Parts of a Paragraph

Three essential parts compose any paragraph: a topic sentence, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence.

1. Topic Sentence: it states the main idea of the paragraph. It contains the name of the topic that is to be carried out. This sentence has to be precise, but avoid telling everything in the first sentence or your reader will lose interest. The topic sentence serves to limit the topic to one or two areas that will be discussed entirely in the space of one paragraph. The area is what we call the controling idea.
2. Supporting Sentences: they come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph. they help develop the topic sentence. It means that these sentences explain the topic by giving reasons, examples, facts, statistics, and quotations.
3. Closing Sentences: it´s the last sentence in a paragraph, it indicates that the paragraph is ending and sums up important points to remember or reprises the main idea. You write it restating the main idea of a paragraph but using different words.

• your supporting sentences are in logical order
• your ideas are connected by the use of a appropriate transition signals.

Prewriting a Paragraph

The prewriting stage is when you think carefully and organize your ideas for your paragraph before you begin writing. There are six steps involved in this process. They are the following:

1. Think carefully about what you are going to write. Ask yourself: "What question am I going to answer in this paragraph or essay? How can I make this paragraph interesting? What facts can be stated to support this topic?
2. Write your answers to the above questions and do not need to spend a lot of time doing this. Just write enough to help you remember why and how you are writing.
3. Collect facts related to your topic. Write down facts that will help you answer your questions.
4. Write down your own ideas. Ask yourself: What other things can I include about this topic? Why should people be interested in this topic? Why is this topic important?
5. Find the main idea of your paragraph: Chose the most important point. If you cannot decide which is the most important one, just chose one and stick to it throughout your paragraph.
6. Organize your facts and ideas to develop your topic, find the best way to tell the reader about it. Decide which facts will support the main idea.

Writing a Paragraph

The writing stage is when you turn your ideas into sentences and you communicate them. Some important steps are the following:

• Write a topic sentence, some supporting sentences, and one closing sentence
• Make sure that the sentences are clear, simple, and they express what you really mean
• Focus on the main idea of your paragraph
• Re-read what you wrote and see if the idea is clear and you can read it with ease

Editing a Paragraph

The editing stage is when you check your paragraph for mistakes and correct them. Do not forget to do the following:

• Check your grammar and spelling
• Read your text again and make sure each sentence makes sense
• See if your paragraph is interesting to read

Transition signals can be compared to traffic signs. They are words that tell you to go forward, to turn, to slow down and to stop. Better said, they help the reader when to you are giving a similar idea, an opposite idea, an example, a result, or a conclusion. As a writer it is important to use these types of words to help you follow your ideas coherently.

Types of Transitional Signals

Transition words can be classified taking into account they type of help they might offer a writer. They can be classified in the following types:

1. Words that Show Addition

   They aid the writer when he or she wants to present two or more ideas that continue along the same line of thought. Some common adition words are: and, also, another, in addition, moreover, first of all, second, third, furthermore, finally.

2. Words that Show Time

   They indicate a time relationship. They tell us when an specific event took place in relation to another. Some of these words are: First, then, often, since, next, before, after, soon, as, now, until, previously, while, during, immediately, frequently.

3. Words that Show Contrast

   They signal a change in the direction of the writer's thought. They tell us a new idea will be different in a significant way from the previous one. Some contrast words are: but, however, yet, although, in contrast, instead, still, in spite of, despite, on the other hand, on the contrary.

4. Word that Show Comparison

   These words are used when a writer wants to point out a similarity between two subjects. They tell us that the previous idea is similar to the next one in some way. Some words that show comparison are: like, as, just like, just as, in like manner, equally, similarly, in a similar fashion, in the same way.

5. Words that Show Illustration

   These words are used if you as a writer want to provide one of more examples to develp and clarify a given idea. They tell us that the second idea is an example of the first. Some illustration words are: for example, for instance, as an illustration, to illustrate, such as, to be specific, including.

6. Words that Show Location

   Location transitions show a relationship in space. They tell us where something is in relation to something else. Some of these words can be: next to, in front of, in back of, below, between, inside, outside, opposite, on top of, across, beneath, in the middle of, on the other side, at the end of, ahead of, over, under, behing, near, far.

7. Words that Show Cause and Effect

   These types of words are useful if an author wants to describe a result of something. They tell us what happened or will happen because something else happened. These type of words are: because, if... then, as a result, consequently, accordingly, therefore, since, so.

