ENG 105- WRİTİNGCHAPTER 5FROM PARAGRAPH TO ESSAY

WEEK 10&11&12

EXPANDİNG THE PARAGRAPH

A paragraph has three parts : a topic sentence,

supporting sentences and a concluding sentence.

Look at the model paragraph 1 on page 81.

When you want to write about a topic in more detail

, you can turn your paragraph into an essay.

Similar to a paragraph, an essay has three sections.

These sections are introductory paragraph, the

body (supporting paragraph), and the concluding

paragraph.

Look at the model essay on page 81 & 82

Now look at the diagram on page 83 to see

how a paragraph is expanded into an essay.

The topic sentence of the paragraph becomes

the thesis statement of the essay, which comes

at the end of the introductory paragraph

The supporting sentences of the paragraph

expand into three different paragraphs in the

essay.

Each major supporting and its minor points

become one body paragraph in the essay.

The concluding sentence is made into a

concluding paragraph.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH The introductory paragraph is the first

paragraph of an essay. It has two functions: 1. It attracts the

reader’s interest, and 2. it introduces the topic of the essay.

There are several kinds of introductory paragraph. Here you will learn three kinds of introductory paragraph.

First one is funnel or general to specific introductory paragraphs.

This introduction has two parts: general statements and thesis statement.

The general statement gives the reader background information about the topic of the essay.

They should lead your reader gradually from a very general idea of your topic to a very specific idea.

The first general statement in a funnel introduction just introduces the topic.

Then each sentence that follows the first sentence becomes more and more focused on a specific topic.

The thesis statement is the last sentence of the introductory paragraph. It has three purposes: It states the topic of the essay It may list the subtopics of the main idea It may also mention the method of organization

Look at the sample introductory paragraph on page 85. The first sentence attracts the reader’s interest with

a short sentence; it also names the general topic (music)

The second sentence says each culture has its own kinds of music

The next two sentences narrow the general topic (music) to a more specific one (popular music) and mention taht it has many styles

The final sentence , the thesis statement, specifically names the three styles to be discussed in the body paragrahs: reggae, punk, and rap.

Practice 1 , Page 85.

Another type of introductory paragraph is

anecdote.

An anecdote is a brief story that illustrates your

topic.

In a personal anecdote, you tell a story about

your own experiences that are relevant to the

thesis.

In a third person anecdote, you tell a story about

someone else.

You can base your story on a real person or you

can make it up.

The last type of introductory paragraph is

historical paragraphs.

You may also choose to write a brief historical

introduction to your essay.

You do not need to give a detailed historical

information

Just a summary or main events related to the

topic can be written.

Practice 2 , Page 87

GUİDELİNES FOR İNTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS

There are several guidelines for a good introductory paragraph:

It must be relevant to the topic; that is, it should not

introduce material not covered in the essay.

It should not give detailed information about the

main ideas of the essay.

There should be at least two sentences before the

thesis statement.

The thesis statement should come at the end of the

introductory paragraph.

Practice 3, Page 88

THE THESİS STATEMENT

The thesis statement is the most important

sentence in an essay.

It contains the main idea for the whole essay.

The body paragraphs in an essay must support

the thesis statement in an essay.

Practice 4, Page 90-91

PARTS OF A THESİS STATEMENT

Like a topic sentence, a thesis statement has two main parts:

a topic and a controlling idea.

The topic: the subject of the essay, or what the essay is about

The controlling idea: what you are going to say about the topic

Topic is more general and you can have many controlling ideas

for a topic.

For example, the topic : the sense of smell For me it is the sense of smell rather than the sense of taste

that brings back happy memories (controlling idea) The sense of smell is much stronger in dogs than it is in

humans(controlling idea) Many scientists believe that the sense of smell is the most basic of all the senses in humans(controlling idea).

THE PREDİCTOR Some thesis statements may also have a third

component called a predictor. The predictor of a thesis statement can tell the

reader how many body paragraphs there will be in the essay. For example: Blindness requires a heightened development of the

other senses, especially touch and hearing. In this thesis statement, the topic is blindness. The controlling idea is that it requires a heightened

development of the other senses. The third part of the thesis statement lists the two

senses : touch and hearing This is called the predictor because it predicts the

number and content of the essay paragraphs. Practice 5 & 6, Page 92

MORE ON THESİS STATEMENTS

A thesis statement must be a statement, not a question.

