The Paragraph Writing

A paragraph is a unit of thought made up of a set of related sentences. All sentences of the paragraph work together to develop a single, central idea. The paragraph contains three parts. A topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. Sentences in the body of the paragraph support the main idea with specific details. The conclusion summarizes the ideas in the paragraph. All the part of the paragraph work together.

n First, a paragraph has a main idea that is expressed in a TOPIC SENTENCE.

n Second, the paragraph has main SUPPORTING IDEAS, all of which relate to the topic sentence. To support the topic sentence, ‘Owning a car is very expensive’, the writer chose the following main supporting ideas: 1. We need money to buy a car. 2. We have to pay for a sticker and a license plate. 3. we must have accident insurance and pay property tax. 4. we must pay for gas and repairs.

n Third, the ideas in the paragraph must be presented in a logical order or in the order of time.

n LOGICAL ORDER is especially important showing a process. To show the logical order, logical indicators are often used.

n A paragraph is a group of related sentences that support the writer’s central idea.

Study this sample to understand the process of paragraph writing.

Owning a car is very expensive, in fact, not only is buying a car expensive initially, but we must also spend a lot of money on it once we have bought it. First, we have to have the cash to buy the car, or at least to make a down payment. If it is a new car, this can be a large amount. Then, after we buy it we have to pay a tax to get a county sticker and license plate. Next, we have to pay a small sum to get an inspection sticker. In addition, we have to get accident insurance and, in some areas, also pay an annual personal property tax. Later, in addition to gas, we will have to pay for repairs for our car and for the yearly inspections. Those things will all cost us a lot of money. It is easy to see why it is expensive to own a car.