The Confident WriterThe Confident WriterChapter 3:

Improving Your Paragraph Skills

Improving Your Paragraph SkillsImproving Your Paragraph Skills

A paragraph is a part, or division, or an essay that develops a main idea that is relevant to the whole essay.

Parts of a paragraph:◦Topic sentence◦Main idea

State Your Main IdeaState Your Main Idea

Main idea=what the whole paragraph is about

Main idea is often stated in a topic sentence.

Topic sentence has 2 parts:◦Topic◦Focus

Now, let’s look at exercises 1 and 2 on pp. 64 & 65.

State Your Main IdeaState Your Main Idea

Implied main ideas are not directly stated!

Now, let’s do exercise 3 on pp. 65-66 in groups.

Support Your Main IdeaSupport Your Main Idea

To support a main idea=explain or prove it with evidence

Evidence=facts, reasons, examples, etc.

Support Your Main IdeaSupport Your Main Idea

Facts=anything that can be proven right or wrong through research, direct observation, or questioning◦Statistics or numerical data◦Info gathered through the senses◦Info from books, research, or testimony◦Observation accepted as truth

Support Your Main IdeaSupport Your Main Idea

Reason=help explain why something happens or why something is the way it is◦Key words include:

Because Since The causes are The purpose is

Support Your Main IdeaSupport Your Main Idea

Example=an illustration that clarifies a general statements◦Appeal to one or more of the senses◦Create clear and vivid pictures

Organize Your IdeasOrganize Your Ideas

A fully-developed, well-organized paragraph has three qualities:◦Three levels of development◦Unity◦Coherence

Organize Your IdeasOrganize Your Ideas

Three levels of development

Organize Your IdeasOrganize Your Ideas

Write unified paragraphs.◦Unity=oneness or wholeness◦State your main idea clearly and STAY ON

TOPIC

Organize Your IdeasOrganize Your Ideas

Check your paragraphs for coherence.◦Cohere=to stick together◦Paragraphs have coherence when they are so

well organized that the evidence flows smoothly and “sticks” together.

◦Common patterns for organizing paragraphs: Time order (chronological order) Emphatic order Spatial order

Organize Your IdeasOrganize Your Ideas

When you check your paragraphs for coherence, determine the pattern used to organize the paragraph:

Time order (chronological order)◦First◦Next◦Finally

Emphatic order◦The most important◦Major/minor◦Of primary concern

Spatial order◦ In front◦Behind◦Near

Write an Effective SummaryWrite an Effective Summary

A summary=condensed version of a piece of writing or oral account that presents just the central idea and a few major supporting points.

Characteristics of an effective summary:◦ Objectivity◦ Brevity◦ Conciseness

Follow the 5 steps on pp. 82 to write an effective summary!