Module 5

Paragraph and Essay Writing

I. INTRODUCTION
Paragraphs and essays are very common not only in academic writing but also in the workplace communication.
It is important that students, especially those in the tertiary level, are well trained and equipped in writing
paragraphs and essays so that they will be prepared for the written communication they might face like reports,
letters, memorandum, and others that usually take place in the workplace. . Through this module, you will be able to
develop more your writing skills particularly the skills in writing paragraphs and essays.

II. OBJECTIVES. Specifically, after working on this module, you should be able to do the following:
1. Identify the differences between paragraph and essay.
2. Construct a well-structured paragraph.
3. Create an essay .

III. PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES

TASK 1. Fill in then Venn diagram below to describe the similarities and differences between paragraph and
essay.

Paragraph Essay

IV. LESSON PROPER

PARAGRAPH
Paragraph – a group of sentences that develops a single idea. These sentences should be well-organized and easy to
understand.

The paragraph can be divided into two parts:

A. Topic Sentence
• Normally, it is the first sentence of the paragraph although sometimes it could be the last.
• It gives the reader the overall point of the paragraph.
• It helps the reader to know immediately what the paragraph is all about.
• It helps the reader to decide if he will proceed or not in reading the paragraph.
• It motivates the reader to want to read more.
B. Supporting Details
• Sometimes referred to as first, second, or third main points, the function of which is to support the
preceding point.
• They are sentences that support the main idea stated in the topic sentence.
• They give detailed information of what was stated in general.
• They are strong evidences and convincing points of the topic sentence.
• They use transitional devices in continuing the ideas from one paragraph to the other.

C. Conclusion
• It is a closing sentence that sums up what the topic sentence and supporting details have discussed about.
• It eventually ends the paragraph.

Examples:

Topic Sentence The German shepherd, a breed of dog that originated in northern Europe, performs many
services for people. Once used mainly for herding sheep, German shepherds today help
police in tracking and capturing criminals. In addition, these dogs often function as guards
Supporting Details in stores, factories, and private houses. As seeing –eye dogs, German shepherds have
earned respect for their keen, careful guiding of the blind. Intelligent and versatile,
Conclusion German shepherds remain a popular, useful breed of dog.

Topic Sentence Antarctica has the most hostile environment on earth for humans. Not a tree or bush
grows there. No human beings are native to the land. The only permanent inhabitants,
such as seals, penguins, and a few other birds, must feed in the sea. Approximately ninety-
Supporting Details five percent of the world’s permanent ice is in Antarctica. It has been estimated that if all
this ice melted it would raise the level of the oceans. By about 200 feet (60 meters), thus
flooding a considerable portion of the earth’s surface. Antarctica is the coldest and
windiest of all the continents. The Soviet Union’s Vostok Station recorded a temperature
of 126.9 degrees below zero Fahrenheit on August b24, 1960, the lowest temperature ever
recorded anywhere in the world. – George F. Dufek

Topic Sentence I prefer swimming in a mountain lake to swimming in a pool. The crisp mountain air
around a lake invigorates and pleases me. I like a lake’s underwater life, such as minnows
Supporting Details and trout, and I enjoy observing the plant animal around me. Most important, a lake
usually has no chemicals, such as chlorine, that can smell bad and burn my eyes. Lake
Conclusion water is clean, natural, and more refreshing for swimming.

To Write Effectively:
1. Think first, then write. A good writer can write clearly if he first thinks clearly.
2. Get to the point. Begin with the topic sentence.
3. Use clear, familiar words and easy to understand sentences.
4. Be concise. Avoid verbose and flowery words or expressions.

ESSAY
An essay is generally a short piece of writing outlining the writer’s perspective or story. It is often considered
synonymous with a story or a paper or an article. Essays can be formal as well as informal. Formal essays are generally
academic in nature and tackle serious topics.

Types of Essays
1. Narrative Essays: This is when the writer is narrating an incident or story through the essay. So these are in
the first person. The aim when writing narrative essays is to involve the reader in them as if they were right
there when it was happening. So make them as vivid and real as possible. One way to make this possible is to
follow the principle of ‘show, don’t tell’. So you must involve the reader in the story.
2. Descriptive Essays: Here the writer will describe a place, an object, an event or maybe even a memory. But it
is not just plainly describing things. The writer must paint a picture through his words. One clever way to do
that is to evoke the senses of the reader. Do not only rely on sight but also involve the other senses of smell,
touch, sound, etc. A descriptive essay when done well will make the reader feel the emotions the writer was
feeling at the moment.

3. Expository Essays: In such an essay a writer presents a balanced study of a topic. To write such an essay, the
writer must have real and extensive knowledge about the subject. There is no scope for the writer’s feelings
or emotions in an expository essay. It is completely based on facts, statistics, examples etc. There are sub-
types here like contrast essays, cause and effect essays etc.

4. Persuasive Essays: Here the purpose of the essay is to get the reader to your side of the argument. A
persuasive essay is not just a presentation of facts but an attempt to convince the reader of the writer’s
point of view. Both sides of the argument have to be presented in these essays. But the ultimate aim is to
persuade the readers that the writer’s argument carries more weight.

Format of an Essay
Introduction
This is the first paragraph of your essay. This is where the writer introduces his topic for the very first time. You can
give a very brief synopsis of your essay in the introductory paragraph. Some paragraph writing skills can be a help
here. Generally, it is not very long, about 4-6 lines.
There is plenty of scopes to get creative in the introduction of essays. This will ensure that you hook the reader, i.e.
draw and keep his attention. So to do so you can start with a quote or a proverb. Sometimes you can even start with
a definition. Another interesting strategy to engage with your reader is to start with a question.

