Tutorial: Paragraph Structure and Unity
Introduction
We said paragraph structure is like a flower. There are parts of the paragraph that must be in place for it to be strong. A flower has a stem, leaves, and a bloom. A paragraph has a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a clincher. The topic sentence provides the anchor for the paragraph. It is the foundation. The supporting sentences function just like the leaves supporting the bloom of the flower. The clincher represents the bloom. It has all the information of the topic sentence as well as an answer to the “So what?” question. It is the grand finale of the paragraph.
Paragraph Analysis
Click on the tabs below to review the key characteristics of a paragraph and answer questions about each.
Structure
Each paragraph has a sense of beginning, middle, and end. This structure is what holds the paragraph together and makes it easy for readers to follow. A paragraph is made up of three main parts — a topic sentence, body, and a concluding sentence (sometimes called a “clincher”.)
Take a look at the following examples, then answer the questions.
| Example 1 | Example 2 |
| My family plants a garden together each spring. When the weather gets warm, my mother, sister, brother, and I wake up early and drive to our family’s farm. First, my uncle and grandfather break up the soil and dig furrows to plant the seeds. Next, we all work together to plant the many vegetables we like to eat. My sister’s favorite is the cucumber, but my brother likes tomatoes best. My grandmother and I plant beans, squash, and watermelon. Then, my mother brings the garden hose so we can water the seeds. Finally, we all sit down to eat a delicious picnic and admire the new garden. Planting the spring garden is a special time for my family to be together. | My family is my mother, sister, and brother. My grandmother is also in my family but she lives on a farm. We like to pick cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans from her garden. It is a long drive to the farm but we like to visit every summer. Sometimes we have a picnic. Everyone loves to grow vegetables in the garden. |
Now we will analyze the paragraphs. Read each one again (remember, these are two separate paragraphs, they are not connected to each other; they are two examples.)
Key Idea: When all of the parts of a paragraph are working together, we create unity in our writing.
Writing Topic Sentences
A paragraph begins with one, strong sentence to let readers know the main point.
Look at the topic sentence from the first example at the beginning of this tutorial:
My family plants a garden together each spring.
Topic + Main Idea = Topic Sentence
| Topic | Main Idea |
| My family |
plants a garden together each spring. |
Key Idea: We do not need to introduce our topic when we have a strong topic sentence.
|
Do |
Don't |
| My family plants a garden together each spring. |
|
Writing Support Sentences
The body makes up the most of a paragraph. A typical body paragraph has about three-to-five supporting sentences that are examples and details to explain the main ideas.
Let’s go back to the paragraph about the family garden. The topic sentence is first. We know the topic is “family” and the main idea is “planting a garden” The following sentences support that topic. Look at how each supporting sentence connects to the topic of family and the main idea of planting a garden.
My family plants a garden together each spring. When the weather gets warm, my mother, sister, brother, and I wake up early and drive to our family’s farm. First, my uncle and grandfather break up the soil and dig furrows to plant the seeds. Next, we all work together to plant the many vegetables we like to eat. My sister plants her favorite vegetable, the cucumber. However, my brother likes tomatoes best and plants many different varieties. My grandmother and I plant beans, squash, and watermelon. Then, my mother brings the garden hose so we can water the seeds. Finally, we all sit down to eat a delicious picnic and admire the new garden. Planting the spring garden is a special time for my family to be together.
Writing the Clincher
Finally, a paragraph ends with a sentence that sums up the main idea of the entire paragraph. It is a reflection of the topic sentence; it should not repeat exactly what the topic sentence said, but it should be similar in idea.
The best clinchers leave readers with something to think about or do in response to what they just read in your paragraph. They answer the questions, “So what?” In other words, they give a reason for readers to care about what you are saying. They often connect to an idea that we are all familiar with, such as love, grief, change, pride, or success.
My family plants a garden together each spring. When the weather gets warm, my mother, sister, brother, and I wake up early and drive to our family’s farm. First, my uncle and grandfather break up the soil and dig furrows to plant the seeds. Next, we all work together to plant the many vegetables we like to eat. My sister plants her favorite vegetable, the cucumber. However, my brother likes tomatoes best and plants many different varieties. My grandmother and I plant beans, squash, and watermelon. Then, my mother brings the garden hose so we can water the seeds. Finally, we all sit down to eat a delicious picnic and admire the new garden. Planting the spring garden is a special time for my family to be together.
Questions to consider
- A clincher should restate the topic of the sentence. Do you see the topic of “family planting a garden” restated in this clincher?
- A clincher should connect to a larger theme. Why is this topic important to the author?
Unity/Focus
One of the best ways to create unity in a paragraph is to take time to brainstorm ideas about the details that belong in your paragraph before you write the paragraph. That way, you can look at your list of ideas and decide which ones do and do not belong in your paragraph. This is very important when we write supporting sentences. As we saw in the previous section on structure, all the parts of a sentence work together to make a strong paragraph. If the support is weak, the message will never get to the reader.
My family plants a garden together each spring. When the weather gets warm, my mother, sister, brother, and I wake up early and drive to our family’s farm. First, my uncle and grandfather break up the soil and dig furrows to plant the seeds. Next, we all work together to plant the many vegetables we like to eat. My sister’s favorite is the cucumber, but my brother likes tomatoes best. My grandmother and I plant beans, squash, and watermelon. Then, my mother brings the garden hose so we can water the seeds. Finally, we all sit down to eat a delicious picnic and admire the new garden. Planting the spring garden is a special time for my family to be together.
Look at the bold portion of each sentence. How does it connect to our topic? Remember, our topic is “family planting a garden.”
Practice
Directions: Use the paragraph to answer the following questions.
Pets are a lot of work but my cat, Biscuit, is worth it. Since Biscuit came to live with us, I no longer get to sleep until noon on the weekends. She wakes me up each morning by meowing loudly until I feed her. After school, I have to take care of Biscuit before I do my homework. I brush her fur and take her outside to play. Although having a cat takes a lot of time, I feel more relaxed and focused when Biscuit curls up next to me as I study.
Key Ideas
- Make sure your paragraphs have a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a clincher. Remember, the topic sentence is the topic + main idea. Your main idea is the message you want to send the reader. The clincher should include the topic + why it is important to you.
- All supporting sentences must connect to the topic and the main idea in the topic sentence.
Apply
- Past writing analysis: Look back at a paragraph you wrote for class. What could you have done to make that paragraph stronger? Does it need a stronger topic sentence? Does it need more support?
- Goals for future assignments: Which part of paragraph writing is your weakest - structure or unity? Make notes of this lesson to use as reminders when you write future assignments. You might create your own flower and put it on your wall or desk. Each time you look at it, let it remind you to check the structure and unity of your paragraph.