English Language Writing Skills

By Danso Kwasi Nti Samuel (DAS). Study the complete course source, examine every model and practise alongside Professor Jarvis.

Course printed page 107 PDF page 113 of 505

For tables, matching columns, IPA and original formatting, open the course PDF above.

Learning the parts of a paragraph and writing them

A paragraph as well defined earlier is a mini -essay. Therefore, the parts of a paragraph may

be grouped into introduction, main body and conclusion.

Introduction of a paragraph

The introduction of a paragraph is called the topic sentence. At our level, the topic sentence

is the first sentence of the paragraph. The topic sentence is the sentence that states the point

to be explained in an essay. Any point or answer to be explained in a paragraph must be in

a complete sentence with a full stop. The topic sentence is the controlling idea of the entire

paragraph. It is from this that the main body of the paragraph is developed. It summarizes

the whole paragraph.

   • Illustrative example of introducing a paragraph

      1. The first cause of teenage pregnancy in the country is inadequate parental care.

      2. Moreover, poverty causes teenage pregnancy in the country.

      3. Finally, peer influence causes teenage pregnancy in the country.

Note: topic sentence must be in a complete sentence with a full stop.

The content of the body of a paragraph

The body of a paragraph consist of the following parts;

   1. Major supporting sentence.

   2. Minor supporting sentences (supporting details).

         • Results.

         • Examples or instances.

         • Effects/consequences.

         • Solution/resolution.

The above is most effective for formal writings/Expository.