Transcript Sentences to Paragraphs - Newark Catholic High School

SENTENCES TO PARAGRAPHS
Language Network Ch. 13
Pages 319-333
BUILDING EFFECTIVE SENTENCES
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Before you can write an effective paragraph, you
have to be able to write effective sentences.
Effective sentences don’t confuse the reader with
incomplete information.
Effective sentences don’t have to be long, they
can be short as well.
BUILDING EFFECTIVE SENTENCES
Use specific verbs and nouns – avoid generalities.
 Add adjectives and replace generic words with
more specific ones.
 Add prepositional phrases.
 Cut out the fluff – if the information is not
necessary to understand your thoughts, it is not
necessary at all.
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WRITING EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHS
A paragraph is a group of sentences that work
together to develop a single main idea.
 A well-developed paragraph has the following
characteristics:
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Unity – each sentence supports the main idea.
 Coherence – all sentences relate to one another.
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There are four types of paragraphs: descriptive,
narrative, informative (expository), and
persuasive.
DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPHS
Begin with a sentence to introduce the setting.
 Include many modifiers to “paint a picture.”
 Effective word choice and detail allows you to
show, not tell.
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NARRATIVE PARAGRAPHS
Start with the beginning of your story.
 Included transitions to progress from one point to
another.
 Conclude your narrative in a way that ties up all
loose ends.
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INFORMATIVE PARAGRAPHS
Informative (or expository) paragraphs present
facts or examples, explain ideas, or define terms.
 Start your paragraph by getting the reader’s
attention.
 Define any language or topics that may be
unfamiliar to the reader.
 Provide examples and details to support the topic
sentence.
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PERSUASIVE PARAGRAPHS
Persuasive paragraphs give logical reasons to
support an opinion.
 Begin by capturing the reader’s attention.
 Clearly state your opinion in a respectful tone.
 Provide facts, details, and reasons to support
your opinion.
 Conclude with a final, powerful reason, or a call
to action.
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PARAGRAPH UNITY
All sentences should support the topic sentence.
This is called paragraph unity.
 Sometimes the topic sentence clearly states the
main idea of the paragraph. Other times, the
topic sentence is implied, meaning it is not
directly stated, but is understood.
 Be sure all sentences in a given paragraph relate
to the topic of that paragraph.
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COHERENCE
Paragraphs are coherent when all the sentences
relate to one another and flow logically from one
to the next.
 Types of organization:
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Sequential order – events appear in the order they
occurred.
 Spatial order – details are arranged according to
their position in space (i.e. front, back).
 Cause and effect – start by stating why something
happened, and then state the result of that event.
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COHERENCE
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Types of organization, continued:
Comparison and Contrast – discuss the similarities
and differences between two or more subjects.
 Order of degree – organize from least to most, or from
most to least (such as least important to most
important). This is very common in journalism,
where stories are written in a “reverse pyramid”
form, starting with the most important information,
and progressing to the least important information.
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