Narrative paragraphs describe a scene or occurrence; descriptive paragraphs provide detailed depictions of one subject; expository paragraphs deliver information; and persuasive paragraphs attempt to persuade the reader. Each type of paragraph has its advantages and disadvantages.
Narrative paragraphs are usually used in essays, articles, and reports to outline events or incidents that may not be relevant to the main topic of the piece. These paragraphs often begin with a capital letter and include details such as names of people involved, places visited, or things seen.
Descriptive paragraphs list or describe subjects—such as plants, animals, or objects—in order to more fully understand them. These paragraphs often begin with the word "there" and include the name of the subject followed by a description. Expository paragraphs give information about a subject in a clear and concise manner without appealing to the reader's emotions or showing bias toward the topic. These paragraphs often begin with the word "one" and include a number followed by a noun or pronoun. Persuasive paragraphs aim to convince the reader that a particular idea or action is correct or should be done.
There are four kinds of paragraphs: descriptive, narrative, explanatory, and persuasive. These categories can be used to analyze text and make judgments about how well it follows standard writing practices.
Descriptive paragraphs list facts or describe scenes. They tell what happens in the story or account and give the reader information about the setting.
A descriptive paragraph is a detailed exposition of a given topic. This type of paragraph frequently has a specific focus—the sound of a waterfall, the stink of skunk spray—but it can also express something abstract, such as an emotion or a memory. Some descriptive paragraphs combine the two. A killer description can make even the most ordinary object seem interesting and attractive.
Descriptive paragraphs are often used to introduce and develop themes in essays and articles. In academic writing, they are often included at the beginning of chapters or sections.
In general, the main idea of a descriptive paragraph should be clear from the first sentence; only then can you start elaborating on other aspects that may interest or inform your reader.
Sometimes writers include several details about a subject without making their point clearly. This tends to happen when you have a lot to say on a topic, so we recommend breaking up the text into different paragraphs to keep your audience interested.
Because there are four sorts of paragraphs—narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive—the paragraph may be used to describe or explain an infinite number of topics. However, it is critical to understand how to use each paragraph type correctly. If you fail to do so, your readers will feel cheated and abandoned.
Narrative paragraphs tell a story. They begin with a topic sentence that gives the main idea or theme of the paragraph and then include additional sentences that support this idea. For example, if I were to write about my favorite subject, reading, I might start with a short anecdote about one of my favorite authors and then conclude by mentioning another book by this author that I also like.
Descriptive paragraphs give a detailed account of something. They often begin with a noun or phrase that acts as a guide to what will follow; for example, "The rain fell steadily throughout the night," or "The ocean waves crashed relentlessly against the shore." Each subsequent sentence builds upon what came before it, giving a complete picture of the topic at hand. Descriptive paragraphs can be useful in describing a place (for example, "The Grand Canyon is a large, deep canyon carved out by the Colorado River"), a thing (such as "New York City is a huge metropolis with millions of people living in it"), or an event (such as "It rained on my birthday").
For example, a narrative paragraph might describe an incident in the life of a person while also explaining why that incident is important to the story.
A descriptive paragraph would be used to give a reader information about a topic without getting into detail. It could describe a place, such as a city park, with no implication that it was interesting or important. A reader wouldn't know how much detail to look for beyond what's on the page.
An expository paragraph would be used to explain something with clarity and conciseness. It would include examples and diagrams when appropriate to help make its point. An expository paragraph would not only tell readers what causes something, it would also show them how to do it themselves if they wanted to.
The final sort of paragraph is the persuasive paragraph. This would be used in a letter or article to argue for or against some idea or position. It would contain reasons and evidence to support its case.
These are only four examples of many possible topics that could be described using the paragraph as a building block. The key is that each paragraph should try to do one thing well.
A paragraph is a group of connected sentences that address a single topic. Learning how to construct strong paragraphs can help you keep on course as a writer during the writing and revision processes. The three main types of paragraphs are explanatory, analytical, and summary.
Explanatory paragraphs provide information about something. They begin with a word such as "how," "why," or "where" to indicate that they are going to give information about a subject. For example, if you were writing about the Great Lakes, you could start your essay by explaining what makes them great: "The Great Lakes are four large freshwater bodies in North America located in Canada and the United States." Your reader will understand that you are going to discuss why the lakes are great and how they got that way, so you need to make sure that you cover these topics in your essay.
Analytical paragraphs show how one thing leads to another. They often begin with a conjunction such as "then" or "therefore," which indicates that the author is going to explain how two things are related.