8. Words that Summarize or Conclude

   These types of words are used when the idea that follows will sum up the entire writing or a final statement will be written as a conclusion. These words are: in summary, in conclusion, in short, all in all, in brief, in other words, on the whole, to conclude, to sum up.

One of the most important aspects to take into consideration when you write is punctuation. It will tell your reader when to stop or when to change the interpretation of your paper. Speakers use intonation and writers use punctuation. Some of the most common marks in English are the following:

• Period

  - Use a period after a statement or command.

  Turn on the television.
  We are studying English.

  - Use a period after most abbreviations.

  Mr.
  Ms.
  Dr.

  Exceptions:

  UN
  NATO
  IBM
  AIDS

• Question Mark

  Use a question mark in an interrogative statement. In a direct quotation, the question mark goes before the quotation mark.

  He said, "Are you coming home?"

• Comma

  - Use a comma before a conjunction (and, or, so, but) that separates two independent clauses.

  She wanted to learn to cook, so she decided to buy herself a book.

  - Don't use a comma before a conjunction that separates two incomplete sentences.

  She worded in the library and studied at night.

  - Use a comma to separate interrupting expressions from the rest of the sentence.

  Do you know, by the way, what time it is?

  - Use a comma after yes and no in answers.

  Yes, my father is a doctor.

  - Use a comma to separate an apposite form the rest of the sentence.

  Mr. Smith, the new teacher, really knows how to teach.

  Would you like to try a taco, a traditional Mexican dish?

• Quotation Marks

  - Use quotation marks at the beginning and at the end of exact quotations.

  He said, "I'm going to get married."

  - Use quoation marks before and after titles of stories, articles, songs, and TV shows.

  Do you want to watch "Friends" on TV?

  My favorite song is "Disappear" by INXS.

We use a capital letter in the following cases:

1. First words

   - Capitalize the fist word of every sentence.

   - Capitalize the first word of a quotation.

2. Personal Names

   - Capitalize the names of people including initials and titles of address.

   - Capitalize family words if they appear alone of followed by a name.

   Let's go, Dad.
   Where's Grandma?

   - Do not capitalize family words with a possessive pronoun or article.

   My uncle
   An aunt

   - Capitalize names of God.

   Allah
   Jesus Christ

3. Place Names

   - Capitalize the names of countries, states, provinces, cities, lakes, rivers, islands, mountains

   Mexico
   Mt. Everest
   the Amazon
   Lake Ontario

   - Do not capitalize the names of seasons

   summer
   spring
   fall
   winter

To define the essay briefly, one can say that it is a piece of writing usually short (3 to 10 pages), written in prose, and that may be on any subject. The essay is generally based on other people's statements. In the essay you can include your personal opinion, and some examples to illustrate your point of view. It is written about one topic, just as a paragraph is. However, the topic of an essay is too long and too complex to discuss it in one paragraph. Therefore, you must divide the topic into several paragraphs, one for each major point. In general, essays have three basic parts: introduction, body and conclusion.

1. The Introduction

   It is the first section of your essay. This makes it extremely important, because first impressions are often lasting ones. It consists of two parts: a few general statements about your subject to attract your reader's attention, and a thesis statement, that states the specific subdivisions of your topic and/or the "plan" of your paper. The introduction then, begins with remarks to interest people. As it progresses, it should present general ideas or facts to orient the reader. Then, it will narrow its focus, and move from general to specific facts smoothly and logically.

2. The body Paragraphs

   They are the longest section of you essay. In a short essay there are usually three body paragraphs, each one considering in detail one aspect of the essay's controlling idea. This is called a three-point essay. At the beginning of each of your support paragraphs, there is a topic sentence that tells what the rest of your text is going to be about. This sentence should direct your readers back to the controlling idea and indicate which aspect of it you are going to discuss. Once you present your topic, you need details and facts to support it. It is not enough to state your position; your reader needs to be convinced that your point of view is valid an accurate. There is not any rule that determines how long a body paragraph should be. The more relevant detail you can bring in to support each of your topic sentence, the clearer your points will be.

3. The Conclusion

   The ideas in this part must be consistent with the rest of your essay. In it, you should restate the controlling idea. This restatement is usually more effective when it is located at the beginning of the conclusion. It reminds your public about the major points you were trying to make, and it indicates your essay is about to end. Many writers like to end their conclusion with a final emphatic sentence. This strong closing statement will make your readers think about the implications of what you wrote. You do not introduce your points in your conclusion.

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