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Dashboard - My courses - 3MAKX ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSE - SESSION 3: READING: Paragraph Study -
A Paragraph

3MAKX ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSE -

EA0W007

A Paragraph
PARAGRAPH

What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences that conveys an idea. Each sentence work with each other as a part of a unit to create an overall thought or
impression. 
A paragraph is the smallest unit or cluster of sentences in which one idea can be developed adequately.
Paragraphs can stand alone or function as a part of an essay. In an essay, each paragraph covers only one main idea.
The most important sentence in a paragraph is the topic sentence. The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of the paragraph because it
should give an overview of the sentences to follow. The other sentences after the topic sentence help develop the main idea. That is why the
sentences are called supporting details. They give specific details related to the topic sentence. The final or last sentence in a paragraph –
namely the concluding sentence, often restates or summarizes the main idea of the topic sentence.
A good paragraph consists of three parts:
1.    The topic sentence stating the main point of a paragraph
2.    The supporting sentences with details and specific examples as a proof of the main idea.
3.    The concluding sentence that wraps up or rephrases the point of the paragraph.
Read the following paragraph model. Locate the topic sentence, concrete details and examples in the supporting sentences, and see how the
writer sums up the point of the paragraph with a concluding sentence.

In the example above, the topic sentence appears in red, and the concluding sentence in italics. Notice how the sentences in between support
and develop the topic sentence by giving specific details and examples. These examples are the writer’s “proof” of his bad first day of college.

An outline shows at a glance the point of a paper and a numbered list of the items that support the point.
Now look at the text “My First Day of College”. See the outline for the text below.