UNIT 3: Paragraph DevelopmentOBJECTIVES

Writing objectives
At the end of the lesson, students can:
- understand the development of paragraphs, especially the supporting sentences
- use all the means to develop ideas
Linguistic objectives
At the end of the lesson, students can:
- use transitional words and phrases to exemplify ideas
Task 1
Compare these paragraphs and give your comments.
(1) Although pit bulls were originally bred to fight, they can actually make good pets. Today,
many people are afraid of pit bulls. These dogs are sometimes mistreated. As a result, they
become more aggressive. For this reason, they are misunderstood and persecuted. In fact, some
cities have taken action against them. But pit bulls do not deserve their bad reputation. Contrary
to popular opinion, they can make good pets.
(2) Although pit bulls were originally bred to fight, they can actually make good pets. It is
true that their powerful jaws, short muscular legs, and large teeth are ideally suited to fighting,
and they were used extensively for this purpose in the rural South and Southwest. It is also true
that some pit bulls – especially males – can be aggressive toward other dogs. However, most pit
bulls like human beings and are quite friendly. Owners report that pit bulls are affectionate,
loyal, and good with children. When pit bulls behave viciously, it is usually because they have
been mistreated. As a recent newspaper article pointed out, the number of reported bites by pit
bulls is no greater than the number of bites by other breeds. In fact, some dogs, such as cocker
spaniels, bite much more frequently. The problem is that whenever a pit bull attacks a person,
the incident is reported in the paper. As you can see, pit bulls do not deserve their reputation.
With a little bit of tender, loving care, a pit bull can be a welcome addition to any family.

Focus
A paragraph is not well developed when it lacks the support readers need to understand
or accept its main idea. You can correct this problem by looking for unsupported generalizations
and supplying the details and examples you need to support them.

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 A paragraph is well developed when it contains enough details, facts, examples to
support the topic sentence. Keep in mind, however, that although a long paragraph offers room
for development, length alone does not guarantee that a paragraph is developed enough. A
paragraph is well developed only when it includes both enough support and the appropriate kind
of support.
Supporting the Topic Sentence
To determine the amount and kind of support you need, ask yourself two question:
1. How complicated is your main idea? A complicated main idea will need more
explanation than a relatively simple one.
2. How much do your readers know about your main idea? If readers have eaten a lot of
food prepared by your school’s food service facilities, you do not need to give many
examples to convince them that the food is bad. If, on the other hand, your readers are not
familiar with the food at your school, you have to supply several examples and perhaps
even definitions (what is “anything goes stew,” for example) to support your point.

A paragraph that leaves too many questions unanswered, too many claims
unsupported, or too many ideas unillustrated or unexplained will not be effective.
By adding details, facts and examples, you can turn a relatively unconvincing
paragraph into an interesting and persuasive one.

practice
Practice 1
The following two paragraphs are not well developed. On the lines that follow each
paragraph, write three questions or suggestions that might help the writers develop his or her
ideas more fully.
1. Other than my parents, the biggest influence on my life was probably my Aunt Sylva. When I
was little, she used to baby – sit for me every day, and she always found interesting and
educational things for us to do, either at home or on trips downtown. She had lived in Mexico
City for many years, and I always admired her exotic looks. As a teenager, I tried to copy the
way she walked, talked, and even dressed. Even today, I often think of her when I catch myself

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putting on the sort of outfit she might have worn. Tragically, she died just before my eighteenth
birthday.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________
2. Computerized special effects have made a big difference in movies over the last ten years.
Science fiction films are more spectacular than ever, and filmmakers are able to take moviegoers
to places they’ve never been before. New special
3. can also create fierce monsters, more terrifying than anything seen on the screen before.
Other effects have been used in comedies to create hilarious visual gags. It’s likely that the future
will bring even more impressive effects for the enjoyment of movie audiences.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________

understanding exemplification
In this part, you will learn to use examples to support your ideas, which helps in
building a well – developed paragraph.
Task 2
Read the model paragraph below. Then answer the questions.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a great place to spend a vacation for two reasons. First of all, Costa Rica
has an excellent system of national parks where visitors can observe nature. For example, in
Tartuguero National Park, visitors can watch sea turtles come back several months later to see
the new babies crawl down to the sea. In Santa Rosa National Park, visitors can see unusual
birds such as toucans and quetzals and exotic animals like spider monkeys. Second, Costa Rica
has many beautiful beaches. For instance, the beaches at Manuel Antonio National Park are

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among the most beautiful in the world, and the beaches on Canoa and Cocos Islands offer
perfect conditions for snorkeling and scuba diving. Indeed, Costa Rica is a wonderful place to go
if you love the outdoors.
Questions to ponder:
1. What is the title of this paragraph?
2. What is the topic sentence? What information does it give you?
3. How many supporting ideas are there?
4. How many examples are given for each idea? What words tell you that these are
examples?
5. What is the concluding sentence?

________________(Title)
Topic sentence: ......................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
S. Idea A: ..............................................................................................................
Example 1: .......................................................................................................
Example 2: ......................................................................................................
S. Idea B: ..............................................................................................................
Example 1: .......................................................................................................
Example 2: ......................................................................................................
Concluding Sentence: ...........................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

Now complete the outline of the model paragraph. Use another piece of paper if necessary.

