WHAT IS PARAGRAPH ? HOW TO WRITE PARAGRAPH
A Paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic paragraph is a unit of thoughts with one idea developed adequately.
A paragraph should contain each of the following :
Unity, Coherence, A topic sentence and Adequate Development. All of these traits overlap so using and adapting them to our specific purpose will help us to construct effective paragraphs.
(1) Unity : The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus . If it begins with one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another or wander within different ideas.
(2) Coherence : Coherence is the trait that makes the paragraph easy understandable to a reader Coherence can be created or maintained in your paragraphs by carrying over the same idea from sentence to sentence. These sentences are related to the main idea and give more information about the main idea. These sentences are related to the main idea and give more information about the main idea. These sentences include, facts, details, reasons, explanations, examples, including illustrations.
(3) A topic sentence : ( Main idea sentence ) A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or theme the paragraphs is going to deal with. Although not all paragraphs have clear-cut topic or main idea sentences, and despite the fact that topic sentences can occur anywhere in the paragraph (as the first sentence, the last sentence, the last sentence, or somewhere in the middle), an easy way to make sure your reader understands the topic of the paragraph is to put your topic sentences near the beginning of the paragraph.
A main idea sentence ( Topic sentence ) answer the following questions :
What is the paragraph about ?
What is the main point I want to make ?
What do I want to say ?
(4) Adequate development :The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence ) should be discussed fully and adequately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, but it solely depends on the purpose of writing and demand of the examination.
SOME POINTS TO MAKE SURE YOUR PARAGRAPH IS WELL DEVELOPED :
1. Use examples and illustrations
2. Cite data ( facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others )
3. Examine testimony (what other people say such as quotes and paraphrases)
4. Use an anecdote or story
5. Compare and contrast
6. Examine effects and consequences
7. Describe the topic
8. Offer a chronology of an event (time segments) if need be.
9. Define terms in the paraphrases
10. Evaluate causes and reasons
11. Analyses the topic