Paragraph progression and completeness

Main Idea

• Most paragraphs and certainly those that stand alone, are organized around a main idea. The sentences in the paragraph make the main idea clear. If the paragraph is part of a longer piece of writing, the surrounding paragraph help you understand the main idea.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

It is often said that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but this isn’t true. Go ask the forest rangers. Rangers who spend their summers as fire-fighters will tell you that every thundershower brings several bolts of lightning to their lookout stations.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

It is often said that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but this isn’t true. Go ask the forest rangers. Rangers who spend their summers as fire-fighters will tell you that every thundershower brings several bolts of lightning to their lookout stations.

What is the main idea?

Costs were low that year and the output high. There was a good person for each job and the market remained firm. There were no losses from fire. All in all it was the best years in the history of the company.

What is the main idea?

Costs were low that year and the output high. There was a good person for each job and the market remained firm. There were no losses from fire. All in all it was the best years in the history of the company.

What is the main idea in this paragraph?

Advertising affects our lives everyday. Brand names are common household words. We start each day using the toothpaste, soap, and breakfast foods promoted by advertisers. Ads have made the cars we drive signs of our success. Our choices of food, dress, and entertainment are swayed by ads. Not one aspect of American life is untouched by advertising.

What is the main idea in this paragraph?

Advertising affects our lives everyday. Brand names are common household words. We start each day using the toothpaste, soap, and breakfast foods promoted by advertisers. Ads have made the cars we drive signs of our success. Our choices of food, dress, and entertainment are swayed by ads. Not one aspect of American life is untouched by advertising.

Restated later at the end.

RECAP!

• Main ideas can appear in any part of a paragraph.

• Main ideas can appear more than once in a paragraph.

• More than one main idea may be present. • Main ideas can be directly stated (able to

be found in the paragraph), or implied

Implied main idea• Do you wear glasses? Make sure your glasses fit

well. The earpieces should be at eye level. Don’t try to adjust the earpieces yourself. Take your glasses for adjustments to the place you bought them. Keep your glasses in a case when you’re not wearing them. This will prevent scratches. Keep the lenses clean. A soft cloth is best for cleaning.

What is the implied main idea??

There are many steps required to take care of your glasses.

Topic Sentence

• The direct main idea of you paper, stated in the first paragraph, is known as your topic sentence.

• It may also be called the “thesis” of a paper. (What is the point of your paper?)

• Not all paragraphs will have a topic sentence, but they should have a main or coherent idea.

Supporting sentences

• In order to make an idea clear and interesting to the reader, you have to elaborate on it, or develop it in great detail.

• Depending on the subject, you might support the idea with…

- sensory details

- facts or statistics

-examples

Sensory details

• Precise bits of information that you observe, or collect through any of your five senses.

In the movie theaterSIGHTS SOUNDS SMELL TASTES TOUCH

Lights flashing Popping Butter Salty popcorn Fabric seats

Darkness Whispering Old Food Sweet chocolate

Gum on the bottom of seat

Chewing Trashcan Sour candy

Chair Squeak

Music

Facts and Statistics • Fact- can be proven by concrete information. • Statistic- is based on numbers

The average profit margin is 77 percent.

STATISTIC

The dachshunds are apart of the hound group.

FACT

Examples

• Examples are specific instances or illustrations of a general idea.

• For Example (see what I did there): A penguin is an example of an animal; you test score of 31 is an example of what can happen if you do not study.

I made a 100 on

my test!

Clincher sentence

• The clincher sentence brings all of the ideas together. It may restate or summarize a point that was previously made.

What should my paragraphs look like?TREES

T Topic sentence – A sentence that captures the meaning of the entire paragraph.

R Reason – tells why the topic or claim is true.

E Evidence – support your claim with a specific example.

E Explanation – explain how your example shows your reason to be true. This may take more than one sentence. May begin with “This shows…” or “This illustrates…”

S Seal it up with a clincher! Ground your paragraph by drawing a strong conclusion about your topic sentence.

Now you have the structure, let’s make sure it is Clear and affective.

Unity

Coherence

Order of ideasConnections

Transitions

Paragraph unity“All for one and one for all”

• Unity= all part work together as a unit • A paragraph has unity when all of the sentences

work together to express or support a main idea. • Unity can be shown by…Supporting a main idea from the

topic sentence Supporting an implied idea Expressing a related series of actions (or

sequence of events)

Coherence

• If you have ever read a paragraph or paper that does not make sense, it probably did not have coherence (you could not figure out how sentences or paragraphs were arranged or connected)

• Coherence can be made by…The order that ideas are arrangedThe connections made between ideas

Order of ideas

• Chronological order- series of actions in time (may show cause and affect).

• Spatial order- according to how something is spaced (left to right, nearest to farthest).

• Order of importance- arranging according to how important the points are.

• Logical order- group or order in which they are related.

The topic determines order:

The events leading up to WW2.

Chronological: Begin with the first events.

The parts of a tree. Spatial: Start at the roots and work your way up.

The reasons to save water. Importance: Most important reason first.

The difference in geographical location. Logical: group information by section of the country (South, North, Northeast, Southwest etc.)

Connections between ideas

• Besides putting things in order, connections can be made through:

Making direct inferences to something else within the paper or paragraph

Using words that make a transition or bridge from one idea to another.

Transitional words and phrases

• Also, another, similarly, and, moreover, too.• Although, in spite of, on the other hand, but,

instead, still, however, nevertheless, yet.• As a result, for, so that, because, since,

therefore, consequently, so. • After, eventually, next, at last, finally, then, at

once, first, thereafter, before, meanwhile, when. • Before, behind, in, inside, into, next, over, there.• First, last, mainly, more important, then, to begin

with.