The Paragraph

English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
Prepared by: Mr. Michael Joseph Nogoy,
BSEd (2012), JD (units) 1
Questions
One or more words = Phrase
One or more words with Subject
and Predicate but may or may
not express complete thought =
Clause
One or more clauses =
Sentences

What about a collection of
sentences? = Paragraph
By: Michael Joseph Nogoy
BSEd-English (2012), JD (units)
Qualities of a Good Paragraph
Parts and Functions
Writing an Introduction and
Stating the Main Idea
Writing a Conclusion
What is a Paragraph?
a group of sentences or a
single sentence that forms a
unit
a series of sentences that are
organized and coherent, and
are all related to a single topic
shows a reader where the
subdivisions of an essay begin
and end

Unity
Coherence
What is Unity?
oneness of the ideas
presented
gives harmony to the ideas
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
How can we ensure Unity?
by including relevant or
related ideas ONLY
Many television shows aim to
educate viewers. Popular for years are:
Sesame Street and Blues Clues of the
USA. There are Batibot, Sine Eskwela,
and ATBP. which are locally produced
programs. While serving as a nanny or
yaya at the same time, these shows
teach youngsters the basics
numbers, letters, songs, and values.
What is Coherence?
each sentence relates clearly to
the topic sentence or controlling
idea
smooth flow of one sentence to
the other without obvious shifts
or jumps

How can we ensure Coherence?
repeat key words or phrases
Create parallel structures
Be consistent in point of view,
verb tense, and number
Use transition words or phrases
between sentences and
between paragraphs
Useful Transition Words:
To show addition: again, and, also,
besides, equally important, first
(second, etc.), further,
furthermore, in addition, in the
first place, moreover, next, too
To give examples: for example, for
instance, in fact, specifically, that
is, to illustrate
To compare: also, in the same
manner, likewise, similarly
To contrast: although, and yet,
at the same time, but, despite,
even though, however, in
contrast, in spite of,
nevertheless, on the contrary,
on the other hand, still, though,
yet
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
To summarize or conclude: all in all,
in conclusion, in other words, in
short, in summary, on the whole,
that is, therefore, to sum up
To show time: after, afterward, as,
as long as, as soon as, at last,
before, during, earlier, finally,
formerly, immediately, later,
meanwhile, next, since, shortly,
subsequently, then, thereafter,
until, when, while
To show place or direction: above,
below, beyond, close, elsewhere,
farther on, here, nearby,
opposite, to the left (north, etc.)
To indicate logical relationship:
accordingly, as a result, because,
consequently, for this reason,
hence, if, otherwise, since, so,
then, therefore, thus
In basic physical structure, the
crocodile and the alligator have one major
distinguishing feature: their teeth. Both
creatures have teeth, but the crocodiles
teeth are aligned as the jaws close; whereas
the alligators teeth overbite. Both species
have a fourth tooth on each side,
measurably larger than the rest; however,
crocodiles tooth fits into a notch in the
upper jaw leaving it invisible when the
mouth is closed while the alligators fits into
a pit in the upper jaw and is hidden from
sight.

A paragraph is composed of:
1) topic sentence,
2) supporting sentences, and
3) concluding sentence.

What is a Topic Sentence?
a single controlling idea
expressed in a sentence
tells the reader what the
paragraph is going to be about
Keeps writer under control

What are its functions?
substantiates or supports an
essays thesis statement
unifies the content of a
paragraph and directs the order
of the sentences
advises the reader of the
subject to be discussed and how
the paragraph will discuss it
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
Where is it found?
usually the first sentence of the
paragraph
Why is it written first?
readers generally look to the
first few sentences in a
paragraph to determine the
subject and perspective of the
paragraph
Is this its fixed position?
No, in some cases, its more
effective to place another
sentence before the topic
sentence (e.g., a sentence linking
the current paragraph to the
previous one; one providing
background information).
Can we let go of it?
Yes, in a few situations (e.g.,
narrates a series of events;
continues developing an idea
that you introduced (with a topic
sentence) in the previous
paragraph; or, if all the
sentences and details in a
paragraph clearly refer indirectly
to a main point.
Formula:
A specific subject + a specific
feeling or attitude = a good topic
sentence.

