in my best dreams and wake up feeling like I could die happy.
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These opening sentences introduce the subject that is being described, the basement of the narrator's friend. They make it clear that this place is very important to the narrator.
3-Engage your reader's sense of sight. You can start with what the reader can see and appeal to his or her sense of sight to
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help introduce the object. Since sight is the most helpful sense, any good descriptive paragraph must first discuss what the writer wants the reader to visualize. Using strong adjectives to illustrate your scene, moment, experience or item to the reader will help provide a visual picture in your reader's mind. Keep in mind that, while adjectives can help convey a sense of the subject, overusing them can lead to boring, overwrought writing. Here's an example of the opening of a descriptive paragraph: o
Even today I could paint a perfect picture of it, right up to the last piece of neglected pizza crust festering under the ping-pong table.
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Immediately, the reader is given a visual description of some things in the basement: old pizza crust and a ping-pong table. The reader is given a sense of a messy, chaotic place.
4-Describe smells and tastes if you can. Think about how you can describe the topic, scene, or moment to the reader in terms of how it smells and tastes. The best descriptive paragraphs make the reader feel as if he or she were actually experiencing the thing he or she was reading about, not just reading about it. Include a sentence or two about how your topic smells and use a few poignant adjectives to relay the smell of it to the reader. "It tastes good" is not going to provide a specific experience for your reader. However, "It tastes like Grandma's apple pie when it's fresh and still bubbling around the edges - crunchy, flavorful and sweet" helps describe the distinct flavor of your item. Of course, not everything you describe will have a relevant taste or smell; if it does, though, it can help to include it. Here's the next part of our paragraph:
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o
The spilled root beer and duck sauce shining over the nappy brown carpet indicated nights of giggles and prank calls, times when we were far too occupied to consider the absurd possibility of cleaning up. Popcorn got crushed into the carpet and was never quite cleaned up. You could smell this mixture of sweetness and butter even when you stood on the front porch.
5-Describe how the moment or item feels. As you continue writing your paragraph, write a sentence or two about how the experience feels. What does it remind you of as you imagine yourself running your hand along its surface, or the tingling feeling you feel run down your back? How are you reacting to the moment? Again, use descriptive adjectives to describe how the moment feels. Avoid using general statements like "it feels nice", which isn't descriptive at all. Opt for specific, definitive examples that relay the feeling of something to the reader. If you're describing how the object or item feels for a certain character, this can also give readers a sense of what it was like. Continuing on: o
Nothing ever got erased, either. It was like memory. With enough time and will power, you could find almost anything down there. Katie had once recovered her third grade
Tamagotchi from the storage closet. Another time, Nora had unearthed a disposable camera with undeveloped pictures I had taken during our fourth grade trip to Ellis Island.
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Note that, in the above sentences, the narrator is showing that the basement that is being described was never cleaned up, while also using these details to show that the basement is important to her because it serves as a time capsule of her childhood. This is both conveying the feeling of being in the basement and also uses figurative language to add a deeper meaning to the place.
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6-Describe how your subject sounds. What can you hear? Is there a deafening silence? If there is a buzzing sound, avoid simply saying "All of a sudden I heard a loud buzzing sound", rather "I jerked as all of the sudden I heard an undefinable buzzing sound, so loud I put my hands over my face and ears. I assumed it was the fire alarm..." and the reader would be able to relate with the "fire alarm" description, as most people have experienced the startling noise of a fire alarm. Here is how the sounds are described in our paragraph: o
The television in the basement was always on, but no one ever seemed to watch it. We were too busy laughing over our latest stupid game of Rummikub, prank calling our crushes, or listening for the doorbell that told us the pizza was here.
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Here, the narrator uses the sounds in the basement to help give a sense of what it was like to actually be there, and to indirectly tell the reader what was commonly done there.
7-Make unique observations. When you're describing something, give your readers an image, feeling, smell, or sight that they wouldn't normally expect. If you're describing a lawyer, for example, don't just tell the readers things that they would expect to hear about him, like that he wears a suit and works too much; tell them about his secret love for his pet iguanas.
Make sure to keep your descriptions sounding fresh and surprising. Continuing on with our paragraph: o
The silver Christmas garland around the banisters was pretty much a permanent fixture; the same birthday steamers celebrated three shoe-sizes of birthdays, eventually lost their color, and seemed to peel off the walls on their own accord.
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
This sentence makes it sound as if the basement has a life and will of its own.
8-Include some figurative language. Using other effective writing techniques to top off your paragraph will make it all that more appealing and evocative. If you include all these elements in your paragraph, your reader will be able to fully experience and appreciate your writing. You can describe a person, place, or thing while using both literal language and speaking on the level of metaphor or simile to fully give a person a sense of the thing that is being described. Here is some figurative language: o
As it was, with a net-less ping-pong table and a set of bare mattresses facing the TV, the basement looked more like the Fiona Apple "Criminal" video than a place to raise your children.

