Writing a Perfect Paragraph - Effective Sentence for Writing

Part I Effective Sentence for Writing

Chapter 6 Paragraph

B. Writing a Perfect Paragraph

B. Writing a Perfect Paragraph⁵⁰

Clinchers;

- A clincher summarizes the main ideas or feelings in a paragraph and lets the reader know when the paragraph is done.

- Clinchers don’t just restate the topic sentence; restating the topic sentence as the clincher is too easy and usually dull.

- The clincher can be the same idea as the topic sentence, a question, an amusing thought, or an unexpected twist.

- The clincher cannot be another support sentence.

- A paragraph must come full circle from the topic sentence to the clincher.

One way to ensure that each of your body paragraphs is clearly focused, convincingly developed, and connects back to thesis is to use;⁵¹

the PIE strategy:

P = Point I = Information E = Explanation The “P” part of your

paragraph is your topic sentence: a clear statement of the main claim you are making in the paragraph.

The “I” fills out the body of your paragraph with concrete evidence that supports the main claim.

The “E” is the writer’s explanation of the significance of the provided information,

especially as it relates to the thesis.

Another way to look at it:

Tell me what your

main point is. Show me, with evidence and examples, how or why your point is true.

“So what?” Help me understand so what is the significance of the information.

- Choose one arguable point to prove per paragraph.

- Write this point out as a sentence

Prove the claim in your topic sentence with evidence that can come in different forms:

- Interpret, analyze, explain the

information, opinions or

51 http://accounts.smccd.edu/skyenglish/9paragraphs.pdf

and this will be your topic sentence.

- Your topic sentence should be more general than the rest of the paragraph

but more

specific than your thesis.

- After you write the paragraph, look again at your topic sentence to be sure that it “fits”

the paragraph.

- Short direct quotes/

paraphrases from class readings and discussions -

Data from

reputable sources (facts, statistics, polls)

- Personal

experience (real life stories, anecdotes,

examples, observations)

- Relevant

examples from pop culture (song lyrics, movies, TV, celebrities)

- Representations in mass media (newspapers, magazines, television)

quotes you’ve included.

- Examine some consequences, results,

implications, ramifications of the information you just gave your audience.

- Make it clear

why your

reader should care or be concerned.

- Clarify any ambiguous

ideas or

information.

- Comment on the credibility

of the

information, discussing its biases,

assumptions, logic.

- Relate the information explicitly to your thesis.

Sample PIE Paragraph

See the PIE paragraph structure in the first body paragraph from an essay on Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read”:

P I

The diligence and persistent effort Malcolm X showed in learning to read has become disappointingly rare. Malcolm X in his autobiography tells us that when he went to prison, he could hardly read or write. He decided the way to improve would be to copy the entire dictionary word for word by hand. He said to copy just the first page alone took an entire day. The next day he reviewed all the words he did not remember, so he slowly built his vocabulary, and at the same time he started educating himself about the larger world as he describes the dictionary as a “miniature encyclopedia” (2). Malcolm X carried on until he copied the entire dictionary cover to cover. However, the time he dedicated to his writing was not confined to this amazing achievement alone: “Between what I wrote in my tablet, and writing letters, during the rest of my time in prison I would guess I wrote a million words” (2). The dedication to his own education and how he strengthened his own intelligence and abilities through sheer force of will is impressive but unfortunately is the exception rather than the norm. In Generation Me, the author Jean Twenge addresses the present generation of people who have been taught to put themselves first and expect instant results without working hard to achieve them. Twenge states:

“They are less likely to work hard today to get a reward tomorrow—an especially important skill these days, when many good jobs require graduate degrees” (157). If people are less willing today to work hard, then we are going to have increasingly uneducated, lazy people who spend more time complaining than achieving. With a lack of education we won’t be strong critical thinkers so will be easily taken in by people who want to exploit us for profit like advertisers and corporate America. Instead of defining who we are, people who want to sell us things will continue to shape our wants, desires and perceptions of ourselves.

Of course, PIE paragraphs don’t always need to look exactly like this;

while you want to start a paragraph with your main Point, you might

alternate between Information and Explanation, so that your paragraph could look like this:

P I  E  I  E.

C. Exercises Task 1⁵²

Let’s practice creating paragraphs using the PIE paragraph approach.

First, select a topic:

- immigration - the president

- reality shows - rap music

- the health care system

- police profiling

- legalizing all drugs

- the minimum wage a topic raised in your current class reading Second, using the topic you selected, write a topic sentence that states the main point claim (your specific opinion) that you want to argue that fits the size of the paragraph:

P- Point;

_____________________________________________________

Third, brainstorm concrete evidence/information you can use to prove your main claim:

I – Information

_____________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________

Fourth, analyze and explain the significance, importance or impact of your evidence and claims:

E – Explanation

_____________________________________________________

Use the following questions to provide constructive feedback on paragraphs:

Writer : ________________________________

Peer Reviewer : _____________________________

P- Point;

Underline the writer’s topic sentence. Based on this sentence alone, what do you predict this paragraph will have to say about the topic?

What is the writer’s point? Is it arguable? Is the main point narrow enough to be proven in one paragraph?

_____________________________________________________

I – Information

Now, read through the entire paragraph once and jot down what you think the main point of the paragraph seems to be. Does it match with what you thought the main point would be based solely on the topic sentence? Is the evidence clear and convincing? Are there any details

that seem irrelevant or not directly connected? Is any needed explanation missing?

_____________________________________________________

E – Explanation

Has the writer included his/her own analysis of the larger significance for the main claim in the paragraph? Did he/she explain WHY the reader should care about this topic? Has he/she looked at the larger outcome or importance of the claim? Do you feel convinced by the writer’s reasoning?

_____________________________________________________

Task 2.⁵³

Practice Worksheet 1

Create outlines for the possible paragraphs below, based on the topic sentences. Remember that the outlining process is just the preliminary stage of the writing plan. You do not need to write complete sentences—just ideas. On the back of this worksheet, create your own outline with your own topic sentence; make sure it is clear and easy to support. Be creative!

Outline 1

A. Topic Sentence: This classroom is too noisy during tests.

B. Supporting Ideas

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

4. ___________________________

C. Clincher:

Outline 2

A. Topic Sentence: Barnaby Quip needs to hire more paragraph agents.

B. Supporting Ideas

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

4. ___________________________

C. Clincher:

Outline 3

A. Topic Sentence: _____________________________________

B. Supporting Ideas

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

4. ___________________________

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C. Clincher:

Outline 4

A. Topic Sentence: _____________________________________

B. Supporting Ideas

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

4. ___________________________

C. Clincher:

Outline 5

A. Topic Sentence: _____________________________________

B. Supporting Ideas

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

4. ___________________________

C. Clincher:

Outline 6

A. Topic Sentence: _____________________________________

B. Supporting Ideas

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

4. ___________________________

C. Clincher:

Outline 7

A. Topic Sentence: _____________________________________

B. Supporting Ideas

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

C. Clincher:

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