When writing supporting sentences you should be giving examples, reasons, or descriptions to support your topic sentence. Writing a good paragraph takes practice. Your topic sentence could be at the beginning, middle or end of the paragraph. They may say that a paragraph should be 100 to 200 words long, or be no more than five or six sentences. If you were able to identify Concluding Sentence In A Paragraph – There are three main parts in a paragraph: topic sentence, supporting details / supporting sentences, and concluding sentence. That said, remember that the idea behind a paragraph might be short and sweet, or it might merit deeper explanation. supporting sentences of a paragraph develop the main idea you presented The final sentences of a paragraph conclude the topic by supporting or summarizing the main idea or by transitioning the reader to the next topic. But a good paragraph should not be measured in characters, words, or sentences. Consider whether you are writing to inform the reader with facts, to sequentially describe an event, to defend your position or to tell a story. A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. You should end up with a topic sentence, two blue sentences and two to four green sentences. You can see from this example how a topic is introduced, supported, and then brought to its natural conclusion. You have been successfully subscribed to the Grammarly blog. When it comes to maintaining a reader’s attention, a good rule of thumb might be to avoid writing more than five or six sentences in a paragraph before finding a logical place to break. Dana Tuffelmire has been writing for DMS for three years. Anguished onlookers hoped that the flames would be subdued in time to rescue the building’s most prized inhabitants. Provide more evidence with subsequent statements, such as, "I always had to pack my own clothes, gear and sleeping bag." Paragraphs 2-4 are supporting paragraphs each making a point. are correct! They may say that a paragraph should be 100 to 200 words long, or be no more than five or six sentences. Follow-up with another supporting detail of your topic sentence, highlighted in blue. They appear to have been highly prized by early North American hunter-gatherers and were their only animal companions for centuries, since there were no horses on the continent until the 16th century. Writing a good paragraph takes practice. The true measure of your paragraphs should be ideas. Mack Lewis, author of Scholastic's "Super Sentences and Perfect Paragraphs," recommends color-coding your supporting sentences to help organize your paragraph. Australia, and New Zealand. Follow your topic sentence with about six supporting sentences. The fact of the matter is that although you may have numerous valid facts or descriptions related to your paragraph’s core idea, you may lose a reader’s attention if your paragraphs are too long. Begin with your most important detail. that ice cream is enjoyed all over the world. Journalists, for example, know that their readers respond better to short paragraphs. Good paragraphing also greatly assists your readers in following a piece of writing. In a longer piece where one paragraph is dedicated to learning responsibility and proceeding paragraphs discuss other traits like bravery or independence, the conclusion of the first paragraph should logically transition the reader to the next paragraph; for example, "Although camping taught me to be responsible, I also learned that bravery comes with experience.". The second is the topic for the second paragraph, the third is the topic for the third paragraph, and the fourth for the fourth. Ice For example, follow an introductory sentence on childhood camping experiences with, "Camping taught me responsibility." You must be able to support your topic sentence. Firefighters rushed to First Avenue today to extinguish a blaze on the 1500 block. Yet, not all writing is academic, and once you have learned the concept behind good paragraph construction—which is really the art of focused writing in disguise—you should know that there are times when paragraph “rules” can, and should, be broken. Each of the supporting sentences supports the main idea, DNA studies on archaeological finds suggest that dogs may have been domesticated by humans as long as 40,000 years ago. That is, they explain and elaborate the point of the paragraph. In The same is true in Japan, G The remains of more than 60 ships, at least 700 ancient anchors, gold coins, and bronze, lead, and stone weights indicate that the city was a major trading port in the eastern Mediterranean. sentence. For example, if your broad topic is your childhood, then a limited topic sentence might be, "My childhood camping trips shaped me into who I am today.". is one of the few desserts that is enjoyed all over the world, then you It can be helpful to write your sentences on a graphic organizer, a blank chart with one box for each sentence, first to ensure your paragraph flows with relevant details. It can be helpful to write your sentences on a graphic organizer, a blank chart with one box for each sentence, first to ensure your paragraph flows with relevant details. