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Paragraph Basics

Paragraph Basics. Paragraph: a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic One Idea per Paragraph Helps you stay on track during your drafting and revision stages Helps your readers easily follow your thesis & supporting points Introduction, Body, Conclusion.

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Paragraph Basics

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  1. Paragraph Basics • Paragraph: a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic • One Idea per Paragraph • Helps you stay on track during your drafting and revision stages • Helps your readers easily follow your thesis & supporting points • Introduction, Body, Conclusion

  2. Paragraph BasicsThe four elements of a good paragraph (TTEW) • A Transition sentence leading in from a previous paragraph (smooth hand-off of ideas) • A Topic sentence that tells the reader what you will be discussing in the paragraph • Specific Evidence and analysis that supports one of your claims; provides a deeper level of detail than your topic sentence • A briefWrap-up sentence that tells the reader how and why this information supports the paper’s thesis

  3. Paragraph Basics

  4. Elements of a Paragraph • Topic sentence • Indicates the idea or thesis with which the paragraph deals • Not all paragraphs have clear-cut topic sentences (but all should be easy to summarize) • Can occur anywhere in the paragraph • Development (evidence) • Must be “full and adequate” (beware of 2 or 3 sentence paragraphs) • Examples and illustrations

  5. Elements of a Paragraph • Development (continued) • Cite data • Examine testimony (quotes) • Use an anecdote or story • Define terms in the paragraph • Compare and contrast • Evaluate causes and reasons • Examine effects and consequences • Analyze the topic • Describe the topic • Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)

  6. Coherency Tools • Logical Bridges: same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to sentence or paragraph to paragraph • Verbal bridges: • Key words may be repeated in several sentences or paragraphs • Synonymous words may be repeated in several sentences or paragraphs (break out the thesaurus!) • Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences or paragraphs • Transitional words or phrases can be used to link ideas from different sentences or paragraphs

  7. When to Start a New Paragraph • When beginning a new idea or point • When contrasting information or ideas • When readers need a pause • When ending the introduction or starting the conclusion.

  8. Transitions • Connect paragraphs; turn disconnected writing into a unified whole • Help readers understand how paragraphs work together, reference one another, and build to a larger point Key to producing good transitions is highlighting connections between corresponding paragraphs

  9. Transitions • Example: “Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. Another important thing to note is that the corporation had expanded its international influence.” • Revision: “Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. These impressive profits are largely due to the corporation's expanded international influence.”

  10. Transitions • Example: “Fearing for the loss of Danish lands, Christian IV signed the Treaty of Lubeck, effectively ending the Danish phase of the 30 Years War. But then something else significant happened. The Swedish intervention began.” • Revision: “Fearing for the loss of more Danish lands, Christian IV signed the Treaty of Lubeck, effectively ending the Danish phase of the 30 Years War. Shortly after Danish forces withdrew, the Swedish intervention began.”

  11. Transitions • Example: “Amy Tan became a famous author after her novel, The Joy Luck Club, skyrocketed up the bestseller list. There are other things to note about Tan as well. Amy Tan also participates in the satirical garage band the Rock Bottom Remainders with Stephen King and Dave Barry.” • Revision: “Amy Tan became a famous author after her novel, The Joy Luck Club, skyrocketed up the bestseller list. Though her fiction is well known, her work with the satirical garage band the Rock Bottom Remainders receives far less publicity.”

  12. Transitions • Example: “The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma. In the same way, the characters in Book B face a similar problem.” • Revision: “The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma, a contested inheritance. Although the inheritance in Book B consists of an old house and not a pile of money, the nature of the problem is quite similar.”

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