This sentence uses simile to compare the basement to a notorious music video, adding an extra layer of meaning.
9-Wrap it up. Though you don't need to have a neat concluding sentence for this creative paragraph (unless it is part of an assignment for school), you'll need to end the paragraph in some way to remind readers of what you had described and to leave a lasting idea of the person, place, or thing in their minds.
Here's how this paragraph ends: o
And that was exactly why three extra toothbrushes made their way to the downstairs bathroom. All of us could have lived and died there.

The second to last line, while it doesn't say that the other girls used to spend all of their time there explicitly, uses the images of the extra toothbrushes to show that this basement was once a sanctuary for
29

the young girls, which reminds the reader of the first sentence. These sentences show that the basement was incredibly important to the girls who
"grew up" there without explicitly saying so.
1) Find and Explore a Topic
Before you can write an effective descriptive paragraph, you need to do two things:

 find a good topic; study the topic carefully (a strategy that we call probing ).
2) Draft a Descriptive Paragraph
Once you have settled on a topic for your descriptive paragraph and collected some details, you're ready to assemble those details in a rough draft that begins with a topic sentence .
3) Revise a Descriptive Paragraph
Now you will revise your descriptive paragraph, concentrating on its organization . That is, you will check to see that your sentences follow a clear and logical order, each detail related to the one that came before and leading to the one that follows.
These two exercises will give you practice in revising effectively .
4) Revise, Edit, and Proofread
You're almost done. It's now time to invite someone else (a classmate, for example, or your instructor) to read your descriptive paragraph and suggest ways to improve it. Taking your reader's comments into consideration, revise the paragraph one last time .
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



Always concentrate on the things around you and add lots of similes and metaphors describe what you can hear see, smell, feel, taste.
Avoid using words like "nice", "good", "pretty", or "awesome", as these do not render a vivid picture in the mind of the reader.
Use a simple, impactful sentence now and then!
Sounds can be difficult to describe, as well as tastes and smells. Use similes or metaphors that your reader can relate with to help them catch on to what you're experiencing, not to leave anything for them to determine.
 Remember not to leave anything to the reader's imagination, especially when describing sound. Sentences like "The gentle breeze whispered past my ears, leaving a peaceful calm in the meadow" is a great sentence about what can be heard.
 Use descriptive adjectives such as: subsequently.
 Patience, be imaginative and ensure you describe each transition from one object to another.
Examples of Descriptive Writing
The purpose of descriptive writing is to make our readers see, feel, and hear what we have seen, felt, and heard. Whether we're describing a person, a place, or a thing, our aim is to reveal a subject through vivid and carefully selected details .
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Each of the five paragraphs below responds, in its own way, to the guidelines in How to
Write a Descriptive Paragraph . The writers (three of them students, two of them professional authors) have selected a belonging or a place that holds special meaning to them, identified that subject in a clear topic sentence , and then described it in detail while explaining its personal significance.
In the following paragraph, observe how the writer moves clearly from a description of the head of the clown (in sentences two, three, and four), to the body (sentences five, six, seven, and eight), to the unicycle underneath (sentence nine). Notice also how the concluding sentence helps to tie the paragraph together by emphasizing the personal value of this gift.
1) A Friendly Clown
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 colors merge in a dark line that runs down the center 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 center 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 colorful figure greets me with a smile every time I enter my room.
2) The Blond Guitar by Jeremy Burden
My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond guitar--the first instrument I taught myself how to play. It's nothing fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and finger-printed. At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. The strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its frets tarnished, the wood worn by years of fingers pressing chords and picking notes. The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in shipping. The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray,
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particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago. No, it's not a beautiful instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for that I will always treasure it.
In the next descriptive paragraph, the student writer focuses less on the physical appearance of her pet than on the cat's habits and actions.
3) Gregory by Barbara Carter
Gregory is my beautiful gray Persian cat. He walks with pride and grace, performing a dance of disdain as he slowly lifts and lowers each paw with the delicacy of a ballet dancer.
His pride, however, does not extend to his appearance, for he spends most of his time indoors watching television and growing fat. He enjoys TV commercials, especially those for
Meow Mix and 9 Lives. His familiarity with cat food commercials has led him to reject generic brands of cat food in favor of only the most expensive brands. Gregory is as finicky about visitors as he is about what he eats, befriending some and repelling others. He may snuggle up against your ankle, begging to be petted, or he may imitate a skunk and stain your favorite trousers. Gregory does not do this to establish his territory, as many cat experts think, but to humiliate me because he is jealous of my friends. After my guests have fled, I look at the old fleabag snoozing and smiling to himself in front of the television set, and I have to forgive him for his obnoxious, but endearing, habits.
The following paragraph opens the third chapter of Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman
Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts (Knopf, 1976), a lyrical account of a
Chinese-American girl growing up in California. Notice how Kingston integrates informative and descriptive details in this account of "the metal tube" that holds her mother's diploma from medical school.
