1. Paragraph Writing
An Overview

2. Definition of a Paragraph
A paragraph is a basic unit of organization in writing in which a group of related sentences develops and expresses one main idea.
How is this diagram related to a paragraph?

3. Writing is a Process

4. Prewriting - Generating Ideas
Before writing a topic sentence, the writer needs to think about what exactly the paragraph will focus on.
If the exact topic is not given, the writer needs to generate ideas and narrow down the topic to a manageable size.
HOW?

5. The most common way of generating ideas is brainstorming: listing or arranging ideas in diagram form
food
places
dieting
healthy
additives
style
types
Food
meat
fast food
regional
preparation
organic
traditional
etc.
Types of food
unhealthy
breakfast
dessert
main meal
snacks
Low fat
restaurant
effects
advantages
disadvantages
Turkish
home
high fat
reasons
Which one is best? Why?

6. Narrowing down ideas
Once ideas have been brainstormed, the writer needs to decide what part of the topic will be used in the paragraph.
One of the best ways to do this is by isolating ideas on the brainstorming diagram.

7. Example of Narrowing down
food
places
dieting
healthh
additives
style
types
Types of food
healthy
unhealthy
breakfast
dessert
main meal
snacks
Low fat
restaurant
effects
advantages
disadvantages
Turkish
home
high fat
reasons

8. Making an Outline
An outline, like an architect’s plan for a house, is the writer’s plan for a paragraph.
When writing an outline, the topic sentence, supporting sentences and concluding sentence should be included.

9. Example Outline from previous ideas
Topic sentence: Turkish cuisine appeals to everbody.
S 1. A Turkish breakfast includes a huge variety of food options.
S 2. For main meals, there are a number of courses all of which are different and incredibly tasty.
S 3. As for desserts, there is a huge selection to choose from to suit everybody’s taste buds.
Concluding sentence: In conclusion,Turkish food has something for everyone at any time of the day.

10. Turkish cuisine appeals to everbody.
Topic Sentence
A good topic sentence should:
clearly state the main point.
be something you can show, explain, or prove.
be specific
prepare the reader for the rest of the paragraph.
be a complete thought.
A good topic sentence consists of two parts: the topic and the controlling idea.
Turkish cuisine appeals to everbody.

11. Supporting Sentences
Well developed paragraphs explain their topic sentences with supporting sentences that include:
concrete details (data, facts, statistics, evidence, details etc.)
lively examples and illustrations
well-developed, clearly-worded arguments

12. Concluding Sentence
The concluding sentence can only be based on information presented in the paragraph.
It is an objective statement that is based on the facts presented in the paragraph. (Never introduce new information in the concluding sentence.)

13. Drafting - Checking Outline & Adding Details
Once the outline is finished, the writer can check that the paragraph is unified.
If everything is connected, the writer can add details to the support.
Facts
Examples
Personal experiences
Descriptions
The writer can also decide on the transition signals to be used in the paragraph.

14. Writing
Using the outline, supporting details and transition signals, the writer is now ready to write the paragraph.

15. Revising – evaluating the paragraph
Before the paragraph is finished, certain things should be checked:
content
organization
style
grammar
punctuation
vocabulary usage

16. Editing Checklist ___ Is there a clear topic sentence?
___ Are all of the main supporting details related?
___ Are all supporting ideas related?
___ Is there sufficient support in the paragraph?
___ Is the concluding sentence related to the rest of the paragraph?
___ Does it finish the paragraph in a positive way?
___ Are all of the transitions appropriate?
___ Is the grammar usage correct?
___ Is vocabulary usage varied and appropriate?
___ Are spelling and punctuation correct?

17. Publishing
Once the paragraph has been checked and revised, it will be a complete piece of work that is ready to be published.