What is a paragraph?

What is a paragraph?

1. A paragraph is made of a few sentences that talk about ONE single topic.

2. You should have at least five to seven sentences in your paragraph.

3. Each paragraph should have coherence and cohesion.

4. Different Parts of a Paragraph:

   • Topic Sentence
     • A Topic Sentence is a sentence that tells the reader what your paragraph is about
       • Topic Sentence= Topic + Controlling Idea
         • Example of Topic Sentence and Controlling Idea
           • Raw vegetables might not be as healthy as we thought they were. • Here I made it clear that I am going to talk about the health related aspect of raw vegetables. So, my topic is “raw vegetables” and my controlling idea is “might not be as healthy as we thought they were”. I also started my sentence with a shocking claim that raw vegetables might actually be harmful!
     • Controlling Idea
       • The controlling idea tells your reader what specific aspect of this topic you are going to write about
   • Supporting Details
     • the Topic Sentence are called the Supporting Details (Sentences). These sentences give explanation, evidence, and reason for your claim.
       • Example of Supporting Sentence
         • Read the first supporting sentence below: We all agree that raw vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, but some of these raw vegetables can also carry toxic ingredients that can cause severe harm to your health if you don’t cook them.
     • The three sentences after
   • Concluding Sentence
     • The last sentence
       • The Concluding Sentence does NOT introduce anything new. It either summarizes what you already talked about or paraphrases the Topic Sentence
         • Example of Concluding Sentence
           • Raw vegetables have always been considered one of our best friends when it comes to our diet, but we should always familiarize ourselves with the ingredients inside them and the best way to eat them: cooked or uncooked.

5. Different Types of Paragraphs

   • Narrative Paragraph
     • you will share your story or what happened with your reader.
       • Again, to get your readers involved in your story in a better way, try using the Journalists’ Questions
   • Descriptive Paragraph
     • you should try to engage your reader by answering the Journalists’ Questions:
       • why, who, where, what, when, where
   • Process Paragraph
     • A Process Paragraph gives your reader a step by step of how to do things, for example, cooking, building, or assembling something
       • should be imperative.
   • Classification Paragraph
     • you need to put items into different groups or categories where they belong based on a criteria or rule. You should start by identifying what it is that you are classifying.