4) The Magic Metal Tube by Maxine Hong Kingston
Once in a long while, four times so far for me, my mother brings out the metal tube that holds her medical diploma. On the tube are gold circles crossed with seven red lines each--
"joy" ideographs in abstract. There are also little flowers that look like gears for a gold machine. According to the scraps of labels with Chinese and American addresses, stamps, and postmarks, the family airmailed the can from Hong Kong in 1950. It got crushed in the
33

middle, and whoever tried to peel the labels off stopped because the red and gold paint come off too, leaving silver scratches that rust. Somebody tried to pry the end off before discovering that the tube falls apart. When I open it, the smell of China flies out, a thousandyear-old bat flying heavy-headed out of the Chinese caverns where bats are as white as dust, a smell that comes from long ago, far back in the brain.
In this paragraph (originally published in Washington Post Book World and reprinted in Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art [HarperCollins, 2003]), Joyce Carol Oates affectionately describes the "single-room schoolhouse" she attended from first through fifth grades. Notice how she appeals to our sense of smell before moving on to describe the layout and contents of the room.
5) Inside District School #7, Niagara County, New York by Joyce Carol Oates
Inside, the school smelled smartly of varnish and wood smoke from the potbellied stove. On gloomy days, not unknown in upstate New York in this region south of Lake Ontario and east of Lake Erie, the windows emitted a vague, gauzy light, not much reinforced by ceiling lights. We squinted at the blackboard, that seemed far away since it was on a small platform, where Mrs. Dietz's desk was also positioned, at the front, left of the room. We sat in rows of seats, smallest at the front, largest at the rear, attached at their bases by metal runners, like a toboggan; the wood of these desks seemed beautiful to me, smooth and of the red-burnished hue of horse chestnuts. The floor was bare wooden planks. An American flag hung limply at the far left of the blackboard and above the blackboard, running across the front of the room, designed to draw our eyes to it avidly, worshipfully, were paper squares showing that beautifully shaped script known as Parker Penmanship.
Descriptive writing calls for close attention to details. Whether your subject is as small as a strawberry or as large as a football stadium, you should begin by observing your subject closely and deciding which details are most significant.
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Topic Suggestions: Description
To help you get started, here are some topic suggestions for a descriptive paragraph or essay.
1.
a cell phone
2.
a treasured belonging
3.
a laptop computer
4.
a favorite restaurant
5.
your dream house
6.
your ideal roommate
7.
your memory of a place that you visited as a child
8.
a locker
9.
an accident scene
10.
a city bus or subway train
11.
an unusual room
12.
a bowl of fruit
13.
an item left too long in your refrigerator
14.
backstage during a play or a concert
15.
a vase of flowers
16.
a street that leads to your home or school
17.
your favorite food
18.
the scene at a concert or athletic event
19.
an art exhibit
20.
your old neighborhood
21.
a small town cemetery
22.
a pizza
23.
a pet
24.
a photograph
25.
a hospital emergency room
26.
a particular friend or family member
27.
a painting
28.
an inspiring view
29.
a work table
30.
a character from a book, movie, or television program
31.
a refrigerator or washing machine
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Process Paragraph
A process paragraph is a series of steps that explain how something happens or how to make something. It can explain anything from the way to enrich vocabulary to overcoming insomnia to the procedure of operating a machine. It may also give tips for improving pronunciation or for answering a telephone call. Because such explanations must be clear, the process paragraph must be written in chronological order, and it must include a topic sentence that clear ly states the paragraph’s purpose. It must also include transition words and phrases such as “first,” “next,”
“finally,” that connect each of the steps.
A process paragraph (or essay) explains how to do something or describes or explains how something is done. The process should be described in a series of steps that follow a logical time order.
1. Choose a topic that you have some knowledge about. It’s easier to write about something you’ve done many times before.
2. Consider your audience. Who are you writing for and what background information does your reader need to follow the steps?
Most process writing is written in second person (you). That gives your writing the feel that you are guiding another person through the steps of how to do something.
3. Choose a topic that you can handle in a paragraph. You can’t cover how to fix the Canadian health care system in a paragraph or even an essay, but you can manage to cover how to quit smoking or how to change a bicycle tire flat.
4. Make sure that your topic sentence clearly states what you are going to explain and also makes a point that indicates your view of your topic. E.g., By doing a little research and planning, you can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a used car. Avoid simply announcing your topic: e.g., This paragraph will explain how to get a deal on a used car.
5. Include every step. If you’re explaining how to change the oil in your car and you instruct your readers to remove the plug from the oil pan to drain the oil, don’t forget to tell them to replace it before adding the new oil.
6. Present the steps in the correct order. This helps avoid confusion.
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7. Include al l necessary details and steps. At the same time, you’ll have to decide how much detail is sufficient within the limits of a paragraph.
There are two kinds of process paragraphs: directional and informational . A directional process paragraph explains the directions to perform a task. It provides the reader a set of instructions or a step-by-step guidance. The following is an example of a directional process paragraph:
How to Make a Good Cup of Tea
Making a good cup of tea is exquisitely simple. First, the teapot is heated by filling it with water that has just come to a boil. This water is then discarded, and one teaspoon of loose tea per cup is placed in the teapot (the exact amount may vary according to taste). Fresh water that has just come to a boil is poured into the pot.
A good calculation is six ounces of water for each cup of tea. The tea must now steep for three to five minutes; then it is poured through a strainer into a cup or mug. A pound of loose tea will yield about two hundred cups of brewed tea. Using a tea bag eliminates the strainer, but it is still best to make the tea in a teapot so that the water stays sufficiently hot. The typical restaurant service—a cup of hot water with the tea bag on the side—will not produce the best cup of tea because the water is never hot enough when it reaches the table and because the tea should not be dunked in the water; the water should be poured over the tea. Although tea in a pot often becomes too strong, that problem can be dealt with very easily by adding more boiling water. (From: Scarry S. and Scary J., 2011: 422)
An informational process paragraph explains how something works or how something worked in the past. Its purpose is purely to provide information. Such writing could be found easily in history books. For instance, if you described how
General Diponegoro planned his battle strategy, this would be informational process writing. The following example explains the developmental phases of the use of literature in the second or foreign language teaching. In the paragraph, the transitional words that signal the steps or stages of the process have been italicized.
The Use of Literary works in Second/Foreign Language Teaching
The use of literary works in the second/foreign language curriculum varies greatly depending on the method dominating the practice. First , literary works were notable sources of material when the Grammar Translation Method dominated until the end of the 19 th century. But they were absent from the curriculum until
1970s when the Grammar Translation Method was successively replaced by
Structuralism Approach, Direct Method, Audio-lingual Method, Community
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Language Learning, Suggestopedia, the Silent Way, Total Physical Response, and the Natural Approach because these methods tend to regard a second and foreign language teaching as a matter of linguistics. They emphasize more on structures and vocabulary. Then literary works became even more divorced from language teaching with the advent of the communicative approach which focuses on the teaching of “usable, practical” contents for enabling students to communicate orally. In this period the second and foreign language classrooms were dominated by dialogues. However , the situation changed quite radically since the 1980s when literature has found its way back into the teaching of second and foreign language though not in the way it was used with the Grammar Translation
Method. Afterward , literature undergoes an extensive reconsideration within the language teaching profession.
To write a good process paragraph, you should pay attention to three important things. First, make sure that the steps in the process are complete. Following a procedure whose steps are incomplete will fail to produce the expected result.
Second, present the steps in the right sequence. For example, if you are describing the process of cleaning an electric mixer, it is important to point out that you must first unplug the appliance before you remove the blades. A person could lose a finger if this part of the process were missing. Improperly written instructions have caused serious injuries and even death. (Scarry S. & Scary J., 2011: 415). Finally, use correct transitional words to indicate the sequence of the process you are writing. the followings are transitions commonly used in process analysis. the first step, in the beginning, first of all , to begin with , to start with , the second step , next , while you are . . . , as you are . . . , eventually , after you have . . . , afterward , the last step , the final step , finally , at last .
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process paragraph
 Process writing is useful when writing on history, business, the sciences, psychology, and many other areas
Checklist
This is a checklist to help you when writing a Process Paragraph
* Narrow the topic. Think of who you are writing to
* Make a topic sentence that clearly states what your process result will be
* Free write or brainstorm some ideas that might help with the process
* Drop unnecessary information that are not necessary in the process
* Make an outline with the steps of how you will write it.
* Write a draft of the process and use transition expressions to indicate order
* Revise
* Proofread to make sure that you have no errors in grammar or spelling, punctuation .
The opinion paragraph starts with a clear and original view point or attitude about a topic. Never use expressions such as “In my opinion” or “I think”.
You should directly start on with your opinion as it is a truth. Instead of saying, “In my opinion life is worth living fully.” just write, “Life is worth living fully.” This stage should be heavily concentrated upon because you need to give lucid contentions that support and justify the authenticity and validity of the opinion.
Convincing as well as persuasive styles should be the most common throughout the whole paragraph. An opinion without clear and vigorous
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arguments that support and sustain it is not at all inspiring for the reader.
You should also bear in mind that arguments are not new opinions, but only an attempt to support the opinion with the most appropriate evidence.
Therefore you should be careful about the way the topic sentence is managed and reinforced through logical, resistant and easy to assimilate supporting details, here arguments. The arguments must be so comprehensible that in this stage you have to avoid using assumptions or theories but you must use only facts. Examples are the most helpful tools to clarify and back up your arguments; however they should neither be volatile nor vague ones. They should be positive statements aiming at bringing about the reader’s involvement and understanding.
The concluding sentence, on the other hand, should not raise a new opinion or present an open statement. It should be cautiously dealt with in order to echo the whole paragraph or at least to paraphrase the topic sentence. The concluding shift is crucial because it is the last thing the reader will keep in mind. The minimum deviation from the opinion stated above or the pace and logic of the paragraph will engender a deadly effect.
