english

• Topic Sentence


  The topic sentence is important because it talks about the main idea of the paragraph
• Supporting Sentences


  The supporting sentences have one job: to develop the main idea or to support the topic sentence with examples, details and explanation
• Concluding Sentence


  The concluding sentence is to give the paragraph a closure and to touch upon the main idea. It gives the reader the idea that topic is now finished and he is moving into something else
• Parts of a Paragraph

  • Topic Sentence
  • Supporting Sentences
  • Concluding Sentence
• The first sentence is indented
• The first word of every sentence is capitalized
• Each sentence ends with a period
• Drafting a Paragraph


  1. State your point in a topic sentence

  2. Support your point

  3. Develop a single focus

  4. Organize sentences logically and add transition
• Topic Sentence


  The most important sentence that expresses the main point and controls the rest of the paragraph
• The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of a paragraph
• The topic sentence states the topic (main idea) and the focus (main emphasis) of the paragraph
• The topic sentence


  Functions like a traffic sign controlling vehicles on the road, showing readers which way they are going
• Supporting Sentences


  Provide reasons, facts, and examples to prove the point made in the topic sentence
• Vague supporting sentences or those that merely repeat the topic sentence are not effective
• Single Focus


  When every sentence in a paragraph contributes to the main idea
• Organizing Sentences Logically


  1. Time order (for telling stories, describing events, giving instructions, explaining processes)

  2. Spatial order (for describing what something looks like)

  3. Order of importance (for organizing ideas, examples, and reasons)
• Transition words help readers understand the logical organization of the paragraph
• transition word/phrase - a word or phrase that connects one sentence to another
• Transitions can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
• Time order-Use this method when you are telling a story, describing what happened, giving instructions, or explaining a process

   
• Spatial Order-Use this method when you are describing what something looks like. It shows how people and objects are arranged in a space or scene. A description can be organized spatially in several ways:

  From top to bottom, outside to inside, left to right, near to far, or the reverse of any of these.

   

   
• Order of Importance- Use this method when you want to organize your ideas, examples, or reasons by their relative importance. This is often called "order of emphasis" because it emphasizes some points more than others. You may use this method alone or with other methods.
• The first step in writing an essay is to choose a topic. Your teacher will probably give you a general idea about what kind of paper he wants you to write. For example, if you're studying history, you might have to write a research paper on a historical event. If you're taking English, you might have to write a descriptive essay about a person, place, thing, or event.
• Emphasis- Use this method when you want to show which point is most important. Emphasis helps the reader see why the writer chose to write about certain things instead of others.
• A persuasive paragraph tries to convince the reader that a particular point of view is worthy of consideration. It wants you to consider both sides of an issue, but it reveals a bias in favor of one side over another.
• descriptive paragraph is a focused and detail-rich account of a specific topic. Paragraphs in this style often have a concrete focus-the sound of a waterfall, the stench of a skunk's spray-but can also convey something abstract, such as an emotion or a memory. The purpose of writing descriptive paragraphs is to describe something whether it is beautiful or disgusting or strangely intriguing.
• Explanatory paragraph gives explanation on a process of how and why something happens like in giving instructions, procedures, and directions. It also offers the reader information on a certain subject which contains directions or might describe a process in a logical, linear manner. It is factual in nature and are not a common toll for fiction writers.
• An expository paragraph gives you information. You typically explain a subject, give directions, or show how something happens. In an expository writing, linking words like first, second, then, and finally are usually used to help readers follow the ideas. Just like other types of paragraphs, expository paragraph should contain a topic sentence, supporting sentence and a concluding sentence that work together for a specific focus.
• A narrative paragraph tells a story. This type of paragraph is written in chronological order with a beginning, middle, and end. Narratives may be fictional stories or true accounts of events. They use vivid details to create images in your mind so you feel like you were there experiencing everything yourself.
• Expository Paragraph- its gives you information. You typically explain a subject, give directions, or show how something happens. In an expository writing, linking words like first, second, then, and finally are usually used to help readers follow the ideas. Just like other types of paragraphs, expository paragraph should contain a topic sentence, supporting sentence and a concluding sentence that work together for a specific focus.
• 1.Plan the Paragraph

  Plan all paragraphs to include four key elements: a subject, a purpose, an audience and a genre.

  However, a letter to a congressman disputing his policies should be persuasive.
• Gather the Information

  Gather information that supports the overall intent of the paragraph. Persuasive and expository writing relies more heavily on sourced details, while narrative and descriptive texts allow for more personal details. Sourced details include facts, figures and information from vetted sources, while personal details are memories, sensory experiences or imaginative creations. Not all of the information you gather has to be used in a single paragraph. An excess of information allows you to be selective and write informative and relevant paragraphs.
• Organize the Support

  Organize the collected information chronologically, spatially or by importance. Paragraphs written chronologically follow a sequential or timeline pattern, often used to write expository and narrative paragraphs. Spatial paragraphs, common for descriptive works, include such words as above, below, near, next to, beside and underneath. Order-of-importance means you either lead or conclude with the most pertinent piece of information and is most effective with expository or persuasive paragraphs.
• Compose Topic Sentences

  Composing the topic sentence is the most important element of a paragraph, as it includes the subject and the intent of the paragraph. It will be succinct and yet informative, and all sentences that follow must relate back to the topic sentence. In the same way that the thesis statement highlights the direction of an entire work, the topic sentence guides the direction of the paragraph.
• Elaborate with Details

  Elaborate on the topic sentence with the information previously collected. Most paragraphs consist of four to eight sentences; therefore, two or three supporting details are needed to build on the topic sentence. Each new sentence in the paragraph should relate to the overall topic and move the paragraph forward. Transition words -- such as first, next, in addition to, along with, however, therefore, finally and for example -- are useful in developing coherency in the body of the paragraph
• Conclude the Paragraph

  Conclude the paragraph with a single sentence, sometimes called the clincher. It will often restate the topic sentence in some way and provide closure to the reader.

   
• Review the Content

  Review the paragraph before it is a final product. This is often an overlooked but critical step in the writing process. This step allows you to assess the paragraph and make edits for errors in grammar and spelling, lack of cohesion and unity as well as ensuring that the paragraph achieves your desired purpose. This is also the time to check for varied sentence structure and proper word choice
• 1.   Organize your speech.

  One can organize his/her speech by effectively taking the information one wishes to present and arranging it in a logical order.
• 1.   Get to the point.

  As a speaker, it is important or essential that you know why you are doing a speech, what you want to achieve and what your audience to do after they hear you.
• 1.   Use short words and short sentences.

  In writing your speech, you must bear in mind to use short simple sentences.