2.6: Supporting Ideas and Paragraph Unity
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- 304213
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Supporting means “holding up”, just as the bridge is “holding up” the man in the image. Supporting sentences are crucial in “holding up” the main idea while making your paragraphs interesting and convincing (making people believe). They must support or explain the main idea in the topic sentence.
a man sitting on a bridge over a river
Ways of Developing a Paragraph
In this course, you will study different types of paragraphs and essays. Each type of paragraph or essay can use different ways of supporting an idea (sometimes called “means of support”). When we talk about developing a paragraph (or essay), we are talking about adding enough support for our ideas.
A well-developed paragraph has several supporting sentences that help to explain the main idea. They help to make the main idea clearer and more believable to the reader. How many supporting sentences do you need? That depends on how complex your topic is. Use as many sentences as you need to explain your idea clearly and completely. For this course, it is a good idea to have at least six to nine supporting sentences. However, academic paragraphs in college writing can have ten or more sentences!
Types of information that you could include as supporting sentences:
- examples
- specific details (time, date, place, number, percentage, or other facts)
- a clear description
- a definition
- an explanation
- Content above was adapted from ESL Academic Writing(opens in new window), which was shared under a CC BY (opens in new window)license by Prince George's Community College.
A good strategy for logical supporting sentences is to predict the question the readers may ask about your topic sentence. Look at the sample outline below.
| Parts in a Paragraph | Outline Ideas |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | Young people should not live in their parents’ house after graduating from college. |
| Question: | Why not? |
| Supporting Sentence 1 | practice independence in daily life |
| Details 1 | cooking, cleaning, money, my struggles to be mature |
| Supporting Sentence 2 | experience real meaning of life |
| Details 2 | make decisions, take risks, manage time, my involvement in community service |
| Supporting Sentence 3 | learn to appreciate parents |
| Details 3 | their teaching, their love, give them time to rest, joy in visiting my parents |
- Content above was adapted from Building Academic Writing Skills (Cui)(opens in new window), which was shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0(opens in new window) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lin Cui(opens in new window).
Which of these paragraphs is better developed? Do both paragraphs have enough support for an academic essay? If not, how can they be improved?
- People who form close relationships with other people tend to be happier than those who do not. The number of friends a person has is not important. When it comes to happiness, what matters most is the quality of the relationships. Close relationships are ones that usually involve the sharing of feelings, mutual respect, acceptance, trust, fun and empathy. As long as the relationships are deep, a person will experience greater levels of happiness.People who exercise regularly are usually happier than people who avoid exercising. People with good exercise routines are always improving both their physical and mental well-being. In fact, research has shown that exercise can be as effective as medication in treating depression.
- People who exercise regularly are usually happier than people who avoid exercising. People with good exercise routines are always improving both their physical and mental well-being. In fact, research has shown that exercise can be as effective as medication in treating depression.
What kinds of support could be used to write a paragraph about the following topics? Use the types from the list above. Remember that most paragraphs use more than one type of support.
The bravest moment of your life
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Taking an amazing photograph
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
- Content above was adapted from ESL Academic Writing(opens in new window), which was shared under a CC BY (opens in new window)license by Prince George's Community College.
Paragraph Unity
Unity comes from the verb “unite” and means “hold tight, together.” In a paragraph, it means that all the supporting sentences work together to serve the same purpose: explaining the main idea.
Imagine two bouquets of flowers. Both look beautiful and in perfect harmony within themselves. However, if one sunflower is inserted in the middle of the roses, it will look out of place because it breaks the unity of the rose bouquet.
a rose bouquet
a sunflower bouquet
Then how do you tell if your paragraph has unity? There are two easy ways:
- Ask yourself, “Does each supporting sentence explain the controlling idea in the topic sentence?” If yes, your paragraph has unity. If not, you need to delete or change the supporting sentence. It is helpful to circle or underline your controlling idea in the topic sentence for easier checking.
- Always make an outline of the paragraph before you write. If you come up with a new idea while drafting the paragraph, put it in your outline first and ask yourself the first question.
