Academic Paragraphs: Presented by Ingrid Rodriguez

ACADEMIC
PARAGRAPHS
PRESENTED BY INGRID RODRIGUEZ
ACADEMIC PARAGRAPHS
◦ Paragraphs consist of three parts:
1, Topic Sentence: topic + controlling idea

2, Body: supporting sentences
3, Concluding sentence
TOPIC SENTENCE
It is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It tells what the
paragraph is going to be about or its main idea. It consists of two
parts: the topic and the controlling idea.
1, The topic is the subject of your
paragraph; it is what you are writing about.
2, The controlling idea limits your topic to
the one aspect of the topic that you want
to write about.
TOPIC SENTENCE
Examples:
◦ New York has an efficient public transportation.
Topic C.I.
◦ New York is the hometown of important people.
Topic C.I.
Topics have more than a possible
controlling idea. Possibilities are endless,
so every controlling idea must be
developed in a different paragraph .
Topics sentences mustn’t be facts because there is nothing more to be
said about it, and therefore no paragraph to write.
My brother is a good family man. My brother is older than I am.
This is an opinion, so you You cannot write a paragraph

can provide examples of supporting the fact that your
how your brother is a good brother is older than you
family man and show what because such a statement is
you mean by that phrase. either true or false, and that’s all.
Another type of topic sentence is the kind you divide your topic
into different parts:
◦ The modern study of biology consists of three basic areas.

◦ There are four main kinds of love.
◦ Planning a scientific experiment requires five specific steps.
The author needs to support his/her topic

sentence by describing the different parts, so
that he can persuade the reader that the
statement is reasonable.
ACTIVITY 2, Write appropriate topic sentences according to the topic and the
purposes given:
1, In the following sentences, underline the Topic: cigarette smoking
topic and the controlling idea: a. to warn others:
◦ There are many tourist attractions in San ___________________________________________________
Francisco. b. To describe an advertisement
___________________________________________________
◦ Alcohol is harmful to your health.
c. To suggest techniques for quitting
◦ Many people eat too much junk food. ___________________________________________________
◦ People who want to learn a language must d. To argue for non-smoking restaurants
master four skills. ___________________________________________________
◦ The California condor must be saved from Topic: television
extinction. a. To describe a program
___________________________________________________
◦ You need four ingredients to make peanut b. To compare two shows
butter.
___________________________________________________
◦ Hollywood doesn’t have any normal c. To narrate yesterday news
people. ___________________________________________________
◦ There are two kinds of people in my d. To evaluate a show
family. ___________________________________________________
BODY
The Supporting sentences (body): there are many ways to support a
topic sentence.
One of the most common ways to support is to use facts and/or
statistics.
Another way to support a paragraph is to use specific examples.
And you can also support a topic sentence with the use of illustrations;
this is usually based on personal experience.
There should be three or more supporting sentences per TS.
SUPPORTING IDEAS
• Colorado is an interesting state. It has 104.247 square miles and almost three million people. Since 1920,
the percentage of rural dwellers has sharply decreased, going from 51.8% in 1920 to 19.4 in 1980. Colorado
is called the Centennial State because the Union in 1876, one hundred years after the U.S. declared its
independence. As most residents would say, Colorado is a great state.
• Colorado is an interesting state. It is perhaps best known as the Rocky Mountain State. Indeed, these
mountains seem to dominate most views in Colorado. Denver and Colorado Springs are the state’s two
largest cities. Both have unique identities. Not far outside Denver is Red Rocks. This is a beautiful
natural amphitheater where some of Denver’s most memorable concerts have been staged. All in all,
Colorado is a great state.
• Colorado is an interesting state. On our vacation there last summer, we went hiking in the Rocky
Mountains. These mountains stretch from north to south through the entire state. We also visited my
cousin who lives in Denver. The U.S. Mint was the most fascinating place in that city for me. Later on, we
saw some old Indian dwellings in Mesa Verde. Definitely, Colorado is a great state for vacation.
THE CONCLUDING SENTENCE
It is generally of one or two types:
1, One is to restate the topic sentence. You simply say the same thing
again, but you use different words.
2, The second way of concluding is by summarizing the main points

that were developed in the paragraph.
EXAMPLES
C.S. In many ways, alcohol is not
T.S. Alcohol is harmful to
good for your body.
your health
T.S. There are five stages to C.S. In short, children in the U.S. may
American education. go through nursery school,
elementary school, junior high school,
high school and college.
ACTIVITY
Select four examples of the topic sentences you wrote and write possible concluding
sentences for them.
◦ _____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
◦ _____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
◦ _____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
◦ _____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES
◦ Frydenberg, G. & Boardman D. (1999). You are in charge. USA: Addison – Wesley Publishing Company.
◦ Campbell, C. (2009). English for Academic Study: Vocabulary. UK: Garnet Education
◦ Gower, R. (2008). Real Writing. UK: Cambridge University Press.
◦ Slaght, J., Harben, P. and Pallant, A. (2012). English for Academic Study: Reading & Writing. UK: Garnet
Education
◦ Zemach, D. and Ghulldu, L. (2011). Writing Essays. From Paragraph to Essay. England: Macmillan Education.

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ACADEMIC

◦ Paragraphs consist of three parts:

1, Topic Sentence: topic + controlling idea

My brother is a good family man. My brother is older than I am.

This is an opinion, so you You cannot write a paragraph

◦ The modern study of biology consists of three basic areas.

The author needs to support his/her topic

2, The second way of concluding is by summarizing the main points

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