Writing Paragraphs

Warm-Up One partner closes his/her eyes. The other partner chooses an object. Describe the object to the other person WITHOUT mentioning the name of the object. The person with eyes closed can only say, “I need more details!” until they can guess what the object is.

Paragraphs What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a group of sentences that develops an idea. The first sentence of a paragraph should be indented (Use the “tab” key). The sentences in the paragraph support and give details & examples of the main idea.

Paragraphs: A Bad Example I live in a house in west Provo. I like the view from our house. We have lived there since November. We also have a car that I like very much. We were in an accident a few months ago. We hit a deer that was crossing the street at night. I felt sorry for the deer, but it cost a lot of money to repair the car.

Paragraphs: A Good Example My husband and I bought our first house last November, and we love it. It is located in west Provo near Utah Lake. Although we cannot see the lake from our house, we do have a beautiful view of Mount Timpanogos. Our house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a family room, and a large kitchen and dining area. We also have a large backyard and a small garden. We are very happy to own our own home, and I hope that we will live there for several years.

Paragraph Structure A paragraph should have a logical structure that is easy to put into an outline: I. Topic Sentence (main idea) II. Supporting Detail III. Supporting Detail IV. Supporting Detail V. Concluding Sentence

Topic Sentences A topic sentence is the sentence that tells the reader the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence should contain only one main idea. It should be specific and detailed. The topic sentence is often found at the beginning of the paragraph, but it can be in other places, too.

Topic Sentences: Bad Examples I went to the Grand Canyon this winter and to Mexico in the spring of 1994. My friend is nice. I like my bedroom.

Topic Sentences: Good Examples When I was a child, I lived in a house that had a strange atmosphere. There is a canyon in Northern Arizona that is the most beautiful place on Earth. My favorite item of clothing is a comfortable, worn pair of jeans that I have had for many years.

Practice with Topic Sentences Write a topic sentence for each of the following topics: A) your favorite possession B) an interesting person you know C) a beautiful place

Supporting Details Supporting details are details and/or examples that support and develop the main idea (topic sentence). Every detail should be relevant to the main idea and not drift from the point. Details should also be as specific as possible.

Supporting Details: Bad Example I could tell I was coming down with the flu. I began feeling lousy while I was in class. It took forever to get home because there was a lot of traffic. I can’t stand waiting in traffic, but I’ve been working on keeping my temper in check. By the time I got home, it was even worse. The symptoms kept developing, one after another. I went to bed feeling horrible, and I could tell I was going to feel awful for days. Getting the flu is such a miserable experience that I would not wish it on anyone.

Supporting Details: Good Example I knew exactly when the flu hit. I was at my desk when I felt a tickle in my throat. I began to cough harshly, and the cough refused to go away. A few minutes later, the words on my computer screen began to swim. I could feel a deep headache developing behind my eyes. By the time I got home later that afternoon, I had a fever of 102. I crawled into bed shivering, even with three blankets. And I was aching so badly I felt as though I’d been hit by a truck.

Practice: Write a Paragraph Choose one of the topic sentences you wrote earlier and write a developed paragraph. Follow the guidelines below: First make an outline for your paragraph that includes the topic sentence, at least 3 specific details, and a concluding sentence. Write out your paragraph and expand on the details. Check to make sure details are both relevant and specific (check to see if you can make any details even more specific.) The finished paragraph should be at least 100 words. Check for spelling and grammatical errors and submit both the outline and finished paragraph to the appropriate assignment in Canvas.