Skill: Writing
Category: Academic English
Level: Advanced
Paragraph Writing
A paragraph is a group of related sentences on one topic. The topic of a paragraph should only contain one idea. A good paragraph has three main parts and they may follow a specific order like:
Topic sentence: It is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. What it does is to name the paragraph and tells what the paragraph says about it.
Supporting sentences or the body: They are placed after the topic sentence, in the middle of a paragraph. They include giving examples or other details about the topic. In some cases, they may give a story to support the topic sentence.
Concluding sentence: It is usually the last sentence in a paragraph. The concluding sentence summarizes the main points, or it often restates the topic sentence using different words.
Now let’s consider the parts of a paragraph in the following example:
Paris is one of the best cities in the world to live in.Its health care system is one of a kind in the world. The citizens have access to medical services. Besides, the education level is high in this city. Teachers use various up-to-date method of teaching in their courses. The city is very clean and well-managed. The citizens have access to various transportation services. Therefore, Paris is a desirable place to live.
Exercise:
Read the paragraphs and chose the best topic sentence.
1- ________________________________________. Some schools in Japan are private. Private schools are usually more expensive and they do not get the payment from taxes. On the other hand, other schools are public which means the inhabitants of each place do some of the payments through their taxes. Consequently, public schools are found to be cheaper than private schools and students are highly recommended to attend the private ones. In addition, it also does not matter which type of school you attend—private or public—you can get a satisfactory education.
- There are two types of schools in Japan
b) Public schools get money through taxes
c) There are many schools in Japan.
What is the best concluding sentence?
2- I am not particularly eager to live in big and crowded cities for two reasons. First, all the time, they are crowded and noisy. You can hear loud music, horns, traffic roaring, busy shops and restaurants, and people talking all hours. You never feel comfortable there. Second, there is no feeling of cooperation in big cities. The people are not united and no one cares about you any time you need them. Neighbors who have been living in the same region for many years even do not know each other well which you feel isolated and life is absolutely boring. ___________________________________________________
a) In short, big cities have a lot of crime.
b) Consequently, I prefer to live in small cities because they are quitter and people are friendly.
c) In conclusion, big cities are noisy and lonely place to inhabit.