WRITING GUIDELINES

THESIS STATEMENT

PARAGRAPH

A paragraph is a group of sentences that develops a main idea. It usually begins with a sentence
which states the main idea. This sentence us called a topic sentence. The other sentences in the
paragraph explain the main idea. They add details and give support. These sentences are called
supporting sentences. Somtimes paragraphs also have a concluding sentence. It is the last
sentence of the paragraph.

TOPIC SENTENCE

The topic sentence is the most important sentence of a paragraph. It states the main idea and
introduces the reader to the topic.

SUPPORTING SENTENCES

Every supporting sentence in a paragraph must relate to the main idea stated in the topic
sentence. A sentence which does not support the main idea does not belong in the paragraph.

When a sentence does not belong in a paragraph, it is called an irrelevant.