ae se Writing a Paragraph Paragraph Structure [MODEL | Gold Fa Paragraph Structure The Three Parts A paragraph has three major structural parts: ‘The following model contains all the elements of a good paragraph. Read it carefully two or three times, and try to analyze its structure. Gold, a precious metal is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a lustrous" beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For exainple, a Macedonian? coin remains as 5 untarnished* today as the day it was minted® twenty-three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection outside spaceships. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its 10 beauty but also for its utility. topic sentence, supporting sentences, of a Paragraph — andaconcluding sentence. The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. It not only names the topic of the paragraph, but it also limits the topic to one or two areas that can be dis- cussed completely in the space of a single paragraph. The specific area is called the controlling idea. Notice how the topic sentence of the model states both the topic and the controlling idea: Tore CONTROLLING IDEA, Gold, precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics ‘Supporting sentences develop the topic sentence. That is, they explain the topic sentence by giving reasons, examples, facts, statistics, and quotations. Some of the supporting sentences that explain the topic sentence about gold are First of all,gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. For example, Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was mint ced twenty-three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. ‘The most recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. ‘fustrous: glowing $ untarnished: unchanged in color 2 corrosion: chemical damage 5 minted: made, manufactured ® Macedonian: from an ancient Mediterranean culture The concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph and leaves the reader with important points to remember: In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.Unity and Coberence ‘Consul Appendix 8, Chae of Tanskon Sigal pages 255-257, for a compreher- Ne is ofthese signal In addition to the three structural parts of a paragraph, a good paragraph also has the elements of unity and coherence. Unity means that you discuss only one main idea in a paragraph. The main idea is stated in the topic sentence, and then each and every supporting sentence develops that idea, If, for example, you announce in your topic sentence that you are going to discuss two important characteristics of gold, discuss only those. Do not discuss any other ideas, such as the price of gold or gold mining. Coherence means that your paragraph is easy to read and understand because (1) your supporting sentences are in some kind of logical order and (2) your ideas are ‘connected by the use of appropriate transition signals. For example, in the paragraph about gold, there are two supporting ideas: Gold is beautiful, and gold is useful. Each of these supporting ideas is discussed, one after the other, and an example is given for cach one. This is one kind of logical order. Furthermore, the relationship between the ideas is clearly shown by using appropriate transition words and phrases such as first ofall, for example, another important characteristic, and in conclusion. In summary, a well-written paragraph contains five elements: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, a concluding sentence, unity, and coherence. In Part [of this book, you will study and practice each of these elements. The Topic Sentence Me Ne ae Position of Topic Sentences Every good paragraph has a topic sentence, which clearly states the topic and the con- trolling idea of the paragraph. It is a complete sentence. It is usually (but not always) the first sentence in the paragraph. A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It briefly indi- cates what the paragraph is going to discuss. For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful guide to both the writer and the reader. The writer can see what information to include (and what information to exclude). The reader can see what the paragraph is going to be about and is, therefore, better prepared to understand it. ‘There are three important points to remember about a topic sentence. 1. Atopic sentence is a complete sentence; that is, t contains a subject, a verb, and (usually) a complement, The following are not complete sentences: Driving on freeways. The importance of gold How to register for college casses. 2. A topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea. It names the topic and then limits the topic to a specific area to be discussed in the space of a single paragraph. The following examples show how a topic sentence states both the topic and the controlling idea in a complete sentence: Driving on freeways requires skill and alereness. Gold, precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics Registering for college dasses can be a frustrating experience for new students. 3. Atopic sentence is the most general statement in the paragraph because it gives only the main idea. It does not give any specific details. ‘The following is an example of a general statement that could serve as a topic sentence: The Arabic origin of many English words is not always obvious. The following sentence, on the other hand, is too specific: ‘The slang expression 50 long (meaning ‘goodbye") is probably a corruption of the Arabic soloam. Sentences such as the following may be too general: English isa dificult language to learn The topic sentence may be the first or last sentence in a paragraph. The topic sen- tence may also be the first and last sentence of the paragraph— “sandwich-style.” A sandwich-style paragraph is especially helpful to your reader if the paragraph is very long. The second topic sentence in the sandwich-style paragraph also serves as a con cluding sentence, Study the following three paragraphs. Notice the different positions for the sentence in each. The