Introduction to

Academic Writing
and Paragraphs
 A paragraph is a collection of sentences dealing
with a single topic.

A paragraph is a group of related sentences that

support one main idea.

What is a In a paragraph, you will state one main idea and

explain it.

Paragraph? Paragraphs help to organize information in a way

that is easy for your reader to follow

It should be unified, coherent, and well-

developed.

It can be as short as one sentence or as long as ten

sentence.
 What Are The Constituents Of A
Paragraph?

1. Topic sentence

2. The supporting sentences or body sentences

3. A concluding sentence or the bridge sentence to the next paragraph or

section.
 TOPIC AND A TOPIC SENTENCE
WHAT IS A TOPIC? THE TOPIC IS THE GENERAL
SUBJECT OF A PARAGRAPH OR
ESSAY. TOPICS ARE SIMPLE AND
ARE DESCRIBED WITH JUST A
WORD OR A PHRASE.  
 What is a topic sentence?
 A topic sentence is a sentence that introduces a paragraph by
stating the paragraph’s main idea clearly in the first sentence
 A good topic sentence is specific and well focused, guiding
the entire paragraph.
 Has new information and is not a fact that everyone already
knows to be true
 .
 MAIN TOPIC: Gardening 
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCES: Gardening produces better
organic food.
Gardening is good exercise. 
 Topic Sentence
 Most important sentence of the paragraph
 The first sentence (typically)
 It has 2 parts :
1.WHAT the paragraph is about (Topic)
2.WHY you are writing about it (Controlling idea)
 Example: Training for a marathon involves a lot of discipline.
 WHAT IS A
CONTROLLING IDEA ?

 The part of the topic sentence that announces the specific area to
be discussed
 It guides the ideas that provide support for the paragraph and limits
the scope of the paragraph
 It is focused and clear and gives exact purpose to readers
 It tells the reader what the topic of the paragraph is (the purpose to
describe or share or compare or steps)
 For example: Running provides many healthful benefits.
 Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.
 1. Running is good

Which Is 2. In 2017,one fitness association estimated

The Best that there are 47 million runners and joggers
Topic in the united states.
Sentence?
3. There are many health benefits to being a
runner.
What Are Supporting Sentences?
Supporting sentences explain or prove the topic sentence

develop the topic sentence by giving more details

Supporting sentences are details or examples, or a combination of both, which reinforce, explain, or
discuss the writer's perspective on the topic.

There are usually 2 - 4 supporting sentences in a paragraph

They should NOT begin a new topic or introduce a new idea.

 What Is A Concluding Sentence?
 It signals the end of the paragraph
 It summarizes or reiterates the topic sentence in different words
 It should not include any information that was not discussed in the
paragraph.
 Concluding sentences can start out with phrases such as ‘In brief,'
'Thus,’ ‘Finally’, ‘Indeed’ and 'For this reason. '