GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
LearningAbouttheStructureandComponentsofaParagraph
1. Whatisaparagraph?
Aparagraphisacollectionofsentencesthatdescribe,discuss,orexplainonecentral
idea(Folse,VestriSolomon,&Clabeaux,2015,p.4).
2.Whatisthestructureofaparagraph?
Thestructureofaparagraphconsistsofthreeimportantelements:
thetopicsentence
aminimumofthreesupportingdetailsentences,and
theconcludingsentence.
3.Whatistheminimumnumberofsentencesaparagraphshouldhave?Whatisthe
maximum?
Theminimumnumberofsentencesaparagraphshouldhaveis5andthemaximumis7.
Thisisnotafixedrestrictionthough.Thewriterhastheflexibilityofchangingthisratioaslong
ashe/shestaystruetothestructureoftheparagraphandtheelementsofgoodwriting.
TheTopicSentence
Thetopicsentenceisthemostimportantsentenceinanyparagraphandusuallyappearsat
thebeginningofitplacedasthefirstsentence.Itguidesordirectstheflowofideasthatthe
writerhasconsideredfortheentireparagraph.Agoodtopicsentenceneedstwoimportant
elements:
themainsubject= thewriterstopicofchoicefortheparagraph
thecontrollingidea= whatspecificaspect(s)aboutthetopicwillbedevelopedthroughout
theparagraphbyaskingquestionsthatcanbeansweredinthree
sentencesormore
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
Italsohassomeimportantfeaturestorememberandconsidertomakeitastrongone:
notbeingawellknownfact Dogsareanimals.
notbeingspecific
Sharingisfun.
beingwaytoospecific
IlovespendingtimewithmyclassmatesbecauseIget
towitnessdifferentpersonalities,upbringings,and
culturesinjustoneplace.
PracticeI
Instructions: Payattentiontothefollowingtopicsentencesandconsiderthefollowing:
1. Identifythemainsubjectandcontrollingideaforeachtopicsentenceand
writethemdowninthespaceprovided.
2. Writeacheckmark()infrontofthetopicsentencesthatfollowthe
componentsofagoodtopicsentenceandanXinfrontofthosethatdonot
followthesecomponents.
_____
1. Computerscanbeusedinmanydifferentsituations.
MainSubject:
ControllingIdea:
_____
2. Computershavechangedenormouslyinthepast20years.
MainSubject:
ControllingIdea:
_____
3. Differentcomputerscanappealtodifferentpeople.
MainSubject:
ControllingIdea:
_____
4. Computerswereinventedinthetwentiethcentury.
MainSubject:
ControllingIdea:
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
TheSupportingDetailSentences
Thesupportingdetailsentencesservethepurposeofansweringthequestionspresented
bythecontrollingideainthetopicsentence.Thisanswershouldcomeintheformofa
minimumofthreesentencesthatcanfurtherdescribe,explain,clarify,orgive
examples/reasons/factsaboutthemainsubject.Someofthequestionsthatsupportingdetail
sentencesanswerare:
What?
When?
Where?
Who?
Why?
How?
Describe.
Explain.
Discuss.
Others
Unlikethecontrollingidea,thesupportingdetailsentencescanansweralltypesofquestions.
Themorespecifictheanswercanbe,thebetterthesupportingdetailsentencewillbe.Even
thoughtheanswershouldbeprovidedincompletesentence(s)whenwritingtheparagraph,the
answeritselfcanbeawordoraphrasewhenconsideringitsrelevancetothetopic.
IMPORTANT: Alwaysrememberthatatopicsentenceonlyletsreadersknowwhatthe
paragraphtheyareabouttoreadwillbeabout.Itdoesnotprovideany
specificity.Thesupportingdetailsentences,ontheotherhand,provide
specificinformationaboutthetopicthathasbeenintroducedinthetopic
sentence.Inotherwords,thesesentencesworkhandinhandwiththetopic
sentence.Theynevercompeteagainsteachotherintermsofinformation.
ExamplesofDifferentTypesorKindsofSupportingSentences
1. Supportingsentencethatexplains
TopicSentence: Therearemanysupportservicesforstudentsattheuniversity.
SupportingSentence: Theseservices,suchastutoring,aregenerallyfreeforstudents.
explainsthesupportservicesavailableforstudentsattheuniversity
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
ExamplesofDifferentTypesorKindsofSupportingSentences(Continuation)
2. Supportingsentencethatdescribes
TopicSentence: Iwillneverforgetmychildhoodhome.
SupportingSentence: Thehousehadalargeentrancewithaspiralstaircaseinthe
center.
describesthewriterschildhoodhouse
3. Supportingsentencethatgivesareason
TopicSentence: Notetakingisoneofthemostimportantstudyskillstolearn.
SupportingSentence: Reviewinggoodnotesbeforeatestwillhelpstudentsbecome
morefamiliarwiththeinformation.
givesareasonthatproves
whynotetakingisanimportantstudyskilltolearn
4. Supportingsentencethatgivesafact
TopicSentence: Joggingisnotaseasyasitappears.