( Retrieved from: http://abdessalami.bravehost.com/opinion.html
) .
Tips for Good Opinion Paragraphs
You will need to be well prepared in order to write a good opinion paragraph. Here are the steps to take before you even start writing :
Pick a controversial issue - something people clearly agree or disagree with it strongly.
Decide which side you will take - do you agree or disagree with it? This will be your opinion.
Get as much information as you can in order to defend your point of view - you will need facts to support your point, examples of why your opinion is the correct one.
Find out as much as you can about opinions that are different from yours - get as much information about the other side as you can.
Be ready to change your main idea if your research shows you that your thoughts
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were not correct to begin with!
Now you are ready to start writing!
Make sure your main idea - your opinion about the subject - is clear and well
stated. For example:
Classes that start at or before 8 o'clock in the morning are not scheduled at the best time to benefit the majority of the students who have to take them.
Transition into the body of
the paragraph- For example:
There are many, many reasons for this.
Give your second strongest
reason to support this idea.
For example:
Most of the students are pretty young and stay up until late at night working or socializing. They don't know how to manage their time well enough yet.
Give a specific example or statistics to support this
statement. For example:
Look at statistics from college campus studies on this subject - say something similar to this - A study done by _, from the _ reports that University of freshman students work_ hours in the evenings, and then socialize for _ hours. They only get an average of hours of sleep.
Give your weakest reason to People have a difficult time getting up too early in the
support this idea. For example: morning.
Give an example to support
this statement too. For example: describe how difficult it is for someone you know to get up and be ready in time. (look around your classroom, at the students in the cafeteria - how many look tired and not ready for the day's work yet?)
Give your strongest reason
to support this idea. For example:
People learn best when they have rested long enough, and are awake and ready to learn.
Explain and give an example The study conducted by concluded that _% of the students
of someone you know, or statistics you have found to who had not rested long enough, or well enough, fail their courses which are scheduled early in the morning, and the support this thought. For example: average grades from early courses are lower than grades fro the same course scheduled for later in the day.
Give the strongest reason that others who do not
agree with you have. For
Some people think that it is important to get your classes done and over with early in the morning, so there is time for other activities during the day.
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example:
Refute this argument - This is true, early courses do free the people up for other prove that it is not really the activities later, but what is the point of sacrificing learning,
correct view. For example: hurting chances for success, in order to be able to play during a longer period of the day?
Finish with a good
concluding sentence. For example:
Even though early courses are good for a few people who are at their best in the early morning, they are not helpful to the majority of the students.
Now you are ready for the usual editing part of your writing. Make sure:



 you have a main idea your supporting points are directly related to the main idea your transitions are good and logical your sentences are in the correct order
 you mentioned the other side,
 you refuted the argument from the other side
 your sentences are well written, with as few errors as possible
Here are some links which you can visit in order to learn more about Opinion Paragraph: http://abdessalami.bravehost.com/opinion.html
http://www.woodbridgecollege.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/course293.html
http://learnlab.hfcc.edu/sites/learnlab.hfcc.edu/files/sample_opinion_paragraph.pdf
Choose one of the topics below or your own topic and write an opinion paragraph.
- High school graduates should take a year off before entering college
- Dieting makes people fat
- Both parents should assume equal responsibility in raising a child
- Participating in team sports helps to develop good character
- People have become overly dependent on technology
- College students should have complete freedom to choose their own courses
- All students in high school and college should be required to take at least two years of a foreign language
- Any student caught cheating on an examination should be automatically dismissed from college
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How to Write an Opinion Essay
The basic five-paragraph essay structure, which you have probably used many times by this point, works extremely well for an opinion essay. It’s a starting point, and when you get to university yourprofs will expect a more complex approach to essay writing. If you feel confident about your essaywriting skills, you can certainly branch out into longer and more complex essays. But this basic five-paragraph outline is a good starting point, especially if you feel uncertain of your ability.
An opinion essay exists to prove your main point – your thesis. This should be clearly stated in your opening paragraph. Don’t leave the reader to guess what your position is on the issue – make a clear stand!
Next, develop your argument in the body of your essay. Each paragraph should contain a single, clear idea that support your point of view. You can use examples and illustration, cause-and-effect reasoning, comparison/contrast or other methods of development to support your argument.
Research: Any statements you make that would cause a reader to say, “Wait, how do you know that’s true?” need to be backed up with documentation from outside sources (“I saw something on TV about it one time” would not be considered adequate documentation). Refer to the handout “What is
Research?” for further details.
Remember that a paragraph is three to five sentences that develop a single, clear idea. A good paragraph often begins with a topic sentence that sums up your main idea.
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 Paragraph One -- The introduction.
Here you state the main idea of your entire essay -- the point you are trying to make or prove. This paragraph should include your thesis statement plus three reasons why you believe this statement to be true.

Paragraphs Two, Three and Four.
