A paragraph is the elaboration of a single idea. Therefore, all the sentences must have a common purpose – the expansion of the central idea. The central idea is usually contained in a topic sentence. In an essay, there is generally an introductory paragraph, one or more body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.
The introductory paragraph contains general statements and the thesis statement, which replaces the topic sentence. The thesis statement is the overall main idea of an essay. The position is often at the end of the paragraph.
In the body paragraphs, the topic sentence can take different positions. To locate the topic sentence in a body paragraph, quickly scan the details.
In the concluding paragraph, a concluding statement takes the place of the topic sentence. Usually placed at the beginning of the paragraph, the concluding sentence is often a brief summary or restatement of the thesis statement.
Adapted from ATB B – Reading Part 1, and Reid, Joy M., The Process of Composition, Prentice – Hall, Inc., 1988
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