Module 1 What is a Paragraph?

Information taken from: Hogue, A. (2008). First Steps in Academic Writing. 2nd Ed. Longman

What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a group of related sentences about a topic.

The topic of a paragraph is one, and only one idea.

Parts of a Paragraph

A paragraph has 3 main parts: 1. Topic sentence 2. Supporting sentences 3. Concluding sentence

Topic Sentence The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph. This is a sentence that names the topic and tells what the paragraph will explain about the topic.

Supporting Sentences The middle sentences in a paragraph are called the supporting sentences.

Supporting sentences give examples or other details about the topic.

Concluding Sentence The last sentence in a concluding sentence. A concluding sentence often repeats the topic sentence in different words or summarizes the main point.

Paragraph Form In academic writing, there is a special form for paragraphs. When you write a paragraph, make it look like the one below:

Paragraph Form Let’s analyze the paragraph form you saw in the previous

slide.

1.  Heading: Write your full name Write the course name and number Write the date the assignment is due.

E.g.

Veronica Sanchez English 1 August 10, 2014

2. Assignment Title Center the title of your paragraph

My Classmate

3. Body Skip one line, and start writing on the third line. Always indent the first sentence.

4. Spacing: Double-space the body.

My Classmate

My classmate is an interesting person. Her name is Santy Valverde, She

comes from Mexico. She is single and lives with her best friend from Mexico.

They grew up in the same neighborhood, and their friendship has lasted

sixteen years so far. This semester, Santy is studying art, English, and

computer science. She works in a restaurant as a waitress. Santy likes her job

very much. One weekends, she often goes biking or plays volleyball. Santy

has an exciting life, and she seems to have a bright future ahead of her.

Strong Paragraphs Every sentence in a strong paragraph is about the same topic.

All the sentences explain the writer’s main idea about the topic.

When the writer wants to write about a new main idea, he/she begins a new paragraph.

The sentences are arranged logically, so the reader can easily understand what the writer wants to say.