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What is a Paragraph?
A series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all related to a single topic is called a Paragraph. Breaking a large sentence essay or topic into smaller pieces in a well-structured form is known as a Paragraph. It includes topic sentences, supporting sentences as well as concluding sentences that refer to an overall structure, which is a group of sentences focusing on a single topic.
Let’s have a look at paragraph writing practice with parts of a paragraph:
Parts of a Paragraph:
The basic paragraph consists of three parts: a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. This basic paragraph format will help you to write and organize one paragraph and transition to the next.
Topic Sentence:
Often, the Topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph. Also, we can call an introduction sentence of a paragraph. It states the main idea of each paragraph. All consequent points presented in the paragraphs must support the topic sentence.
Supporting Details:
The supporting sentences explain more about the topic sentence by showing some facts, stats, or examples regarding the topic. It also includes the writer’s experience & own analysis and is used to develop the topic sentence.
The following are common origins of supporting details:
·Expert Opinion
·Facts and Statistics
·Personal Experiences
·Others’ Experiences
·Brief Stories
·Research Studies
·Your Own Analysis
·Interviews
Concluding Sentence:
It is the end of the paragraph which is also known as the final statement about the topic. It ties all ideas given in the paragraph and emphasizes the main idea one last time. In the concluding sentence, the writers usually restate their topic sentence or summarize the main points of the paragraph.
Example Paragraph:
Topic Sentence:
Every topic sentence has two parts:
- A topic (what the paragraph is about)
- A controlling idea (the direction the paragraph will take).
Take a look at these topic sentence examples in which the topic is bold and the controlling idea is in italics.
Cats are very good pets for several reasons.
Our school’s dress code policy has many negative consequences for girls.
The world population is strongly impacted by a lack of access to water.
The topic tells your audience what the paragraph will be about. The controlling idea tells them how you will explain it in this particular paragraph.
Exercise on Paragraph Writing:
In each paragraph below, underline the topic sentence
- The best trip my family ever took was to New Orleans, Louisiana. We drove there in two days. I didn’t think it would be very interesting, but I was wrong. We saw the Mississippi River, rode a horse carriage in the French Quarter, and visited a cemetery. I liked the food best, especially the New Orleans doughnuts called beignets.
(1st Sentence is Topic Sentence)
2. No one likes to eat with a dirty knife, fork, or spoon. It is important to completely wash all utensils before using them. Clean utensils won’t transmit germs and bacteria. They also are more pleasant to eat with.
(1st Sentence is Topic Sentence)
3. Many people think poetry is old-fashioned and uninteresting. They don’t realize that every time they hear a song sung, they are hearing poetry in the form of song lyrics. Just like many written poems, many song lyrics use rhythm, rhyme, and literary imagery. It turns out that poetry isn’t old-fashioned; it’s as modern as the latest hit song!
(1st Sentence is Topic Sentence)
4. Growing a garden can be fun, good exercise, and will provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the gardener. It is interesting to watch the seeds pop their heads above the soil for the first time. It is sometimes hard to believe that a little seed can become a large vine or plant in just a few weeks. Planting the seeds and pulling weeds are good exercises for anyone. Then, after watching the plant grow and produce, the gardener ends up with delicious tomatoes, beans, or other yummy produce from the garden.
(1st Sentence is Topic Sentence)
5. Sometimes it is hard to fall asleep. Maybe you are not sleepy, or maybe you are thinking about what happened during the day. You can also lie awake if a big event, like a test or a party, is happening the next day. There are several things you can do to try and fall asleep. You can try counting sheep, or just counting, which will keep your mind busy with a repetitious activity. Sometimes listening to soft music or gentle sounds, like rain, helps. You can even try telling yourself a story, which may distract your mind enough that you will be asleep in no time.
