Writing Paragraphs
Paragraphs are blocks of text that center on a main idea. They can be short or long, however
long paragraphs can be difficult to read, and it is often better to split them into shorter
paragraphs.
Paragraphs begin with a topic sentence. A topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is
about. All the supporting sentences in the paragraph should talk about the idea in the topic
sentence. The last sentence of a paragraph is the concluding sentence. Often, the concluding
sentence restates the topic sentence, leads to the next paragraph, or it might tell how you feel
about the paragraph.
There are two ways you can show that a new paragraph is beginning. The first way is to indent
the first line of the paragraph. This means that the first word of the first sentence of the
paragraph begins a few spaces in from the left margin. This is the most common way to indicate
the start of a paragraph in books and novels. Another way to show the beginning of a new
paragraph is to leave a double space between paragraphs. This has become more common in
computer-printed text.
If a passage includes dialog, when people are speaking to each other and the speech is in
quotation marks, a new paragraph begins each time the speaker changes. This means that
many paragraphs will contain only a single sentence. Most paragraphs should have at least
three sentences, and five sentences is better.
Let’s write a paragraph!!
First, we need a topic sentence! This is the most important part of your paragraph, because all other
sentences depend on this one. Today, let’s write about your favorite thing. Fill in the blanks:
My favorite _______________ is _________________.
Now, we need to say some things about your favorite thing. Write down three sentences about your
favorite thing.
1.
2.
3.
Here is my example:
Topic Sentence:
My favorite dog is Drake.
Three things I want to say about Drake, my favorite dog.:
1. Drake always says hello to me whenever I go outside.
2. He loves to play ball and go for walks.
3. When I am sad, Drake makes me feel better.
Notice that all of these sentences have to do with Drake and why he is my favorite. They don’t
talk about what he looks like or about dogs, in general. Those sentences would belong in a
different paragraph with a different topic sentence. All of my supporting sentences support the
idea in my topic sentence.
Now, I need to write my concluding sentence:
I love Drake so much!
My concluding sentence restates my topic sentence, but with very different words (remember
your lesson about paraphrasing?). It also tells how I feel about my favorite dog.
Let’s rewrite these sentences into one whole paragraph:
My favorite dog is Drake. Drake always says hello to me whenever I go
outside. He loves to play ball and go for walks. When I am sad, Drake makes me
feel better. I love Drake so much!
Write a paragraph by writing a sentence in each of the boxes below. You can cut out the boxes and rearrange the sentences so that they are just the way you
want them. When it is in the right order, write your paragraph in your notebook. Don’t forget to indent the first line!
Topic Sentence – The main idea
Supporting sentence 1
Supporting sentence 2
Supporting sentence 3
Concluding sentence – paraphrases the topic sentence, states how you feel about the topic, leads into the next paragraph