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Refining Composition Skills
Rhetoric and Grammar
C2: Introduction to the Paragraph
The topic of a Paragraph
• A paragraph is a group of sentences
• The first sentence of this group is
indented
• It develops a topic: what the paragraph is
about
• If the topic is too general to be developed
in one paragraph, you need to restrict it:
narrow it down to a more specific one
The topic Sentence
• It is the sentence which usually introduces
the topic of the paragraph
• It should be near the beginning of the
paragraph
• It also serves to state an idea or an
attitude about the topic: the controlling
idea
• The controlling idea says what sentences
in the paragraph will discuss
• All the sentences in the paragraph should
relate and develop the controlling idea
• The controlling idea should be clear and
focused on a particular aspect
• Sometimes the topic or the controlling
idea are clearly suggested in the
development of the paragraph
• It is a good idea to state topic sentences
clearly to help control the development of
the paragraph
• Each sentence within a paragraph should
relate to the topic and develop the
controlling idea.
• If any sentence does not relate to or
develop that are, it is irrelevant and
should be omitted from the paragraph
• A paragraph that has sentences that do
not relate to or discuss the controlling
idea lacks unity
Coherence
• A coherent paragraph contains sentences
that are logically arranged and flow
smoothly
• Smooth flow refers to how well one idea
leads into another
• If the sentences are not logically arranged,
the paragraph is incoherent
• A paragraph can be incoherent even when
the principle for ordering the ideas is
logical
C3: The narrative paragraph
Narration
• A narration tells a story or describe a
sequence of events
• You should arrange your ideas according
to the time in which they occurred
• To explain a process, you should begin by
explaining what to do first and finish by
explaining what to do last
• Narration and process description are the
two types of writing that require
chronological development
• It is important in narrative writing to
show the reader the time relationship
between sentences and ideas
• If any of the sentences could be switched
around without any significant change in
meaning, the paragraph is incoherent
• In past narration, you should first sum up
the significance of the moment in one
sentence
• Secondly you should arrange the sentences
logically and include only the sentences
related to the topic
C4: The descriptive paragraph
Description of a place
• It is not necessary to begin with one area
and then proceed to another area
• The description must be organized so that
the reader can vividly imagine the scene
• The arrangements of the details in a
descriptive paragraph depends on the
subject
• The selection and the description of details
depend on the describer’s purpose
Description of a person
• Depending on the subject or assignment,
you could describe the person’s personal
appearance, behaviour, or both
• You can tell about the person’s style of
clothing, manner of walking, colour and
style of hair, facial appearance
• You can also describe the person’s way of
talking
C5: The expository paragraph
• The organization and content of a
paragraph are determined by the topic
and the controlling idea of that
paragraph
• A topic sentence must be supported with
details organized chronologically in a
narrative paragraph and spatially in a
descriptive paragraph
• The topic sentence does not suggest that
you tell a story or describe a scene or a
person
• If you want to give examples, it is not
sufficient just to name it, often you have
to explain it to show how it relates to and
supports the generalization
• It is necessary to add an explanation of
the example
• A paragraph that explains or analyzes a
topic is an expository paragraph
• The controlling idea is the word or phrase
in the topic sentence that states an idea or
an attitude about the topic
• This idea is frequently referred to as a
generalization: a statement that applies in
most cases to a group of things
• Specific descriptive details help to support
the controlling idea in a description