PARAGRAPH WRITING

Basic Paragraph Structure:

1. The Topic Sentence
2. The Supporting Sentences
3. The Concluding Sentence
4. Details in Paragraphs
5. Coherence
6. Unity
 The Topic Sentence
My hometown is famous for several
amazing natural features. First it is noted for
the Wheaton River, which is very wide and
beautiful. Also, on the other the side of the
town is the Wheaton Hill, which is unusual
because it is very steep.
 The Topic Sentence
• My hometown is famous because it is located
by the Wheaton River, which is very wide, and
because it is built near an unusually hill called
Wheaton Hill.
• There are two reasons why some people like to
buy cars with automatic transmission and two
reasons why other like cars with manual
transmission
• Clouds are white
 The Supporting Sentences
My hometown is famous for several
amazing natural features. First it is noted for
the Wheaton River, which is very wide and
beautiful. Also, on the other the side of the
town is the Wheaton Hill, which is unusual
because it is very steep. The third amazing
feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands
two hundred feet tall and is probably is about
six hundred years old
 The Concluding Sentence
My hometown is famous for several amazing
natural features. First it is noted for the Wheaton
River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the
other the side of the town is the Wheaton Hill, which
is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing
feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two
hundred feet tall and is probably is about six hundred
years old. These three landmarks are truly amazing
and make my hometown a famous place.
 Details in Paragraphs
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features.
First it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and
beautiful. On either side of this river, which is 175 feet wide
are many willow trees which have long branches that can
move gracefully in the wind. In Autumn, the leaves of these
trees fall and cover the river bank like golden snow. Also, on
the other the side of the town is the Wheaton Hill, which is
unusual because it is very steep. Even though it is steep,
climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there are some
firm rocks along the sides that can be used as stairs. There are
no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against the sky
and can be seen from miles away. The third amazing feature is
the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is
probably is about six hundred years old. These three landmarks
are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.
 Coherence
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural
features. First it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very
wide and beautiful. On either side of this river, which is 175
feet wide are many willow trees which have long branches that
can move gracefully in the wind. In Autumn, the leaves of
these trees fall and cover the river bank like golden snow.
Second, on the other the side of the town is the Wheaton Hill,
which is unusual because it is very steep. Even though it is
steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there are
some firm rocks along the sides that can be used as stairs.
There are no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against
the sky and can be seen from miles away. The third amazing
feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet
tall and is probably is about six hundred years old. These three
landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a
famous place.
 Transition Signals
For example, As another example On the other hand
For instance, Another example of On the other hand,
One example of [xxx] is (that) However,
(this) is Finally, …, but …
First, Second, In conclusion also
Third, etc To summarize
 Unity
TOO INFORMAL ACCEPTABLE
(Do not Use)
don’t do not
doesn’t does not
aren’t are not
weren’t were not
can’t Cannot
couldn’t could not
won’t will not
 Cause and Effect Paragraphs
In recent decades, cities have grown so large that now about
50% of the Earth’s population lives in urban areas. There are
several reasons for his occurrence. First, the increasing
industrialization of the nineteenth century resulted in the creation
of many factory jobs, which tended to be located in cities. These
jobs, with their promises of a better material life, attracted many
people from rural areas. Second, there were many schools
established to educate the children of the new factory laborers.
The promise of a better education persuaded many families to
leave farming communities and move to the cities. Finally, as the
cities grew, people established places of leisure, entertainment,
and culture, such as sports stadiums, theaters and museums. For
many people, these facilities made city life appear more
interesting than life on farm, and therefore drew them away from
rural communities.
 Cause and Effect Paragraphs
EFFECT CAUSES
(Topic Sentence) (Supporting Sentence)
Cities have grown very large Factory jobs attracted people
[There are several reasons for this]
(Cities have grown very large) Better schools attracted families to
move to the city

(Cities have grown very large) Places of leisure, entertainment,

and culture made city life appear
more interesting
 COMPARISION PARAGRAPHS

My hometown and my college town have several

things in common. First, both are small rural
communities. For example, my hometown, Gridlock, has
a population of only about 10,000 people. Similarly, my
college town, Subnormal, consists of 11,000 local
residents. This population swells to 15,000 people when
the college students are attending the classes. A second
way in which these two towns are similar is that they are
both located in rural areas. Gridlock is surrounded by
many acres of farmland which is devoted mainly to
growing corn and soybeans. In the same way, Subnormal
lies in the center of farmland which is used to raise hogs
and cattle …
 CONTRAST PARAGRAPHS

Even though