Paragraph Development

Dr. Vafa Nadernia

PA R A G R A P H D E V E LO P M E N T : A R N A U D E T, M A R T I N L , B A R R E T T, M A R Y E L L E N ( 1 9 8 1 )

P R AC T I C A L W R I T E R W I T H R E A D I N G S : E . P. B A I L E Y, P. A . P O W E L L ( 2 0 0 8 )

The Topic Sentence

Paragraph

It means the basic unit of composition in English language.

The Topic Sentence

Paragraph Unity

The first sentence of a paragraph is always indented so that the reader will know that a new subject-or a different aspect of the same subject-is being dealt with.

The Topic SentenceParagraph Indentation

The writer does indentation by leaving a blank space at the beginning of the paragraph. The student should think of indentation as simply as the other kind of punctuation. Just as a sentence ends with a period (.), so each new paragraph begins with an indentation.

The Topic Sentence

Paragraph Length

It has more than 3 sentences

Each sentence ends in dot

The next sentence begins with a capital letter

It includes 100-200 words

The Topic SentenceTopic V. Topic Sentence

Topic is a word (Football) Or a list of words (Foreign students in the United States)

Topic sentence is a Topic in a Sentence form (Football is a famous game these days.)

Topic sentence is the central idea of a paragraph

It is usually in the first line Sometimes it is in the middle as a link between two parts

Sometimes it is in the end as a conclusion

Sometimes we do not have a specific topic sentence but an implied one

T.S = Topic + Limiting statement

The Topic Sentence

Topic Sentence= Topic + Limiting statement

The Topic SentenceExercise: Write a Topic Sentence for each of the Topics listed below

Topic: John F. Kennedy (Aspect) (Place)

Topic sentence: John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic president elected in America.

(aspect) (place)

1. Topic: Registration at a large university (Aspect) (Differences)

2. Topic sentence: Registration at a large university is a challenging task and it is more difficult than an open college.

3. Topic: Shopping for Food (Place) (Aspect) (Differences)

4. Topic sentence: Shopping for Food in big mall is very costly and sometimes it is a fun in comparison with a grocery store.

The Topic Sentence

Identify the “Irrelevant sentence”

The Topic Sentence

Identify the “Irrelevant sentence”