Basics of Paragraph Writing Part 1

 Features of a good paragraph

 A good paragraph has

• a topic sentence that gives the main idea of the paragraph;
• good supporting details to explain or develop the main idea;
• a concluding sentence that brings the paragraph to its logical conclusion.

 

My childhood

                My childhood was a period of my life I want to forget. First, I lost my father in an accident when I was five. My little brother and I had to go and live with my grandparents. It was the loneliest period of my life because they were old and we were locked up in the house most of the time. When I was seven, my little brother was given away to a couple who didn’t have children. I cried for days and I never saw him again. My mother remarried when I was nine. My stepfather was a cruel man and an alcoholic. When I turned eleven, he sent me to work in a coffee shop to earn extra money to feed his drinking habit. I think my childhood ended when I was five and I can’t remember ever being happy or carefree after that.

Topic Sentence : My childhood was a period of my life I want to forget.

Concluding Sentence : I think my childhood ended when I was five and I can't remember ever being  happy or carefree after that.  

    

• The writer develops the main idea of having a childhood he wants to forget by giving three reasons- losing a father, losing a little brother and getting a cruel stepfather

• The writer concludes by commenting that his childhood was a short and miserable one. This further explains the main idea why he wants to forget his childhood. 

-         The concluding sentence can repeat the main idea in the topic sentence using different words; 

-         It can summarise the main supporting points in a sentence; or

-         It can end with a general comment on the topic. 

How to Write a Good Paragraph

There are 4 main steps to writing a good paragraph.

1.     Writing the topic sentence

2.     Brainstorming for ideas

3.     Selecting good ideas and organizing them into a plan 

graphic organizer.

4.     Writing up the paragraph

1  1. Writing the topic sentence

 

• The topic sentence states that the main idea of the paragraph in a complete sentence.

• A good topic sentence has 2 main components – the topic and an opinion about the topic.

         Ex : Topic : Kuala Lumpur

                Opinion : good vacation spot

                Topic Sentence : Kuala Lumpur is a good vacation spot.