Types of Paragraphs

Instructor : Mr BOUNADJA Semester 2
Level : First year

Module : Written Expression
Course : Types of Paragraphs
Types of Paragraphs
In your syllabus, four types of paragraphs are to study, and are shortly defined below:
Descriptive used to describe a scene or an object.
Narrative used to tell a story or a sequence of events.
Expository used to provide information, including facts, instructions, and definitions.
Persuasive used to share opinions and convince others to agree or take actions.
a. Descriptive paragraphs
Main Characteristics
In description, the reader can picture in mind what the piece of writing evokes about
persons, animals, places and things as they appear. It helps to feel what the writer sees,
smells, touches, hears and tastes in that precise scene, time or place of day. It can also tell
features like size, sound, color and shape. Therefore, the aim is to reveal in vivid careful
details the person, animal, thing or place.
Examples:
1. A paragraph about a swan or peacock.
2. A paragraph about a special person in the writer’s life.
3. A paragraph about a place that is worth seeing.
Basic Paragraph Structure

• Topic Sentence (Main Idea) -Introduction
• Major Supporting Detail (Topic sentence)
• Minor supporting detail
• Major Supporting Detail
• Minor supporting detail -Facts (details, examples)
• Major Supporting Detail
• Minor supporting detail
• Closing Sentence -Conclusion
(Restate Main Idea or Make a Prediction)
Analyzing Samples
A/Sample Descriptive Paragraph
My brother Michael’s bedroom shows his big interest in fantasy and science fiction. Glow-in-the-
dark stars are pasted on the ceiling where, at night, they glow in the dark. Other stars can be seen
covering the ceiling during the day, giving the appearance of a starry sky. Movie posters line the
walls. There is a poster of The Matrix in a shiny frame. Below the posters are two black steel
bookcases crowded with old books. Old videos like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Alien are also
stacked on the bookshelves. Anyone entering my brother’s room knows at once that Michael likes
to escape to fantastic places.
B/Structure of Sample Descriptive Paragraph
(TS) My brother Michael’s bedroom shows his big interest in fantasy and science fiction.
(MSD) Glow-in-the-dark stars are pasted on the ceiling where, at night, they glow in the dark.
(msd) Other stars can be seen covering the ceiling during the day, giving the appearance of a starry sky.
(MSD) Movie posters line the walls.
(msd) There is a poster of The Matrix in a shiny chrome frame.
(MSD) Below the posters are two black steel bookcases crammed with old books.
(msd) Old videos like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Alien are also stacked on the bookshelves.
(CS) Anyone entering my brother’s room knows at once that Michael likes to escape to fantastic places.
Participants: Brother Michael’s bedroom
Tense : The Simple Present;e.g. shows, glow, knows, likes
TS=Topic Sentence,
MSD=Major Supporting Details, msd=minor supporting details,
CS=Closing Sentence
A descriptive writing requires a broad knowledge of vocabulary, particularly adjectives and the ability to
use words imaginatively. The aim then is to help students' writing be more interesting and full of
details. It encourages them to use new vocabulary words and clarify their understanding of new
subject matter material.
Reproduction
Task1 :a/ underline the topic sentence with one line and supporting ones with two. Finally, circle the
concluding sentence
IPhone 6 is unexpectedly light. While size of its screen is bigger than those of the iPhones that came
before, it is thinner, and its smooth, rounded body is made of aluminum, stainless steel, and glass.
The casing comes in a whitish silver, gold, or a color the company calls “space gray,” the color of the
lead of a pencil, with darker gray accents.
b/ Write a similar description of any device using appropriate adjectives.
Describing People: Adjectives to describe yourself , your family, another student, your teacher.
Height : tall, short, medium height
Build : slim, thin, overweight, fat, skinny
Age: young, elderly, middle-aged, teenager, in 20s, 30s
Eyes: big round blue eyes, large, small, bright, narrow
Hair Type/Color: bald, straight, curly, spiky, wavy, short, longdyed, blonde hair, red hair,
black hair
Clothes: casual, formal , neat , messy
John is a tall, slim man in his mid forties. He has a thin face, blue eyes and a large nose. His
short hair is turning white. He is usually casually dressed. He is a smart man, but he is very
messy. He doesn’t keep his office tidy.
Describing Character - What is he/she like? Is he/she nice???

careful, hard-working, worried, cheerful, active, curious, generous, aggressive, careless,
sensible, independent, creative, boring, imaginative, sensitive, gentle, loyal, trusting, friendly
stubborn, patient, moody, optimistic,
Examples:
1/Our new teacher is so patient. If we don't understand something, she goes over it again and
again until we do.
2/Our English teacher at university is so creative. He is always coming up with new games that
help make learning fun.
3/Abdelkarim is so generous. He always helps out the poor people in our community.
Task : Describe a person you know well. Use adjectives to express appearance and character.
My grandmother is
b.Narrative Paragraphs
Main Characteristics
Narration is a story that is written to explain what, when, and who. It reveals what a reader
should learn. Narration paragraphs are usually written in chronological order.
A good way to plan for a well-developed paragraph is to write out a topic sentence, then write
events in chronological order and then write a conclusion. This is a good way to make sure you
stay on topic and that all the events are in the correct order.

Types of Paragraphs

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Types of Paragraphs

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Instructor : Mr BOUNADJA Semester 2

Level : First year

Basic Paragraph Structure

b/ Write a similar description of any device using appropriate adjectives.

Describing Character - What is he/she like? Is he/she nice???

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