These are the body of your essay. Remember back in Paragraph One, you gave three reasons for your opinion? Three reasons, three body paragraphs. Each of the body paragraphs should take one of your reasons and explain it in more detail, citing sources where necessary.

Paragraph Five -- The conclusion.
Former Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood once said about giving speeches: "First I tell them what I'm going to tell them, then I tell them, then I tell them what
I told them." That's how you write an essay. In the conclusion, tell them what you told them. Sum up your argument by restating your thesis statement and reminding the reader what your three reasons were. In an argumentative essay, you can finish with a "call to action"
-- tell the reader what you would like them to do as a result.
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Sample Five-Paragraph Essay
Subject: Should parents have their children vaccinated?
Title Why You Should Vaccinate Your Kids
Paragraph One:
Introduction
Three reasons for my opinion
Since Edward Jenner introduced the first successful smallpox vaccine by injecting an eight-year-old boy with cowpox pus in 1796, vaccines have been an important part of public health care around the world (“Edward Jenner”). Yet today, many parents choose not to vaccinate their children. Because vaccines are widely supported by research, have few side effects, and have proven successful in halting the spread of disease, I believe it is important that all parents continue to vaccinate their children.
Thesis statement
Paragraph Two:
Develops the first reason by giving examples
All major health organizations, including the Centres for
Disease Control and the World Health Organization, recommend vaccination. The value of vaccination is supported by research from around the world, and researchers are constantly working to improve the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Epidemiologists, the scientists whose job is to study the outbreak of disease, all recommend vaccination.
Topic Sentence
Paragraph Three:
Many parents worry about the safety of vaccines. While side effects do occur, they are usually minor, like redness or swelling around the site of an injection. In Canada, only about one in a million doses of vaccine leads to serious side effects (“Fact and Fiction”).
The most famous study linking vaccines to autism, one which got many parents worried about vaccination, has been proven false and the doctor who conducted the study has had his medical license taken away (Triggle).
Topic Sentence
Develops the second reason, giving facts
Around the world, increased vaccination leads to better public health. Diseases like smallpox and polio which once killed and disabled millions of people are virtually unknown today thanks to
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and statistics to support the statement.
immunization programs. Yet in countries like Afghanistan and
Pakistan where the Taliban discourage immunization, rates of polio are on the rise again (Nordland).
Paragraph Four:
Topic sentence
If and when you have children, please get them vaccinated.
The risks are minimal and you’ll not only be following the best advice of medical science and protecting your own child from disease; you’ll be helping in the fight to eradicate infectious diseases in your community and around the world.
Develops third reason, giving an example
Sources Cited
“Edward Jenner (1749-1823),” BBC History: Historic
Figures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/jenner_edward.shtml
Paragraph
Five:Conclusion
Restatement of thesis
“Immunization Fact and Fiction,” Public Health Agency of
Canada.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/iyc-vve/fic
Summary of reasons
Nordland , Rod, “After Year of Decline, Polio Cases in Afghanistan Triple in a
Year.” The New York Times, Jan. 17,
2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/world/asia/after-years-of-declinepolio-cases-in-afghanistan-rise.html
Triggle , Nick, “MMR Doctor Struck from Register,” BBC
News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8695267.stm
46

Tips for Good Opinion Paragraphs
You will need to be well prepared in order to write a good opinion paragraph. Here are the steps to take before you even start
writing:
Pick a controversial issue - something people clearly agree or disagree with it strongly.
Decide which side you will take - do you agree or disagree with it? This will be your opinion.
Get as much information as you can in order to defend your point
of view - you will need facts to support your point, examples of why your opinion is the correct one.
Find out as much as you can about opinions that are different from
yours - get as much information about the other side as you can.
Be ready to change your main idea if your research shows you that your thoughts were not correct to begin with!
Now you are ready to start writing!
Make sure your main idea - your opinion about the subject - is
clear and well stated. For example:
Classes that start at or before 8 o'clock in the morning are not scheduled at the best time to benefit the majority of the students who have to take them.
Transition into the body of the paragraph - For example:
There are many, many reasons for this.
Give your second strongest reason to support this idea. For example:
Most of the students are pretty young and stay up until late at night working or socializing. They don't know how to manage their time well enough yet.
Give a specific example or statistics to support this statement. For example:
Look at statistics from college campus studies on this subject - say
47

something similar to this - A study done by _____________, from the
_________ reports that University of ________ freshman students work_______ hours in the evenings, and then socialize for _________ hours. They only get an average of ______ hours of sleep.
Give your weakest reason to support this idea. For example:
People have a difficult time getting up too early in the morning.
Give an example to support this statement too. For example: describe how difficult it is for someone you know to get up and be ready in time. (look around your classroom, at the students in the cafeteria - how many look tired and not ready for the day's work yet?)
Give your strongest reason to support this idea. For example:
People learn best when they have rested long enough, and are awake and ready to learn.
