The Techniques of Paragraph Writing
Unit 1 Paragraph Unity
&Topic Sentence
Teaching Objectives

The Structure of a Paragraph

Characteristics of a Good Paragraph

Paragraph Unity

Topic Sentence
The Structure of a Paragraph

The topic sentence

Supporting sentences

Concluding sentence
Example

There are three reasons why John is not going to
university. //In the first place, his family is quite poor and,
since he has four young brothers and sisters still at school,
he feels he should help his family financially as soon as
possible. Secondly, if he went to university, his mother
would be left alone to look after the young children.
Finally, he has been offered a good job with excellent
chances of promotion. //Consequently, although he wants
to go to university very much, John is going to take the
job instead.
Characteristics of a Good Paragraph

Unity—All of the sentences in a single paragraph should
be related to a single main idea (often expressed in the
topic sentence of the paragraph).

Coherence—The sentences should be arranged in a
logical way and follow each other smoothly. (logical order
and connection of sentences)

Full development—Every idea discussed in the
paragraph should be adequately explained and supported
through evidence and details that work together to explain
the paragraph‘s controlling idea. (supporting sentences)
Example--- Paragraph Unity


With the changes in their social role, women’s
position in the family has been improved as
well. Husband and wife are now equal in the
family. They cope with problems of daily life
together and share the responsibility of doing
household chores and taking care of children. But
in some families, you can still find wives are
being busy with dinners, while husbands are
comfortably sitting in armchairs reading
newspapers or watching football games on TV.
Example--- Paragraph Coherence

I like reading novels because they tell interesting
and moving stories. Moreover, some stories are
instructive. By describing good and evil people,
and the bright side and the dark side of life, such
stories help me to distinguish between right and
wrong, and understand people and life. As a
result, reading them has perhaps made me wiser.
Example- Full Development

Taking part in sports can also help improve study
efficiency. One study shows that people who take
regular exercise suffer less from anxiety and are
able to work harder. According to a medical
report, 83 percent of the freshmen who had
trouble with studies were in bad physical shape.
And when they were put into a physical fitness
program, their grades picked up more or less.
Paragraph Unity

By unity we mean that a paragraph should
state only one central idea, and all the
developing sentences should explain or
illustrate the idea. All that is not related to
the idea should be excluded.
How to achieve paragraph unity

To achieve unity you must make all
sentences in a paragraph relate to and
support the central idea.

1. give each paragraph a controlling idea.

2. make all sentences in a paragraph
support the main idea.
Class Activity


Decide whether the following paragraphs are
unified or not.
1) I want to talk about my father. He is strict with
his children, especially with me. He won’t let me
out of the house unless I’ve done all my
homework. He is a tall and rather skinny man.
Some people say he is good-looking. He has a
nice streak of grey in his hair. He laughs a lot and
enjoys lifer. My father is interesting.
Class Activity
2) My father’s face is rough. His complexion is
leathery(似皮革的) and wrinkled. There are large
pores in the skin that covers his nose and cheeks.
His nose, broken twice in his life, makes him
look like a boxer who has lost many fights. His
mouth, unless he smiles, looks hard and
threatening. His chin is massive(又大又重的)
and angular (有角的). Shaved or not, my father’s
face is rugged.
Class Activity
3) Television has many harms. Since the television was
invented, it has played an important part in people’s life.
It has turned the big world to a small one. People can see
the same program at the same time around the world. But,
as soon as television comes into common families, it also
has many harms, especially for the children. For example,
children spend too much time watching television. As a
result, they cannot concentrate on their studies. What is
worse, their eyesight becomes poorer. And they are often
exposed to violence, which is harmful to their mental
growth.
Topic Sentence

A paragraph should have only one central
idea. In an English article, the central idea
is called topic and usually clearly stated in
a sentence, which is called topic sentence.
Example

Taking part in sports can also help improve study
efficiency. For example, whenever I feel a little
tired from studies, I will have a 15-minute walk
on campus. After a brief walk I always feel
entirely refreshed and relaxed. I can continue to
study and memorize things better. My personal
experience shows that half an hour’s exercise
after a supper will help you maintain
concentration for a whole night.
Characteristics of a Topic Sentence








1) Complete: A good topic sentence includes a topic and a controlling
idea
e.g. There are three reasons why John is not going to university.
2) Limited: A good topic sentence is limited or not too general.
e.g. From an economic perspective, earning a college degree is a sound
investment.
×Modern technology brings great convenience to education
× Computers are important.
3) Allowing full development : A good topic sentence should not be too
specific. It tells the readers where the paragraph will go and allows the
main idea to develop fully in one paragraph.
e.g. Different types of students have different ways of spending their
spare time.
How to write a topic sentence








1) To use an affirmative statement.
e.g. There are three reasons why John is not going to university.
2) To introduce the topic sentence with a question and answer
e.g. What is the main cause of generation gap? It is lack of
communication.
3) To use a subject-complement sentence structure
e.g. A problem that keeps Luoyang from becoming a clean civilized
city is the serious pollution of the city.
4) to introduce the topic sentence with a general statement and a
more particular one.
e.g. While many members of the animal kingdom communicate,
humans communicate in the most sophisticated way.
Position of Topic Sentence

A topic sentence may appear anywhere in
the paragraph, at the very beginning, in the
middle or at the end. It may even be
implied-in that case the controlling idea is
obvious.
Topic sentence at or near the beginning

Sometimes we lie to our good friends only for
fun. The April Fool’s Day is a typical example.
On that day, we usually try all our efforts to think
out lies to fool our friends. The more believable
these lies seem to be, the easier they will be taken
in. When we see them do get in the trap we set for
them, we feel very satisfied and get a lot of fun
from it.
Topic Sentence in the Middle

My parents have gone out for the evening. Just as I settle
down to read or watch TV, my little brother demands that
I play with him. If I get a telephone call, he screams or
knocks something over. I always have to hang up to find
out what’s wrong with him. Baby sitting my brother is no
fun. He refuses to let me eat a snack in peace. Usually he
wants half of whatever I have to eat. Then when he finally
grows tired, it takes about an hour for him to fall asleep.
Topic Sentence at the End

The Amazon River is the widest river in the
world, with one-fifth of all the fresh water on
earth moving through its mouth. In length it is
second only to the Nile, and if stretched across
the United States, it would reach from New York
to Los Angeles. In addition, the Amazon covers
the largest area of any river. Therefore, it can be
argued that the Amazon is the mightiest river on
earth.
Topic Sentence at the beginning and end

I like reading novels because they tell interesting
and moving stories. Moreover, some stories are
instructive. By describing good and evil people,
and the bright side and the dark side of life, such
stories help me to distinguish between right and
wrong, and understand people and life. As a result,
reading them has perhaps made me wiser.
Thank you for your Attention!