how to write a good paragraph

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This page was created for all students who find themselves at a loss for words when they

are asked to write a sentence or aparagraph!

How to write an OrangeLet's start with sentences!

Do you go absolutely Bonkers when you are asked to write a sentence?

Does your pencil seem to grow and grow until it weighs a ton?

Are you barely able to think?

For relief from this common ailment...use the following tips!

Get your supplies in order:

A sharpened pencil

A decent eraser

A clean, unwrinkled, unbesmirched piece of paper

Whatever you do - Don't use spiral bound paper that has been ripped out of the notebook, that is just plain nasty!

Bring your brain!Getting the supplies in order is easy but, where do you go

now?For starters.......Think ORANGE

Using "short" words, list three things you already know about an orange.

Your list might look like this:

tastes good

bumpy skin

must peel to eat

Now S T R E T C H those words to make three sentences

A cold orange tastes good on a hot summer day.

An orange has a bumpy skin that smells good.

You must peel an orange to eat it.

Don't forget to use a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence and a punctuation mark at the end!

Let's review the Orange Method for Sentence Writing!

*Begin by listing what you know -- use short words

*S T R E T C H your short words into good sentences

*Use a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence and use a proper punctuation to end the sentence.

Try it out on these samples

write three sentences about a person you know.

write three sentences about your school.

write three sentences about your desk.

Now Let's use what we have learned about the Orange Method for Sentence Writing to help us write a

whole paragraph about apples!

How to write an Apple(paragraph)

Do you ever feel like you are going to explode

when the teacher asks you to write a paragraph. Do you feel your heart pounding or your face getting red if your

teacher tells you to write a GOOD paragraph?

Don't despair...here is a way to do it painlessly and with excellent results.

To begin......consider the apple

Using "short" words list at least five things you already know about the apple.

Your list might look like this:

Apples

eat them

different colors

grow on trees

great in a pie

some have worms

Now S T R E T C H the words on your list into at least five sentences.

You can eat an apple.Apples come in different colors.

Apples grow on trees.I ate an apple pie once.

Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.

Now let's put the sentences in a paragraph!First, think about which sentence you want to

come first, second, third etc...How about this order?

Apples come in different colors.

Apples grow on trees.

You can eat an apple.

I ate an apple pie.

Sometimes an apple has a worm.in it.

Ok, let's try it out! Let's connect the sentences into a paragraph with indention, capital letters at the beginning of each sentence and a punctuation mark at the end of each sentence.

..............Apples come in different colors. Apples grow on trees. You can eat an apple. I ate an apple pie. Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.

Well, our sentences are in a paragraph form. We have indented and remembered to use punctuation, but it isn't

a good paragraph yet.

Consider what you remember about paragraphs!

Paragraphs have three parts: like a present

The box is like a topic sentence. The topic sentence "holds" the detail sentences

The detail sentences tell the reader information about the topic. Our topic is "apples" so each detail sentence should

tell the reader more information about apples.

1.Detail sentence2.Detail Sentence3.Detail Sentence

Add more detail sentences as needed

I don't think we have a topic sentence yet, do you? "Apples come in different colors." seems more like a detail sentence

to me. A topic sentence should introduce the entire paragraph to the reader.

1. Apples come in different colors.2. Apples grow on trees.3. You can eat an apple.4. I ate an apple pie.5. Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.

How about this:

Let me tell you what I know about apples.

That seems like a better topic sentence, doesn't it?

Topic Sentence Let me tell you what I know about apples.Detail Sentence Apples come in different colors.Detail Sentence Apples grow on trees.Detail Sentence You can eat an apple.Detail Sentence I ate an apple pie.Detail Sentence Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.

Conclusion or Closing Sentence

I noticed that two of the detail sentences start with the same word. I think we can change them into something more interesting by combining the two simple sentences into one compound sentence using the conjunction "and" like this:

Topic Sentence Let me tell you what I know about apples.Detail Sentence Apples come in different colors.Detail Sentence Apples grow on trees.Detail Sentence You can eat an apple.Detail Sentence I ate an apple pie.Detail Sentence Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.Conclusion or Closing Sentence

Apples come in different colors and they grow on trees.

Topic Sentence Let me tell you what I know about apples.

Detail SentenceApples come in different colors and they grow on trees.

Detail Sentence You can eat an apple.

Detail Sentence I ate an apple pie. Detail Sentence Sometimes an apple has a worm in it. Conclusion or Closing Sentence

Now look at detail sentences #2 and #3. Did you notice that the verb "eat" is used in a present tense (eat) in #2 sentence and past tense "ate" in #3?

As a good paragraph writer you have to be careful to make sure that you always have "verb agreement" throughout your paragraph. In other words, you have to make sure that everything in the paragraph takes place in the same time zone: past, present or future. I think we will choose to make our paragraph in the present tense, so that means we have to make a small change to detail sentence #3.



