Paragraph Writing

Check this information on paragraph writing

• A paragraph is a composition unit that develops one single idea. 
• It starts with indentation and ends in a final period. 
• The first sentence is usually a topic sentence, which tells what the paragraph is about and what details will support the topic. It is a sentence, NOT a title.
• The supporting details are the other sentences that support the main idea.
• It may include a conclusion sentence. 

The Outline

The outline is a scheme that helps you organize your paragraph ideas.

It follows the following order: Roman numbers ( I, II, III), capital letter (A, B, C), cardinal number (1, 2, 3), small letters (a, b, c)

Example:

I. Topic Sentence: A characteristic of Switzerland is the variety of languages.

II. Supporting Details:

          A. French

          B. Italian

          C. German

          D. Romanche

III. Conclusion

From Outline to Paragraph

• First, you transfer the topic sentence from the outline to the paragraph. 
• Write as many sentences as necessary to support your topic sentence. Make sure all the sentences are relevant to the idea of the paragraph. 
• Write a conclusion.

A characteristic of Switzerland is the variety of languages. The west part of the country speaks French. To the south of the country, Italian is spoken, especially in Tessin and Grissons. Grisson is a city in the southeast of Switzerland. In the central area of the country, most of the people speak German. Only 1% of the Swiss population speak Romanche, which is a combination of German, Italian, and Latin. The variety of languages makes Switzerland a multicultural country. 

Irrelevant Sentences

You have to be careful to avoid including information that does not directly support the topic sentence. For example, in the paragraph above, there is an irrelevant sentence. The topic is the variety of languages in Switzerland, so the sentence: Grisson is a city in the southeast of Switzerland. is irrelevant. The paragraph is not about Grisson.