Understanding Paragraphs

What is a paragraph? What is a topic? What is a main idea?

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences. Every sentence is about the same topic.

A paragraph is a collection

of related sentences dealing

with a single topic.

Exercise 1: Is this a good paragraph?1. It’s easy to make a good cup of tea. The first people to grow coffee beans lived in the Middle East. Most of the oranges for juice grow in Florida. California is another place for growing oranges. That is how people in other parts of the world learned about rice. Cover the pot and wait a few minutes.

Q: Is this a good paragraph? What is it about?

2. In the United States, sports stars make a lot of money. It’s not unusual for a basketball player to get $6 million a year. Some baseball players are also paid millions of dollars. These sports stars also get extra money from sporting equipment companies. For example, manufacturers pay sports stars to wear the shoes they make.

Q: Is this a good paragraph? What is it about? Sports stars in the United States make a lot of money.

Remember, in a good paragraph, every sentence is about the same topic.

What is a topic?

A good reader always ask, “What is this paragraph about? What is the topic?”

The best topic is one that not too specific and not too general.

Exercise 2:Choosing the Best Topic 1. The animals in the Everglades have to move with the seasons. During the dry season, from November to April, most of the river is dry. Snakes, fish, frogs, and other water animals move to the deeper pools of water. Alligators stay near the pools to eat fish. Some birds make their nests nearby so they can also eat the fish in the pools. Then, in May, the spring rains begin. The animals start moving to other parts of the Everglades. They know there will be more water and food everywhere.

a. Animals in the Everglades too general

b. The dry season in the Everglades

too specific

c. Why Everglades animals move

the best

2. Large forests are important to us in many ways. They give us wood for building and heating. They are a home for many kinds of plants and animals. For many city people, forests are a place to go for a vacation. There they can learn about nature, breathe fresh air, and sleep in a quiet place. There is one more reason why forests are important for everyone. The leaves on trees help clean the air. Dirty air is a serious problem in many parts of the world. Without our forests, this problem might be even worse.

a. The importance of forests the best

b. Taking vacation in forests

too specific

c. Large forests around the world

too general

Thinking of the TopicThe earth is getting warmer. This is so

called global warming. Scientists have done research on the temperature of places around the world. They say that the earth’s temperature

is higher now than it was years ago. As a result, the climate is changing in many countries. There are more storms, and the storms are stronger. The summers are hotter in some places, and the winters are colder.

Topic: Changes in the earth’s temperature

This exercise is a bit different. In each paragraph, one sentence does not correspond with the others.

Travel by TrainThere are several reasons why people travel

by train. Some people use the train to go to work every day. It’s faster and easier than driving a car. Some cars now have a special map to help you. Tourists often travel by train when they go on vacation. In European countries, for example, the train is a good way to visit different cities. Some people take train just because they love trains. Their hobby is traveling on the railroads of the world.

Topic: reasons why people travel by train

What is a topic sentence? A topic sentence is a sentence that

indicates in a general way what idea or

thesis the paragraph is going to deal with.

It comes at the beginning of the paragraph-

Beginning a paragraph with a topic sentence is

one of the best ways to achieve clarity and unity in

one's writing.

Clear

Specific

Well focused-

An effective topic sentence typically contains only one main idea.

Examples

1.“Many television cartoons contain

violence.”Topic: violence in television cartoons Predict: (1) how much violence

cartoons typically contain

(2) how/why this violence is

unhealthy for viewers

2. “An increasing number of people in

America are enjoying the benefits of

organically grown fruits and vegetables.” Topic: the trend in the United States toward

eating organic foods Predict: the specific benefits of organic foods

What is a main idea?The main idea of a paragraph is usually

stated in one sentence. It tells the writer’s idea about the topic. The main idea sentence is important. There can be many paragraphs about the same topic, but they don’t all have the same main idea.

The three sentences below are three different main ideas about the topic, elephants. Can you think of another one?

1.Elephants live in Africa and Asia.

2.Elephants are killed for their ivory tusks.

3.Elephants can cause serious problems for farmers.

Choosing the Best Main IdeaClothes can tell you a lot about a person.

Some people like very colorful clothes. They want everyone to look at them. They want to be the center of things. Other people like to wear nice clothes, but their clothes are plain, not colorful or fancy. They don’t like people to look at them. There are also some people who wear the same thing all the time. They don’t care if anyone looks at them or not. They don’t care what anyone thinks about them.

a. Some people wear colorful clothes.

b. Clothes can tell you a lot about a person.

c. Some clothes are nice, but very plain.

In some countries, jobs are hard to find. Many people can’t find work, and they are very poor. But in other countries, especially in the United States, Canada, and Europe, there are more jobs. So the poor people move to these countries to look for work. They may leave their homes and families only for a few months or years. That’s what some people from Romania and Ukraine do in Italy and Germany, for example. But many other people never return home. They decide to stay in their new country, and they become immigrants. That’s what happens in the United States for many workers from Mexico and Central America.

a. Jobs are hard to find.

b. Many people look for work in foreign countries.

c. Some foreign workers never return home.

Writing the Main Idea Sentence

The main idea can be written in several ways. Remember, the main idea must be a complete sentence. It must tell both the topic and the author’s idea about the topic.

Classified Ads in the NewspaperNot all newspaper ads are for selling

things. Some ads are about people. The “Help Wanted” ads give information about jobs. All kinds of jobs are found in this part of the newspaper. There are ads for secretaries and electricians, doctors and professors. Another kind of ad about people is the “personal” ad. These ads are not about work. They are written by people who are looking for friends. Sometimes these people are even looking for husbands and wives. Newspaper ads are a good way to get people together.

Use examples

and illustrations Cite data (facts,

statistics, evidence,

details) Examine testimony (what other people say

such

as quotes and paraphrases) Use an anecdote or story Define terms in the paragraph

Paragraph Development

www.emporia.edu/writinglab/paragraphs.html