The first thing to consider in writing a paragraph is the structure of it.
What is a paragraph?
How do I start?
A paragraph is: a series of sentences about an idea. The sentences are connected to the idea. For example: you may want to write something about your home town. Think of everything you know about your home town. Write down all your ideas. Now, to organize your ideas put all similar ones in one paragraph....location would be a separate paragraph, history would be another paragraph, interesting places to visit another paragraph.
So, to begin:
Here is the structure:
1. Topic Sentence
The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.
It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
2. Supporting Ideas:
These come after the topic sentence, making up the body of the paragraph.
They give details to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.
You should give supporting facts, details and examples.
3. Closing Sentence:
The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph
It RESTATES (says again) the main idea of your paragraph.
Restate the main idea of the paragraph USING DIFFERENT WORDS.
For practice, here is a paragraph. Analyze what is the topic sentence, pick out all the supporting details and underline the closing sentence.
"There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean adn efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live."
Please e-mail any questions or concerns you might have.