SupportingSentence: Ninetysevenpercentofpeoplecannotjogthreemileswithout
stopping.
givesafactaboutjogging
5. Supportingsentencethatgivesanexample
TopicSentence: Brazilhasmanynaturalresources.
SupportingSentence: Itisoneoftheleadingproducersofbauxite*,aprincipal
ingredientformakingaluminum.
givesanexampleofoneof
Brazilsmanynaturalresources
*Pronunciation:[boksait]
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
PracticeII
Instructions: Eachitemcontainsthreesupportingsentencesandonetopicsentence.Write
SSbesidethesupportingsentencesandTSbesidethetopicsentence.
1. a. Finally,shebeganthrowingatennisballforherdog,whobarked
loudlyinappreciation.
b. Then,sheputonaCDbyagroupcalledARASHIandturnedthe
volumeup.
c. First,sheturnedonthetelevisiontoprovidebackgroundnoise.
d. Itwastooquietintheroom,soDianadecidedtomakesomenoise.
2. a. Inthesecondbook,HarrymeetsDobby,ahouseelfwhonearlykills
Harryinanefforttohelphim.
b. J.K.Rowlingspopular
HarryPotter
booksfollowtheadventuresofa
youngwizardashelearnshiscraft.
c. Inthefirstbook,Harry,whohasalwaysfeltliketheoddoneout,finds
outthatheisawizardandbeginstodiscoverhispowers.
d. ThethirdbookintroducesHarrytoamysteriouscharacternamed
SiriusBlackandtothesoulsuckingguardiansofAzkabanPrison.
3. a. Beinglateisaharmfulhabit.
b. Peoplewhoarelatetoclassesormeetingsoftenmissimportant
information.
c. Peoplewhoarrivelateforappointmentsormeetingsoftenangerthose
whohavetowait.
d. Althoughtheimpressionmaybeinnacurate,peoplewhoarelateare
oftenperceivedasrudeorselfish.
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
PracticeII(Continuation)
Instructions: Eachitemcontainsthreesupportingsentencesandonetopicsentence.Write
SSbesidethesupportingsentencesandTSbesidethetopicsentence.
4. a. Forexample,tiresthatarenotproperlyinflatedcanposeadangerto
bothdriverandpassengers.
b. Windshieldwipersthatareexcessivelyworncanalsoposeadangerin
rainyweather.
c. Baldtires,worntires,andunevenlyworntreadingeneralcancausea
cartolosetractionontheroad.
d. Failuretotakecareofsmalldetailsofcarmaintenancecanmake
drivingdangerous.
5. a. Thebiggestbenefitrevolvesaroundtheclosecompanionshipthat
arisesbetweentheadoptedanimalandhis/herownerbecauseithelps
tocreateahealthyfamilyenvironmentforbothpartiesandeveryone
elsearoundthem.
b. Fromanemotionalperspective,ifshelteranimalsarenotadopted,they
areeuthanized,soadoptingapetfromthepoundisbeneficialbecause
alifeisbeingsaved.
c. Adoptingapetfromtheanimalsheltercanbenefitbothanimaland
owner.
d. Fromaneconomicperspective,poundpuppiesandkittenspresent
morebenefitsthanbuyingpurebredanimalsbecausetheyareusually
spayedorneuteredbeforeadoption,savingtheownerveterinaryfees.
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
TheConcludingSentence
Asitsnamesuggests,theconcludingsentenceconcludesorwrapstheparagraphupand
isusuallyplacedattheendofitasthelastsentence.Itistightlyconnectedtothetopicsentence,
foritconsidersthemainsubjectandcontrollingideaaswell.Theonlydifferenceisthatthe
concludingsentencealsoconsidersthesupportingdetailsentencesintheformofasummaryand
providesanendingfortheentireparagraph.Thus,itstwoimportantelementsare:
restatingthetopicsentenceandsummarizingthesupportingdetailsentences,and
offeringasuggestion,anopinion,oraprediction.
PracticeIII
Instructions:
Readthefollowingparagraphandanswerthequestionsthatappearatthe
endinordertoanalyzethebasicfeaturesorcomponentsofaparagraph.
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
PracticeIII(Continuation)
Instructions: Readthefollowingparagraphandanswerthequestionsthatappearattheend
inordertoanalyzethebasicfeaturesorcomponentsofaparagraph.
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
TheFiveElementsofGoodWriting
1. Purpose
Itisthereasonwhytheparagraphiswritten.Inotherwords,[t]he
purposeisthegoalthewriteristryingtoachieve(p.40).
Itoffersthewriterthepossibilitytostayfocusedonthetopic
he/shehasdecidedtowriteabout.
Itsthreemaingoalinacademicwritingare:toinform,topersuade,
andtoentertain.However,therearemanymoretouseand
consider.
