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Rules to Remember
Writing a Perfect Paragraph
General

A paragraph is a series of sentences that are about one topic.

A paragraph is made up of three parts: a topic sentence, supporting ideas, and a clincher.

Topic Sentences

A topic sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph.

The topic sentence answers one or more questions like why, how, or where?

Every word in a topic sentence is important.

You must be able to support your topic sentence.

A topic sentence must be about something you can prove, explain, or show through description.

Outlines

Outlines help organize ideas for paragraphs.

An organized outline can look like this:
A. Topic Sentence
B. Supporting Ideas
1.
2.
3.
4.
C. Clincher

Supporting Ideas

Details give writing flavor.

Unrelated ideas do not explain or support the topic sentence.

A transition is a link or a connection between sentences. (Examples: first, next, meanwhile, in conclusion)

Vary the beginnings of sentences; use words that end in -ing, past tense verbs, or dependent clauses.

Clinchers

A clincher summarizes the main ideas or feelings in a paragraph and lets the reader know when the
paragraph is done.

Clinchers don’t just restate the topic sentence; restating the topic sentence as the clincher is too easy
and usually dull.

The clincher can be the same idea as the topic sentence, a question, an amusing thought, or an
unexpected twist.

The clincher cannot be another support sentence.

A paragraph must come full circle from the topic sentence to the clincher.

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Organizing Paragraph Ideas
Practice Worksheet 1
Create outlines for the possible paragraphs below, based on the topic sentences. Remember that the outlining process
is just the preliminary stage of the writing plan. You do not need to write complete sentences—just ideas. On the
back of this worksheet, create your own outline with your own topic sentence; make sure it is clear and easy to sup-
port. Be creative!

Outline 1
A. Topic Sentence: This classroom is too noisy during tests.
B. Supporting Ideas
1.
2.
3.
4.
C. Clincher:

Outline 2
A. Topic Sentence: Barnaby Quip needs to hire more paragraph agents.
B. Supporting Ideas
1.
2.
3.
4.
C. Clincher:

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Recognizing Perfect Topic Sentences
Practice Worksheet 2
The following paragraph is missing a topic sentence. Below is a list of possible topic sentences for the paragraph.
Write what’s good or bad about the possible topic sentences below each example. Then, write the best topic sentence
on the line above the paragraph.

A topic sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph.

Topic sentence:
First of all, the patches of brick red and golden yellow leaves against a crystal-blue sky is a beautiful
sight. Watching the leaves fall gracefully to the ground is also wonderful. I just love to jump into a five-foot
high pile of freshly raked, crunchy leaves. To top it off, the crisp weather of an autumn day is perfect—not
too hot and not too cold. To me, spring, summer, and winter just don’t compare.

Topic sentences

1. What I like about fall.

2. Fall is my favorite season, I like it so much better than spring, summer, and
winter.

3. Autumn leaves are beautiful.

4. I think fall is neat.

5. Fall is my best friend’s favorite season.

6. Fall is my favorite season.

7. Spring is my favorite season.

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Recognizing Unrelated Ideas
Practice Worksheet 3
Each outline below contains at least one unrelated idea. Read the sentences or ideas below the “Supporting Ideas”
section of the outlines, and decide which ones do not support the topic sentence. Write the numbers of the unrelated
ideas in the blanks on the right. These outlines are not complete; they do not contain clinchers.

A. Topic Sentence: My favorite food is pizza. Unrelated ideas:

B. Supporting Ideas
1. I love the crunchy crust and the melted mozzarella cheese.
2. The best thing I like to drink with it is a giant glass of soda.
3. It’s good either as a snack or as a main course.
4. My brother only likes pizza with anchovies and artichokes on it.

A. Topic Sentence: My most boring class is algebra. Unrelated ideas:

B. Supporting Ideas
1. The work is too easy, and it doesn’t challenge me.
2. All we ever do is work, work, and more work!
3. I never have a free minute to myself.
4. The teacher talks in a monotone that puts me to sleep.
5. The teacher tells the same jokes day after day.
6. Everything is in slow motion; attendance often takes up half the time.
7. The teacher always picks on me.

