Guidelines.html

Guidelines for Writing Paragraphs

In writing down various types of sentences, you have probably discovered that many times, their content is focused on one major idea. Putting sentences with related ideas into a larger unit is what paragraph writing is all about.

A paragraph consists of a group of about 8 to 12 sentences that focus on one general and important concept or idea.
A paragraph has only the first line indented with all of the other sentences immediately following each other. They are not written on separate newly indented lines.
The topic sentence contains the major idea or opinion that the paragraph will support. For beginning writers, it is a good idea to place it at the very beginning of the paragraph.
The topic sentence contains three essential ingredients: a complete subject, a complete verb, and a controlling idea which expresses an opinion about the subject.

Example:

Hawaiian recipes often include a rich variety of colors and textures.

In the preceding sentence, the subject is recipes; the verb is include, and the controlling idea is a rich variety of colors and textures.

Placing the controlling idea at the end of the topic sentence makes it easy for the reader and the writer to follow.
The topic sentence should be short.
It should have no more than one main clause.
The controlling idea is the writer's contract with the reader to develop and support only that aspect in each of the main clauses that follow with specific, factual information.
Secondary information which is not directly in support of the controlling idea should be placed in dependent clauses.

Pitfalls To Sidestep

In composing your topic sentence, you need to sidestep the following pitfalls.

Avoid a Dead End Fact.

It has no controlling idea.
It provides no direction.

Example:

The lychee is a tropical fruit that is surrounded by a red woody shell that cannot be eaten.

Avoid a Future Based Statement.

There are no concrete facts to support one.
Your facts should be drawn from past or present time frames.

Example:

By the year 2,000, everyone visiting the Hawaiian islands will ask for innovative recipes that use the lychee fruit as a primary ingredient.

Avoid a Question.

No direction is give to the writer or the reader.
A question often leads to rambling, uncontrolled writing.

Example:

Wouldn't you like to sample an exotic taste treat like Tropical Chicken with Lychee Fruit?

Factual clauses often lend themselves to a logical ordering of information.

An order of time should be followed which moves the reader from the earliest date to the latest one or vice versa if there is a cluster of dates like 1987, 1964, and 1994.

An order of space should be followed from west to east or from north to south if you have a cluster of places that contains important facts.

Important Reminders

1. A paragraph consists of a group of several sentences which focus on one topic.

2. The topic sentence is the most important one as it states the main idea in the generalization or opinion which contains the controlling idea.

3. It is best to position the controlling idea at the end of the topic sentence which should contain no more than one main clause.

4. The topic sentence is usually positioned at the very beginning of the paragraph.

5. Avoid the Dead End Fact, the Future Based Statement, and the Question as topic sentences because they cannot give the writer proper direction or control.

6. The paragraph has only its first line indented.

7. Each main clause following the topic sentence should directly support the controlling idea with specific facts.

8. Secondary or less important information should be placed in dependent clauses.

9. The logical arrangement of sentences in the finished paragraph is important with regard to such aspects as time or space.

10. Your paragraph should end with a concluding statement that summarizes the content without repeating the wording that was used in the topic sentence.