THE ORGANIZATION OF

PARAGRAPHS
 Basic Organization
• The paragraph is the basic unit of academic
writing in English
• A paragraph consists of several sentences
that are grouped together. This group of
sentences together discuss one main
subject
• In U.S. Formal academic English, paragraphs
have three principal parts.
• These three parts are the topic sentence,
body sentence, and the concluding sentence
Model Paragraph
My Hometown
My hometown, Wheaaton, is famous for several amazing
natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River,
which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of
the town is Wheatin Hhill, which is unusual because it is
very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree.
This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about
six hundred years old.
The Topic Sentence
• A topic sentence is the most important
sentence in a paragraph because it contains
the main idea of the paragraph
• A good topic sentence has two parts: the
TOPIC and the CONTROLLING idea
• The TOPIC is the subject of your paragraph
• The CONTROLLING idea limits the the topic
of your paragraph. It shows the aspect of
that topic that you want to explore in your
paragraph
Example
• New York is a fun place to be on New Year’s Eve
topic controlling idea
• New York has great entertainment
topic controlling idea
• New York is the world’s loudest city
• Most academic writing is done to persuade
the reader that a point of view is reasonable
• Writing topic sentences is to write a
sentence that has a clear point of view
• A statement of fact is not an effective topic
sentence because there is nothing more that
can be said about it
• Examples:
1. Twenty-five people attended the
compnany’s Halloween party
2. The company’s Halloween party was a bore,
as usual
• Another common way to write a topic
sentence is to divide a topic into different
parts
• Example:
1. Ramadhan has three important days within
topic
the month of fasting
controlling idea
 Practice 1

• India celebrates Christian, Hindu, and Islamic holidays

• It’s fun to carve a Halloween pumpkin
• Independence Day is an important holiday in any country
• Going to big holiday parties is like a punishment to me
• Different countries have unique ideas about Santa Claus
• The Western world should have a holiday to recognize
senior citizens
• It’s important to honor your mother on Mother’s Day
• Rain can ruin a picninc
 The Body (Supporting
Sentences)
• Supporting sentences explain the topic
sentences
• Paragraphs in English often have more than
two supporting ideas
• At minimum, you should have at least five to
seven sentences in your paragraph
Example :
 
My hometown

My hometown, wawobungi , is a famous for several

natural features. First,there is a beautiful and amazing
beach named Landi Beach. Also, there is a beautiful
waterfall named Sangia waterfall. These two landmarks
are truly amazing and make my hometown be a famous
place.
 The Concluding Sentence
• The concluding sentence of a paragraph is
generally needed in a stand-alone paragraph.
• Usually, a concluding sentence is a
restatement of the topic sentence.
• Concluding sentences usually start with a
transition, such as all in all, in conclusion, in
short, or in summary (Note: not all
concluding sentences need a transition. You
as the writer decide if it is necessary)
Example:

My hometown
My hometown, wawobungi , is a famous for several
natural features. First,there is a beautiful and amazing
beach named Landi Beach. Also, there is a beautiful
waterfall named Sangia waterfall. These two landmarks
are truly amazing and make my hometown be a famous
place.
 Details in Paragraph
• The short paragraph in this lesson is a fairly
complete paragraph, but it lacks details.
• Whenever possible, you should include
enough details in your paragraphs to help
you reader understand exactly what you are
writing about
Example
 
My hometown
My hometown, wawobungi , is a famous for several
natural features. First,there is a beautiful and amazing
beach named Landi Beach. In this beach have a golden
sand,you can sound waves crashing and if you take a
shower in this beach you can feel the water is very cool.
Also, there is a beautiful waterfall named Sangia waterfall.
This is a wonderful place you can hear water was
pounding the rocks and it tumbled down the mountain,it
was freezing and I was shaking with the cold. These two
landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown be
a famous place.