1.3: Ways of Developing a Paragraph
- Page ID
- 151200
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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 three to four 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
- an opposite point of view
Which of these paragraphs is better developed? Do both paragraphs have enough support for an academic essay? If not, how can they be improved?
A. 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
B. 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
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Taking an amazing photograph
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