Paragraph Structure

1. Paragraph Structure

2. An Assertion must: • Indicate the specific topic you are going to discuss (What an author is doing) • Indicate what your observation or conclusion about the topic is All paragraphs must contain an assertion. Assertion is another term for Topic Sentence or Thesis Statement.

3. Sample Assertions Strong Assertion Weak Assertion Nancy Mairs is disabled, which establishes her ethos for her essay. • In a brilliant effort to encourage her readers to agree with her challenging argument, Mairs establishes strong ethos early in the essay.

4. Check your Assertion!

5. Examples are specific • Quotes should be kept short • Choose examples that clearly demonstrate your assertion The Next Step: Examples Examples come from the text

6. Sample Examples Strong example Weak example She tells us she is disabled when she says “I am a forty-three year old woman crippled with MS.” • In the first paragraph, Mairs introduces herself to her audience in blunt terms: “I am a forty-three year old woman crippled with MS.”

7. Check your example(s)!!

8. Commentary connects the example to the assertion • Commentary should elaborate on what you learned in SOAPStone • Commentary reveals your understanding of the piece The Final Step: Commentary Commentary may be called analysis or explanation Commentary reveals the effect of the author’s choice

9. Commentary Strong commentary Weak commentary Her use of the word “crippled” reminds us that she is disabled, which is the topic of her essay. • This direct approach immediately puts the reader at ease; the author is not going to try to make her audience feel badly about her condition.

10. Check your commentary!!