topic sentences are underlined.Sentences These violent storms are often a hundred can reach velocities' of seventy-five miles per hour or more. Furthermore, the | strong winds and heavy rainfall that accompany them can completely destroy a 5 small town in a couple of hours. The energy that is released by a hurricane in one day exceeds the total energy consumed by humankind throughout the world in one year. Medical Miracles to Come By the year 2009, a vaccine* against the common cold will have been developed. By the same year, the first hurman will have been successfully cloned? By the year 2014, parents will be able to create designer children, Genetic therapy will be able to manipulate genes for abilities, intelligence, and 5 hair, eye, and skin color. By 2020, most diseases will be able to be diagnosed and treated at home, and by 2030, cancer and heart disease will have been wiped out. These are just a few examples of medical miracles that are ‘expected in the next few decades, ‘Synonyms Synonyms, wo shi che same emotional meaning. For example, the words stingy and frugal both ‘mean “careful with money.” However, to call a person stingy is an insult, while the word frugal has a much more positive connetation. Similarly,a person 5 wants to be slender but not skinny, and aggressive but not pushy. Therefore, n Lin choosing words because many so-called * velocities: speeds 2 vaccine: substance that prevents a specific disease such as smallpox or polio ® cloned: made an exact copy of * connotation: positive or negative meaning The Two Paris _ Atopic sentence has two essential parts: the topic and the controlling idea. The topic of a Topic names the subject, or main idea, of the paragraph. The controlling idea makes a spe- Sentence cific comment about the topic, which indicates what the rest of the paragraph will say about the topic. It limits or controls the topic to a specific aspect of the topic to be dis- cussed in the space of a single paragraph. ‘ToPIC CONTROLLING IDEA are easy to prepare. In this example, the topic is named: convenience foods. A specific comment is then made about the topic: They are easy to prepare. From this sentence, the reader immediately knows that the supporting sentences in the remainder of the paragraph. will explain or prove how quick and easy it is to prepare convenience foods and per- haps give some examples (frozen dinners, canned soups, etc.) CONTROLLING IDEA orc ‘The native foods of America’s immigrant population are reflected in(American cooking) In this example, the topic is American food. The controlling idea of this topic sen- tence is that Americans eat many foods from other countries. Therefore, the reader should expect the paragraph to give examples of popular ethnic foods such as fried rice (Chinese), tacos (Mexican), sauerbraten (German), sukiyaki (Japanese), spaghet- ti (Italian), and so on.(NITES entfying the Pars of a Topic Sentence a Writing Topic Sentences ‘Tome CONTROLLING 1DEA (The average American teenaged consumes enormous quantiles of junk food In this example, the topic is the average American teenager. The controlling idea about the topic states that the American teenager eats junk food. Thus, the rest of the paragraph should discuss the quantities and types of junk food that American ‘teenagers eat (soft drinks, potato chips, candy bars, etc), 2 magma: melted rock inside the earth 8 plate: rigid section of rock “collide: clash Circle the topic and underline the controlling idea in each of the following sentences. Example (Giving on freeway requires ski and alertness. 1, Driving on freeways requires nerves of steel.' 8. Driving on freeways requires an aggressive attitude, 5. The Caribbean island of Trinidad attracts tourists because ofits calypso music. 4. Spectacular beaches make Puerto Rico a tourist paradise, . Living in en American college dormitory oan be a stressful experience for nevly arrived international students. 6. Many religious rules developed from the health needs of ancient times 17. The spread of AIDS can be slowed by educating the public. 8. A major problem for international students is taking essay examinations. 9. Participating in class discussions in English 1s a problem for international students. 10, In my opinion, many television commercials for cosmetics le to women. 11, Owning an automoblle is a necessity for me. 12, 1 is an expensive luxury to ovin an automobile in a large oy ‘When you write a sentence, remember these two points: 1. Atopic sentence should be neither too general nor too specific. Ifit is too general, the reader cannot tell exactly what the paragraph is going to discuss. If itis too specific, the writer may not have anything left to write about in the rest, of the paragraph, Think ofa topic sentence as being like the name of a particular course on a restaurant menu. When you order food in a restaurant, you want to know more about a particular course than just “meat” or “soup” or “salad.” You want to know generally what kind of salad itis. Potato salad? Mixed green salad? Fruit salad? However, you do not necessarily want to know all ofits ingredients. Similarly, the reader of a paragraph wants to know generally what to expect in a paragraph, but he/she does not want to learn all of the specific details n the first sentence. ‘Too general: American food is terrible. ‘Too specific: American food is tasteless and greasy because Americans use too ‘many eanned, frozen, and prepackaged foods and because everything is fried in oll or butter. Good: ‘American food is tasteless and greasy. 2. Do not include too many unrelated ideas in your topic sentence; if you do, your patagraph will not be unified. ‘Too many ideas: San Francisco's famous for its temperate climate its many tourist attractions, and its cosmopolitan® atmosphere. ‘The three parts of this controlling idea are too unrelated for a single paragraph. They would require three separate paragraphs. Good: San Francisco is famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, " nerves of steel: very strong nerves (idiom) _* cosmopolitan: international