A. Topic Sentence: This classroom is a mess. Unrelated ideas:

B. Supporting Ideas
1. In fact, the whole school is a mess!
2. dictionaries and papers on the floor
3. rows of desks out of order
4. writing on the desk tops
5. gum stuck on hall lockers
6. I keep my locker clean!

A. Topic Sentence: Bowling is the perfect sport. Unrelated ideas:

B. Supporting Ideas
1. It develops coordination.
2. I always make it a point to be a member of a bowling team.
3. Bowling helps exercise a large number of muscles.
4. It provides a chance to interact with other team members.
5. It can be played indoors at any hour, during any type of weather.

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Unrelated Sentence Fun
Practice Worksheet 4
Below are four topic sentences and incomplete paragraph outlines. Using the “Sentence Bank,” find the supporting
sentences and clinchers that belong in each outline, and write the correct letters underneath the correct topic sen-
tence. Also in the “Sentence Bank” are four unrelated sentences that do not belong in any of the paragraph outlines;
write their letters at the bottom of this sheet. Keep in mind that the supporting sentences can be listed in any
order. Each supporting sentence is worth 4 points (64 points possible); each unrelated sentence is worth 4 points
(16 points possible); and each correct clincher is worth 5 points (20 points possible). (Total points possible is 100.)

A. Topic Sentence: My best friend is a great person. A. Topic Sentence: I really enjoy school.

B. Supporting Sentences B. Supporting Sentences

1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
C. Clincher: C. Clincher:

A. Topic Sentence: Reading is my favorite hobby.

A. Topic Sentence: When I was little, I thought
B. Supporting Sentences Halloween was the most frightening night of the year.
1.
B. Supporting Sentences
2.
3. 1.
2.
C. Clincher:
3.
C. Clincher:

Unrelated Sentences:

1.

2.

3.

4.

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Unrelated Sentence Fun—Practice Worksheet 4
SENTENCE BANK
a. I was sure the ghosts were out to get me.

b. I can always count on her to be there when I need help.

c. My teachers’ lessons are always fun to listen to, informative, and stimulating.

d. When I’m tired, I can relax with a good book.

e. It’s no wonder that I would always cringe whenever someone mentioned October 31st.

f. When she talks to anyone, she always has something positive to say.

g. Because there are so many books to read, I have my choice of hundreds of subjects.

h. As you can tell, I am extremely lucky to have a best friend like her.

i. I know ghosts don’t exist, so I wasn’t really afraid.

j. Older kids dressed up in costumes and tried to frighten me.

k. Most of my classes are interesting.

l. Sometimes she gets mad and refuses to speak to me.

m. I can forget my problems by reading a good book.

n. I don’t like some kinds of books at all.

o. I was afraid to go outside because I thought I’d be eaten by a giant pumpkin.

p. I like school so much that you’d think I’d want to go seven days a week!

q. My idea of heaven is a quiet weekend with a book!

r. I hate to go to school on Monday mornings.

s. It’s the only time I get to see some of my friends.

t. Even if she’s angry, she rarely loses her temper.

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Composing Quality Clinchers
Practice Worksheet 6
The following paragraph is missing a clincher. Write four different clinchers, according to the directions below.
Circle the one that you think goes best with the rest of the paragraph. Remember that a paragraph must come full
circle from the topic sentence to the clincher. Be creative!

Topic Sentence

My sister is always trying to get out of cleaning

up the house. Sometimes, she bribes my brother
by offering him candy to clean her bedroom.
Other times, she will try to “blackmail” me into
mopping the kitchen floor. Yesterday, she swore
that she’d tell Mom that I got in trouble at
school if I didn’t start washing the floor. When
she isn’t able to coerce any of us to do her
chores, she pretends to be sick so that Mom will
feel sorry for her. A sudden terrible headache
usually gets her out of the dusting or mopping.

Clincher????

1. Use other words to restate the idea of the topic sentence.

2. Ask a question that refers to the topic sentence or the main idea of the paragraph.

3. End with an amusing thought. Make sure it refers to the main idea of the paragraph and doesn’t
start a new idea.

4. Give the main idea an unexpected twist.

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Creating Colorful Sentences
Practice Worksheet 7

Sometimes, short “base” sentences, like the one in the example below, need to be expanded to make them more
descriptive and meaningful. Keep in mind that details give writing flavor. Read the example below. Then, using
the same “base” sentence, create several more colorful sentences on the lines below. Read your most colorful
expanded sentence to the class.

