Types of Paragraphs

1
Types of Paragraphs

• Paragraphs Day 2

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Types of Paragraphs

• For our purposes, here are the basic types of
  paragraphs
• Narrative
• Exposition
• Descriptive
• Persuasive

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Narrative

• Tells a story
• Uses specific details
• Is not a mere listing of events- it has
  characters, setting, conflict, and resolution
• Time and place are usually established
• Usually chronologically organized

4
Narrative Example

• So now on nights when my mother presented her
  tests, I performed listlessly, my head propped on
  one arm. I pretended to be bored, and I was. I
  got so bored I started counting the bellows of
  the foghorns out on the bay while my mother
  drilled me in other areas The next day, I played
  a game with myself, seeing if my mother would
  give up on me before eight bellows. After a
  while, I usually counted only one, maybe two at
  the most. At last, she was beginning to give up
  hope.

5
Exposition

• Informative/explanatory
• Can be included incidentally with narrative or
  descriptive, but can also stand alone.
• The challenge of writing an exposition paragraph
  is your credibility how do I know that you know
  what youre talking about?
• Answer Citations! (from experts)

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Exposition Example

• Stress is defined as a state of extreme
  difficulty that causes mental or physical
  tension. In a recent study, teenagers were shown
  to experience stress as often as adults.
  According to the study, the most common causes of
  stressors to teens include divorce of parents,
  death of a loved one, loneliness, moving to a new
  neighborhood, and having difficulty in a social
  environment. These stressors can greatly change
  the way teens act in many circumstances.

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Description

• Series of detailed observations
• Never used by itself always a part of a whole
• The challenge is to make it interesting
• Imagery
• Sensory details five senses
• Similes, metaphors

8
Description Example

• When I think of the home town of my youth, all
  that I seem to remember is dust- the brown,
  crumbly dust of late summer- arid, sterile dust
  that gets into the eyes and makes them water,
  gets into the throat and between the toes of bare
  brown feet. I dont know why I should remember
  only the dust And so, when I think of that time
  and that place, I remember only the dry September
  of the dirt roads and grassless yards of the
  shanty-town where I lived.

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Persuasive

• Uses direct approach
• Believe me and do it!
• Calls reader to action or to take a stand on an
  important issue
• More than just opinion is needed information,
  analysis, and context must be given to the reader
  to let him/her make a decision

10
Persuasive Example

• Students are currently getting ripped off.
  Students who spend an average of 10 hours or more
  on extracurricular activities should receive some
  kind of academic credit. Most students who are
  involved in sports, music, journalism, or theater
  activities are actively learning on a daily
  basis. They attend practice and events and
  participate regularly as they would in class.
  Furthermore, their participation helps them
  become more responsible and disciplined students.
  Students are putting forth the effort, and not
  getting any recognition for their time.