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Module English 1 - Paragraph (Part 1)

The document discusses the key elements of a paragraph: I. A paragraph contains a topic sentence that introduces the main idea, supporting sentences that provide details and examples about the topic, and a concluding sentence that restates the main point. II. The topic sentence should clearly state the topic and controlling idea/main point of the paragraph. Supporting sentences provide information to develop and explain the topic sentence. III. Identifying the topic and main idea is important for understanding what a paragraph is about. Practice exercises are provided to help analyze topic sentences and identify them within paragraphs.

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39 views

Module English 1 - Paragraph (Part 1)

The document discusses the key elements of a paragraph: I. A paragraph contains a topic sentence that introduces the main idea, supporting sentences that provide details and examples about the topic, and a concluding sentence that restates the main point. II. The topic sentence should clearly state the topic and controlling idea/main point of the paragraph. Supporting sentences provide information to develop and explain the topic sentence. III. Identifying the topic and main idea is important for understanding what a paragraph is about. Practice exercises are provided to help analyze topic sentences and identify them within paragraphs.

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23092405
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Chapter 6

Paragraph

A. What is a Paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of related sentences about a single topic. The
topic of a paragraph is one, and only one, idea. A paragraph has three
main parts.
I. Topic sentence
The first sentence in a paragraph is a
sentence that names the topic and
tells what the paragraph will explain
about the topic. This sentence is
called the topic sentence.
II. Supporting sentences
The middle sentences in a paragraph
are called the supporting
sentences or the body.
Supporting sentences give examples
or other details about the topic. In
some cases, they might even tell a
story to illustrate the topic sentence.
III. Concluding sentence
The last sentence in a paragraph is
called the concluding sentence.
A concluding sentence often repeats
the topic sentence in different words
or summarizes the main points.

• A paragraph is like a cheeseburger sandwich: two pieces of


bread (the topic and concluding sentences) enclosing the filling
(the supporting sentences).

• A paragraph at least has 2 sentences: 1 topic sentence and 1


supporting sentence
2

Example:
Freddie
1 My best friend, Freddie, has three important qualities. 2 First of all,
Freddie is always ready to have fun. 3 Sometimes we play Frisbee
in the park. 4 Sometimes we just sit around in my room, listening to
music and talking. 5 Well, I talk. 6Freddie just listens. 7 Second, he
is completely trustworthy. 8 I can tell Freddie my deepest secrets,
and he doesn't share them with anyone else. 9 Third, Freddie
understands my moods. 10 When I am angry, he tries to make me
feel better. 11 When I am sad, he tries to comfort me. 12 When I am
happy, he is happy too. 13 To sum up, my best friend is fun to be
with, trustworthy, and understanding-even if he is just a dog.

Questions:
1. Which sentence give more information: the topic sentence or the
concluding sentence?
2. How many supporting sentences does the paragraph have? How
do they support the topic sentence?

Simple way to understand a paragraph

MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.


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B. Paragraph Organization

1. The Topic Sentence


The most important sentence in a paragraph is the topic sentence. It
is called the topic sentence because it tells readers what the main
idea of the paragraph is. In other words, it tells readers what they are
going to read about. The topic sentence is usually in the first
paragraph, and in some cases, you may find it in the last sentence of
the paragraph.

A topic sentence has two parts:


1. A topic, tells what the paragraph
will be about.
2. A controlling idea, tells what the
paragraph will say about the
topic.

For example:
Topic: My best friend, Freddie
Controlling idea (Main Idea): He has
three important qualities

More examples:
The topic sentences about English
1. English borrows words from other language.
2. English is necessary for many different jobs.

The topic in these examples is the same “English”, but the main ideas
are different! Can you explain?
In the topic sentence, the topic can come before or after the controlling
idea:

MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.


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Imagine the situation!


You overheard a conversation in which your name is At that point, you have
repeatedly mentioned. When you ask your friends the TOPIC, but not the
what they were discussing, they say they were talking main idea.
about YOU.
Undoubtedly, you wouldn’t be satisfied until you
learned what your friends were saying about this At that point, you the
particular topic. You would probably pester them until MAIN IDEA.
you knew the main idea, until you knew, that is,
exactly what they were saying about your
personality, appearance, or behavior.
The same principle applies to reading. The topic
is seldom enough. You also need to discover the
main idea.

“Main idea” is a central thought or message


“Topic” is subject under discussion

MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.


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Practice 1. Analyzing Topic Sentences

Look at each group of topic sentences. Work in pairs.


Circle or underline the controlling idea of each sentence.

Practice 2. Recognizing Topic Sentences

Work in pairs. Find the topic sentence in each paragraph. Then


circle the topic sentence and underline the controlling idea.

MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.


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Practice 3. Choosing Topic Sentences

A. Read the paragraphs. Circle the letter of the topic sentence


for each one and write it on the line.

MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.


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MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.


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B. Read the paragraphs. Then write a topic sentence for each


one.

MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.


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MODULE - ENGLISH 1 | LECTURED BY GALLIS NAWANG GINUSTI, M.A.

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