Explain and give an example of someone you know, or statistics you have found to support this thought. For example:
The ________ study conducted by ________ concluded that _____% of the students who had not rested long enough, or well enough, fail their courses which are scheduled early in the morning, and the average grades from early courses are ____ lower than grades fro the same course scheduled for later in the day.
Give the strongest reason that others who do not agree with you
have. For example:
Some people think that it is important to get your classes done and over with early in the morning, so there is time for other activities during the day.
Refute this argument - prove that it is not really the correct view.
For example:
This is true, early courses do free the people up for other activities later, but what is the point of sacrificing learning, hurting chances for success, in order to be able to play during a longer period of the day?
Finish with a good concluding sentence. For example:
Even though early courses are good for a few people who are at their best in the early morning, they are not helpful to the majority of the students.
48

Now you are ready for the usual editing part of your writing.
Make sure:
1.
you have a main idea
2.
your supporting points are directly related to the main idea
3.
your transitions are good and logical
4.
your sentences are in the correct order
5.
you mentioned the other side,
6.
you refuted the argument from the other side
7.
your sentences are well written, with as few errors as possible
Example of Opinion Paragraphs
Students should wear uniforms to school
Many people today say that school has become a more violent place because there are so many gangs that identify themselves by what they wear. This problem would stop if only all schools adopted a uniform for their students to wear. This uniform would make the kids look more professional, allow them to focus on academics, and are less expensive than most name-brand clothes.
One reason schools should have uniforms is because it would make the students look more professional. Young people need to start learning how to dress appropriately in the workplace, and having them wear proper uniforms would be a good step toward teaching them how proper clothes should be worn.
Another reason uniforms are good is because school is a place for learning, not a fashion show. M any kids seem to feel that it’s more important to look good, when the real purpose of going to school is to get an education. Name-brand clothes only distract kids from their studies, and if everyone only had to worry about one thing to wear every day, it would be easier to focus on work.
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Uniforms are less expensive than most name-brand labels in stores today, which come in and go out of style quickly. People only need to buy a couple pairs of pants, two or three shirts, and they are good for the year.
Uniforms are of a good quality, and will last as long as the person can fit into them.
Finally, if uniforms were adopted at all schools, there would be less competition between students, resulting in less fights, judging of others based on wealth, and everyone could focus on their studies, which is the whole purpose of going to school.
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Narrative Paragraphs
A narrative paragraph tells a short story from beginning to end. It provides insight into the writer's life concerning an incident that made an impact on the writer. In many cases, the emotions and lessons learned will reflect some of the reader's feelings as well. Such a paragraph follows a specific chronological order of events, which all lead up to a conclusion defining the lesson learned.
Narrative paragraphs are a lot of fun to write. Here you can tell your reader a story from beginning to end. You don't have to imagine anything out of the ordinary - only tell the story, tell what happened. This alone usually allows the nervous writer to stop worrying about generating ideas, and to concentrate on organizing the events in the story being told.
There are a few things to think about when getting ready to write narrative paragraphs or essays:
Know the information well.
Know the order in which things happened
Think of your audience: does anyone there need extra information to understand part of your story?
Identify your characters well
Explain the setting/ place where things were happening. Good descriptions add a lot of life to your narrative!
What is the MORAL OF THIS STORY? What lesson did you learn from it?
Make your sentences as interesting as possible
Organize all of this information in a way to show the beginning, the middle and the end of the story.
Now you are ready to write:
Start by telling your audience what you learned from this event or story.
Do this right in the beginning of your paragraph, or if writing an essay, right after your "hook," or introduction.
Explain the setting for the event: tell where, when, how the event happened and also introduce the main character - later you will have time to introduce other characters.
Tell your reader what happened in the beginning of this story or event.
Tell your reader what happened in the middle. This usually contains the
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most important part of the story (these could be your middle paragraphs, numbers 2, 3 and 4 in an essay)
Tell what happened at the end
Go back to the moral of your story again to finish the paragraph or essay!
(this is your conclusion)
You are ready to double check your work, to edit your paper.
Check to see if:
1. all of your sentences are strong, clear and varied - some long and some short, all interesting
Yes
2. the order of the story is correct; if you forgot some key information, it will be difficult to tell the story well
3. your story has a beginning, a middle, and an end
4. your transitions help explain the sequence your reader will have to follow
5. your main idea is clear; if the moral of the story is right at the beginning of your paragraph
6. your conclusion restates what you said in your main idea
7. you have any spelling or grammatical mistakes
8. your reader will easily understand how or why the event is taking place
9. you need to add details such as time, location, or anything else needed for your reader to understand the story
No
Edit your paper again. Put your paragraph away for a day or two, then edit it once more.
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THE NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH
A narrative paragraph ‘tells a story’, that is, it tells about a series of events that happened to the narrator. It is usually told in time sequence with a definite beginning, middle and end.
Any student writing a narrative paragraph for the first time must use transitions.
These special words help the writer develop a logical, unified paragraph. The most common kind of transition used in narrative writing is the time relationship transition.