Onceidentified,itoffersthewriterthepossibilitytocomeupwith
apurposestatementfortheparagraphthatcanhelphim/hercreate
agoodtopicsentenceasaresult.
_____
NOTE:Thepurposeandthepurposestatementarenotthesame.Thefirst
oneiswrittenasaphrase(ininfinitiveform)whereasthesecondoneis
writtenasacompletesentencethatfollowsagivenformat(Thepurposeof
thisparagraphis).
2. Audience
Itreferstothereadersofaparagraph.
Toneverlosetrackoftheimportancereadershavewhenwriting,
thepointsofview(1st,2nd,or3rd)andtheformal/informal
writingoftheparagraphshouldalwaysbeconsidered.
3. Clarity
Itmakessurethattheparagraphiseasyenoughforthereaderto
understandbyincorporatingspecificandconciselanguagesuchas
descriptivewordsandclearpronounreferencesthatshouldnotbe
overused.Theclearerthementalpictureis,theeasieritwillbefor
theaudiencetointerpretthewriterspurposeandmessage.
4. Unity
Itmakessureorevaluatesthatallthesentencesintheparagraph
stayconnectedtothetopicsentence.Ifasentencehasnothingto
dowiththemainsubjectandcontrollingideapresentedinthetopic
sentenceofagivenparagraph,then,unityislost.Inordertofix
thisproblem,eliminatingthesentenceisalwaysrecommended.
5. Coherence
Itmakessureorevaluatesthatalloftheideaspresentedinthe
paragraphmakesenseandfollowalogicalorder.Tomakesure
thatthiselementwillnotbedisruptedinanygivenparagraph,the
writermustpayattentiontothechronologicalorderoftheideasor
sentences,therepetitionofkeywords(necessityvs.overuse),the
useoflanguageorvocabulary(understandablevs.complicated),
andtheuseoftransitions(smoothflowvs.roboticflow).
InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
PracticeIV
PartI. Readeachofthefollowingtopicsandwriteapurposeandapurposestatementfor
eachoneofthem.
1.
Topic: HowtoPlayAmericanMahJongg
Purpose:
PurposeStatement:
2.
Topic: TheEffectsofInsufficientSleep
Purpose:
PurposeStatement:
3.
Topic: TheMostImportantInventionoftheLast50Years
Purpose:
PurposeStatement:
4.
Topic: TheWorstDayofMyLife
Purpose:
PurposeStatement:
5.
Topic: ThePositiveandNegativeAspectsofAcknowledgingHolyWeekasa
Holiday
Purpose:
PurposeStatement:
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InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
PracticeIV(Continuation)
PartII. Readeachtopicanddecidewhetheritrequiresfirst,second,orthirdperson.Then,
decidewhetherthewritingshouldbeformalorinformal.Theremaybemorethan
onecorrectanswer.
TypeofWriting
Person
LevelofWriting
1. Aparagraphabouttheimportanceof
voting
2.Alettertoyourbestfriend
3.Adescriptionofyourbestvacation
4.Anemailtoyourcousin
5.AparagraphaboutthefirstOlympic
Games
6.AparagraphaboutyourtriptoMexico
7.Aparagraphtellinghowtobakebread
8.Aparagraphtellingwhyyouwould
makeagoodclasspresident
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InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
PracticeIV(Continuation)
PartIII.
Readthefollowingparagraphandanswerthequestionsthatappearattheend
inordertoevaluateclarity.
1. Writeallthewordsthatnamespecificpeople.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Howdothesewordsaddtotheclarityofthewritersmessage?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Writeoneofthewordsorphrasesthatmeanstodosomethingquickly.
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Identifythespecificadjectivesthatwereusedtodescribethefollowingnouns:
SpecificAdjective
Noun
a.
place
b.
pace
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InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
PracticeIV(Continuation)
PartIII.
Readthefollowingparagraphandanswerthequestionsthatappearattheend
inordertoevaluateclarity.
4. Identifythespecificadjectivesthatwereusedtodescribethefollowingnouns:
c.
plates
d.
sinks
e.
flow
f.
jugglingact
PartIV.
Readthefollowingparagraphandanswerthequestionsthatappearattheend
inordertoevaluateunity.
1. Doallofthesentencesmaintainunity.Ifnot,whichsentence(s)createaunityproblem?
Explainyouranswer.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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InteramericanUniversityofPuertoRicoMetropolitanCampus
GEEN1103:EnglishasaSecondLanguageIII
20152016MarchThroughMayTrimester
Prof.DavielizVillafaeColn
References
Arlov,P.(2012).
Wordsmith:Aguidetoparagraphs&shortessays
.NJ:PearsonEducation.
Folse,K.S.,VestriSolomon,E.,&Clabeaux,D.(2015).
Greatwriting3:Fromgreat
paragraphstogreatessays
(3rded.).Boston,MA:NationalGeographic
Learning/CengageLearning.
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