CHAPTER 5-Methods of Paragraph Development
CHAPTER 5-Methods of Paragraph Development
CHAPTER 5-Methods of Paragraph Development
Objectives:
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Authors use narrative paragraphs to tell stories. These may contain plot components
such as characters, settings, conflicts, and resolutions. Events are often told
sequentially using transition words. Character dialogue may also be included. Although
you’ll most likely use narrative paragraphs in works of fiction, they are also useful in
journalism, biographies and other genres where a storyline of events can be found.
Exposition and narrative paragraphs are similar in that they focus on an event, but they
differ in their use and style. Authors use exposition paragraphs to explain an event. To
boost an explanation’s credibility, authors often include quotations or citations from
various experts. Clarity is an important fact of these paragraphs. An exposition
paragraph in an article may come after an introduction and explain why the topic of the
article is important.
When authors want to discuss the similarities or differences between two people, places
or things, they use compare-and-contrast paragraphs. For every aspect of one of the
pair that is discussed, the same aspect must be discussed for the second part of the
pair. For example, do not discuss one actor’s hairstyle but leave out the second actor’s.
Write in block organization style, completely describing one member of the pair and
then the other, or in point-by-point style, listing aspects one by one and describing both
pair members together.
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Persuasion paragraphs, also called opinion paragraphs, are meant to get readers to act
on the advice or exhortations given and often come at the end of articles. They include
the author’s opinion as well as facts and analyses to support the opinion and spur
readers to action. Rather than phrases such as, ―I think‖ or ―I believe,‖ use sentences
with modal auxiliaries to strengthen your argument. For example, say, ―The senate must
not pass this bill,‖ or ―School-aged children ought to be accompanied by an adult at
movies.‖
One North Carolina man found quite a surprise last year while fishing in the Catawba
River: a piranha. Jerry Melton, of Gastonia, reeled in a one pound, four ounce fish with
an unusual bite. Melton could not identify it, but a nearby fisherman did. Melton at first
could not believe he had caught a piranha. He said, ―That ain’t no piranha. They ain’t
got piranha around here.‖ Melton was right: the fish is native to South America, and
North Carolina prohibits owning the fish as a pet or introducing the species to local
waterways. The sharp-toothed, carnivorous fish likely found itself in the Catawba River
when its illegal owner released the fish after growing tired of it. Wildlife officials hope
that the piranha was the only of its kind in the river, but locals are thinking twice before
they wade in the water.
Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes,
sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic.
Piranha are omnivorous, freshwater fish, which are mostly known for their single row of
sharp, triangular teeth in both jaws. Piranhas’ teeth come together in a scissor-like bite
and are used for puncture and tearing. Baby piranha are small, about the size of a
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thumbnail, but full-grown piranha grow up to about 6-10 inches, and some individual fish
up to 2 feet long have been found. The many species of piranha vary in color, though
most are either silvery with an orange underbelly and throat or almost entirely black
Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—
first, second, third.
You can safely swim with piranhas, but it’s important to know how and when to do it.
First, chose an appropriate time, preferably at night and during the rainy season. Avoid
piranha-infested waters during the dry season, when food supplies are low and piranhas
are more desperate. Piranhas feed during the day, so night-time swimming is much
safer. Second, streamline your movement. Wild or erratic activity attracts the attention
of piranhas. Swim slowly and smoothly. Finally, never enter the water with an open
wound or raw meat. Piranhas attack larger animals only when they are wounded. The
presence of blood in the water may tempt the fish to attack. If you follow these simple
precautions, you will have little to fear.
Piranhas comprise more than 30-60 species of fish, depending on whom you ask. The
many species fall into four genera: Pygocentrus, Pygopristis, Serrasalmus, and
Pristobrycon. Piranha in the Pygocentrus genus are the most common variety, the kind
you might find in a pet store. Pygopristis piranha are herbivores, feasting on seeds and
fruits, not flesh. In contrast, fish in the Serrasalmus genus eat only meat, and their teeth
are razor-sharp. Pristobrycon are the least friendly of all piranhas; they often bite the
fins of other fish, even fish of the same species. The label piranha, then, refers to a wide
variety of species.
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Most academic essays have an overall structure – introduction leading to a thesis, body,
and conclusion. Essays also have topic sentences and units of support that constitute
the body, and these topic sentences and units of support need to be ordered logically in
a way that’s appropriate to the essay’s thesis.
Knowing that these common patterns of human thought exist, will help you as a writer to
both develop and organize information in your essays. The following image identifies
common patterns. Although it refers to ―paragraph‖ patterns, understand that these are
also common patterns for whole essays.
Consider these common patterns of thought and consider specific ways in which you’ve
applied each thinking pattern in your everyday life.
1. Narration
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2. Description
3. Example
It’s common to see examples used in all kinds of situations—an idea can be considered
too general or abstract until we see it in action. Exemplification extends this idea even
further: it carries one or more examples into great detail, in order to show the details of
a complex problem in a way that’s easy for readers to understand.
4. Definition
5. Process Analysis
6. Classification/Division
Classification takes one large concept, and divides it into individual pieces. A nice result
from this type of writing is that it helps the reader to understand a complex topic by
focusing on its smaller parts. This is particularly useful when an author has a unique
way of dividing the concepts, to provide new insight into the ways it could be viewed.
7. Comparison/Contrast
8. Cause/Effect
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can provide a cause/effect relationship that the reader wasn’t expecting, and as a result
see the situation in a new light.
9. Problem/Solution
This type of academic writing has two equally important tasks: clearly identifying a
problem, and then providing a logical, practical solution for that problem. Establishing
that a particular situation IS a problem can sometimes be a challenge–many readers
might assume that a given situation is ―just the way it is,‖ for instance.
Reference:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-esc-wm-englishcomposition1/chapter/text-
rhetorical-modes/Tutoring and Writing Services. (n.d.) Paragraphs. Monmouth
University.
http://longleaf.net/wp/articles-teaching/seven-types-paragraph-development/
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