supporting points
The term “supporting details” can be defined as additional information that explains, defines or proves an idea.
Now imagine, however, that the other driver caused the accident because he was talking on his cell phone. You could certainly go to court and simply tell the judge that the other driver was distracted and this led to the wreck, but why would the judge believe you? Telling the judge that the driver was, in fact, on his phone would be providing him with essential supporting details. Ideally, you could even have the driver’s phone records brought into court to prove he was on the phone at the time of the accident, thus providing even more supporting details to bolster your claim. This is the kind of factual, detailed evidence that explains why you reached the conclusion that you reached, and helps provide a background that proves the veracity of your point.
a. The topic sentence should present the claim, or main idea, that you will develop and support within the rest of the paragraph.
Does the paper flow smoothly between paragraphs? Transitions at the end of one paragraph or the beginning of the next help the reader understand connections, follow logical development, and navigate through the text.
One of the most important things you can do to bring your writing to life for your readers is to make sure that you provide plenty of examples or supporting details to explain the big ideas in each of your paragraphs. For example, let’s say you wanted to write a paragraph supporting that thesis statement we discussed earlier about owning dogs. Remember, the thesis statement read “Everyone should own a dog because dogs provide companionship, provide protection, and provide great entertainment.”
Say you think you can write something good about dogs greeting you when you get home. You could add a couple of sub-details to that detail. You could say that dogs wag their tails, jump up and down, and try to lick your hands or face when you get home. You could explain that no one other than a dog is that excited to see you every single time you get back, even if you’ve only been gone for five minutes.
In the bank failure example, the first sentence relates to the previous sentence through the cause and effect transition “as a result.” The second sentence relates to the first through the echoing of the related words “failed” and “failures.” It also expresses a cause and effect relationship through its subject and verb “the news. . .sent. . . .”
3. A combination of general and specific detail.
Keep healthy
Lose weight
Stay in good shape (This is the same as the first one — not distinct)
Get more energy
Summarizing
Time management
Buying notebooks (Not important)
Note taking
References:
http://www.tamug.edu/writing/no%20show/Supporting%20Paragraphs.html
http://libguides.daltonstate.edu/c.php?g=267539&p=1849745
http://www2.bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/materials/engl/Leeds/Spring05/091/Paragraph.htm
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/sample/intermediate/wt/wt_7.htm
http://www.roanestate.edu/owl/Thesis-Statements.html