Read and Analyze an Illustration Paragraph
(Sample paragraph taken from
Susan Anker’s Real Writing: With
Organizing an Illustration Paragraph:
§ Topic Sentence
o Example One
§ Detail for Example One
o Example Two
§ Detail for Example Two
o Example Three
§ Detail for Example Three
§
Conclusion Sentence
Sample Paragraph:
Although they don’t consider it stealing, many people regularly take things from their companies. The most common items to disappear are pens and pencils that employees almost unconsciously stuff into their purses, knapsacks, or briefcases. Over time, they may accumulate quite a stash of them. Another big item is all kinds of paper: pads of lined paper, handy little notepads that can be used for shopping lists and phone messages, and file folders to organize home records. Yet another innocent theft is the long-distance personal phone call. Those calls cost the company in two ways: They use company time for personal business, and the company has to pay for the calls. Even though companies may have special discounted telephone rates, no call is free. Finally, one of the more significant ways people steal is by taking home samples of the products the company makes: food, clothing supplies, and so on. Employees seem to think they are entitled to these products and even give them to friends. By doing so, they hurt the company by robbing it of a product it depends on for revenue. These examples may not seem like stealing, but the results are the same: extra costs to the company, which may result in lower pay raises.
Organization of Sample Illustration
Paragraph:
What is the topic sentence? Although they don’t consider it stealing, many people regularly take things from their companies.
What is the topic? Employee theft
What is the main point? Taking things from your company is
stealing.
continued on
next page
Topic Sentence: Although they don’t consider it stealing, many people regularly take things from their companies.
First Example Used to Support the Main Point: The most common items to disappear
What detail(s) is/are used to make the first example stronger and easier to understand? are pens and pencils that employees almost unconsciously stuff into their purses, knapsacks, or briefcases.
Second Example Used to Support the Main Point:
What detail(s) is/are used to make the second
example stronger and easier to understand?
Third Example Used to Support
the Main Point:
What detail(s)
is/are used to make the third example stronger and easier to understand?
Fourth Example Used to Support
the Main Point:
What detail(s)
is/are used to make the first example stronger and easier to understand?
Conclusion Sentence: