Or How to Build a Big Mac

What are the ingredients of a Big Mac Cheeseburger?

Top BunLettuceTomatoCheese Onion Special Sauce Hamburger

Bottom Bun

The top and bottom bun hold the stuff inside together!

Topic SentenceDetails!Important facts!More Details! Closing Sentence

Or transition

How do you start to eat a hamburger that doesn’t have the top bun?

You don’t because it’s too difficult to pick up!

If your topic sentence is not good, no one will want to read the rest of your paragraph.

(Just as no one wants to eat a hamburger with no bun!)

This paragraph is missing its topic sentence. Can you figure out what the main idea should be?

Cats have been used as pets since the time of the pharaohs in Egypt. They have been found in countries all over the world. Obviously, cats have been the favorites of man for hundreds of years. I suppose cats are so well liked because they are gentle, friendly and easy to take care of.

Here is the paragraph with the topic sentence. It makes much more sense now.

Although most people believe that man’s best friend is a dog, I think it should be a cat. Cats have been used as pets since the time of the pharaohs in Egypt. They have been found in countries all over the world. Obviously, cats have been the favorites of man for hundreds of years. I suppose cats are so well liked because they are gentle, friendly and easy to take care of.

A ship without its rudder. An army without its general. A vacation trip without a map.

It has no direction.

The supporting sentences that follow the topic sentence are the cheese, hamburger, and special sauce!

They add flavor and substance!

Every supporting sentence has to have something to do with the topic sentence.

Read each supporting sentence. Do you see how it supports the topic sentence?

Although most people believe that man’s best friend is a dog, I think it should be a cat.

Cats have been used as pets since the time of the pharaohs in Egypt.

Read each supporting sentence. Do you see how it supports the topic sentence?

Although most people believe that man’s best friend is a dog, I think it should be a cat.

They have been found in countries all over the world.

Read each supporting sentence. Do you see how it supports the topic sentence?

Although most people believe that man’s best friend is a dog, I think it should be a cat.

Obviously, cats have been the favorites of man for hundreds of years.

Hamburger first, then cheese? Or do you start with the sauce?

Well, in a paragraph…the order of supporting sentences are also important.

You can organize by:- Most important things first- The order of events (First, Second, Third- Relation to one another (Next to, beside, behind)

first therefore Before this thus secondly at this time previously finally following this now at this point also

First, second, third Then, afterward, later, next Earlier Meanwhile Soon before, after a while At last

for instance of course to demonstrate to illustrate after all in this case for example in fact

The bottom bun of the Big Mac is like the final sentence of a paragraph. It completes it!

The concluding or clincher sentence of a paragraph should tie all the details of the supporting sentence together to restate the topic sentence.

A concluding sentence can also help to introduce the change that will lead to the next paragraph.

in conclusion as mentioned earlier finally therefore as I have said thus to summarize as we have seen to sum up

Likewise, don’t put too many ideas into 1 paragraph!

How do you know when to start a new paragraph? Let’s find out.

Most importantly: When you want to introduce a new idea!

1 paragraph = 1 idea + support for the idea

Here are other signs you should start a new paragraph:

- Start a new topic- When 1 paragraph becomes

too long- Skip to a new time or place- A new person begins to speak- When you want to produce a

dramatic effect