Unit 2 - Chapter 3: Learn about the Process of Writing Paragraphs

body

(of a paragraph) the middle of a paragraph; it provides information that supports or expands on the topic sentence

Checklist: The Process of Writing Basic Paragraphs

1. Narrow the topic to fit your audience and purpose. 2. Write a topic sentence that has a clear controlling idea and is a complete sentence. If you have trouble, freewrite or brainstorm first; then narrow the topic and write the topic sentence. 3. Freewrite or brainstorm, generating facts, details, and examples to develop your topic sentence. 4. Select and drop ideas for the body of the paragraph. 5. Arrange ideas in a plan or an outline, deciding which ideas will come first, which will come second, and so forth. 6. Write the best first draft you can. 7. Conclude. Don't just leave the paragraph hanging. 8. Revise as necessary, checking your paragraph for support and unity. 9. Proofread for grammar and spelling errors.

Arranging Ideas in a Plan or an Outline

After you have selected the ideas you wish to include in your paragraph, you can begin to make a plan or an outline. A plan briefly lists and arranges the ideas you wish to present in your paragraph. An outline does the same thing a bit more formally, but in an outline, letters or numbers indicate the main groupings of ideas.

paragraph

Although there is no definite length for a paragraph, it is often from 5 to 12 sentences long. A paragraph usually occurs with other paragraphs in a longer piece of writing—an essay, an article, or a letter, for example.

Topic and controlling idea

As a rule, the more specific and limited your topic and controlling idea, the better the paragraph; in other words, your topic sentence should not be so broad that it cannot be developed in one paragraph.

Revising for Support

As you revise, make sure your paragraph contains excellent support—that is, specific facts, details, and examples that fully explain your topic sentence. supports the topic sentence with specific details and examples

Peer Feedback

Ask this person to give you an honest response, not to rewrite your work.

Makings of a Paragraph

Clearly indent the first word of every paragraph about 1 inch (five spaces on the computer). Extend every line of a paragraph as close to the right-hand margin as possible. However, if the last word of the paragraph comes before the end of the line, leave the rest of the line blank.

creating a plan

First, group together ideas that have something in common, that are related or alike in some way. Then order your ideas by choosing which one you want to present first, which one second, and so on. Once you have finished arranging ideas, you should have a clear plan from which to write your paragraph.

key word(s)

If you are not sure which ideas to select or drop, underline the key word(s) of the topic sentence, the ones that indicate the real point of your paragraph. Then make sure that the ideas you select are related to those key words.

Questions to ask when revising

Is my topic sentence clear? Can a reader understand and follow my ideas? Does the paragraph follow a logical order and guide the reader from point to point? Will the paragraph keep the reader interested?

Revising for Unity

It is sometimes easy, in the process of writing, to drift away from the topic under discussion. Guard against doing so by checking your paragraph for unity; that is, make sure the topic sentence, every sentence in the body, and the concluding sentence all relate to one main idea.

Narrowing topic

Many writers find it useful at this point—on paper or on the computer—to brainstorm, freewrite, or ask themselves questions: "What problem have I recently dealt with? Why did it bother me? Does it affect others? Why is this issue important to other people?"

Process to making paragraph

Narrowing the topic Writing the topic sentence Generating ideas for the body Selecting and dropping ideas Arranging ideas in a plan or an outline

Revising the Paragraph

Once you have included all the ideas from your plan, think about adding a concluding sentence that summarizes your main point or adds a final idea. If possible, once you have finished the first draft, set the paper aside for several hours or several days.

Revising

Revising means rethinking and rewriting your first draft and then making whatever changes, additions, or corrections are necessary to improve the paragraph. You may cross out and rewrite words or entire sentences. You may add, drop, or rearrange details. As you revise, keep the reader in mind

Narrowing topic

The challenge is to pick a subject you would like to write about, something that interests you and also would probably interest your readers. Thinking about your audience and purpose may help you narrow the topic. focus on one issue per paragraph

Writing the First Draft

The first draft should contain all the ideas you have decided to use in the order you have chosen in your plan. Be sure to start with your topic sentence. Avoid getting stuck on any one word, sentence, or idea. If you are unsure about something, put a check in the margin and come back to it later. Writing on every other line or double-spacing if you write on the computer will leave room for later corrections.

Writing the topic sentence

The next important step is to state your topic clearly in sentence form. Writing the topic sentence helps you further narrow your topic by forcing you to make a statement about it. Writing a good topic sentence is an important step toward an effective paragraph because the topic sentence controls the direction and scope of the body. A topic sentence should have a clear controlling idea and should be a complete sentence.

complete sentence

The topic sentence also must be a complete sentence. It must contain a subject and a verb, and express a complete thought.

Topic Sentence

The topic sentence is more general than the other sentences in the paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph provide specific information relating to the topic sentence. Because the topic sentence tells what the entire paragraph is about, it is usually the first sentence, as in the example.

Writing the Final Draft

When you are satisfied with your revisions, recopy your paper or print a fresh copy. If you are writing in class, the second draft will usually be the last one. Be sure to include all your corrections, writing neatly and legibly. Note that the final sentence provides a brief conclusion, so that the paragraph feels finished.

Proofreading

Whether you write by hand or on the computer, be sure to proofread your final draft carefully for grammar and spelling errors. Pointing to each word as you read it will help you catch errors or words you might have left out, especially small words like to, the, or a. Make neat corrections in pen or print a corrected copy of your paper.

paragraph

a group of related sentences that develops one main idea

topic sentence

a sentence in a given paragraph that states the main idea of that paragraph it is a good idea to write paragraphs that begin with the topic sentence

unity

a state in which all the sentences in a given paragraph relate to one main idea

plan

an ordered list of ideas that you will present in a given paragraph or larger work

outline

an organized grouping of ideas (usually using letters or numbers to designate groupings) that you will present in a paragraph or larger work

Generating Ideas for the Body

brainstorming—freely jotting on paper or the computer anything that relates to your topic sentence: facts, details, examples, little stories.

don't have repeated ideas

especially the topic sentence. Even if they are in different words, repeated ideas only make the reader suspect that your paragraph is padded and that you do not have enough facts and details to support your main idea properly.

Selecting and Dropping Ideas

read over what you have written, selecting those ideas that relate to and support the topic sentence and dropping those that do not. That is, keep the facts, examples, or little stories that provide specific information about your topic sentence. Drop ideas that just repeat the topic sentence but that add nothing new to the paragraph.

controlling idea

states the writer's point of view or attitude about the topic helps you focus on just one aspect or point lets the reader know what the paragraph will be about

main idea

the central thought or point of a paragraph or larger work

key words

the word or words that indicate the real point of a paragraph in a topic sentence

proofread

to check a piece of writing for grammar and spelling errors

indent

to start a line of text (often the first sentence in a paragraph) a given amount of spaces further from the margin than the main part of the text