Body
This is the main crux of your essays. The body is the meat of your essay sandwiched between the introduction and
the conclusion. So the most vital and important content of the essay will be here. This need not be confined to one
paragraph. It can extend to two or more paragraphs according to the content.

Usually, we have a lot of information to provide in the body. And the mistakes writers generally make is to go about
it in a haphazard manner which leaves the reader confused. So it is important to organize your thoughts and
content. Write the information in a systematic flow so that the reader can comprehend. So, for example, you were
narrating an incident. The best manner to do this would be to go in a chronological order.

Conclusion
This is the last paragraph of the essay. Sometimes a conclusion will just mirror the introductory paragraph but make
sure the words and syntax are different. A conclusion is also a great place to sum up a story or an argument. You can
round up your essay by providing some moral or wrapping up a story. Make sure you complete your essays with the
conclusion, leave no hanging threads.

Tips for Essay Writing

• Give your essays an interesting and appropriate title. It will help draw the attention of the reader and pique
their curiosity
• Keep it between 300-500 words. This is the ideal length, you can take creative license to increase or decrease
it
• Keep your language simple and crisp. Unnecessary complicated and difficult words break the flow of the
sentence.
• Do not make grammar mistakes, use correct punctuation and spellings. If this is not done it will distract the
reader from the content
• Before beginning the essay organize your thought and plot a rough draft or outline. This way you can ensure
the story will flow and not be an unorganized mess.
 Standard Five Paragraph Essay Outline Format

I. Introduction
A. Creative Opening to catch the audience’s attention. You may use quotes, interesting fact and
figures, jokes, anecdotes, etc.
B. Background Information
C. Preview of the main points of the essay
D. Thesis statement affirms the main idea of the essay

II. Body
A. Paragraph 1
1. Topic sentence
2. Supporting details
B. Paragraph 2
1. Topic sentence
2. Supporting details
C. Paragraph 3
1. Topic sentence
2. Supporting details

III. Conclusion
A. Restate the thesis statement. Make sure to reword your thesis statement.
B. Summarize main points. Reword topic sentences.
C. Tie to Opening.

Example: Education in the New Normal – Persuasive Essay

I. Introduction:
1. Anecdote
2. COVID-19 has brought a lot of changes in the lives of many people around the world. It is also
the main reason why the Philippine education system had shifted to online learning since the
first quarter of 2020.
3. Online learning had brought different effects and result not only to the teachers but also to
the students.
4. There were advantages and disadvantages observed in the education system under the new
normal.

II. Body:
A. Advantages of Online Learning
1. It’s Cost-efficient
2. Access the Content from anywhere, anytime on any device
3. Comfort
4. Self-paced Learning

B. Disadvantages of Online Learning

1. Creation of sense of isolation
2. Prone to technical issues
3. More screen-time
4. More trainings

III. Conclusion
 A. Online learning has benefits and problems to those who are into it.
B. The benefits it brings are it is more affordable, can be done anywhere and anytime in the
comfort of their home, and gives more freedom to its students.
C. It all started to the pandemic, the changes it brought had resulted to different situation…

V. PRACTICE EXERCISE
A. Locating the Topic Sentence. Underline the sentence in each of the following paragraphs that states
the main idea of the paragraph.

1. In addition to insects there are other animals that are harmful to man. Of these the greatest pest is the rat.
It is estimated that the rats in the United States do more than $200,000,000 worth of damage each year.
The rat is an animal which is well adapted to living anywhere that man lives. It steals man’s food. Rats are
attracted to the phosphorus in matches. Rats often cause expensive and dangerous fires, since they may
light matches while dragging or chewing on them. They cause short circuits by gnawing away electric wire
insulation. Worst of all, rats carry various insects about with them. The flea which carries typhus fever lives
on rats. Another flea which is a carrier of bubonic plague also lives on rats. – Ames, Baker, and Leahy.

2. In the last ten years, the Italians have made an effort to stop the deterioration of Venice. For years soot and
smoke have discolored and eroded the city’s marble palaces and monuments. Recently, however, many
factory owners have helped reduce pollution by filtering the smoggy output of smokestacks. Increasingly,
citizens are heating their homes with cleaner fuels, such as natural gas. In an effort to combat the most
serious threat to Venice, the sinking of land and buildings into the Adriatic, city officials have taken action to
maintain the water table at its present level so that Venice will remain above sea level. By building
aqueducts to import drinking water, Venetian officials expect to keep the water table at a safe level.

3. Every student should develop a good speaking voice. A strong clear voice indicates that a speaker is
confident of his or her knowledge or ideas. A good speaking voice aids class discussions because more
students become involved if they can hear each other’s comments. Finally, speaking so that others can
easily hear suggests that the speaker is interested in the topic and cares enough to contribute.

VI. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• https://www.scribbr.com/category/academic-essay/

VII. ASSESSMENT
(To be given in class)

VIII. REFERENCES
✓ Forlini, G., Baue,r M., Biener, L., Capo, K., Kenyon, K., Shaw, D., & Berner, Z. (2010). Prentice Hall Grammar and
Composition 1. Jurong, Singapore. Pearson Education South Asia Pte. Ltd.
✓ Ramos, L. (2010). Developing skills in writing and research. Intramuros, Manila: Mindshapers, Co., Inc.
✓ https://www.toppr.com/guides/english/writing/essay/