Paragraph Structure
Unit 1: Paragraph structure
Most well written paragraph consists of three main components: Topic Sentence, Supporting Sentences and Closing Sentence. When you write a paragraph, you should include all of these components.
A basic paragraph follows this structure:
🟈Topic Sentence
Needs to state ONE idea clearly
Useful Tip: Always put the most important information first!
🟈Supporting Sentences
Elaborates and explains the idea introduced in the topic sentence
Provides evidence and examples
Explains the evidence or example included - why is it relevant?
🟈Concluding Sentence
Makes links: back to the main idea of the paragraph; back to research question or topic of the assignment; to the next paragraph
Example 1:
The way people greet each other varies from culture to culture. For example, when American or Canadians meet someone for the first time, they shake their hands firmly while looking at each other straight in the eyes. In japan and Korea, people do not usually have physical contact; besides, eye contact in avoided as a sign of respect. In both countries, bowing is a traditional form of greeting. The more respect people want to show, the deeper they bow. However, Japanese and Korean people have also adopted the western custom of shaking hands, but with a light grip and eyes averted. In Thailand and India, the greeting is similarly made by pressing both hands together at the chest, and bowing the head slightly. This gesture is made to show respect to outsiders and elders. We can see that different countries do not have the same way of greeting, so it is necessary to be aware of the differences when we travel aboard.
(Adapted from Soars and Soars, 2003: 35 and Imai)
Example 2:
My biggest problem in the university is the lack of self-confidence. In class, I tend to feel that everyone else is sharper, has a better background and knows more that I do. I have to be called on by the instructor. To prevent having to speak up in class, I try to make myself invisible, hide behind heads, lower my eyes "to study my notes," and sink down in my chair. Very often I know the answer to the questions being asked, but I never raise my hand and never willingly open my mouth. When I am forced to speak, I feel as if there are hands around my throat squeezing the words out. When I hear my words rattling in the air, I feel disconnected from my voice and out of control. Often even when I think about speaking up, I begin to blush and my heart begins to pound. I can imagine a room full of eyes turning and staring at me with contempt and ridicule. Sometimes, I think about discussing my problem with my instructors, but I am afraid of them. Nothing can be worse than my lack of self-confidence.
(Adapted from Sullivan, 1994: 94)
Example 3:
Soon after we had adopted Susie, my tortoise-colored kitten, I noticed that as an early-morning pastime she would go into the utility room, swing open the small metal door on the gas heater, and look closely at the mechanism inside. Before long I found that during the daytime her favorite toy was not the usual ball of yarn but a small musical top that she learned to spin with admirable skill. In fact, I soon concluded that Susie had an unusual interest in mechanical things. Once I was awakened late at night by gentle tapping in the study next to my bedroom. I was not alarmed, for I realized immediately that in the darkness, a soft little paw was playing the keys of my old typewriter.
(Adapted from Vivian and Jackson, 1961: 181)
Example 4:
Do you think men are stronger than women? Men are usually better than women at lifting heavy weights, running, jumping. or doing heavy physical labor. However, the statistics indicate that women generally live longer than men; they have a better chance of resisting diseases; and they can beat men at operations requiring finger skills and the ability to work accurately under repetitious conditions. On this kind of evidence it would be reasonable to argue that women are stronger than men. Thus, to say that men are stronger than women is a weak argument since the word "stronger" has not been clearly defined.
(Adapted from McCrimmon, 1963: 79)
Example 5:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can generate a positive reputation for a company leading to possibly more sales and growth. According to Jones et al (2019), a corporation that invests in the environmental and ethical approaches of CSR will demonstrate to the public and the media that they are a responsible company. Watson (2018) provides evidence that this improves consumer sales as customers tend to support ethical green business practice thus improving profitability and encouraging growth. For example, a yogurt company packaging and reducing its CO2 output. As a result, profits have doubled within the last two years providing the company with a range of opportunities to expand (Peterson, 2019). Overall, the evidence seems to suggest that investing in CSR can improve brand image and productivity.
(From https://academic-englishuk.com/paragraphing/)
Example 6:
Koh Lipe is an interesting tourist destination. Under the water around the island, you can dive to explore hundreds of species of tropical fish, as well as variety of marine mammals, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Also the coral reefs are awe-inspiring with their magnificent colorful sea anemones. If you have not yet been certified or if you are a beginning diver, you can join expeditions offered by a number of agencies. They will transport you to many excellent dive sites and teach you hot to dive. If scuba diving sounds like too much, then you might find snorkeling more to your liking. You can still experience the vibrant underwater world that all nature lovers should see. If you ever travel "Down Under," do not miss the beautiful, protected oasis.
(Adapted from Rabel, 2006)
Example 7:
A way parents can help their children be successful in school is by encouraging them. Children usually enjoy playing games instead of studying, so parents have to take responsibility to monitor their children's activities at home, after school and to remind them to do their homework. Parents should also support their children by buying them storybooks with pictures or textbooks that help children learn to spell or read. Parents can spend time reading with children and sometimes they have to think of a creative way to promote an enjoyable learning atmosphere. Moreover, the best way to encourage children to study efficiently is to reward them when they demonstrate a positive learning habit or when they have studied well. As a child, I experienced this: My parents gave me a bicycle when I got straight A's in my 6th grade. I was very excited with that reward and so proud of myself. Such positive reinforcement has helped me develop my enthusiasm for my study from then on. Therefore, if parents really want their children to succeed in school. they need to pay attention to the latter's studies and encourage them.
