The Paragraph

A paragraph is a series of sentences all relating to the same topic or central idea.
The aim of all paragraphs is to communicate to the reader that idea clearly and
effectively.
There is no hard and fast rule about the length of a paragraph; it will depend on the
topic and what the writer wants to say. The paragraph should be long enough to
develop the idea expressed in the topic sentence sufficiently. It should do what it
sets out to do in the topic sentence. If the topic sentence states that you will be
explaining how to make pizza, don’t forget the steps about turning on the oven and
at which temperature and how long the pizza should cook. Regardless of the
length, the paragraph must contain only one idea. Any irrelevant sentences must
be eliminated from the paragraph to ensure that it maintains its unity.
Parts of the paragraph
There are three parts to a paragraph: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and
a conclusion. Think of a paragraph as an Oreo cookie. The first and last sentences
are like the top and bottom chocolate cookie of an Oreo; they are general
statements about the topic, which tie the paragraph together. The middle
sentences are like the white creamy filling, which contains information, facts,
opinions, and examples that support or develop the topic sentence.
1. Topic Sentence
There are differences between a topic sentence and a title. The title is above the
paragraph and expands the topic. It should indicate what the essay is about,
provoke interest, and be brief. The topic sentence is usually the first sentence in
the paragraph and limits the topic of the paragraph. A title is usually not a complete
sentence. The topic sentence is always a complete thought or sentence. Most
words in the title are capitalized. Only the first word and proper nouns are
capitalized in the topic sentence.
The most important sentence of a paragraph is the topic sentence because it
contains the main ideas of the paragraph. There are has three elements in a topic
sentence: the topic, a controlling idea, and the point of view of the writer.

A. Topic
The topic is the subject, what is being written about in the
paragraph. The main idea expressed in the topic sentence
should not be too general or too specific. If it is too general,
it will be difficult to develop it adequately in a single
paragraph. If it is too specific, there will be nothing left to
say to develop the idea in the paragraph.
Look at the following topic sentences.

Everyone can benefit from exercise.

This topic sentence is too general. There are many different kinds of exercise
and different kinds of exercise have different benefits. Not all of them can be
developed within one paragraph.
Doing aerobics for thirty minutes a day will strengthen a person’s
cardio- vascular system by twenty five percent.
This topic sentence is too specific. There is nothing else that can be said to
support this statement in the remainder of the paragraph.

There are three reasons why I exercise everyday.

This sentence is an adequate topic sentence. It limits the discussion of the
paragraph to only discussing the reasons that the writer exercises. Telling what
those three reasons are and what benefits the writer gains from exercise can be
expanded upon in the paragraph.

B. Controlling idea
The controlling idea limits the topic of the paragraph
to one definite idea or one aspect of the topic that
represents a particular idea, feeling, or opinion. The
controlling idea must not be too broad, it must be
specific enough for the subject to be discussed
within one paragraph.
Look at these three topic sentences. Each has the same
topic, but contain different controlling ideas.

Topic
The Grand Canyon is a favorite vacation spot for travelers worldwide.
(controlling idea: vacation spot)
The Grand Canyon is noted for its awe inspiring panorama.
(controlling idea: panorama)
The Grand Canyon is an ideal area to view the geologic history of the earth.
(controlling idea: geologic history)

Topic
The television is a major source of home entertainment.
(controlling idea: home entertainment)
The television is an effective educational tool.
(controlling idea: educational tool)
The television has become smaller since its initial invention.
(controlling idea: become smaller)

A divided topic sentence is useful in ensuring the sentence has a controlling idea.
In a divided topic sentence, the writer specifies or explains the divisions of the
topic.
Look at the following sentences that illustrate a divided topic sentence.

There are three major professional sports in America.

Five essential ingredients are required in learning a foreign language.
To become a successful, writer one needs four basic skills.
All three of the topic sentences above clearly limit what will be discussed in the
paragraph (three sports, five ingredients, and four skills).

C. Point of view
A good topic sentence also expresses the point
of view of the writer. It may contain the opinion or
attitude of the writer. In the topic sentence

Digital cameras make photography easy and fun.

The writer’s point of view is easily determined- it’s easy and fun.

Compare with Steven King has written many books.

In this statement the writer’s opinion of the works of Steven King is not evident,
nor is there any indication of whether being such a prolific writer is
good or bad.

 Look at the following topic sentences and decide whether they

are good or lacking. Put an X in the space if it is a good topic
sentence, a G or S if it is too general or specific, or a C if it
lacks a controlling idea.

The greatest boxer of all time was Mohammed Ali.