Not a thesis statement: Is living in a city advantageous? Thesis Statement: Living in a city is

advantageous? A thesis statement must be a complete sentence.

Not a thesis statement Music: the food of love

Thesis statement Music is the food of love A thesis statement is an opinion or shows intent: it

can not be a simple statement of fact. Not a thesis statement Dogs have a sense of smellThesis statement Dogs use their keen sense

of smell in many ways

A thesis statement must state the controlling idea. Not a thesis statement This essay is about Helen Keller

Thesis statement Both blind and deaf, Helen Keller learned to communicate through touch alone.

A thesis statement should have only one controlling idea. Not a thesis statement My cousin has an excellent sense of pitch, and she is also a famous dancer.

Thesis statement My cousin’s excellent sense of pitch has made her an accomplished musician.

Practice 7&8&9, Pages 94-98

BODY PARAGRAPHS

The body of an essay is made of one or more paragraphs.

Each body paragraph has a topic sentence and several supporting sentences.

It may or may not have a concluding sentence. Each body paragraph supports the thesis

statement. Look at the topic sentences of body paragraphs

in model essay. The topic sentence of each body paragraph

introduces one style of popular music. The supporting sentences following each topic

sentence give more information about each style. Practice 10 ,11&12, Page 100,102

TRANSİTİONS BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS Using transition signals is important to show the

connection between ideas within a paragraph. It is also important to use transition signals

between paragraphs to show how one paragraph is related to another.

Transition signals can tell your reader if the topic of the next paragraph follows the same line of thought or reverses direction. In addition to costing money for special food, fad

diets… On the other hand, fad diets work for some people…

Sentence Connectors Prepositions

1. Furthermore… Moreover… Besides… In addition….

2. Besides + noun/gerund In addition to +noun/gerund

1. Furthermore/In addition/Moreover/Besides, people on fad diets often gain even more weight than they had lost.

Besides/In addition to suffering from poor nutrition, people

on fad diets often don’t lose weight.

2. Besides/In addition to not losing weight, people on fad diets often gain even more weight than they had lost.

Sentence Connectors

Subordinators Prepositions

1. On the other hand,…

However,…

2. Although,… Even though,…

3. Despite…. In spite of …..

1. On the other hand/ However, people who want to lose weight can succeed.

2. Although/Even though, fad diets do not work, there are other diets that do.

3. Despite/ In spite of many attempts to lose weight, I am still overweight.

Despite/In spite of dieting for several years, I am still overweight.

THE CONCLUDİNG PARAGRAPH The concluding paragraph is the last paragraph of

an essay. It has three purposes: It signals the end of the essay It reminds the reader of your main points It leaves the reader with your final thoughts on the

topic. Read the sample concluding paragraph on page

107 and notice how the writer accomplishes three purposes: The transition phrase In short signals the end of the

essay It summarizes the qualities of Mr. Smith It gives a final comment: Mr. Smith inspired students

to love learning.

PARTS OF A CONCLUDİNG PARAGRAPH A concluding paragraph consists of

A summary of the points made in your body paragraphs

A restatement of the thesis statement A final comment on your topic

You may choose one of these ways to end your essay or your may choose two or three.

Warning: Do not introduce new information about the topic of the essay.

New information should be in the body part of the essay, not in the concluding paragraph.

1. Summary Concluding Paragraphs

One way to end your essay is to summarize

its main points.

You need to include the main point of each

body paragraph.

Your conclusion won’t be complete if you

leave one point out.

Practice 14, Page 108

2. Restatement Concluding Paragraphs An alternative to a summary is a restatement of the

idea of your thesis statement. Look at the model paragrah 1 on page 109.

3. Final Comment Concluding Paragraph Adding final comments to summary or restatement

concluding paragraphs is an effective way. A final comment can make a concluding paragraph

more personal. It can also invite readers to think about how the

essay is directly related to their lives. Look at the modeal paragraph 2 on page 109. Practice 15&16&17, Page 109-113

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT