Building a Better Essay: The Paragraph

FAVORITE PLACE

Where is your favorite place in the world?

CAPRI, ITALY

FAVORITE PLACE

•WHY is it your favorite?

THE FOUNDATION: THE PARAGRAPH

• CREATE TOPIC SENTENCE

Start by focusing on the MAIN IDEA, or TOPIC, of your paragraph.

TOPIC SENTENCE

A topic sentence gives an overview of the focus of the paragraph.

CAPRI, ITALY

My favorite place in the world is Capri, Italy, because of its beauty and its memory.

TASK:THE PARAGRAPH: Topic Sentence

CREATE YOUR OWN TOPIC SENTENCE!

FAVORITE PLACE

What specifically makes this your favorite place in the world?

CAPRI, ITALY• BEAUTY– SUNSETS and SENSES– TASTES

• MEMORY– Of COLLEGE– MY PASSION to TRAVEL

THE FOUNDATION: THE PARAGRAPH

• DETAILS and SUPPORT

Provide DETAILS and EXAMPLES to give your paragraph depth.

DEATILS

DETAILSHelp the reader understand your topic.

CAPRI, ITALY• What I remember about

Capri are the sunsets and smells. Standing on the balcony of an ancient Roman ruin, I was mesmerized by the colors of the sunset as they hit the water. But the colors paled in comparison to the smells of lemon trees and honeysuckle. I knew then that I’d come back to that exact spot one day.

CAPRI, ITALY• I also fell in love with the

island’s beautiful food. Best know for those fragrant lemons, I enjoyed terrific treats, including lemon gelato—an Italian ice cream-type treat.

CAPRI, ITALY• Finally, Capri is my favorite

place because of the memories it represents. Having traveled there during college, the place reminds me of that experience, of the sacrifice my parents made to send me, of my love to travel, and of my desire to continue traveling.

FAVORITE PLACE

WRAP IT UP: Provide a final insight

CONCLUDING SENTENCEA concluding sentence reminds the reader of the ideas in the paragraph by bringing the paragraph to a close and providing a final insight.

CAPRI, ITALY

I hope to one day revisit my favorite spot, but until then, I will rely on my mind’s eye to take me back to Capri.

TASK:THE PARAGRAPH: CONCLUDING

SENTENCE

Bring your paragraph to a close by providing a final INSIGHT.

The Final Paragraph

• Now, organize all your sentences into one final paragraph.

• BE SURE TO CHECK:– Mechanics

FINAL PARAGRAPH• My favorite place in the world is Capri, Italy, because of its beauty

and its memory. What I remember about Capri are the sunsets and smells. Standing on the balcony of an ancient Roman ruin, I was mesmerized by the colors of the sunset as they hit the water. But the colors paled in comparison to the smells of lemon trees and honeysuckle. I knew then that I’d come back to that exact spot one day. I also fell in love with the island’s beautiful food. Best know for those fragrant lemons, I enjoyed terrific treats, including lemon gelato—an Italian ice cream-type treat. Best known for those fragrant lemons, I enjoyed terrific treats, including lemon gelato—an Italian ice cream-type treat. I hope to one day revisit my favorite spot, but until then, I will rely on my mind’s eye to take me back to Capri.