_____ Jogging is good exercise.
_____ Computers have changed the world.
_____ Bananas are the best fruit because they contain all the essential
vitamins needed for a healthy body.
_____ Using cell phones while driving can be a hazard.
_____ Religion is a crutch.
_____ The most challenging board game ever invented is chess.
_____ AIDS kills people every day.
_____ Music soothes the soul.
_____ Lawyers are too plentiful in the United States.

 Rewrite the following general statements and make them more specific and
suitable as topic sentences.

1. Italian food is healthy and easy to prepare.

_______________________________________________________________
2. The United States government is over burdened with citizens complaints.
_______________________________________________________________
3. Natural disasters create havoc for everyone.
_______________________________________________________________
4. The extinction of species of life on earth will have a profound effect on
future generations.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. Fairy tales are beneficial to children.
_______________________________________________________________

 Identify the topic and controlling idea of the following topic sentences.

1. Children’s educational programs on TV are superior to cartoons for young

minds.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
2. Racial discrimination in the work place is a waste of human resources.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
3. The exploration of space needlessly expends resources that could be put to
better use elsewhere.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
4. Hobbies provide people with many benefits.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
5. Learning a foreign language is also about learning the culture of that country.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
6. Becoming a doctor requires skills other than just medical knowledge.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
7. The time I spent in the Peace Corps was a horrendous experience.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
8. Driving in Korea presents foreign drivers with many challenges.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
9. A computer is a must for today.s college students.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________
10. Teaching children the basics of fire prevention at home is fast and easy.
Topic: __________________________________________________________
Controlling idea: __________________________________________________

Exercise 4.4 Write topic sentences for the topics below.

Same sex marriage. Dancing as exercise

Littering. Dieting
Home safety. White sandy beaches
Reading for pleasure. Favorite pets
Basic first aid Games played as a child
1.
_________________________________________________________________
2.
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3.
_________________________________________________________________
4.
_________________________________________________________________
5.
_________________________________________________________________
6.
_________________________________________________________________
7.
_________________________________________________________________
8.
_________________________________________________________________
9.
_________________________________________________________________
10.
________________________________________________________________

2. Supporting sentences
The topic sentence is usually fairly general.

The supporting sentences that follow it

should be more specific and develop the
idea expressed in the topic sentence.
Supporting sentences that are vague merely
restate the topic sentence. There are
several methods that can be employed to
make the supporting sentences more
specific. One is to use details, facts, statistics,
examples, opinions, research results,
personal experience, or anecdotes. For
example:
Seoul is a big city. (no statistics, just a broad statement)
Seoul, South Korea has a population of over 10 million people.
Another method of adding specificity is by using exact names of things rather than
writing about them in general terms. For example
He is a doctor. (a very general statement)
He is a pediatrician who has worked at City Hospital
for the last 15 years. (a very specific statement)

A final method is to use concrete words that allow the reader to imagine the topic
being written about in greater detail, and not just in general or abstract terms. For
example:
Mr. Thompson enjoys life.
Mr. Thompson is almost always in a good mood, most often has a smile on his
face, is quick to laugh, and always sees the positive, even in terrible situations.

 Look at the following paragraph and note the supporting sentences.

The invention of the automobile has provided many benefits to travelers.

With a car, man is able to travel vast distances in short periods of time. What
once took a two or three weeks on horseback or horse drawn wagon can now
be done in a matter of hours. The comfort enjoyed by travelers, compared to a
horse drawn wagon, is amazing. No longer do travelers have to endure the
bone-jarring ordeal of riding on a stiff leather saddle or splinter-infested wagon
seat. Their voyage is now made on softly cushioned seats that can be adjusted
to fit the sojourners level of comfort. Travelers are no longer subjected
to the harsh elements of the weather. In the past, travelers had to suffer the
biting cold of winter and the blistering heat of summer, not to mention the suffering
encountered by gale force winds, blinding snow, and drenching rain.
Today people can enjoy a soothing and relaxing trip thanks to the totally enclosed
interiors that offer air conditioning and heating units in most vehicles.
Needless to say, with all the advantages an automobile has to offer, no one
would dream of using the expression .Get a horse. today.

 Select two topics that you wrote topic sentences for in exercise 4.4.
Write five or six supporting sentences for each
topic.
1. ________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. Concluding sentence
The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the
paragraph. Single paragraph compositions should
have a concluding sentence, however, it may not
be necessary all the time for a multi-paragraph
composition. The function of the concluding
sentence is to signal the end of the paragraph.
Concluding sentences can either be a restatement
of the topic sentence, a summary of the supporting
sentences, or contain a final comment about the
topic. The concluding sentence in a paragraph
should be a general statement that relates to the
idea expressed in the topic sentence, and not
another fact or detail of support. If restating the
topic sentence, it should be expressed in different
words, not an exact copy of the topic sentence.
In the above paragraph about automobiles, the concluding sentence was a final
comment about automobiles. A concluding sentence that restates the topic
sentence could be.
The examples mentioned above clearly demonstrate the many advantages
of the automobile. A concluding sentence that summarizes the supporting
sentences could be .Speed, comfort, and a controlled environment are just a few of
the advantages that a modern day car has over a horse..

