What is the importance of learning types of
paragraphs and how is this advantageous for our Writing skills
“Paragraphing
is also a matter of the eye. A reader will address himself more readily to his
task if he sees from the start that he will have breathing-spaces from time to
time than if what is before him looks like a marathon course.”
-
H.W. Fowler, British grammarian, in Modern English Usage
In the first place, it is important to remember what a
paragraph is. A paragraph is a group of sentences that talk about a main idea;
a paragraph has five sentences but can have fewer sentences. A paragraph has
three parts the first part is a topic sentence this part says the main idea or
what the paragraph is about, the second part are the detailed sentences or
supporting sentences, these sentences explain the main idea more detail and the
last part is the concluding sentence that reminds us of the main idea.
In the same way, it is necessary to know that there
are some types of paragraphs, such us: persuasive, narrative, descriptive, and
expository paragraphs. They are all important because:
Through a persuasive
paragraph we can give our opinion on a topic; there, we say what we think,
feel or believe about something. To persuade means to convince, we can use a
persuasive paragraph for different purposes, such as: to convince someone to
believe what we believe or to act or do something according to our way of
thinking, or to change their opinion on an issue.
On the other hand, a narrative paragraph allows us to tell a story, through which we can
motivate, educate or entertain the reader. It does not matter if the text is
real or fictional. In the narrative paragraphs we can include characters,
setting, a conflict and a resolution.
Additionally, there are the descriptive paragraphs, which allow the writer to take something
and make it come true for the reader. We can describe people, animals or places,
in a way that the reader can form an image of what he reads.
Similarly, when we need to provide an effective
explanation of a topic, we can write an expository
paragraph. This type of paragraph is written as if the writer is explaining
or clarifying a topic to the reader, so it is important that the sentences
provide the reasons that support the clarification of the topic.
Finally, if we understand these different types of
paragraphs and what they are used for, we will be able to write about any topic
and we can improve our writing skills. Different types of paragraphs can
communicate a large number of ideas, so when we want to communicate a specific
idea, we must use the appropriate type of paragraph, so that the communication
of that idea is clear.
Sources:
- University of NewcastleUniversity of Newcastle Library guides. (2019). "Writing strong paragraphs: Types of paragraphs". Recovered from: https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/writing-paragraphs/types
Basics: Language Arts-English. "Different Type of Paragraphs". Recovered from: https://sites.google.com/site/basicslanguagearts/home/components-of-a-paragraph/different-type-of-paragraphs
- Types of paragraphs. "What Are the Types of Paragraphs?". Recovered from: http://agurney.blogs.sd73.bc.ca/files/2013/08/Types-of-Paragraphs.pdf
