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Senior Joined: Feb 26, 2009 Posts: 30

Could you lell me how to write a good paragraph ? And I want you to introduce me some books for practicing writing ! Thankyou very much!

King Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 711

Getting started on your paragraph

Before you start writing a paragraph, you need to decide two things. What are you writing about? What do you want to say? The purpose of any paragraph is to express an idea. Most paragraphs consist of a few related sentences.

You can write a successful paragraph by starting off with a plan. The key to doing a successful paragraph is to break down the writing into short, simple steps.

* Subject of your paragraph
Write down the subject of your paragraph. To express your subject, write only a word or phrase. Who or what are you writing about?

* Pre-writing for your paragraph
Begin by brainstorming. Brainstorming doesn't involve writing complete sentences or paragraphs. Brainstorming involves coming up with ideas using words or short phrases.

* One popular way to to create pre-writing ideas is to ask yourself questions about your subject.

Here are some questions you might ask yourself:
What do I know about this subject? How does this subject relate to me? What do I like or dislike about this subject? What words best describe it?

Write only a word or phrase in response to each question.

King Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 711

A paragraph is a basic unit of organization in writing in which a group of sentences develops one main idea. The number of sentences a paragraph contains is not important. It can be as short as one sentence or as long as nine sentences, the most important thing is that the idea stated at the beginning is clearly developed.

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.

In adition to the three parts of a paragraph, a good paragraph also needs two important elements: unity and coherence. Unity: it means that in your paragraph you discuss one and only one main idea which is stated in the topic sentence and then developed by the supporting sentences. Coherence: it means that your paragraph is easy to read and understand because:

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

King Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 711

How to Write a Paragraph

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

Senior Joined: Feb 26, 2009 Posts: 30

Thankyou for your help . I think it will help me improve my writing skill effectively .Thanks

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