Essay and Paragraph Writing
ICSE Class 6 · English · Chapter 11
What this chapter covers
- Paragraph structure
- Descriptive essays
- Narrative essays
- Planning an essay
- Process writing
- Picture composition
Key points
- A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea; start a new paragraph when the idea changes.
- The topic sentence states the main idea; supporting sentences give details; a closing sentence rounds it off.
- Linkers such as firstly, then, later and finally join ideas, show the order of time and give a sense of closure.
- An essay has an introduction, a body and a conclusion; in Class VI it has at least three paragraphs and about 200 words.
- A descriptive essay paints a picture in words using the five senses and exact words.
- A narrative essay tells a story in order, usually in the first person and the past tense, with a beginning, middle and end.
- Plan before you write: brainstorm ideas, then make an outline with one line for each paragraph.
- Process writing means planning, drafting, revising, editing and rewriting.
- In picture composition, study the picture closely, ask who, where, when, what and how, and stay true to what it shows.
Questions answered
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences that all talk about one main idea.
Where does the topic sentence usually come, and what does it do?
It usually comes first in the paragraph. It tells the reader the main idea of the paragraph.
Give two linkers that show the order of events and one that brings writing to a close.
Any two of "firstly", "then", "next", "later", "after that"; and "finally" or "in the end".
Which kind of essay is "The Day I Missed the School Bus", descriptive or narrative?
Narrative, because it tells a story of something that happened.
Name three senses a writer can use in a descriptive essay about a kitchen.
Any three of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste; for example, the smell of frying onions, the sound of the pressure cooker and the sight of shining steel vessels.
What is an outline?
An outline is a short plan that lists the main idea of each paragraph in the order you will write them.
Put these steps of process writing in the right order: editing, planning, rewriting, drafting, revising.
Planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting.
Find and correct the mistakes in this sentence: "yesterday we goes to the zoo and see a tiger."
"Yesterday we went to the zoo and saw a tiger." The first word needs a capital letter, and the verbs must be in the past tense.