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The Always Interesting Paragraph

The Always Interesting Paragraph. My pain for your gain. The Basics. As a general rule paragraphs should be at least 11 sentences – about 275 words There will be exceptions, of course, but unless told otherwise stick with at least 11 A paragraph has three basic parts Topic sentence

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The Always Interesting Paragraph

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  1. The Always Interesting Paragraph My pain for your gain.

  2. The Basics • As a general rule paragraphs should be at least 11 sentences – about 275 words • There will be exceptions, of course, but unless told otherwise stick with at least 11 • A paragraph has three basic parts • Topic sentence • Supporting sentences • Concluding sentence (clincher)

  3. The Topic Sentence • Usually the first sentence of an academic or professional paragraph • It is the most general sentence of the paragraph • Example: “I have only been paintballing once and while it a lot of fun, there is a reason I’ve never done it again.”

  4. Supporting Sentences • Supports or explains the topic sentence • Should be 8-10 sentences • All supporting sentences should point back to and support the main idea in the topic sentence • Ways to get to 10 sentences • Examples • Explanations – every example needs an explanation • Details – sensory details (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste)

  5. Supporting Sentences Examples “Several years ago, I had a chance to drive into the Iowa “wilderness” to play paintball. On a hot summer day, dressed in everything but what would hide me, I picked out a weapon, filled it with paint balls, and spent the afternoon jumping over logs, crawling on my belly, and generally getting my butt kicked. But I was having a blast. Until the last game that is. During the final game the usual chaos ensued and I quickly found myself hugging the dirt in a ravine next the main road. But then, as I wiped away the condensation from the inside of my mask, I saw the perfect opportunity. Up high on the road, hiding behind some logs of his own, I saw an enemy popping up and taking shots in the opposite direction. But to me he was oblivious - and completely exposed.

  6. Supporting Sentences Examples Perhaps if I had been a better shot, things would have turned out differently, but it was not to be, and there I sat taking shot after careful but not-even-close shot. Finally, the enemy realized he was being shot at; he turned around and, as if he were just trying to brush away an annoying mosquito, he fired off several rounds in my direction. A pain that I had not yet felt that day exploded; I woefully, breathlessly, and instinctively grabbed my crotch and fell over, curling up into a little, protective, simpering ball of pain.”

  7. Concluding Sentences • Summarizes the main points to drive home the topic sentence • Sometimes it’s like a topic sentence in reverse • In a paper often times the concluding sentence will transition into the next paragraph – or, sometimes, the transition could be in the topic sentence. • Example: “For most of the day, I had had more fun running around like a spastic toy soldier on far too much Red Bull, but after that one shot, my days of paintballing were over.”

  8. Put it all together… (see the handout)

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