The Basic Paragraph
Paragraphs Day 1
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An average body paragraph for
Comp. should be 11-14 sentences
long, and around 275 words
A paragraph has three principle
parts
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1. Topic sentence
2. Supporting sentences
3. Concluding sentence (clincher)
The Topic Sentence
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Usually the first sentence of an
academic paragraph.
More importantly, it is the most
general sentence.
Example: Reading is a pastime
recently disregarded by today’s
youth.
Supporting Sentences
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Support explains topic sentence, or
proves main point or provides details.
Topic sentence creates a questionsupport answers it.
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Why aren’t teenagers reading?
How can you tell that teenagers don’t
read?
Example: 68% of teens say they would
rather watch a movie based on a book
than read the book itself because it is
more visually stimulating.
Supporting Sentences Con’t
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Should have 8-10 supporting sentences
Support includes statistics, examples,
and explanation
Each example (piece of support) needs
three parts:
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Context: who said, why said, where/when
Cited Material: the quote, the paraphrase,
or summary. Must be cited!
Explanation: how does your cited material
support your topic sentence?
Details in a Paragraph
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Without supporting details, such as
how or where, the information is
BORING!
Draw a picture for the reader- explain
things until you can not think of
another way to discuss the main idea.
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Try to hit all five senses – tell me how it
tastes!
Make sure all the details relate to the
main idea!
Supporting Sentences
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Whether you are providing
examples, explanations, details or
stories, it is always easier to cut out
the fat than to try and put on more
meat
Translation: write more than you
need so you have more material to
chose from for your final draft!
Concluding Sentence
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Summarizes the information presented and/or
provides a transition to next paragraph
“topic sentence in reverse”
Further drives home idea of topic and how
support proves it.
Example: Because teens engage in more
visual entertainment, such as movies or the
internet, they are less likely to pick up a book
for entertainment.
Elements of a Paragraph
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Unity
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EVERYTHING should relate to the paragraph’s main idea
Concert in the Tuileries, by the impressionist painter
Edouard Manet, was composed in three horizontal
sections. Manet, however, never wanted to exhibit his
work at impressionist shows. Many men, women, and
children – all dressed in elegant clothing – appear in
the brightly lit foreground. A blur of hats and faces fills
the central section of the canvas. Dark green trees and
one small patch of sky make up the third and topmost
section of the canvas. Without this patch of sky, the
dark trees would seem too close on the scene, turning
the pleasant gathering into a stifling crowd. Manet often
painted scenes from the society in which he lived.
Elements Con’t
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Order: do it logically
Spatially (for descriptions)
 Chronologically
 by order of specification (general to
specific or specific to general)
 By alternating order (compare/contrast)
 Order of climax (most important
information last, usually persuasive)
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Order the following sentences to make
a coherent paragraph
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____ There is one disadvantage, however: you can’t
erase an ink mark.
____ Why do some students prefer pencils to pens for
certain tasks? Let’s see how these two writing tools
compare, staring with pens.
____ The first and most important feature of pens is
that they use ink.
____ This is not a problem with pencils because they
use lead, and lead marks are easily erased.
____ Ink is what allows pens to make marks that are
clear, neat, and easy to read.
____ But they are not as clear and neat as ink marks.
____ That’s why I think pencils are the best tools to
write or revise drafts, while pens are better to write
clean copies.