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. Your childhood teacher did not wrong you when they taught you that there should be three, or four, or five sentences in a paragraph. News readers generally lose interest with long descriptions and even one-sentence paragraphs are considered both acceptable and impactful. The true measure of your paragraphs should be ideas. The topic is the broad, general theme or message. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Education, How to Write a Five-sentence Paragraph in Elementary School, Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images, Capital Community College: Techniques for Writing: Writing Topic Sentences for Paragraphs. The three middle sentences of the paragraph follow the topic sentence in some rational order and substantiate it with examples, analysis, or other kind of development; if written clearly, middle sentences may employ conjunctions or subordinate clauses to put … One method for writing good academic paragraphs involves following a basic template of presenting information in an organized, logical manner. on the street corners of Argentina. But a good paragraph should not be measured in characters, words, or sentences. There are no strict rules about how many words or lines your paragraphs should be, and there’s no need to lock your doors if you occasionally write long or short ones. Develop remaining sentences that offer details to support previous sentences and relate to the introductory topic. Italy, they call ice cream gelato. out all the amazing ice cream offered in other countries! The supporting sentences The main idea is the "key concept" being expressed. Highlight your supporting sentences in green. Follow that sentence with one or two sentences offering more details. Exercise 4 Using the three topic sentences you composed for the thesis statement in Note 9.18 “Exercise 1”, draft at least three supporting details for each point. The topic sentence answers one or more questions like why, how, or where? The proviso about the number of sentences between the topic sentence and the conclusion was not given to you because it was the magic formula for creating paragraphs of the perfect length; rather, your educator was attempting to give you a good reason to do adequate research on your topic. The task of forming thoughts into easily understandable sentences can be daunting. Now I want to travel the world just to try Learn to construct a paragraph that makes sense by including the main idea, supporting sentences and a conclusion. Every word in a topic sentence is important. The supporting sentences of a paragraph are the sentences between the topic sentence and the concluding sentence. The model regarding paragraph length that your teacher undoubtedly taught you involves a topic sentence, a number of facts that support that core idea, and a concluding sentence. Textbook chapters, articles, paragraphs, sentences, or passages all have topics and main ideas. Highlight your first sentence after the topic sentence in blue. Mood: How to Use Tone and Mood in Your Writing, 5 Writing "Rules" That Are Really Guidelines, Beware of These Common Consistency Issues in Writing. The supporting sentences “support” the topic sentence. A paragraph is made up of three parts: a topic sentence, supporting ideas, and a clincher. ... the paragraph should include enough evidence to support its topic sentence. The following paragraph contains supporting detail sentences for the primary support sentence (the topic sentence), which is underlined. This time, Writer River will provide a brief explanation of the concluding sentence definition and a few examples. Recent research has provided a wealth of insight about how dogs came to be domesticated by humans and the roles they played in Native American culture. Learning to write good paragraphs will help you as a writer stay on track during your drafting and revision stages. She taught elementary school for seven years and earned a master’s of education degree with a specialization in literacy. Paragraph 5 is the conclusion. cream is one of the few desserts that is enjoyed all over the world! The topic--or introductory--sentence should concisely state the topic, informing the reader of the main idea of the paragraph. The final sentence prepares the reader for the rest of the essay. The supporting sentences of a paragraph develop the main idea you presented in the topic sentence. When the first humans came to North America from Eurasia, at least 12,000 years ago, domesticated dogs came with them. Transitions. What’s more, if all of your paragraphs are long, you may lose opportunities to draw your reader in. giving examples, reasons, or descriptions to support your topic Tone vs. READ: Splitting Paragraphs for Easier Reading. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to two sons. Topic Sentences A topic sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph. in the topic sentence. When writing supporting sentences you should be It is what some call the subject. Academic writing yields the best examples of the topic-support-conclusion paragraph structure. The average academic paragraph typically consists of 8-10 sentences.