Writing a Paragraph

Topic Sentence One of the most important parts of your paragraph is the topic sentence. It tells your reader what the paragraph is mostly about Example: Smoking is one of the most urgent problems facing teens today. Here we have the topic (smoking) and what the writer will be talking about (why it’s an urgent problem facing teens today).

Details Details are needed to support the main idea of your paragraph. (In the example, the main idea is that smoking is an urgent problem facing teens. Details help bring your paragraph to life. Details are what really explains your topic. Details are what keeps the reader interested in what you have to say.

Details In the “Smoke Signals” example, Danika had these examples: Teen smoking often leads to a lifetime of smoking Most adult smokers started smoking before they were 18. Teens face intense pressure to smoke from friends and the media Many movies make smoking seem glamorous and cool Smoking can have a significant impact on teens’ health, even if they stop as adults Doctors say that smoking can actually stunt a person’s growth.

Details You’ll notice that while she had THREE main examples, she added another sentence with additional information to each. So overall, she had SIX examples. It is important to explain or add support to your more general statements. The first part of the example was more general, while the second part was more specific.

Concluding Statement Just as in an essay you need a conclusion, in a paragraph, you need something to ‘sum it up.’ Since paragraphs are focused on one main idea, you need something to wrap up that paragraph at the end. The concluding statement should restate the idea in the topic sentence and signal the end of a paragraph.

Concluding Statement Example: We need to devote resources to help teens quit smoking and intervene before it’s too late. This concluding statement restates the idea that smoking is a problem for teens, and it stresses the urgency of the problem (as mentioned in the topic sentence).

Linking Words Once you have your topic sentence, details, and concluding statement, you have to put them all together. The best way to do this is to use linking words Examples: To begin with, First of all, The main cause… In addition… At the same time… Another reason is that… Overall, In conclusion,

Final Paragraph Smoking is one of the most urgent problems facing teens today. To begin with, Teen smoking often leads to a lifetime of smoking. Most adult smokers started smoking before they were 18. In addition, Teens face intense pressure to smoke from friends and the media. Many movies make smoking seem glamorous and cool. Another reason is that Smoking can have a significant impact on teens’ health, even if they stop as adults. Doctors say that smoking can actually stunt a person’s growth. In conclusion, we need to devote resources to help teens quit smoking and intervene before it’s too late.