PARAGRAPH

1.      Definition of Paragraph

Paragraph is a collection of sentences that deal with one subject. This is a paragraph - all of these sentences talk about what a paragraph is. An effective paragraph consists of a topic sentence, sentences that support this topic (the body of the paragraph), and a conclusion. The topic sentence in this paragraph is the first one, where the word is defined. Everything after that sentence is the body of this paragraph. The conclusion of this paragraph is the last sentence.

 When you change the topic, you start a new paragraph - I will change to a new paragraph next, to discuss different types of paragraphs and how to write an effective paragraph. A paragraph can contain as many sentences and words as you need - just be sure that you have said everything you need to say before you conclude the paragraph. Each paragraph should tell your reader about one subject, and should leave them with a good idea of whatever you are talking about.

2.       Parts of Paragraph

a.       Topic Sentence

The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is going to be about. It also helps you keep your writing under control. This is why a topic sentence is sometimes called the "controlling idea" of a paragraph. Below you will find a sample topic sentence and a simple formula for writing good topic sentences:

b.      Body

The body is the main part of the paragraph. This is where you tell the reader about your topic by including specific details. All of the sentences in the body must relate to the specific topic of the paragraph and help it come alive for the reader. That is, all of the sentences in the body should contain details that make the topic more interesting or help explain it more clearly. These sentences should be organized in the best possible order.

c.       Concluding Remarks

The closing or clincher sentence comes after all the details have been included in the body of the paragraph. The closing sentence reminds the reader what the topic of the paragraph is really all about, what it means.

Example:

My Dog Romeo is so much fun to play with. One reason he’s fun is because he loves to play catch. What’s also fun is that he follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my foot, so I will kick it. Additionally, he can catch just about anything, but his favorite thing to catch is a Frisbee. Finally, he loves it when I pretend like I’m falling dead, and he runs over to lick me. All these reasons show why I really have fun playing with Romeo.

3.      Form of Paragraph

Based on the location of its main ideas, ideas are divided into several types, namely as follows:.

a.       Deductive paragraph

Deductive paragraph is the paragraph that main idea lies in the initial paragraph. The main idea or subject matter paragraph that stated in the first sentence. And then followed by detailed explanations of the main ideas.

Example:

I have been looking a Christmas Tree in my friend’s home. The tree was planted in the middle of a great round table, and towered high above their heads. It was brilliantly lighted by a multitude of little tapers; and everywhere sparkled and glittered with bright objects. There were rosy-cheeked dolls, hiding behind the green leaves; and there were real watches (with movable hands, at least, and an endless capacity of being wound up) dangling from innumerable twigs; there were French-polished tables, chairs, bedsteads, wardrobes, eight-day clocks, and various other articles of domestic furniture (wonderfully made, in tin, at Wolverhampton)"...

b.      Inductive paragraph

Inductive paragraph is a paragraph that begins by mentioning special events, to go to a general conclusion, which includes all special events at the top. And the main sentence located at the end of paragraph.

Example:

Being in middle school is difficult for those moving on from elementary school. When you are in middle school, the work gets harder, the amount of homework increases, and your parents give you more responsibilities because you are older. Even though you are older, you are still not old enough to drive or be out for long periods of time by yourself. You are in an uncomfortable space between being a teenager and being a little child. The middle school years are not easy.

c.       Mixed paragraph (Deductive-Inductive)

Paragraphs mixture is a paragraph that main idea lies in the first sentence and last sentence. In this sentence there are two main sentence. The last sentence generally repeat ideas that otherwise the first sentence a bit of pressure or variation.

Example:

My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond guitar, the first instrument I taught myself how to play. It's nothing fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and finger-printed. At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. The strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its frets tarnished, the wood worn by years of fingers pressing chords and picking notes. The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in shipping. The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago. No, it's not a beautiful instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for that I will always treasure it. This guitar is very valuable for me.

