Unit 1: The Sentence and the Paragraph

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing core writing concepts related to paragraph structures, formatting, components, unity, and coherence.

Paragraph

A group of related sentences about a single topic representing one, and only one, idea.

Indenting

Moving the first word in a paragraph to the right about one-half inch.

Margins

The blank spaces surrounding a paragraph on a page.

Title

A short heading, usually not a complete sentence, that tells the topic of a paragraph in a few words.

Topic Sentence

A complete sentence that introduces the subject of a paragraph and tells what the paragraph will explain about it.

Topic

The part of a topic sentence that names the main subject of the paragraph.

Controlling Idea

The part of a topic sentence that limits or controls the topic to a specific area that can be discussed within a single paragraph.

Supporting Sentences

Sentences following the topic sentence that provide explanations, definitions, and examples to support the topic sentence.

Concluding Sentence

The final sentence of a paragraph that restates the main idea, signals the end of the paragraph, and leaves the reader with key points to remember.

Unity

A quality of a paragraph achieved when all of its sentences support a single idea.

Coherence

A quality of a paragraph achieved when the supporting details are organized in a logical way, such as by time, space, or order of importance.