Focus

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 Exemplification is the process of illustrating something by giving examples. In case of
developing a paragraph, after you have stated some supporting ideas to explain the main idea,
you need to make them convincing by giving more specific facts and examples. This act is called
exemplifying.
Specific examples can be names of specific people (John Lennon), places (the lunchroom
at your place of work), or things (a Honda Civic; Examples can also be specific numbers (25,000
people) or amounts of money ($5.23). Examples can also be events from your personal
experience.
In the model paragraph, each of the reasons given has two supporting examples. The
examples are specific. They are the actual names of places: Tortugero National Park, Santa Rosa
National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, Canoa Island, and Cocos Island. Other specific
examples in the paragraph are the names of birds (toucans and quetzals) and of an animal (spider
monkeys).
Practice 2
Work with a partner. Think of at least one specific example for each reason in the following
outlines. If you can, give two examples.

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 OUTLINE A
SMALL CARS ARE MORE ECONOMICAL THAN BIG CARS
A. They don’t use much gasoline
1. A Honda Civic gets forty miles per gallon.
2. _____________________________________________
B. Maintenance costs are lower.
1. ________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________
C. Repair costs are lower
1. ________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________
D. Insurance is cheaper.
1. ________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________
YOU SAVE MONEY ON GAS, MAINTENANCE, REPAIRS AND
INSURANCE WHEN YOU OWN A SMALL CAR.

OUTLINE B
I CHOSE THIS COLLEGE FOR THREE REASONS
A. The location is convenient.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
B. The classes are small.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
C. The cost is affordable.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
I DECIDE TO ATTEND THE COLLEGE6OF MARIN BECAUSE IT
IS CONVENIENT,SMALL AND AFFORDABLE.
 OUTLINE C
MY UNCLE CHARLIE IS THE STINGIEST (MOST GENEROUS
PERSON IN THE WORLD) ______________________________
A.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
B.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
C.
1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
IN CONCLUSION, IF YOU ARE INVITED OUT BY UNCLE
CHARLIE, ____________________________________________

TRANSITION SIGNALS FOR EXAMPLES

For example and for instance have exactly the same meaning and are used in
exactly the same way. Put them at the beginning of the sentence and put a
comma after them. Examples introduced by for example and for instance must
be in complete sentences.
Wrong:The restaurant specializes in seafood, for example, fresh lobster and salmon.
Right:The restaurant specializes in seafood. For example, it serves fresh lobster and salmon.
Such as is different from for example and for instance. Such as is followed by a noun. It
comes in the middle of a sentence and does not need a comma.
Tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and museums such as the Louver make Paris a
favorite city.
The use of those three transition signals can be summarized as follows:
For example, + sentence

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For instance, + sentence
such as + noun

Remember these punctuation rules:

Use the comma after for example/ for instance

Do not use comma with such as

There are other ways of exemplification (or giving example):

 a case in point
 an example
 particularly
 as an illustration
 e.g., (meaning “for example”) – more frequently used in making notes

Practice
Practice 1
Fill in the blanks with for example, for instance, or such as. Add commas where necessary.
Example: Denmark has many attractions for children such as Tivoli Gardens and Lego land.
1. In Sao Paulo, there is a mix of architecture. You can see traditional architecture in
buildings_______ the Martinelli Building and Banco de Estado de Sao Paulo.
2. There are also many modern buildings in Sao Paulo. _______ the Banco Sumitomo and
Conj unto National are very modern in design.
3. Tokyo’s gardens are very beautiful. ______ Hibiya Park is popular place for tourists to
visit.
4. San Francisco has several ethnic neighborhoods________ North Beach (Italian) the
Mission District (Hispanic), and China town (Chines)
5. When you visit the ethnic neighborhoods of Miami, you feel that you are in a foreign
country._________ in Little Havana you can easily imagine that you are in Cuba.

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 6. Small Caribbean islands ________ Trinidad, Tobago, and St.Kitt are popular honeymoon
locations.
7. Summers are much cooler in San Francisco than in Los Angeles ______ the average July
temperature in San Francisco about 65F, but it is 85F in Los Angeles.
8. Mexico has many luxury beach resorts ______________ Cancun and Cozumel.
9. Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is full of archaeological treasures. _________ the Mayan
ruins near Merica are very well known.

Production
1. Pretend that you work for a travel agency. Write a paragraph advertising your hometown,
your country’s capital city, or your entire country as a great place for a vacation. Five two or
three reasons why a tourist would enjoy visiting there. Give specific examples for your
reasons. Use the paragraph on page 60 as a model. First, brainstorm together with a
classmate or a group of classmates from your country to get ideas. Then work alone to develop
an outline and to write the first draft. Finally, edit your paragraph with a classmate.
2. A friend has written you a letter asking for your advice about which school to attend. Write
a letter to your friend recommending a school. Why is a good school? What are the reasons he
or she should attend it? Some factors to consider one:
Size of the classes Quality of the teaching
Convenient location Friendliness of the teachers
Beauty of the campus Friendliness of the students
Facilities (laboratories, gymnasiums, etc.)
Be sure to give some specific examples to support your supporting ideas.
3. Write a review of a good restaurant in your area that serves food from your country. Use
reasons and examples for support.
First make an outline like the one on page 61. In your outline, list at least three reasons the
restaurant is excellent. Here are some factors to consider:
Quality of food Service
Size of portion Décor (furniture, decorations, lighting, etc.)
Price Variety of choice on the menu
Cleanliness

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Include at least one example for each supporting idea.
4. Write about a horrible restaurant in your area. Your paragraph may be serious or
humorous. Be sure to use specific examples as illustration.

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