Time Relationship Transitions after afterwards before during earlier eventually first in the meantime later meanwhile next now once
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second soon sooner then today until when
Using Transitions in Narrative Writing
Exercise
Try to unscramble the following paragraph by numbering the sentences in the order they should appear.
_______ Finally I was able to calm down long enough to understand what the man was saying
_______ In downtown Calgary it can sometimes seem quite dangerous when the sun goes down.
_______ This danger became very real to me one summer evening.
_______ Next he leaned ominously into the car blowing toxic liquor fumes across my face.
_______ During the rush hour one evening after work, I was driving down Centre
Street, and was stopped by the red light across from the York Hotel.
_______ Before I knew what had happened an old man had grabbed my door handle.
_______ Later I realized how foolish I had been to drive with the doors unlocked.
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_______ Now I started to panic as his hands fumbled on the car seat because I thought he was grabbing for my purse.
_______ After this experience, my sense of safety in Calgary was destroyed.
_______ Then I realized all he wanted was a cigarette, and gingerly I extended the pack to him
_______ When he started muttering, I drew back even further against the driver’s door.
_______ After snarling, "Darn light stuff", he took two smokes and my lighter, and backed out o the car.
Answers
8, 1, 2, 5, 3, 4, 11, 6, 12, 9, 7, 10
Using Connotative Language in Narrative Writing
The language used in narrative writing helps the reader imagine himself in the events you tell about. Don’t just relate the series of events because this creates a boring list. Use specific, vivid words to relate your story instead of passive language.
Example:
Instead of, "It happened while I was standing in the shower, so I couldn’t hear the gas leaking
Write, "The blast of water from the shower deadened the other house noises, hiding the deadly hiss of gas."
Exercise
Try re-writing each of the following sentences to make them more connotative.
Use your thesaurus.
1. The man walked down the street.
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2. The girl hit her knee on the stairs.
3. The baby cried in her crib.
4. The cowboy fell off his horse.
5. The child ran out the school doors.
Using Dialogue in the Narrative Paragraph
When you recall an experience that you had, do you sometimes smile at remembering what a person said or did, or even get angry over a remembered insult once hurled your way? When writing a narrative paragraph about one event in your life, the use of dialogue will definitely make the event more vivid to your readers. Make sure your characters talk like people in real life. Real people do not use full sentences when they speak. This is your chance to use fragments.
Be sure to make the conversation lifelike by using slang, interjections and other
‘real’ speech patterns.
The lady at the next table to the slob could take it no longer. Secretly I hoped she would do something to stop the obscene slurping coming from his fat lips. I watched her rise majestically from her seat; serious intent, like a soldier on a mission, furrowed her white brow. "Sir", she enunciated clearly to the huge slurping hulk. There was a grunt in return from the grazer, but she had his attention. "Sir, you are inhaling your soup in such a manner as to distract your fellow diners." All activity stopped in the restaurant as we waited for his reply.
Astonishment puckered his dimpled jowls to be replaced by a red infusion, which spread from the greyish collar of his neck, slowly gliding to the stark blinking eyes.
"Listen, lady," the voice was thick guttural, "who do you think ya are, the Queen of bloody Sheba?"
Beginnings and Endings
A. How to Start
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There are various ways to begin a narrative paragraph, but one of the easiest is to use the 5 W’s – who, what, where, when, why – to ensure reader understanding of what you have written. Who should clearly introduce the character. Is this an adult, child, etc.? What introduces your event to the reader.
Where helps establish the mood and atmosphere for th setting of the event you are re-telling. When expands on the time the event took place, and Why is a brief explanation of the circumstances leading up to the event.
Another good method for starting the narrative paragraph is to use an anecdote, a brief amusing or interesting story about a real person or event.
B. How to Finish
The most common method for ending a narrative paragraph is to refer back to your topic sentence, and by re-wording it, use it to tie up the loose ends of the paragraph. For example if the topic sentence is, "Appearances can be deceptive", re-word the idea into something like "That is how I learned that the outside does not always reflect the inside."
Exercise
Re-write the following topic sentences into concluding sentences.
1. Last night my television set seemed to conspire against me.
2. The worst thing that ever happened to me was the night of the bear.
3. During my teens, school became an enemy that tortured my brain, especially in my grade 1 English class.
4. An adventure can happen to you every day, so just listen to my story.
5. I’m not the mos t organized person in the world, and the results of this can have disastrous effects.
Review
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1. Pick a topic that has wide appeal. Do not limit yourself to a topic that can only be understood by a few people.
2. Make sure to use active, connotative language. If you tell a story by simply listing the eve they occurred without describing the feelings and atmosphere surrounding that event, the and your reader will be bored.
3. Be aware of time order. Use time rel ationship transitions to ‘hook’ your story together. Do scramble your readers’ minds.
4. To effectively conclude your narrative paragraph relate your concluding sentence to the to sentence. This ensures paragraph unity, and lets you see if you have wandered off topic.
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