Example: He ran.

This sentence is dull. To improve it, we need to add words that will help create a clear picture.

Possible sentences:
1. Thinking he could catch the next train, Emilio ran like the wind until he reached the station.
2. He never knew how slow he ran until he finished last in the 200-meter run at the track meet.
3. Because he was well-liked and qualified, he ran in the student election and won by a landslide.

Using the same “base” sentence, create three more expanded sentences.
He ran.

1.

2.

3.

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In Other Words: Creating Colorful Sentences
Practice Worksheet 8

Try your skill at putting lifeless sentences into other words. Think about the questions that follow each sentence
below, and add some of your own. Then, rewrite each sentence. You may add outside ideas and details to the sen-
tences, but write only one sentence for each example.

1. The sky became dark.

How dark? What did the air feel like? What did it sound like? Were there clouds? Was a storm coming? Have you
ever been outside when there was a sudden change in weather? What was it like? Why did the sky become dark?
What are some other words for dark? (Use a thesaurus if you need help.) What is it like when the sky becomes
dark in the winter?

Rewrite and expand the sentence without using the word dark. If possible, leave out the word sky as well.

2. My dog has spots.

What color and shape are the spots? What do the spots look like? What kind of dog? Where are the spots?

Rewrite and expand the sentence and describe the dog without using the words spots or spotted.

3. Fireworks exploded in the sky.

What did the explosion sound like? Have you ever heard anything explode? What was it, and what did it sound
like—a tire blowing out or maybe dynamite exploding in a movie? What other words can you use to describe
something that’s exploding? What did the fireworks look like? Were they colorful?

Rewrite and expand the sentence without using the word exploded or naming any specific colors.

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Creating Colorful Paragraphs
Practice Worksheet 9
Read Paragraphs 1 and 2 below. Even though Paragraph 1 has the correct structure, it lacks flavor and detail.
Notice that details and style are added to Paragraph 2. On the lines below, describe at least four changes that make
Paragraph 2 better. Finally, rewrite Paragraph 3, adding your own details and style. Don’t forget to vary your
sentence beginnings and length and to add colorful descriptions.

Paragraph 1

My brother’s room is always a mess. There are clothes on the floor. The bed isn’t made. There is
dust under the furniture. As you can see, my brother’s room is really untidy.

Paragraph 2

My brother’s room is always a mess. Piles of dirty clothes and old magazines cover the floor.
Rarely is the bed ever made. Instead, the blankets hang draped over the side of the bed, ending in a heap
on the floor. Under the furniture, masses of inch-thick dust mingle with stale cookie crumbs. It’s no
wonder my brother has given up and asked to move in with me!

Changes that Improved Paragraph 1

1.
2.
3.
4.

Paragraph 3

It’s a wonderful day to be outside. The flowers are blooming. The sun is shining, and there isn’t a
cloud in sight. The birds are chirping. In conclusion, it’s just gorgeous today!

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Combining Sentences: An Introduction
Practice Worksheet 10
Sometimes, a series of choppy, related sentences can be combined into a single, more concise sentence. Take
a look at the set of sentences in the example below. Each set can be combined into a single sentence.

The Lazy Cat

Set 1
The cat lay curled.
The cat was gray.
It was in the sun.
It was on the table.

These sentences are choppy, and they all begin with The cat or It.
They can be combined in a variety of ways into a more effective sin-
gle sentence. For example:
The gray cat lay curled in the sun on the table.
The gray cat lay curled on the table, which was in the sun.

Try rewriting it yourself here, and then take a look at the second set of sentences.
1.
2.
3.

Set 2
A paw stretched out.
It stretched slowly.
The paw was silver.
The paw reached toward the ceiling.
These sentences can be combined as well. Depending on how you want to begin your sen-
tence, you might write one of these:
Slowly, a silver paw stretched out, reaching toward the ceiling.
A silver paw slowly stretched out and reached toward the ceiling.

Think of another way these sentences could be combined.

