2.3: Writing Skills- The Paragraph

What Does a Good Paragraph Look Like?

Look at this paragraph:

For residents of British Columbia, the 100-mile diet is a healthy and responsible way to eat. First, people in B.C. have access to a vast array of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with grass-fed meats, wild salmon, and seafood from the Salish Sea. B.C. farmers produce 15 different varieties of apples and over 30 kinds of edible mushrooms. B.C. residents can take advantages of the many local farmers’ markets, which sell organic produce along with local cheese, eggs, and honey. Next, sugar and flour are not permitted; this means no pizza, no ice cream, no donuts, and no hamburger buns. Sugar and flour have both been linked to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. People who limit their consumption of these items have a lower chance of serious illness. Most importantly, the 100-mile diet helps to reduce a person’s ecological footprint. Many food items travel up to 3,000 miles to reach B.C. Shopping for local produce reduces the amount of oil that is used to transport these items. In conclusion, everyone should consider the 100-mile diet as a way to stay healthy and help the environment.

What makes this a good paragraph?

• It is all about the same subject—the benefits of following the 100-mile diet.
• All ideas flow in a logical order, from the opening sentence (the topic sentence) to the conclusion.
• There is plenty of detail to back up the writer’s initial statement that this is a healthy and responsible way to eat.

How Should I Organize My Paragraph?

A common way to look at paragraph organization is to use the idea of a hamburger.

•  
•  

• The top part of the bun is the topic sentence. This sentence tells you what the paragraph is about, and it looks appealing. Just as the top of the hamburger makes you want to eat the whole thing, the first sentence should make you want to read the whole paragraph.
• The main part of the hamburger is the supporting sentences. This is where you will find the tasty, juicy material. When you eat a hamburger, the best part is the meat, cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mustard, mayonnaise, and so on. When you read a paragraph, the best information should be in the supporting sentences. This is where you will find details such as examples and numbers.
• The bottom of the hamburger is the concluding sentence. No one really enjoys the bottom part of the bun—it’s tasteless, and it doesn’t have anything exciting in it. It’s there just to hold the hamburger together. The concluding sentence in your paragraph is the same—don’t include new and tasty information here. Its purpose is to signal the end of the paragraph.

 

Sections of the Paragraph: Helpful Tips

Topic sentence

DO                 

• Make it clear to the reader what your paragraph is about.

DON’T           

• Write the topic sentence as a question; make it a statement.
• Say, “I am going to talk about …” What do you want to say about it?
• Don’t make it too general. “Food is important” is too general!
• Don’t include too many ideas—you only have one paragraph.
• Just give a fact, e.g., “B.C. produces salmon.” What do you want to say about this salmon?

 

Supporting sentences

DO

• Make sure everything in the paragraph is connected to the topic sentence.
• Use details (e.g., examples and numbers) to support your topic sentence.
• Introduce different points with words like First, Next, In addition, Moreover, Finally.

DON’T

• Don’t use sweeping statements; try to include specific details.

 

Concluding sentence

DO

• Give the main idea again, but in different words.

 

DON’T

• Introduce new information here.
• Forget it! It needs to be there to signal the end of your paragraph.

 

Let’s break down the paragraph above to see how this works:

1	Topic sentence	For residents of British Columbia, the 100-mile diet is a healthy and responsible way to eat.
2	Supporting sentences	Point 1 + support	First, people in B.C. have access to a vast array of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with grass-fed meats, wild salmon, and seafood from the Salish Sea. B.C. farmers produce 15 different varieties of apples and over 30 kinds of edible mushrooms. B.C. residents can take advantages of the many local farmers’ markets, which sell organic produce along with local cheese, eggs, and honey.
		Point 2 + support	Next, sugar and flour are not permitted; this means no pizza, no ice cream, no donuts, and no hamburger buns. Sugar and flour have both been linked to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. People who limit their consumption of these items have a lower chance of serious illness.
		Point 3 + support	Most importantly, the 100-mile diet helps to reduce a person’s ecological footprint. Many food items travel up to 3,000 miles to reach B.C. Shopping for local produce reduces the amount of oil that is used to transport these items.
3	Concluding sentence	In conclusion, everyone should consider the 100-mile diet as a way to stay healthy and help the environment.

 

You Try It!

Part 1: Topic sentences

Imagine you are writing a paragraph about dietary choices. Which of the following are good topic sentences? If you decide that a sentence is not good, try to improve it.

 

1.      _____        I am going to tell you about my favourite dish.

 

2.      _____        My grandmother’s cooking brings back special memories for me.

 

3.      _____        There is a Japanese restaurant in my town.

 

4.      _____        Vegetarian cooking is very healthy, and the Mediterranean diet is also good.

 

5.      _____        It is possible to eat well and cheaply as a student.8,

 

6.      _____        What is the best way to grow your own vegetables?

 

7.      _____        My friend lost a lot of weight on the South Beach diet.

 

8.      _____        Although fad diets help you to lose weight, they are not always healthy.

 

9.      _____        British Columbia is a good place to live if you prefer organic food.

 

10.  _____        Have you ever considered becoming a vegan?

 

Part 2: Points and support

Look at the following topic sentences (TS). What supporting details can you use? Choose three supporting details, then write a concluding sentence (CS) for each paragraph.

Example

TS: The best way to stay healthy is to eat sensibly.

 

• Choose fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Don’t eat foods that are full of sugar.
• Try to avoid fast food.

CS: If you choose a diet that includes plenty of fresh produce and little sugar or fast food, you will enjoy good health for many years.

1.      TS: The best foods are those grown close to home.

• _____________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________

CS: _____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________.

 

2.      Shopping in a supermarket can be overwhelming, but there are strategies you can use.

• _____________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________

CS: _____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________.

 

3.      Fad diets are a waste of time and money.

• _____________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________

CS: _____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________.

 

In Bring It Together: Writing Task you will write a paragraph on the topic of food. Use what you have learned in this section to help you.