(Adapted from Ruetten, 2004: 6)
Example 8:
The reason why I chose to live at home and not to live in the dormitory is that it is more private. At home, I always had my own room and I enjoyed being in it by myself. My room is my own little universe and I can do whatever I want there. For example, If I want to listen to music and dance, I can and no one is there to look at me. Moreover, being alone allows me to study in my own way. When I study, I need quiet. If someone is talking or playing the radio, it bothers me a lot. When I was living at the dormitory, my roommate often wanted to talk to me while I was studying. I found I could not study when she was there because it was so distracting.
Example 9:
An interesting area of psychological research has to do with the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. We are intrinsically motivated when we do something "for the fun of it," or for no other reason than to perform the behavior. We sing in the shower, not because we expect applause or because we are trying to earn money, but merely because we like to do it. We do crossword puzzles, paint pictures, and look at the sunset because it is intrinsically rewarding to do so. We do not expect any external reward. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, refers to situations in which we do act because we expect some external reward. We may only show up at the office because we need money. We may only go to school to please our parents. We may be exceptionally polite to a particular individual because we want something from her.
(Adapted from Smalley, Ruetten and Kozyrev, 2004:17)
Example 10:
It is quite possible that many people who live with depression could deal with it simply by being more active. When people are bothered by something, they tend to dwell on it instead of focusing on other activities. Thus, people who already suffer depression feel they have lost interest in things that used to interest them, and many feel too withdrawn to bother going out and doing something friends. However, those depressed people should take their mind off the issues that are bothering them and re-direct their attention onto other things like a sport they like to play or project they are working on. Making the effort to go out with friends can also help in pull someone out of their depression. Once, they start having some fun, what was depressing them before leave their current focus and allows them to relax and improve their mood. There are possible way for depressed people to deal with it by being more active
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In each paragraph above, the sentence that underlined is called the TOPIC SENTENCE, which gives the main idea of the paragraph. The idea in the topic sentence is more general than the ideas in the other sentences. In other words, it covers the idea in the rest of the paragraph.
In addition, we can see the various positions of the topic sentence. Usually the topic sentence is at the beginning of a paragraph as the first sentence, for example in the Example 1, 2, and 5. However, it can also be placed in other positions. In Example 3 and the topic sentence in in the middle of the paragraph and in Example 4 at the end.
In the Example 1, "The way people greet each other varies from culture to culture" as a topic sentence which gives the subject of paragraph or tells what the paragraph is generally about (as "The way of greeting". Also gives particular idea about the topic that writer focus on (as "varies from culture to culture") which would be the controlling idea is developed by the rest of the paragraph, showing examples of how people in different countries greet.
Furthermore, to write paragraph with the topic sentence at the beginning as the first sentence will help you remember your controlling idea, which gives a framework for the paragraph's development. Not only that, it will help the reader focus quickly on what you want to discuss.
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More information:
Katbandit Wongsi and Samran Mompagul. English Division, Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University.
https://helpfulprofessor.com/essay-paragraph-structure/
https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/paragraph-structure/
https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/writing-paragraphs/structure
https://academic-englishuk.com/paragraphing/
Specifying the topic
All about IELTS : Writing - Specifying the topic
Very often it is difficult to start writing a paragraph because the topic is too broad. In this case, you need to narrow it down to a SPECIFIC topic, which can be written about in one paragraph. For example, you can narrow the topic "language" in the following way:
Broad topic 🠆 Narrow topic 🠆 Narrow topic 🠆 Narrow topic 🠆 Specific topic
Example:
Language 🠆 Learning Language 🠆 Learning English 🠆 Benefit of learning English 🠆 Benefit of learning English for university students
How specific your topic is depends on the reason for your writing. You have to think of a good reason why you choose a particular topic. For example, you may select the above topic because it is something the university students should know about. Based on your experience, you believe English is beneficial for you, so you would like other students to also appreciate its importance.
Also the controlling idea is the part that controls the information in the rest of a paragraph, so it must not be too broad or vague; otherwise, it will be difficult to develop sufficient supports in one paragraph. An effective controlling idea needs to be PRECISE, which it focuses on a particular aspect of the topic.
For example, you can set the idea for the topic "Benefit of learning English for university students";
- use English for everyday life
- can understand English media
- use English as a tool to obtain information
- use English for furthering education aboard
- for taking IELTS
- will use English at work after graduation
- improve communication skills
- can speak with foreigners
Making the controlling idea precise
All about IELTS : Making the controlling idea precise
The controlling idea is the part that controls the information in the rest of a paragraph, so it must not be too broad or vague; otherwise, it will be difficult to develop sufficient supports in one paragraph. An effective controlling idea needs to be PRECISE. which it focuses on a particular aspect of the topic.
When you get an appropriate controlling idea, you can write an effective topic sentence. A topic sentence can be written in various styles, but there are two common structures that you can use to write your own topic sentence.
In the first style, you can state your topic as the subject and the controlling idea as the predicate of the sentence. (The subject tells what the sentence is about and the predicate tells what the subject does or is characterize as.)
For example:
Topic (subject) Controlling idea (predicate)
The way people greet each other varies from culture to culture.
My biggest problem at the university is the lack of self-confidence.
The development of high-speed internet can encourage impatient behavior among users.
Another way of generating a topic sentence is writing a complex sentence in which the topic is put in the main clause and the controlling idea in the subordinate clause.
For example:
Topic (subject) Controlling idea (predicate)
Violent TV programs are bad for children as it can make children aggressive
Topic: A negative effect of violent TV program on children
People keep dogs because they are loyal animals.
Topic: A reason people keep dogs
You can control your acne problem when you get enough sleep.
Topic: How to control an acne problem
So if your topic is the benefits of learning English for university students and your controlling idea is use English as a tool to obtain information, you can write the topic sentence as follow:
A benefit of learning English for university students is that they can use English as a tool to obtain information.
Or
Learning English is beneficial for university students because they can use English as a tool to obtain information.
