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What Is A Paraghraph 1

The document discusses the key components of a paragraph, including: 1. A paragraph contains a topic sentence that states the main idea and limits the topic to one specific area. 2. Supporting sentences provide details and evidence to develop the main idea. 3. A concluding sentence wraps up the key points and ties it back to the topic sentence.

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92 views15 pages

What Is A Paraghraph 1

The document discusses the key components of a paragraph, including: 1. A paragraph contains a topic sentence that states the main idea and limits the topic to one specific area. 2. Supporting sentences provide details and evidence to develop the main idea. 3. A concluding sentence wraps up the key points and ties it back to the topic sentence.

Uploaded by

Maurice
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ch.

1
Wri ng a paragraph

Zahraa Muharam
Academic Wri ng : 3rd year
What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of related sentences that •


discuss one (and usually only one) main idea.
A paragraph can be as short as one sentence or as •
long as ten sentences.
The number of sentences is unimportant; •
however, the paragraph should be long enough to
develop the main idea clearly.
A paragraph may stand by itself. A paragraph may •
also be one part of a longer piece of wri ng such
as an essay or a book.
Parts of a Paragraph
All paragraphs have three parts : •
1 - a topic sentence •
2 - suppor ng sentences, •
3 - concluding sentence •
The Topic Sentence
The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. •
It not only names the topic of the paragraph, but it also •
limits the topic to one specific area that can be discussed
completely in the space of a single paragraph.
A topic sentence has two essen al parts: the topic and the •
controlling idea.
* The topic names the subject of the paragraph. •
* the part of the topic sentence that announces the specific •
area to be discussed is called the controlling idea, the
controlling idea limits or controls the topic to a specific area
that you can discuss in the space of a single paragraph
No ce how the topic sentence of the model states both
the topic and the controlling idea:
Topic CONTROLLING IDEA •
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important •
characteris cs
Every good paragraph has a topic sentence, which clearly •
states the topic and the controlling idea of the paragraph.
A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a •
paragraph. It briefly indicates what the paragraph is going
to discuss.
For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful •
guide to both the writer and the reader. The writer can see •
what informa on to include (and what informa on to
exclude). The reader can see what the paragraph is going to
be about and is therefore be er prepared to understand it. •
The three important points to
remember about a topic sentence
1. A topic sentence is a complete sentence; •
that is, it contains at least one subject and one
verb.
2. A topic sentence contains both a topic and •
a controlling idea. It names the topic and then
limits the topic to a specific area to be
discussed in the space of a single paragraph.

TOPIC CONTROLLING IDEA •


Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness. •
.
3. A topic sentence is the most general statement in the •
paragraph because it gives only the main idea. It does not give
any specific details.

•
A topic sentence is like the name of a par cular course on a •
restaurant menu. When you order food in a restaurant, you want
to know more about a par cular course than just "meat" or "soup"
or "salad." You want to know generally what kind of salad it is.
Potato salad? Mixed green salad? Fruit salad? However, you do not
necessarily want to know all the ingredients.
Similarly, a reader wants to know generally what to expect in a •
paragraph, but he or she does not want to learn all the details in
the first sentences.
The topic sentence is usually (but not always) •
the first sentence in a paragraph.
Experienced writers some mes put topic •
sentences in other loca ons, but the best spot
is usually right at the beginning.
More examples
TOPIC CONTROLLING IDEA

Rise are easy to prepare •

The reader immediately knows that this paragraph •


will discuss how easy it is to prepare convenience
foods and perhaps give some examples (soup, sushi ,
dinners, and so on).
CONTROLLING IDEA TOPIC »
Immigrants have contributed many delicious foods to€ •
Cuisine.
The reader of ns topic sentence expects to read •
about various ethnic foods popular in the United
States: tacos, egg rolls, sushi, baklava, pizza, and so on.
A topic sentence should not have controlling ideas that •
are unrelated. The three parts of the following
controlling idea are too unrelated for a single
paragraph. They require three separate paragraphs
(and perhaps more) to explain fully.
A topic sentence is a complete sentence and is neither too general •
nor too specific.

The following is a general statement that could serve as a good •


topic sentence:

The Arabic origin of many English words is not always obvious. •

The following sentence, on the other hand, is too specific. It could •


serve as a suppor ng sentence but not as a topic sentence.
The slang expression so long (meaning "good-bye") is probably_$. •
corrup on of the Arabic Salam.
This sentence is too general. •
English has been influenced by other languages. •

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