 

4.      Types of Paragraph

There are seven different types of paragraph :

1)      Narrative Paragraphs - these are the paragraphs that tell you what is going on in a story, and move things along. Narrative writing can take various forms, including personal essays, biographical sketches (or profiles), and autobiographies in addition to short stories and plays.

Example:

                  "The barber was cutting our hair, and our eyes were closed--as they are so likely to be. . . Deep in a world of our own, he heard, from far away, a voice saying goodbye. It was a customer of the shop, leaving. 'Goodbye,' he said to the barbers. 'Goodbye,' echoed the barbers. And without ever returning to consciousness, or opening our eyes, or thinking, we joined in. 'Goodbye,' we said, before we could catch ourself. Then, all at once, the sadness of the occasion struck us, the awful dolor of bidding farewell to someone we had never seen. We have since wondered what he looked like, and whether it was really goodbye."

(E.B. White, "Sadness of Parting." The New Yorker, May 4, 1935)

2)      Descriptive Paragraphs - these paragraphs give descriptions of something like man, place, animal etc, so that you can form a mental image of what is going on.

Example:

Senggigi Beach Lombok is the main tourist strip of the Indonesian island of Lombok, stretched out along the several kilometers of the beachfront, just to the north of the capital Mataram. The site of a building frenzy in the late 1990s when Lombok was hyped to be the next Bali, the communal violence of 2000 and the 2002 Bali bombing dealt Senggigi a severe blow, with tourist numbers declining precipitously and many construction projects halted.

3)      Explanatory Paragraphs - this is sometimes divided into "Explaining With Examples" and "Explaining a Process" - either way, these paragraphs provide an explanation for something, so that you can understand it better. This whole paragraph is an explanatory one!

Example:

The term of “tsunami” comes from the Japanese which means harbour ("tsu") and wave ("nami"). A tsunami is a series of waves generated when water in a lake or a sea is rapidly displaced on a massive scale.A tsunami can be generated when the sea floor abruptly deforms and vertically displaces the overlying water. Such large vertical movements of the earth's crust can occur at plate boundaries.

4)      Compare and Contrast Paragraphs - these are the paragraphs that give similarities and differences between things.

Example:

                 Paragraphs are like conversations. Each conversation is a series of statements, questions, or explanations that pass along information. Each paragraph is also a series of sentences that pass along information. A paragraph is different from a conversation because a paragraph can be edited and changed after you write it down, and a conversation can't be taken back once you have spoken the words.

5)      Defining Paragraphs - these paragraphs give you a definition for some term. A definition tells you what a word or term means. This paragraph tells you what a defining paragraph is, so this paragraph is a defining paragraph about defining paragraphs! When you define something, you want to use simple words so that your reader will understand what you are saying.

Example:

Cholera is an intestinal infection that can be described according to its cause, symptoms, and treatment. A bacterium, called Vibrio cholera, is the causative agent of cholera. It can be spread through contaminated food, water, or feces. Cholera patients may exhibit different symptoms that can vary from mild to severe. Some symptoms are watery diarrhea and loss of water and salts. Oral or intravenous replacement of fluids and salts as well as specific antibiotics is a possible treatment for cholera. Patients can be treated with an oral rehydration solution or, in severe cases, an intravenous fluid.

6)      Classifying Paragraphs - these are paragraphs which divide something into groups or categories. It allows of defining ideas, their use and/or function through comparisons conducted on multiple levels. Consequently, classification paragraphs explore the meaning of things as compared to one another, and as positioned in related contexts. Classification paragraphs will use strong descriptive vocabulary which ought to visualize physical and conceptual differences between the subjects of writing.

