Paragraph+technique,+Halberstam+model


 * Literature of Sport Mr. Greenhill **


 * Paragraphs* **

David Halberstam is a master of the effective, skillfully structured paragraph, raising it almost to the level of an art form. You need to know as much as you can about effective paragraphs to appreciate his paragraphs and to write good ones yourselves.

- A paragraph is a series of sentences developing one topic. - The topic of it is stated in a single sentence that you know is called the **topic sentence.** - Usually the topic sentence is placed at or near the beginning of the paragraph. - Sometimes it is useful, especially if the paragraph is long, to summarize the the paragraph by restating the topic sentence in different words. This creates a type of concluding sentence that is sometimes called a **clincher** ** sentence. **


 * Development **

A paragraph is usually developed with **additional information**, as detailed as necessary, to support the idea expressed in the topic sentence. The development can take a few different forms, such as:


 * - Facts **
 * - Examples (including quotations) **
 * - Incidents **
 * - Arguments in a line of reasoning **

Be sure to provide enough information to develop the paragraph sufficiently. If you do not, you end up with a thin paragraph. Another danger that can cause a thin paragraph is merely repeating in different words the idea in the topic sentence.


 * Unity **

A paragraph also should be unified. You accomplish this by discussing only one topic in a paragraph, the one that is stated in the topic sentence.


 * Coherence **

Put thought into how you arrange the details in a paragraph so that they will follow each other logically and smoothly. //Plan it out//. Here are a few possible ways to //arrange the details//:

- ** In order of time (chronologically) ** - ** Order of importance (from the least to the most important) ** - ** To bring out comparison or contrast **

You can strengthen the coherence of your paragraphs by using **transitional or linking expressions and connectives** (such words as //also, further, for example, hence, therefore, whereas, nevertheless, on the other hand//, and many more). They make your line of thought from one idea to the next clearer. Also, use **pronouns** effectively to refer to words or ideas in preceding sentences.

*Based on “The Effective Paragraph,” Ch. 24 of Warriner’s //English Grammar and Composition//.