Many words or phrases can be used to signal the end of the paragraph in the
concluding sentence. Here are just a few (Note that these examples require a
comma following them):

finally, in conclusion, in summary,

therefore, thus, as a result,
indeed, in brief, in short,

Other phrases (which do not require commas) include:

we can see that . . .
it is clear that. . .
these examples show that. . .
there can be no doubt that. . .
the evidence suggest that. . .
  Exercise. Read the sentences below and number the proper order for
the sentences in a paragraph.

____ Temperatures on the continent frequently drop below 100º below zero.
____ It is no wonder that this harsh environment has no permanent residents.
____ Antarctica, the continent at the South Pole, is one of the coldest spots on
earth.
____ The continent receives no sunlight for several months out of the year.
____ More than 95% of the land surface is covered by a tightly packed ice cap.
____ The sunlight it does receive is so slanted because of the tilt of the planets
axis, that the warmth for the sunlight is negligible.
____ The land is covered by thousands of feet of snow and ice.

 Read the following paragraphs and write a topic sentence and a concluding
sentence for each.

Topic sentence: _________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
Acid rain is the result of pollutants, which are released into the atmosphere
from automobiles and industry, which fall back to earth after being trapped by
rain and snow. There have been numerous scientific studies of the effects of
acid rain on the ecosystem in recent years. Pollutants contained in acid rain
destroy plant and animal life when it enters lakes and rivers. Millions of acres
of trees and plants have been damaged or destroyed because of the harmful
effects of acid rain on these delicate ecosystems.
Concluding sentence: ____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Topic sentence: ________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
It has only recently come under more intense investigation by proponents of
western medical practices. Acupuncture involves the insertion of small needles,
with the application of heat and electrical stimulation at precise acupuncture
points on the body. According to traditional Chinese doctors, the
balance of yin and yang (opposing forces that regulate spiritual, emotional,
physical, and mental balance) are essential for good health. Blockage of the
gi flow (the energy that flows through the body via meridians or pathways)
creates an imbalance of yin and yang, which results in health problems or illness.
The insertion of needles into the skin during acupuncture treatments
unblock these channels and allow energy flows to optimize, resulting in improved
health.
Concluding sentence: ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Topic sentence: __________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________
Area 51, located on the desert floor of Groom Lake, Nevada, is reported to be a
top-secret military base established in the early 1950.s. The base, according to
the government, is a testing facility for advanced aircraft being developed by
the military. The U-2 spy plane was tested there in the early 1950.s. Other aircraft
tested there include the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 stealth fighter, and
Northrop’s B-2 stealth bomber. In 1989, a former employee of Area 51 claimed
that the base was testing UFO.s that the government received by trading with
aliens. Some believe that Area 51 is the site of a crash of an alien spacecraft
and that secret research is being conducted on the remains of the craft and its
occupants.
Concluding sentence: _____________________________________________

Topic sentence: __________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________
Angina refers to the pain caused from a lack of blood supply to the heart. The
blood supply is reduced due to a buildup of plague (deposits of cholesterol) in
the arterial walls. The pain of angina is brought on by physical exertion and
normally
subsides with rest. The pain is typically located in the center of the chest,
but may also radiate to the left arm, neck, jaw, left chest, or back.
Concluding sentence: _____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Topic sentence: __________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________
The first is when another driver pulls into the lane I am driving in and I have to
slow down. It doesn.t matter if the other person is driving safely and there is no
immediate danger of a collision. I get peeved if I have to slow down just a little,
even two or three miles an hour for a few seconds, while the guy in front of me
picks up speed. I see no reason why I should slow down because someone
else is in a hurry. The second thing that really gets my in an uproar is when
someone passes me on the right. In some states in the United States it is actually
against the law to pass on the right. Don.t those people realize that passing
on the right is dangerous? Have they never heard of the blind spot in the rear
view mirror? Do they not care that they could be putting people.s lives in jeopardy?
The last thing that I really hate to see when I drive is when a pedestrian
walks into the road without looking. Are they nuts? Do they have a death wish?
Are they just plain stupid! Have their parents never taught them that it is a bad
idea to walk in front of a one ton car traveling at forty miles an hour? Do they
have no concept of bodily injury or death?
Concluding sentence: _____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________