Mr. Brown must have been a drill
sergeant before he became our
gym teacher.
Example of a paragraph with no
topic sentence:

Piranhas rarely feed on large
animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic
plants. When confronted with humans,
piranhas first instinct is to flee, not attack.
Their fear of humans makes sense. Far
more piranhas are eaten by people than
people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish
are well-fed, they wont bite humans.
Example of a paragraph with topic
sentence:

Although most people consider
piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are,
for the most part, entirely harmless.
Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they
eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When
confronted with humans, piranhas first
instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of
humans makes sense. Far more piranhas
are eaten by people than people are eaten
by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they
wont bite humans.
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
What are supporting
sentences?
develop the topic sentence
discusses the topic
sentence/controlling idea, using
examples, details, facts, reasons,
or incidents related to the topic
sentence.
What are supporting
sentences?
must relate to the specific topic
of the paragraph and help it
come alive for the reader
should be organized in the best
possible order
Any person can nourish his skin while
in the kitchen. During a hunt to stuff the
tummy, he must just spot chocolates, eggs,
peanut butter, yogurt, and even nuts. When
he wants some liquid, he must gulp on red
wine, green tea, or coffee. These food and
drinks alone and together protect the skin
from the sun, repair damaged skin, prevent
sagging, make the skin tone even, boost
the skin, and make it supple. So next time
beauty creams are out of hand, one must
head to the kitchen and look for wise finds.
There are easy and inexpensive ways
to make the hair lush, healthy, and youthful.
First, one must invest on anti-aging
shampoos and conditioners. Next, he or
she must apply these directly on the scalp,
massage, and work up into lather. When
combing, he or she must also not overdo
and brush only with broad-based bristles.
He or she must also avoid using ponytail
and moisturize if the budget allows. Lastly,
he or she must don a hat or apply leave-on
conditioner to protect hair from the heat of
the sun. Keeping the hair at its best is part
of the A-list of very spotlight worthy Adam
and Eve.
What are Concluding
Sentences?
reminds the reader what the
topic of the paragraph is really all
about, what it means
summarizes the connections
between the information
discussed in the body of the
paragraph and the paragraphs
controlling idea
Example:
I'm surprised that Mr. Brown
doesn't make us march into the
shower room after each class.
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
Sample Paragraph:
My Dog Romeo is so much fun
to play with. One reason hes fun is
because he loves to play catch.
Whats also fun is that he follows me
around the house with a toy and
drops it on my foot, so I will kick it.
Additionally, he can catch just about
anything, but his favorite thing to
catch is a Frisbee. Finally, he loves it
when I pretend like Im falling dead,
and he runs over to lick me. All these
reasons show why I really have fun
playing with Romeo.
Lets Try:
Through the centuries rats have
managed to survive all our efforts to
destroy them. We have poisoned
them and trapped them. We have
fumigated, flooded, and burned them.
We have tried germ warfare. Some
rats even survived atomic bomb tests
conducted on Entwetok atoll in the
Pacific after World War II. In spite of
all our efforts, these enemies of ours
continue to prove that they are the
most indestructible of pests.
In a 1 whole sheet of paper,
write the given topics and
then write a topic sentence
for each.
Before each topic, place a
blank

Point System:
6 points for relevance topic
4 points for grammar and
mechanics

Reason for Choosing
AUF
Your favorite past
time
An Adventure You
want to Try Someday

_________1. Reasons for
choosing AUF
Topic Sentence:
On the blank before the
number, write the letter
that corresponds to
the best type of
supporting statements
to develop the given
topic sentences.
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
A-Examples
B-Facts
C-Reasons
D-Incidents

What is an Introduction?
also called introductory
paragraph
grabs the readers attention and
makes him or her want to read the
essay
can also provide background
information that is necessary for
the reader to appreciate the
writers position
presents the writers main idea or
thesis statement
Donts in writing an Introduction
Dont make your introduction
unnecessarily long.
Dont write like you are talking to the
reader.
Announce your intentions. Do not
flatly announce what you are about
to do in an essay.
Apologize.
Dilly-dally.

Composed of:
The grabber (or lead) consists of
sentence/s that pull the reader
into the essay.
The transitional sentence
(optional) connects the lead to
the thesis statement.
The thesis statement is a single
sentence that states the main
idea of the essay.
Types of Grabbers or Leads:
General Statement/Declarative
Anecdotal
Surprising Fact or Opinion
Quotation
Rhetorical Question/Question
Description
General Statement/Declarative
writer simply states straight out
what the topic of his paper is going
to be about
technique most student writers
use
not advised for formal writing
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
As more and more students go
online and spend more time on the
Internet (Pastore, 2001), web site
navigation has become more important
in helping students find information for
their studies. This essay details
navigational design techniques that
help web site designers make their
navigation more user-friendly,
especially for educational users, such
as university students and
researchers.
Topic: Finding a Best
Friend