Detail Sentence You can eat an apple. Detail Sentence I ate an apple pie. Detail Sentence Sometimes an apple has a worm in it. Conclusion or Closing Sentence

I ate an apple pie + present tense = I like to eat apple pie.



Detail Sentence You can eat an apple. Detail Sentence I like to eat apple pie. Detail Sentence Sometimes an apple has a worm in it. Conclusion or Closing Sentence

I think we can combine those two small sentences into a nice complex sentence now with just a little thought.

You can eat an apple. I like to eat apple pie.You can eat an fresh apple, but I like

to eat them in apple pie.Think: What kind of apple pie?

Dutch?hot?

homemade?

These are adjectives that will make our sentence SHOW not TELL the reader what we want to say!

You can eat an fresh apple, but I like to eat them in homemade apple pie.

You can eat an fresh apple...

Wait a minute... what is wrong with that? It sounds funny.

Did you remember the article rule for "an"? An is an article (part of speech). You use "an" in front of words which begin with a vowel. Use the article "a" in front of words that begin with a consonant like "fresh".

so.....

You can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in apple pie.

Now, let's have a look at sentence #4. We need to do a little work on it too. Let's rework the verb "has" to make it an action verb instead of a being verb.



Detail Sentence You can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in

homemade apple pie.Detail Sentence Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.Conclusion or Closing Sentence

Sometimes a worm is living in the apple.Good job! The words "is living" are present tense, just like

the rest of the sentences in our paragraph!

CHECK IT OUT!Topic Sentence Let me tell you what I know about apples.


Detail SentenceYou can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in homemade apple pie.

Detail Sentence Sometimes a worm lives in the apple.Conclusion or Closing Sentence

Finally, we are ready for the Conclusion or Closing Sentence. It doesn't matter whether you call the last sentence of a paragraph a "conclusion" or "closing" sentence. They both mean the same thing. This is the end of your paragraph and you are letting the reader know it is the end.

Do you remember the "paragraph box" from above?

Paragraphs are like boxes. They have three parts: a topic sentence (which is like the box), detail sentences (which are the present inside the box), and the conclusion or closing sentence (which is like a bow that ties the whole thing together).

Our paragraph has a great "box" or topic sentence: Let me tell you what I know about apples.

Our paragraph has a great set of "presents" or detail sentences inside the box: Apples come in different colors and they grow on trees. You can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in a homemade apple pie. Sometimes a worm lives in the apple.

We need a great conclusion sentence: here is a good clue...look at the topic sentence and think about how to "tie" it to the conclusion sentence.

Let me tell you what I know about apples. (topic sentence)

These are just a few things you should know about apples. (conclusion sentence)



Detail SentenceYou can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in homemade apple pie.

Detail Sentence Sometimes a worm is living in the apple.Conclusion or Closing Sentence

These are just a few things you should know about apples.

WE DID IT!We created a paragraph with good sentences from ideas that

we thought about in our own head!The last part of writing our sentence is easy.

*Remember to indent the paragraph.

*Remember to capitalize each new sentence.

*Remember to end each sentence with the proper punctuation symbol.

..........Let me tell you what I know about apples. Apples

come in different colors and they grow on trees. You can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in homemade apple pie. Sometimes a worm is living in the apple. These are just a few things you should know about apples.

red = topic sentence it is like a box which holds the details

blue = detail sentences, they are like the present inside the box. Help the reader by SHOWING not TELLING with good adjectives.

purple = conclusion or closing sentence which is like a bow holding the details and topic sentence together. It "ties" the paragraph together!

Here are our original ideas:

eat them

different colors

grow on trees

great in a pie

some have worms

Look what we created!

.......Let me tell you what I know about apples. Apples come in different colors and they grow on trees. You can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in homemade apple pie. Sometimes a worm is living in the apple. These are just a few things you shoudd know about apples.

Remember these simple steps to help you write a good paragraph!

Decide on a topic

List things you know--use short words

Use your list of short words to create sentences

Put the sentences in order

Create a good topic sentence

See what you can do to make your detail sentences SHOW not TELL (adjectives) the reader about your topic by combining sentences into complex or compound sentences, adding interesting adjectives and creating "mind pictures" for the reader

Always make sure that spelling and especially verb agreement are in order

Write a great conclusion or closing sentence by looking at the topic sentence and tying the detail sentences up in a neat box

Don't forget to indent, capitalize beginning sentence words and always punctuate correctly

Read your paragraph and be proud!

Let's make a rebus just for the fun of it!

.......................Let me tell you what I know

about . pples come in

different and they grow on .

You can a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in homemade apple .

Sometimes a is living in the . These are just a few things you should

know about .Why don't you write a good paragraph about

these topics?Don't forget to use the skills you have

practiced!Review the skills here !

A great pet. My favorite food. A funny kid I know. The best holiday.

I would love to read your paragraph! Send it to me via email and I will read it with

pleasure and glee! Don't forget your name and school! There will be prizes for best

paragraphs!

Thank you for visiting this page!

created, maintained and jealously guarded by Susan b Anthony, TUSD 12/00

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