Focus

 One paragraph has only one topic.

 The topic is stated in a topic sentence.
 All the other sentences in the paragraph
are related to the topic sentence.
 No sentences are “off topic.”
Focus (cont’d.)
 The topic sentence establishes a “bull’s eye” that
the other sentences must hit.
Development
 The topic introduced in the topic sentence
is adequately developed. (English
paragraphs tend to be longer than
Chinese paragraphs.)
 Supporting sentences should be in logical
order.
 One standard form of development is to
make three points about the topic and then
to give an example of each point.
A standard form of paragraph
development:
I. Topic Sentence
II. Body
A. Point A
Example of Point A
B. Point B
Example of Point B
C. Point C
Example of Point C
III. Conclusion
Coherence

 There are smooth transitions between

the sentences in a paragraph.