Grammar: B1 - ✨ Grammar Essentials: ✏️ Writing Mechanics - Intermediate - Lesson 8: Paragraph Structure: Supporting Sentences & Concluding Sentences

Writing: Paragraph Structure

B1 Lesson 8: Supporting & Concluding Sentences

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify and write effective supporting and concluding sentences to build a strong, coherent paragraph.

The Body and Conclusion of a Paragraph

In our last lesson, we learned about the topic sentence. Now, let's build the rest of the paragraph.

Supporting Sentences

Supporting sentences are the "body" of your paragraph. Their job is to support, prove, or explain your topic sentence. They must all be about the one main idea. Supporting sentences can give:

• Reasons: Explain why the topic sentence is true.
• Examples: Give specific examples to make your point clearer.
• Details: Provide more information and facts about the topic.

The Concluding Sentence

The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph. It has two main jobs (choose one):

1. To restate the main idea of the topic sentence using different words.
2. To give a final thought or summary about the topic.

Important: A concluding sentence should never introduce a completely new idea.

Building a Complete Paragraph

Let's look at how these three parts work together to build a strong paragraph about Battambang.

Topic Sentence: Battambang is a very charming city for tourists to visit.

Supporting Sentence (Reason): First, it has beautiful French colonial architecture, which you can see everywhere in the town center.

Supporting Sentence (Detail): The city also has a relaxed and artistic atmosphere, much quieter than Phnom Penh.

Concluding Sentence (Summary): Overall, its beautiful buildings and calm feeling make Battambang a wonderful place to explore.

Practice: Analyze a Paragraph 🧠

Exercise: Identify the Parts

Read the paragraph below and identify each sentence's job.

(A) Riding the bamboo train is a unique experience in Battambang. (B) The "train" is just a small bamboo platform with a motor. (C) It goes very fast along the old railway tracks through the beautiful countryside. (D) For these reasons, it is an activity that every visitor should try.

Which sentence is the Topic Sentence? → A

Which are the Supporting Sentences? → B and C

Which is the Concluding Sentence? → D

Your Writing Mission 📝

Complete a Paragraph

Here is a topic sentence. Your mission is to write 2-3 supporting sentences and 1 concluding sentence to build a complete, strong paragraph.

Topic Sentence: My favorite food is Khmer curry.

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(Example Answer: It has so many delicious flavors. I like that it is creamy from the coconut milk but also a little spicy. It is usually full of chicken and sweet potatoes. In my opinion, it is the best dish in Cambodia.)

Key Vocabulary

• Supporting Sentence (Noun) | ប្រយោគគាំទ្រ
  A sentence that gives details, reasons, or examples about the main idea.
• Concluding Sentence (Noun) | ប្រយោគបញ្ចប់
  The last sentence that summarizes or restates the main idea.
• Restate (Verb) | និយាយឡើងវិញ
  To say something again in a different way for clarity or emphasis.