1.1: Introduction
- Page ID
- 151198
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Introduction:
This unit will review the key parts of a paragraph and four common sentence structures in academic writing.
In academic writing, a paragraph is a group of sentences that are all about one main idea. One paragraph in a longer piece of academic writing is very different from a paragraph you might see in newspapers, magazines, websites, or in a fictional story. In academic writing, a paragraph usually has three parts: a topic sentence, some supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. Each part of an academic paragraph plays a special role.
"Introduction to Academic Writing: "What is a Paragraph"" by Delpha Thomas, OER ESL 0202 Text, adapted by Prince George's Community College is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Key Elements of a Paragraph:
- A clear topic sentence that expresses the topic and the controlling idea
- Supporting sentences providing more information about the topic
- Further explanations, details, and examples for each support
- Transition words and phrases indicating the organization pattern of the paragraph
- Concluding sentence which generally restates the thesis or summarizes the paragraph
Objectives:
By the end of this unit, you will be able to
- Write a clear topic sentence for an organized paragraph.
- Provide clear and specific support for the topic sentence.
- Use transitional expressions to show organization of ideas.
- Combine simple clauses to form compound or complex sentences.
- Identify the four sentence types.