Paragraph Development

Once a writer has created a central idea and from it drawn the necessary topic sentences, he or she is faced with the problem of developing these topic sentences into paragraphs. This can be done using evidence to prove, support and explain the topic sentence. Here are some major kinds of evidence:

1.)    Examples and illustrations

2.)    Figures or statistics

3.)    Quotations from experts in a given field

4.)    Comparisons and contrasts

5.)    Reasons or results (cause and effect)

6.)    Details and facts

7.)    On occasion, definitions of terms are needed

A paragraph never uses all these items, but several can be worked together to support the topic sentence. Sometimes, however, only one will be used. For example, a whole paragraph could consist of the topic sentence plus examples to show it is valid.

Paragraph Patterns

Once a writer has decided what evidence to put into a paragraph, the writer must choose a pattern or an order of an arrangement for this material. It cannot be tossed about haphazardly. Here are some common patterns or orders to use in building paragraphs:

1.)    Chronological order: This pattern organizes things in the order in which they occur. This results in a narrative paragraph, usually of details or examples.

2.)    Space order: This pattern organizes things according to their placement and arrangement within a given space. This results in a descriptive paragraph, usually built out of details.

3.)    Order of importance: The topic sentence in this paragraph is followed by evidence that builds up to the most important point.

4.)    Expository support: In this pattern, the topic sentence comes first and is followed by specific evidence. The points may be arranged in various other patterns, such as order of importance.

5.)    Expository climax: This is the opposite of #4. The data comes first and the topic sentence at the end.

6.)    Compare/contrast: In this pattern, the details either highlight similarities or distinguish differences.

7.)    Definitions: The paragraph may give details or material to define a term

8.)    Cause/effect: The paragraph details show either why something happened or what happened because of some other occurrence.