Ways We Use Paragraph Structure

  

Sentence Structure Diagram  

First, we should mention that the topic sentence often expresses an idea or a claim. By their nature, topic sentences need to be explained. In many ways, the topic sentence shares with the reader the whole reason why the paragraph is being written.

 

Supporting sentences, by contrast, will often share details, facts, examples, or explanations.

 

 

Internal transitions glue the paragraph together and help promote understanding.


 


The conclusion sums up everything in the paragraph and leads the reader into the next paragraph.


 

Let's look at an example paragraph and note the different components.

 


Example Paragraph 1

The paragraph below shows how a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and transitional words all work together. Mouseover the highlighted areas to see explanations of the various paragraph parts.

 

     Constructing an eco-friendly home may seem like an intimidating project, but there

are a few easy steps that make it attainable.Many begin this project by assessing their

current energy usage with an online electrical energy calculator. Next, look for areas in

the home where you can install skylights. Sunlight is stronger than any light bulb and is an

energy efficient source of light and heat. Additionally , you will want to install solar panels,

which can be used to heat water. Also, the energy from a solar panel can be stored in

battery form for later use. While installing skylights and solar panels may seem time-intensive,

a quick and easy fix would be to use light bulbs that require a lower wattage. Finally, consider

installing toilets that use a "low flow mechanism." Many of the suggestions for constructing

an eco-friendly home may not seem worth the initial money and energy, but they will pay

off in dividends once the upfront cost is met.

    The pay-off of an energy efficient home can be measured in many ways.

 

In the paragraph above, we see a classic example of a topic sentence introducing the focus of the paragraph.   There are also many transitional words included in the paragraph: "next," "Additionally," "Also," "While," and "Finally." We often use transitions between paragraphs; in the same way, we can use transition words to explain how the content of one sentence relates to the content that precedes or follows it.   We know, for example, that "however" signals a contrast is coming and "additionally" signals further explanation. Note the way the last sentence of the above paragraph leads (or transitions) us into the next paragraph.

 


Example Paragraph 2

Here is another example to help you see the structure.

 

When I first brought my cat home from the Humane Society, she was a mangy, pitiful animal. She was so thin that you could count her vertebrae just by looking at her. Apparently, she was declawed by her previous owners, then abandoned or lost. Since she couldn't hunt, she nearly starved. Not only that, but she had an abscess on one hip. The vets at the Humane Society had drained it, but it was still scabby and without fur. She had a terrible cold, too. She was sneezing and sniffling and her meow was just a hoarse squeak. And, she'd lost half her tail somewhere. Instead of tapering gracefully, it had a bony knob at the end.

 

Now, let's take this paragraph apart and look at all its parts.

Topic Sentence - Main Idea

When I first brought my cat home from the Humane Society, she was a mangy, pitiful animal.  

This is the topic sentence.   We know this because the subsequent sentences provide support and an explanation to the topic sentence.  

 

 

Explanation, Example

 

She was so thin that you could count her vertebrae just by looking at her.   Apparently, she was declawed by her previous owners, then abandoned or lost.   Since she couldn't hunt, she nearly starved.   Not only that, but she had an abscess on one hip. The vets at the Humane Society had drained it, but it was still scabby and without fur. She had a terrible cold, too. She was sneezing and sniffling, and her meow was just a hoarse squeak.   And, she'd lost half her tail somewhere.   Instead of tapering gracefully, it had a bony knob at the end.

These sentences are all supporting sentences.   Details like how thin the cat was; she had been declawed, so she couldn't hunt; she had a terrible cold; and half her tail was gone, all give support to the topic sentence.



Transitional Words & Phrases

She was so thin that you could count her vertebrae just by looking at her. Apparently, she was declawed by her previous owners, then abandoned or lost. Since she couldn't hunt, she nearly starved. Not only that, but she had an abscess on one hip. The vets at the Humane Society had drained it, but it was still scabby and without fur. She had a terrible cold, too. She was sneezing ans sniffling, and her meow was just a hoarse squeak. And, she'd lost half her tail somewhere. Instead of tapering gracefully, it had a bony know at the end.

Internal transition words include"apparently", "since", "not only that", "too", and "And".

 

 

In the exercise above, you saw that the first sentence ("When I first brought my cat home from the Humane Society, she was a mangy, pitiful animal.") was the topic sentence. More often than not, the first sentence is the topic sentence. Yet, the topic sentence can sometimes be located in the middle or at the end of a paragraph. Often, to create suspense or a sense of mystery, the topic sentence will be placed at the end. Let's take a look at the above paragraph and see what the effect is if we put the topic sentence at the end.

 

Mouseover the highlighted area below to see the effect of moving the topic sentence. 

My cat was so thin that you could count her vertebrae just by looking at her. Apparently she was declawed by her previous owners, then abandoned or lost. Since she couldn't hunt, she nearly starved. Not only that, but she had an abscess on one hip. The vets at the Humane Society had drained it, but it was still scabby and without fur. She had a terrible cold, too. She was sneezing and sniffling, and her meow was just a hoarse squeak. And she'd lost half her tail somewhere. Instead of tapering gracefully, it had a bony knob at the end. When I first brought her home from the Humane Society, she was a mangy, pitiful animal.

 


Self Check Area 

 

Let's check your understanding of paragraph structure. Click on the "Self Check Quiz" wording below to get started.

 Open/Close Self Check Quiz

 

  

Click here to go to the review section for Module 2: Paragraph Structure.