Finding a best friend is
a relatively simple
work.
Anecdotal
brief incident or story that
relates to the theme of the
essay
anecdote is a brief account of
an amusing or attention-
getting incident
should be short and to the point
and relates to the main idea of
your essay
Mike Cantlon remembers coming
across his first auction ten years ago while
cruising the back roads of Wisconsin. He
parked his car and wandered into the crowd,
toward the auctioneer's singsong chant and
wafting smell of barbecued sandwiches.
Hours later, Cantlon emerged lugging a $22
beam drill-for constructing post-and-beam
barnsand a passion for auctions that has
clung like a cocklebur on an old saddle
blanket. "It's an addiction," says Cantlon, a
financial planner and one of the growing
number of auction fanatics for whom
Saturdays will never be the same.
Friend

Older people impart their
wisdom to their younger
friends, who, in return,
keep them current.
Surprising Fact or Opinion
a favorite introductory technique of
professional writers
uses statistics or facts that will add
emphasis or interest to your essay,
and help you to assert a strong voice
sometimes a good idea to include the
source of your information
makes your readers curious
maybe because it is disgusting; it is
joyful; it is shocking; it includes
profanity; or because of who said it

English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
Have a minute? Good. Because
that may be all it takes to save the life
of a childyour child. Accidents kill
nearly 8000 children under age 15
each year. And for every fatality, 42
more children are admitted to hospitals
for treatment. Yet such deaths and
injuries can be avoided through these
easy steps parents can take right now.
You don't have a minute to lose.
Friend

Relationship counselors
put premium on friends
who are either younger
or older.
Quotation
someone else's words that relate
to the topic
often stimulate the audience's
interest through humor or other
devices, while also suggesting that
you have thought about - and
researched - your topic
Avoid opening with a quotation
from a dictionary or a clich.
Never do yourself what you
can afford to pay someone else to
do. That is the motto my brother
lives by. Had I lived it, too, I could
have saved myself a large expense,
much griminess, and a painful injury
to my hand the last time I tried to fix
a leaking toilet.

Friend

Lise Funderburg simply
made sense when she
said, Friendship is
priceless, and it can also
be ageless.
Rhetorical Question/Question
thought-provoking way to start
an essay
a meaningful, often
unanswerable question that
gets the reader thinking about
your topic
a question that you ask and
then answer yourself

English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
If you saw a giant pink rabbit on a hill,
would you think you were going mad?
Gelitin, a group of artists from Vienna, has
erected a pink bunny measuring 200 feet in
length (about 60 metres) on the side of a
northern Italian mountain. The artwork, titled
"Hase" (which translates simply as "Hare"),
is located at a height of 1600m on the
mountain Colletto Fava, close to Bar La
Baita, above the Village of Artesina,
Piemonte, Italy. The soft rabbit is
constructed out of pink wool, and is
expected to remain on the mountain until
2025. But is it art?

Friend

Are priceless friends
in or out of the
market?
Description
a brief description of a scene,
person, or object that appeals to
the reader's senses
appeals to your audience's
senses and sets the mood
For anyone fortunate enough to
have a wood-burning fireplace, sitting
in front of a healthy fire on a frosty
winter afternoon provides a sense of
comfort and luxury. Unfortunately,
many fireplace owners do not
understand the three essential steps
for achieving a successful fire.
Everyone should learn the basics of
preparing the fireplace, arranging the
materials before igniting, and tending
the fire.
Friend

Easy to be with, boosts
your spirit, a person you
can tell your problems to
these are the
characteristics we look
for when we try to find a
best friend.
What are Transitional
Sentences?
acts like a bridge from your
grabber to your thesis
statement
not always necessary
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
What are Thesis Statements?
often (but not always) the last
sentence in the introduction
states the main idea of the
essay, expresses your opinion or
point of view towards the topic,
and indicates the structure of
the essay
Golden Rule:
must be clear, specific, and
fresh

Example:

Clich: Time is gold.
Clear, specific, and fresh:
Time spells opportunity,
love, and even paycheck
to many adults.

Example:

Clich: Money is the root
of all evil.
Clear, specific, and fresh:
Obsession over money
gives birth to sins.