Example:

The DVD's at my local video store are classified into three categories, which are new releases, old releases, and T.V. shows. The new releases consist of movies that have been out within the past 2 years. This category is very useful because it helps me stay updated on all the movies that I missed in the theater and movies that were not theatrical release. For example, I missed Saw VI at the theater, but the new release category helped me find this DVD immediately. The second category is older films. These films consist of all genres from 1950's through 2004. All these genres are placed in comedy, drama, romance, and horror, and they are all in alphabetical order. This category of old releases is cheaper than new releases, and it helps me catch up with great classics, especially from the 80's. Finally, the T.V. show category consists of the complete seasons of various and popular T.V. shows. For example, I missed all of season 6 of Smallville when it aired on television; however, at the video store, I was able to rent the entire season and watch it within two days. I love this category the most. In conclusion, these are the three categories that my video store classifies their DVD's.

7)      Persuasive or Argumentative Paragraphs - these are paragraphs that try to convince the reader to agree with something.

Example:

Nuclear Power Enrichment should be unconditionally supported. Those people who disagree with this brilliant point of view assume that the word “nuclear” is hazardous for human life. Actually, this is partially true. In fact, Nuclear Power Enrichment doesn’t operate that differently from a typical coal burning power plant which is used for electricity. Both of them heat water into pressurized steam, which drives the turbine generator. The only difference between those two things is the way of heating the water. The typical coal burning power burns fossil fuels, while Nuclear Power Enrichment depends on the heat occuring during the nuclear fission, when an atom splits into two. In 2009, 14% of whole world’s electricity was provided by nuclear power, while France has used 80% of electricity from it. We could imagine what will happen if Nuclear Power Enrichment is prohibited. Furthermore, The advantages gotten from Nuclear Power Enrichment are not only for the electricity need, but also for business sectors and national income. However, those benefits will be directly attained by both government and people. Therefore, it is unreasonable to oppose such this great idea. Based on those facts above, we must support the Nuclear Power Enrichment whenever, whoever and wherever we are.

5.      Conditions For Making A Good Paragraph

A good paragraph is the paragraph that has a cohesion between the elements-elements, both among the main idea with the idea penjelasnya or between the sentences. In a good paragraph that no single explanatory ideas or sentences that deviate from the main idea. All support is compact in one focal point.

Cohesiveness in a paragraph is divided into two kinds, namely cohesion and cohesiveness of meaning.

1.      Meaning cohesiveness (coherent)

We can say that a paragraph is a coherent paragraph, if there is unity between the ideas presented sentences with each other. Sentences have a reciprocal relationship and jointly one on one main idea. Not encountered a single sentence that deviates or jumps mind. If a paragraph does not have the cohesiveness that way, then the reader will have many difficulties to understand it. Readers will find jumps thoughts and relationships are not logical idea. Paragraphs that it faces only a collection of sentences that do not clear the tip base.

2.      cohesiveness of (cohesive)

If the cohesion of meaning related to the contents, then the cohesiveness form associated with the use of the words. It could be a paragraph in a unified or coherent meaning. In a sense, the paragraph that suggests one main idea. But not necessarily cohesive paragraph, supported by a coherent words.

Cohesiveness of a paragraph can be characterized by:

a. Appointment relationship, marked by the words, this, however, here, earlier;

b. Replacement relationship, demonstrated by my words, we, we, you, you, them, he; this form, that, and the like may serve as a marker relationship or replacement;

c. Deletion relations, marked by used said in part, whole;

d. Coupling relationship, marked by the word and, then, later, however, meanwhile, besides that, except that, so ultimately, however;

e. Lexical relations, characterized by the use of repetition of words, synonyms or hiponim.

 REFERENCE

ü  Modern English, Marcella Frank, Frentice-Hall, Inc, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

ü  Modern English Grammer, Muhammad Ayup, Pustaka Imani Press, Jakarta.

ü  Modern Instan English, Drs. Djalinus Syah, Dra. Azimar Enong, Simplex Press, Jakarta.

ü  English For Islamic Studies, Drs. Syahrin Ramadhan, IAIN Sunan Gunung Djati,  Bandung. 

ü  English Grammer, KMI Pondok Modern Gontor, IED Gontor, Ponorogo