Challenge yourself with the two examples on Worksheet 11. Remember, there will be many
possible combinations for one set of sentences.
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Combining Sentences
Practice Worksheet 11
In the two examples below, you will find several sets of sentences. Combine each set of sentences into one sentence, and
write your combination(s) on the back of this worksheet or on a separate sheet of paper. There are many possible combina-
tions for each set. As you combine the sentences, make sure you don’t change their original meaning.

Example 1
Set 1 Set 3 Set 5
Robin stared in the mirror. She squinted. There remained only the touch of
She stared at her reflection. She stroked on the mascara. blush.
The mascara was a special long-lash It was the last touch.
Set 2 formula. The blush was dark pink.
She applied a coat of foundation.
It was another coat. Set 4
The foundation was liquid. The eye shadow was creamy. Set 6
She applied it carefully. The eye shadow was green. Robin stared in the mirror again.
She rubbed it on her eyelids. She stared for a long time.
She rubbed it gently.
Perhaps it was better than nothing.

Example 2
Set 1 Set 4
Barnaby Quip looked through his Nick’s paragraph contained frag-
monitor. ments.
He looked intently. There were unrelated ideas in the
He looked at Liz. paragraph.
He held back a sneeze. The paragraph also had too many
transitions.
Set 2
Liz was helping someone. Set 5
She was helping Nick. Liz told Barnaby she would help Nick.
He needed help with his paragraph. She told him reassuringly.
The paragraph was about the debat- She would help Nick rewrite the paragraph.
ing club. She would help him rewrite it so that it made sense.

Set 3 Set 6
Barnaby listened. Barnaby told Liz he had to go.
He listened closely. He told her gently.
He couldn’t believe his ears. Barnaby had to help others.
The others were in need of paragraph help.

He sneezed and exclaimed, “A linguaphile’s work is never done!”

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Practicing Sentence Variety
Practice Worksheet 12
Read the paragraph below. Then, rewrite it to make it sound better. You will need to add words, leave out repeated
words, and change the order of others. Do not combine all sentences. Leave a few short for variety. Also, vary sen-
tence beginnings.

He tore into the room. He tripped on a desk. The desk was out of place in the row. A girl dashed
after him. She was angry. Her face showed the anger. The math class was dismayed. They looked up.
They had been working on story problems. They had been working quietly. The boy turned unexpected-
ly. He stared straight at the girl. She stopped. The stop was short. No one dared to breathe.

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Using Transitions Effectively
Practice Worksheet 13
Transitions join, or glue, sentences together. Read Nick’s paragraphs below (Example 1 and Example 2). Underline
and then discuss his use of transitions in each one. You may want to review this segment of the video (21:00).
Then, look at Example 3, a paragraph with no transitions. On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite this paragraph
using transitions to help you connect the ideas. In addition to using transitional words and phrases, you may want
to rewrite or reword certain sentences to make the paragraph flow more naturally. Remember: Do not overuse tran-
sitions. Look at the Transitions box below for a list of possible transitions you can use.

Transitions
for example on the other hand in general
next after that however
first meanwhile indeed
second in conclusion in fact

Example 1—Nick’s Paragraph with Too Many Transitions

Debating has always been an important part of my life. For example, when I was younger, I used to argue with
everyone, even the mailman. As a matter of fact, I still argue with him! In general, I have always found it easy
to talk my way in and out of situations. For example, I have won many debating contests. Therefore, I have no
trouble getting up in front of large groups of people and debating for hours! Some people would get nervous.
Debating about things that are important to me is what I enjoy because I feel very strongly about my opinions.
If it hadn’t been for the mailman, I might not have discovered debating.

Example 2—Nick’s Corrected Paragraph

Debating has always been an important part of my life. For example, when I was younger, I used to argue with
everyone, even the mailman. As a matter of fact, I still argue with him. Because I could talk my way out of
every situation, even cleaning my room, my mother began entering me in debating contests. Since then, I have
won many competitions. Besides having strong opinions about things, I just truly enjoy debating. Who knows,
if I hadn’t started arguing with the mailman, I might not have discovered my gift for debate.

Example 3—A Paragraph with No Transitions

Every child should have a pet. Children need the companionship that
pets provide. Most pets require love and attention. Having pets helps chil-
dren develop a strong sense of responsibility. Children learn a lot about life
from their animals. Children really need pets. Pets need homes. Children
and pets need each other.

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