Chapter 7
Understanding Paragraphs
Why study paragraphs?
 You will be able to identify the main point of each paragraph you read
 You will be able to sort out the important ideas from the less important ideas in your
assignment
 You will see how the ideas in a paragraph fit together
 You will improve your own writing
LEARNING PRINCIPLE
You are able to remember information that is organized and meaningful more easily.
Three Essential Elements of a Paragraph
1.
TOPIC
The one subject the paragraph is about, the unifying factor, the focus of the whole
paragraph.
Identifying the Topic
 What word or phrase does the author mention or refer to most?
 What is the entire paragraph about?
Bone is one of the hardest materials in the body and, although relatively light in weight, it
has a remarkable ability to resist tension and other forces acting on it. Nature has given
us an extremely strong and exceptionally simple (almost crude), supporting system
without giving up mobility. The calcium salts deposited in the matrix give bone its
hardness, whereas the organic parts (especially the collagen fibers) provide for bone’s
flexibility and great tensile strength. (from Marieb, Essentials of Human Anatomy and
Physiology, p. 119)
2.
MAIN IDEA
An idea the author wants to communicate about the topic, the central or most important
thought. The sentence that expresses the main idea is the topic sentence. It will be a
general sentence in the paragraph.
Locating the Topic Sentence
 Is there a general sentence that could be used to sum up the message of the paragraph?
 Which idea is explained throughout the entire paragraph?
Where do we find the topic sentence?
 Beginning
 Middle
 End
 After introductory sentence(s)
The good listener, in order to achieve the purpose of acquiring information, is careful to
follow specific steps to achieve accurate understanding. First, whenever possible, the
good listener prepares in advance for the speech or lecture he or she is going to attend.
He or she studies the topic to be discussed and finds out about the speaker and his or her
beliefs. Second, on arriving at the place where the speech is to be given, he or she
chooses a seat where seeing, hearing, and remaining alert are easy. Finally, when the
speech is over, an effective listener reviews what was said and reacts to and evaluates the
ideas expressed.
Whenever possible, the good listener prepares in advance for the speech or lecture he or
she plans to attend. He or she studies the topic to be discussed and finds out about the
speaker and his or her beliefs. On arriving at the place where the speech is to be given, he
or she chooses a seat where seeing, hearing, and remaining alert are easy. And when the
speech is over, he or she reviews what was said and reacts to and evaluates the ideas
expressed. Thus, an effective listener, in order to achieve the purpose of acquiring
information, takes specific steps to achieve accurate understanding.
3.
DETAILS
The writer develops the main idea with various types of information. These sentences are
more specific than the topic sentence. They explain, prove, or support the main idea.
Details may
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define technical terms
list facts, reasons, or proof
quote statistics
cite studies
list dates
present examples
give expert testimony
Have you ever snacked on baby carrots? Did you know at the time that you were eating a
functional food? A functional food is one that has been shown to have a positive effect on your
health beyond its basic nutrients. Baby carrots are a functional food because they are rich in
beta-carotene, which, in addition to being a key source of vitamin A, helps protect your cells
from damaging substances that can increase your risk of some chronic diseases such as cancer.
In other words, the beta-carotene’s function goes beyond its basic nutritional role as a source of
vitamin A, because it may also help fight cancer. Oats are another functional food because they
contain the soluble fiber beta-glucan, which has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. This
can play a positive role in lowering the risk for heart disease.
From our text p. 147
Nonverbal signals play three important roles in communication. The first is
complementing verbal language. Nonverbal signals can strengthen a verbal message (when
nonverbal signals match words), weaken a verbal message (when nonverbal signals don’t match
words), or replace words entirely. The second role for nonverbal signals is revealing truth.
People find it much harder to deceive with nonverbal signals. For instance, you might tell a
client that the project is coming along nicely, but your forced smile and nervous glances send a
different message. In fact, nonverbal communication often conveys more to listeners than the
words you speak—particularly when they’re trying to decide how you really feel about a
situation or when they’re trying to judge your credibility and aptitude for leadership. The third
role for nonverbal signals is conveying information efficiently. Nonverbal signals can convey
both nuance and rich amounts of information in a single instant.
From our text p. 141
TRANSITIONS
Transitions are linking words or phrases used to lead the reader from one idea to another. They
help the reader to see how ideas are related. They can express different types of relationship, for
example….
Relationship
Transition
Time sequence
first, later, then, next, finally
Example
for example, for instance, such as
Enumeration
first, second, another, finally
Continuation
also, in addition, and, further
Contrast
on the other hand, however, in contrast
Comparison
like, similarly
Cause-effect
because, since, therefore, consequently
Summation
thus, in short, to conclude
There are a number of reasons why there has been an increase in the demand for nurses, not the
least of which is the aging of the U.S. population. Older people use hospitals more and have
chronic ailments that require more nursing. Moreover, as hospitals reduce the length of stay of
patients, people who are discharged earlier than in previous years need more home care, usually
provided by nurses. At the same time as demand has been rising, the supply of nurses has
decreased somewhat. The age distribution of women between 18 and 24 has decreased in the
past decade. Because this is the group from which nurses traditionally come, there have been
fewer potential nurses. In addition, women have more alternatives in the labor market than they
did years ago.
From our text p. 147
UNSTATED (IMPLIED) MAIN IDEAS
The reader has to infer, or reason out, what the main idea of the paragraph is. This type of
paragraph contains only details or specifics.
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What is the one idea the author is discussing throughout the paragraph?
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Think of a sentence that is explained or supported by all the details.
Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read. Isaac
Newton did poorly in grade school, and Beethoven's music teacher once said of him, "As a
composer, he is hopeless." When Thomas Edison was a boy, his teachers told him he was too
stupid to learn anything. F. W. Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21, but
his employers would not let him wait on a customer because he "didn't have enough sense." A
newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had "no good ideas." Caruso's music teacher told
him, "You can't sing. You have no voice at all"….Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college; Wernher
von Braun flunked ninth grade algebra. Admiral Richard E. Byrd had been retired from the
Navy as "unfit for service" until he flew over both Poles. Louis Pasteur was rated as "mediocre"
in chemistry when he attended the Royal College. Abraham Lincoln entered the Black Hawk
War as a captain and came out as a private. Louisa May Alcott was told by an editor that she
could never write anything that had popular appeal….Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade.
(Dr. Milton E. Larson, "Humbling Cases for Career Counselors," Phi Delta Kappan, February 1983. Volume LIV,
No. 6; 374. )
Severe punishment may generate such anxiety in children that they do not learn the
lesson the punishment was designed to teach. Moreover, as a reaction to punishment that they
regard as unfair, children may avoid punitive parents, who therefore will have fewer
opportunities to teach and guide the children. In addition, parents who use physical punishment
provide aggressive models. A child who is regularly slapped, spanked, shaken, or shouted at
may learn to use these forms of aggression in interaction with peers. Newcombe, Child
Development, p. 354