Does the following paragraph outline show unity?
| Parts of a Paragraph | Outline Ideas |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | Taking online classes helps college students in three significant ways. |
| Question: | What are these three ways? |
| Supporting Sentence 1 | provide convenience |
| Details 1 | no driving, flexible study time, no transportation issue, hard to focus because of noisy children in the same house |
| Supporting Sentence 2 | practice time management skills |
| Details 2 | set study time and follow it, learn to deal with distractions |
| Supporting Sentence 3 | not get professor’s in-person help |
| Details 3 | difficult materials, questions not answered right away, manage time better |
No, it does not show unity. It contains irrelevant (not necessary) ideas because they do not support the main idea “help college students”. Here are ways to improve the outline:
- Cross out the irrelevant ideas.
- Add relevant information to support the main idea.
- In the second support, a personal example is also added to make the paragraph more interesting.
- In the third support, the new idea “manage time better” is a repetition of the second support “practice time management skills”. Therefore, it should be deleted. It is important not to repeat the same information that is already explained in other parts of the support.
The items that should be deleted are:
Updated Outline:
| Parts of a Paragraph | Outline Ideas |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | Taking online classes helps college students in three significant ways. |
| Question: | What are these three ways? |
| Supporting Sentence 1 | provide convenience |
| Details 1 | no driving, flexible study time, no transportation issue, childcare easier, enjoy time together |
| Supporting Sentence 2 | practice time management skills |
| Details 2 | set study time and follow it, learn to deal with distractions, my example of learning from procrastination mistakes |
| Supporting Sentence 3 | learn to study independently |
| Details 3 | solve problems, rely on oneself, YouTube, Khan Academy, other resources |
Use the above as an example. Read the outlines below. Cross out the supporting ideas/details that are irrelevant. Revise each outline so that all the supporting ideas explain the main idea in the topic sentence.
Outline #1
| Parts of a Paragraph | Outline Ideas |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | Social distancing is important in preventing the spread of coronavirus. |
| Question: | Why is social distancing important in prevention? |
| Supporting Sentence 1 | lower chance of passing the virus |
| Details 1 | talking, sneezing, coughing, passing one person to the next |
| Supporting Sentence 2 | the virus highly contagious |
| Details 2 | through physical contact, Delta variant 60% more transmissible than the one before |
| Supporting Sentence 3 | hospitals with good medical equipment |
| Details 3 | ICU, respirators, oxygen tanks, N95 masks |
| Supporting Sentence 4 | some people catch virus easily |
| Details 4 | sick people, older people, children |
Outline #2
| Parts of a Paragraph | Outline Ideas |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | I suffered from severe mental stress during the Covid 19 lockdown in April 2020. |
| Question: | Why did you suffer from stress? |
| Supporting Sentence 1 | worry about my health the health of my family |
| Details 1 | brother essential worker, baby at home |
| Supporting Sentence 2 | worry about money |
| Details 2 | lost restaurant job, pay bills, good unemployment benefits |
| Supporting Sentence 3 | online classes very hard |
| Details 3 | convenient time, hard to learn Blackboard, no face-to-face practice, missed deadline of first assignment |
Outline #3
| Parts of a Paragraph | Outline Ideas |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | My cousin did not want to get the Covid-19 vaccine for three reasons. |
| Question: | What were the reasons? |
| Supporting Sentence 1 | vaccine safety not sure |
| Details 1 | Vaccine developed in a short time, worry about reactions and long-term side effects, reports about blood clots after vaccine |
| Supporting Sentence 2 | He’s healthy |
| Details 2 | strong, seldom sick, good immunity |
| Supporting Sentence 3 | stayed home all the time |
| Details 3 | not contact other people, study online, get bored, want to have parties with friends |
Exercise 10
Use the topic sentences below to build relevant supporting ideas. Check to make sure that all the ideas support the main idea in the topic sentence. Share your outline with your partner and discuss each other’s ideas.
Example:
| Parts of a Paragraph | Outline Ideas |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | Owning a car is a necessity for community college students. |
| Question: | Why is a car necessary? |
| Supporting Sentence 1 | need it for study |
| Details 1 | on time to class, stay late in lab and library, not relying on friends or family, in control of time, my example of schedule |
| Supporting Sentence 2 | need it for extra curricula activities and community service |
| Details 2 | student clubs, volunteer work, my example of community service in the homeless shelter |
| Supporting Sentence 3 | need it for fun |
| Details 3 | party and movie with friends, regardless of time |
- Topic sentence: Men can often be better care givers than women.
- Topic sentence: People 18 years and older should serve two years in the military.
- Topic sentence: Chicago is the most romantic city in the U.S.
- Topic sentence: Chicago is the best place for children to visit on the weekend.
Exercise 11
The following paragraph about a special place does not have unity. There are four additional sentences to be deleted (not including the example). Type the numbers of the irrelevant sentences in the boxes below. When you complete the entire exercise, you can click “Check” for answers. You may also retry or see all the answers. Sentence #4 is an example.
You can view and complete this exercise online in the original text.
Types of Supporting Sentences
As explained above, good supporting sentences not only explain the main idea but also include interesting details such as:
facts – numbers, general truths, scientific truths, etc.
reasons – logical explanations
experts’ opinions – research findings, quotes by experts in the field, etc.
examples – stories of well-known people, personal experiences, personal quotes, etc.
Read Paragraph “Good Roommates” below and discuss how the writer uses the types of details. Color supporting ideas in green and the details in blue.
Good Roommates
Having good roommates makes lives more enjoyable. First, good roommates understand each other’s need for peace and quiet after a day’s study. 1They do not make unnecessary noises. For example, my roommate Abia and I have different class schedules. She spends the day at school, and I attend night classes. When I come back to the apartment very tired at 10 pm, she always turns down her music or speaks very softly on the phone with her friends. Moreover, good roommates share useful information. 2Writer Barbara Dana once said, “A good roommate may be the single most important thing to have when one is away at school.” It is true because Abia’s and my families are far away. I have taken more courses at college, so I give Abia advice about classes, student clubs, and scholarships. She helps me in a different way. While I was looking for a part-time job last year, she told me about the job openings in her workplace. Finally, good roommates respect each other’s differences. 3As the U.S. is a land of immigrants, it becomes the land of opportunities to learn different cultures and religions. I have learned about the significance of Ramadan for Abia, and she has understood the importance of Easter for me. Together, we have developed a good understanding of each other’s beliefs. In brief, good roommates help each other become more caring, supportive, and tolerant[9]. They make living easier in this complicated world.
In the first supporting details (first blue block marked with 1): personal examples of Abia and me
In the second supporting details (second blue block marked with 2): a quote by an expert, personal examples of Abia and me
In the third supporting details (third blue block marked with 3): general truth, logic, personal examples of Abia and me
Exercise 12
Using the paragraph “Good Roommates” as an example, read the paragraph “No Capital Punishment” and discuss what types of interesting details the writer uses. Color the supporting ideas in green green and the details in and blue.
No Capital Punishment
Capital punishment [a type of punishment to kill a criminal] should be banned [stop; not allow to happen] because the result cannot be changed, it is killing a life, and it does not stop the crime. First of all, the result of capital punishment is irreversible [cannot go back to the original situation]; therefore, it is important to be absolutely certain of a person’s guilt. Nevertheless, in some cases, this is simply impossible to prove a person’s guilt with 100% certainty. What if a person is wrongly charged? The death penalty will affect that person and his or her family forever. Next, capital punishment is killing. Killing people for any reason is wrong. Life is sacred, and humans do not have the right to decide the lives of others. Some people believe that capital punishment will stop criminals from committing crimes as they will be afraid to die. However, this is not the reality. Violent cases still occur daily. For instance, on the weekend of July 4th, 2021, Chicago Sun times reported that over 100 people were shot in Chicago and 19 of them died. That weekend was considered the deadliest and most violent in the city that year. This shows that putting criminals to death will not reduce the crime. For these reasons, death penalty should not be supported. The people and the government must find a better solution [to answer a problem] to punishing the law breakers.
data from https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2021/7/3/22561910/chicago-weekend-shootings-july-2-5-homicide-gun-violence. Last accessed on July 10, 2021.
- Content above was adapted from Building Academic Writing Skills (Cui)(opens in new window), which was shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0(opens in new window) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lin Cui(opens in new window).
Photo Attributions:
- a man sitting on a bridge over a river © Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash
- a rose bouquet © Photo by Enrique Avendaño on Unsplash
- a sunflower bouquet © Photo by Farrinni on Unsplash