Concept Two: The Paragraph

The paragraph is the basic unit of composition.

Paragraphs should be properly developed with the following:

1. Topic sentence—general statement
2. Supporting sentences—specific statements.
3. Fully developed with discussion, illustrations, and examples.
4.  One topic per paragraph.

The topic sentence is a general statement that sets forth the topic of the paragraph.  The topic of the paragraph is fully developed by the supporting sentences which are specific statements which develop the paragraph by providing information and discussion about the topic of the paragraph. Generally speaking, in this class we will always set things up so that the first sentence in each paragraph is the topic sentence. Sometimes the idea contained in the topic sentence needs to be expressed in two sentences, but the point is the topic sentence (or sentences) will almost always come at the beginning of the paragraph.

Consider the following paragraph, which is broken down sentence-by-sentence:

Topic sentence:          

            This is a wonderful classroom.

Supporting sentences:

1. The lighting in this classroom is very good for reading and writing.
2. The chairs in this classroom are very expensive, and it is a real pleasure to sit on such elegant furniture.
3. The floor tiles are also very elegant.
4. Many people don’t realize that they are actually Italian marble.
5. This classroom is equipped with all the modern instructional technologies, including an overhead projector, a screen, a pencil sharpener, and an emergency telephone.
6. There are six-hundred-forty parking spaces in the college parking lot.

Uh-oh! Clearly, that last sentence doesn’t belong in this paragraph. It belongs under a different topic heading, and it needs to be in a separate paragraph, Remember, one topic per paragraph!

Let’s return to our “something-doing-something” table. Like the sentence, the paragraph follows our basic subject/predicate pattern:

Level or Scale	Something	Doing Something
Sentence	Subject	Predicate
Paragraph	Topic Topic Sentence	Points about the topic Supporting Sentences