Writing the Paragraph/

Developing an Outline

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/r
esource/606/01
 What is a paragraph?
• A paragraph is a collection of related sentences
dealing with a single topic.
– Learning to write good paragraphs will help you as a
writer stay on track during your drafting and revision
stages.
– Good paragraphing also greatly assists your readers in
following a piece of writing.
– You can have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas aren't
presented in an organized fashion, you will lose your
readers (and fail to achieve your goals in writing).
• The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is
to keep one idea to one paragraph. If you
begin to transition into a new idea, it belongs
in a new paragraph.

• There are some simple ways to tell if you are

on the same topic or a new one. You can have
one idea and several bits of supporting
evidence within a single paragraph.
• You can also have several points in a single
paragraph as long as they relate to the overall
topic of the paragraph.

• If the single points start to get long, then

perhaps elaborating on each of them and
placing them in their own paragraphs is the
route to go.
• Elements of a Paragraph
• To be as effective as possible, a paragraph
should contain each of the following: Unity,
Coherence, A Topic Sentence, and Adequate
Development. As you will see, all of these
traits overlap. Using and adapting them to
your individual purposes will help you
construct effective paragraphs.
• Unity
• The entire paragraph should concern itself with a
single focus. If it begins with a one focus or major
point of discussion, it should not end with
another or wander within different ideas.

• Coherence
• Coherence is the trait that makes the paragraph
easily understandable to a reader. You can help
create coherence in your paragraphs by creating
logical bridges and verbal bridges.
• Logical bridges
• The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to
sentence
• Successive sentences can be constructed in parallel form

• Verbal bridges
• Key words can be repeated in several sentences
• Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences
• Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences
• Transition words can be used to link ideas from different
sentences
 Outlining
• It is central to writing a good paragraph.
• An outline lets you see, and work on, the bare bones of
a paper, without the distraction of cluttered words and
sentences.
• It develops your ability to think clearly and logically.
• It provides a quick check on whether your paper will be
unified. It also suggests right at the start whether your
paper will be adequately supported.
• And it shows you how to plan a paper that is well-
organized
• Activity 1: Identify the general idea in the
following items:
• Example: Specific ideas: runny nose,
coughing, sneezing, sore throat
• The general idea is:
– cold symptoms 
– symptoms
– throat problems
• 1. Specific ideas: leaking toilet, no hot water, broken window,
roaches
The general idea is:
– problems
– kitchen problems
– apartment problems

• 2. Specific ideas: count to ten, take a deep breath, go for a walk

The general idea is:
– actions
– ways to calm down
– ways to calm down just before a test
• 3. Specific ideas: putting sticky tape on someone’s chair, putting a
“kick me” sign on someone’s back, putting hot pepper in someone’s
cereal
The general idea is:
– jokes
– practical jokes
– practical jokes played on teachers

• 4. Specific ideas: going to bed earlier, eating healthier foods,

reading for half an hour each day, trying to be kinder
The general idea is:
– resolutions
– problems
– solutions
• 5. Specific ideas: money problems, family
problems, relationship problems, health
problems
The general idea is:
– poor grades
– causes of poor grades
– effects of poor grades
Activity 2: Provide the general idea that accurately describes the list
provided.

Example: General idea: ____________________________________________

Specific ideas: washing dishes
preparing meals
taking out trash
dusting

General idea: ______________________________________________

Specific ideas: convenient work hours
short travel time to job
good pay
considerate boss
General idea: ______________________________________________
Specific ideas: greed
cowardice
selfishness
dishonesty

General idea: ______________________________________________

Specific ideas: order the invitations
get the bride’s gown
rent the tuxedos
hire a photographer
General idea: ______________________________________________
Specific ideas: “Your mother stinks.”
“Your father’s a bum.”
“You look like an ape.”
“Your car is a real piece of junk.”

General idea: ______________________________________________

Specific ideas: “I like your dress.”
“You look great in red.”
“Your new haircut looks terrific.”
“You did very well on the exam.”
• Four Main Components for Effective Outlines

• Ideally, you should follow these four

suggestions to create an effective outline.
Parallelism - How do I accomplish this?

Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel

structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading
should be a verb.

Example:
Choose Desired Colleges
Prepare Application

("Choose" and "Prepare" are both verbs. The present tense of

the verb is usually the preferred form for an outline)
Coordination - How do I accomplish this?

All the information contained in Heading 1 should have the same significance
as the information contained in Heading 2. The same goes for the
subheadings (which should be less significant than the headings).

Example:
Visit and evaluate college campuses
Visit and evaluate college websites
Note important statistics
Look for interesting classes

(Campus and websites visits are equally significant. They are part of the main
tasks you would need to do. Finding statistics and classes found on college
websites are parts of the process involved in carrying out the main
heading topics.)
Subordination - How do I accomplish this?
The information in the headings should be more general, while the
information in the subheadings should be more specific.

Example:
Describe an influential person in your life
Favorite high school teacher
Grandparent

(A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific examples from the

generalized category of influential people in your life.)
Division - How do I accomplish this?
Each heading should be divided into 2 or more parts.

Example:
Compile resume
List relevant coursework
List work experience
List volunteer experience
(The heading "Compile resume" is divided into 3 parts.)

Technically, there is no limit to the number of subdivisions for your

headings; however, if you seem to have a lot, it may be useful to
see if some of the parts can be combined.
 Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis
Statements
• Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

• 1.Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

• An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its

component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this
breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
• An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the
audience.
• An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies
this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a
policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an
interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince
the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.
If you are writing a text which does not fall under these three
categories (ex. a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the
first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what

you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific
evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first

paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your
thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the
paper.
• Thesis Statement Examples

• Example of an analytical thesis statement:

• An analysis of the college admission process reveals
one challenge facing counselors: accepting students
with high test scores or students with strong
extracurricular backgrounds.

• The paper that follows should:

• explain the analysis of the college admission process
• explain the challenge facing admissions counsellors
• Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis
statement:
• The life of the typical college student is
characterized by time spent studying, attending
class, and socializing with peers.

• The paper that follows should:

• explain how students spend their time studying,
attending class, and socializing with peers
• Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

• High school graduates should be required to take a

year off to pursue community service projects before
entering college in order to increase their maturity and
global awareness.

• The paper that follows should:

• present an argument and give evidence to support the
claim that students should pursue community projects
before entering college