Transcript Document 7694214

Overview of the
structure of a
paragraph
Understanding a paragraph
• A paragraph is a group of sentences
about a single topic. Together, the
sentences of the paragraph explain the
writer’s main idea about the topic. In
academic writing, a paragraph is often
between five and ten sentences long.
But it can be longer or shorter,
depending on the topic. The first
sentence of a paragraph is usually
indented a few spaces.
Paragraph Organization
• The topic sentence
• The supporting sentences
• The concluding sentence
The topic and the main idea
•
•
The topic sentence
Circle the topic of the sentence and
underline the main idea about the
topic
1. Indonesia is a very interesting
country to visit.
2. Dogs make excellent pets.
3. A really good place to study is the
library at my school.
4. Learning a second language creates job
opportunities.
5. Soccer is my favorite sport because it is
exciting to watch.
6. One of the most valuable tools for
students is the computer.
7. My sister and I have very different
personalities.
8. Summer is the best time to travel in my
country.
9. My hometown is a friendly place to live.
Number the parts in order
1. Topic sentence, 2. supporting
sentences, and 3 concluding
sentence
Topic: What should I study at
university?
a. It wasn’t an easy decision, but for the
reasons listed above, I have decided to
study journalism.
b. It can be difficult to choose a subject to
study in college because there are so many
choices, but by considering my skills and
interests, I have decided to study
journalism.
c. I have always enjoyed writing, so it is
sensible to choose a major that involves
writing. When I begin working, I would like
to have the opportunity to travel, and
travel is often an important part of a
journalist’s job. Finally, I am also
interested in photography, and pictures
are very important in journalism.
concluding sentence
indented
main idea
paragraph
topic
supporting sentences
topic sentence
1. The ____ is usually the first sentence in
a ____. It gives the ___ and the ____.
2. The first sentence of a paragraph should
be _______.
3. The ____ come after the topic sentence,
and they explain the topic sentence.
4. The _____ comes at the end of a
paragraph.
Comparison and contrast paragraph
Procedure for developing a comparison and
contrast paragraph to show similarities
and differences
A comparison tells you what features are similar.
When you contrast two items, you show the
differences between them.
• Purposes
1. to persuade
2. to inform
3. to show relationships
• Points: to come up with a list of ideas
or points you could apply
e.g. family members
attitude toward family
position in a community
judgment in solving family problems
Social background
Paragraph 1 (College Writing p.45)
• Topic sentence: Reading a story is often very
different from seeing it as a movie.
• Topic A- reading a book
– Supporting points
1.
2.
• Topic B- ______
– Supporting points
1.
2.
Point-by-point organization
• Topic sentence: Marilyn Monroe and
Princess Diana lived at different times in
different countries, but their lives had
some surprising similarities.
• First point of comparison- difficult
childhood
A1:____
B1: Princess Diana- mother left family.
• Second point of comparison-____
A2:
B2: Princess Diana-married Prince Charles, later
separated from him.
• Patterns
1. Block organization (Subject by subject): all of
one side and then all of the other
I. Dr. Cliff Huxtable
a. Family members
b. His attitude toward family
c. His judgment in solving family
problems
II. Al Bundy
a. Family members
b. His attitude toward family
c. His judgment in solving family
problems
2. Point-by-point: to show the points in
relation to the sides (subjects) one at a
time. This is the more common pattern.
I. Family members
a. Dr. Cliff Huxtable
(1) details
(2) details
b. Al Bundy
(1) details
(2) details
II. Attitude toward family
III.
Exercise
1. friends: Marla and Justine
(1) Marla
a. appearance
b.
c.
(2) Justine
2. Two bosses: Mr. Santo and Ms. Eliot
(1) disposition
a. Mr. Santo
b. Ms. Eliot
(2) Knowledge of ____
(3) _____
Contrast Indicators
Sentence connectors
Clause
connectors
others
However
although
but
nevertheless
Even though
yet
In contrast
while
Despite+N
On the other hand
whereas
In spite of+N
On the contrary
Comparison Indicators
Sentence Clause
others
connectors connectors
similarly
as
(just) like +N
likewise
just as
Similar to N
also
and
Same as N
Both….and…
Not only…but
also
Possible topics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Two diets
Two fast-food places
Two textbooks
Two careers
Two generations
Two actors, singers, musicians
Two ways of learning
Two ways of exercising
Two mothers: housewife & career
woman
Using comparative structures
A And B: The man and the woman are tall.
The baby crawls and smiles at his mom.
Both A and B: Both my neighbor and I are
selling our cars.
Neither …nor: Neither Joe nor Steve went
to the meeting last night.
Either…or….: Either my brother or my
sister can do it for me.
Not only ….but also
1. He spends his Saturdays working on
his antique cars or to go to ball
games.
2. That commercial was neither
accurate nor was it entertaining.
3. Teresa hoped to travel to Alaska
and to stay with friends.
4. The banquet table in the great
dining hall was long, narrow, and it
was dirty.