Revising for Paragraph Unity

Focusing on one idea in a paragraph is called unity. For example, the sentences in each paragraph in your essay should focus on the category mentioned in the paragraph’s topic sentence. A paragraph lacks unity when it includes ideas that do not relate to its topic sentence. In the example paragraph below, the topic sentence is in bold type, and an unrelated idea is deleted.

1. Poison ivy is an enemy of campers and other nature lovers. It contains an oil that irritates the skin. The oil gets onto the skin when the plant’s leaf is crushed. Walking through or on top of poison ivy can release the oil. You can easily recognize poison ivy because it usually grows as a vine and has compound leaves made up of three leaflets each. Poison sumac is also a problem for campers. Poison ivy is an enemy of campers and other nature lovers. It contains an oil that irritates the skin. The oil gets onto the skin when the plant’s leaf is crushed. Walking through or on top of poison ivy can release the oil. You can easily recognize poison ivy because it usually grows as a vine and has compound leaves made up of three leaflets each. Poison sumac is also a problem for campers.

Writing the Beginning Paragraph

The beginning of your classification essay should introduce your topic with some interesting background information and then give your focus statement.

Lead Sentence

We humans have created devices, such as camouflage-patterned military fatigues and pepper spray, to protect ourselves in dangerous situations.

Detail Sentences

Have you ever wondered where we got the ideas for these tools? They may have come from examples set by other members of the animal kingdom. Animals face many dangers in their environments, and they have some unusual and inspired methods of defense.

Focus Statement

Three ways in which animals protect themselves are by changing colors, releasing chemicals, and giving up a body part.

Writing the Middle Paragraphs

Prewriting to Focus Your Ideas

What Interests Me

Prewriting to Select a Topic

You should be able to break down the subject of your essay into three or four parts or categories that can be explained in separate paragraphs. A subject that is too broad may include too many categories or categories that are difficult to explain. A subject that is too narrow will not have enough categories.

1. How did the writer break down the parts of the suit of armor?
2. What context clues can you use to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words like gorget and brassards?
3. Given that many of the unfamiliar words were French, what can you infer about medieval England based on other words with French roots: government, soldier, legal, and bank?

Warm-Up for Classification Essays

Explanatory essays share information about a topic. One way to explain a topic that interests you is to write a classification essay.

What Is a Classification Essay?

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In a classification essay, you break information down into smaller parts, or categories, and then explain each part. By learning about the topic’s parts, a reader gains a better understanding of the topic as a whole.

For example, what if someone asked you what makes up a perfect pizza slice? You might start by discussing a crust with a crisp base and bread-like center. On top of that, you want pizza sauce with oregano and a touch of sweetness. Then comes the mozzarella cheese, the mushroom slices, the onion, the pepperoni. Each component needs to be in the right proportion and baked to perfection for a great slice.

In this unit, you will be asked to write an essay that breaks down a topic (such as a hobby, sport, career, or skill) into its important parts and then explains each part. For example, if you’re interested in guitars, you could write an essay explaining the role of the lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and bass guitar in a band. Or, if you know a lot about robotics, you could write an essay telling how robots move, sense objects, and perform tasks. The key to your writing is to select a topic that truly interests you and that you know a lot about.

Thinking About Categories

What if you went to the library to choose a book, but the books weren’t arranged in categories? You’d face a tough search! Books is a broad topic, after all. Here's one (of many) ways to break it down: