Paragraphing 
A paragraph begins with a two-finger spacing.
It is made up of one or more sentences:
In a story, a paragraph usually contains an idea or two.
The paragraphs that follow will show how the ideas are developed so that the readers can follow the development in the plot and appreciate the story.
A good writer should possess the ability to arrange ideas and link them well through paragraphing.
Organisation
In order to have good organisation, your story must have:
Sequence
> Introduction - Who? Where? When? What?
> Body — Events
Example: What happened and how did you feel?
> Conclusion — Ending
Example: How was the problem solved?
Was it a happy or sad ending?
Paragraphing (read above)
Ideas and facts must be linked together.
Activity 1
Read the following story.
The Titanic
The Titanic was the biggest ship ever built. She was capable of carrying two thousand and two hundred passengers and was considered unsinkable.
On 10 April 1912, the Titanic set out on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York. The mood on the ship was merry. Everyone was enjoying the luxurious accommodations and services offered on the finest ship.
On 14 April, the Titanic struck an iceberg. The iceberg ripped a huge hole in the ship's side. This fine ship, the largest in the world, did not have enough lifeboats, and over one thousand lives were lost. Another ship nearby answered Titanic's call for help and saved seven hundred and five people.
Number the sentences below in order to show when things happened.
One sentence will not be used.
Order | Description |
Many lives were lost because there were not enough lifeboats | |
In April 1912, the largest passenger ship set out on its first voyage | |
It took several days to reach its destination, New York. | |
Some passengers were saved. | |
The ship was filled with passengers having a good time. | |
After four days of travelling, the Titanic hit an iceberg and this ripped a hole in the side of the ship. | |
The Titanic's journey came to an unintentional and unfortunate end. |
Read the following story. Draw two lines where you think the beginning of a new paragraph should be. The first one has been done for you.
The Paper Doll Weddinq
/ / Meng was only twenty years old when he died of an illness. At about the same
time, in the next village, a young tady by the name of Ling had also died of an illness.
Three years later, Meng's parents dreamt that their son wanted to marry a woman
called Ling, They thought that the dream was silly and they did not tell anyone about
it(/A week later, a couple visited them. They introduced themselves as the parents of
a dead lady called Ling. They also said that their dead daughter had appeared to
them in a dream and told them that she wanted them to arrange her marriage/An
auspicious day was chosen and the "wedding ceremony" took place. Relatives and
friends were invited to witness the ceremony. It was like any other traditional
wedding ceremony. There was loud music and firecrackers were lit. Prayers were
also offered to the gods. The only difference was that two man-size paper dolls were
used to stand in for the bride and groom After the ceremony, the paper dolls and the
paper gifts were burnt. The guests had witnessed the first and last paper doll
wedding ceremony conducted in their village