Rewrite your topic
sentences (thesis
statements)
Make them clear (4
points), specific (4
points), and fresh (2
points)
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
After that, write an
appropriate introduction
for each given topic
sentence. (6 points for
relevance, 4 points for
grammar and mechanics)
Direction: At the back of your
paper, identify what kind of
Introduction is presented and
determine the thesis statement
in the paragraph. Write the whole
sentence (thesis statement)
after the classification. (5pts.
each = 2 pts. for the type, 3 pts. for
the thesis statement)
1. A study at the University of North
Carolina indicates that persons riding in
a passenger van are twice as likely as
other riders to suffer serious or fatal
injuries. Recently I learned from
personal experience that the shape of a
vehicle is a major factor in how safely it
handles.
2. Where does our drinking water come
from? Some people get theirs from water
systems maintained by cities and towns.
Other people get theirs from their own
wells. However, much of our drinking
water, whether people get it from a city
water system or from a home well,
comes from the ground.
3. Its left ear is partially detached. One
of its black plastic eyes is gone. Parts of
its fur is worn and matted from being
hugged and tugged around the house.
Food and juice stains dapple its tan coat
in places. Some people might think this
little stuffed bunny should be thrown into
the junk heap. But this old bunny is one
of my favorite childhood possessions,
and weve been through a lot together.
4. Writer Dave Gantry once said, True
friendship comes when silence between
two people is comfortable. I know
exactly what Mr. Gantry means. My best
friend, Elizabeth Reynolds, and I, can
talk on the phone for hours or we can sit
together in the mountains or at the beach
and just enjoy the silence. Since shes
been my best friend for twenty-five years,
were able to communicate in many
ways.
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
5. The young man with the hammer
hoisted himself onto the top of the wall.
All around on the wall and on the
ground, people chanted and cheered.
The young man knelt down with his
hammer, and began to chip at the cold,
gray concrete. Little by little, the wall
began to crumble. As I watched in
amazement, it was hard to comprehend
the fact that I was watching the Berlin
Wall coming down.
What is a Conclusion?
Recapitulation of what you said
in your thesis statement in order
to suggest to your reader that
you have accomplished what you
set out to accomplish
do not merely restate the thesis
represent your last chance to
say something important to
your readers
What are its functions?
Emphasize the purpose and
importance of your essay
Explain the significance or
consequences of your findings
Indicate the wider applications of
the method developed in your essay
Establish your essay as the basis for
further investigation
Show other directions of inquiry
into the subject
You may:
include a brief summary of the
paper's main points.
ask a provocative question.
use a quotation.
evoke a vivid image.
call for some sort of action.
end with a warning.
universalize (compare to other
situations).
suggest results or consequences.
Composed of:
1. Restatement of your thesis
2. Summation
3. Concluding sentence
Summation:
where the reader is told what
he/she should have learned from
the essay, why it is significant
and how it relates to the real
world
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
Concluding Sentence:
the final thought, the final
chance to leave the reader with
something to think about
should be a bold statement that
cements the essays message
Techniques in Writing a
Conclusion
The Frame
The Expansion
The Summary
The Frame
refers to an image, comparison,
story, question or quote from the
introduction
The Expansion
takes the reader beyond the
ideas in the essay.
relates closely to the essay ideas
but encourages the reader to
think about them differently
can be through: reflection,
question, call to attention,
judgment, illustration
The Summary
works well for long, complicated
essays
restating the main points
reminds the reader of the ideas
covered in the essay
When Junior sees his father is forced to kill
Oscar, the dog, it changes his entire view on
his life and future. He understands how poverty
forces people to make difficult choices no one
should ever have to make. Junior realizes he
does not want to be put in this kind of position
when he is an adult. Although this moment is
traumatizing for Junior, sometimes it takes a
moment like this to help a person decide to take
action and change their life for the better. It is
these types of moments which forever shape a
persons perspective and influences them to
take real steps toward a better future. Although it
is difficult to recognize at the time, a tragic
moment like this one can be the best thing that
happens to you.
English01a Midterms
The Paragraph
10/8/2013
How to write a conclusion?
Focus on the main idea or the
thesis statement.
Match your tone.
Know your purpose:
Inform or explain
Persuade or argue
entertain
Main Idea: Time spells
opportunity, love, and even
paycheck to many adults.

Conclusion: Keep in mind
that giving time means
having concern and being
responsible while doing
the opposite indicates not
caring enough.

Main idea: Obsession over
money gives birth to
sins.

Conclusion: Love is not
bad until it is too much; a
wrong is not a crime
until it is intentional.
After Activity 1 - C,
write an appropriate
conclusion for each
given topic sentence. (5
points each; 3 points
for relevance, 2 points
for grammar and
mechanics)

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English01a Midterms

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