Paragraph Exercise #3: Constructing Paragraph Sectors
Review Principle One: We have seen how a topic sentence contains within its boundaries a controlling idea.
That model of transformation has to do with embodying an idea in language, or, to put it differently,
with embodying an idea in the signs that form the syntax of the sentence.
Review Principle Two: We have also seen how each topic sentence – as ideas-embodied-in-words –
contains key ideas/word-terms that comprise both ideas that exist in and of themselves as well as ideas
that relate interactively with other ideas/word-terms.
The above principles need to be understood before we move onto the next step, which investigates how
these interactive ideas that are written horizontally in a topic sentence indicate the vertical construction
of the paragraph.
The Principle of Paragraph Sectors: The principle of paragraph sectors is based upon a simple notion: the
horizontal plane through which the topic sentence unfolds indicates the precise development of the
vertical plane through which the paragraph unfolds. To understand this principle, we need to step back
to review basic principles of paragraph progression. We have already learned that the topic sentence
contains a series of key ideas that unfold in the progression of the sentence through horizontal space. In
other words, the topic sentence is written horizontally, that is, from left to right as it elaborates key
terms that form a relationship with each other. These terms form a relationship that unfolds
linguistically in the sentence (whether they conjoin to create a simple sentence, a compound sentence,
or a complex sentence). In this horizontal unfolding of the sentence, the topic sentence elaborates
“the” idea which is developed in the paragraph, an idea that is first introduced in the topic sentence (if
that topic sentence is positioned at the top of the paragraph). Please think for a moment about what I
am saying here. If you do so, you will realize that I am stating the obvious: every sentence unfolds
horizontally! That’s obvious. However, what’s less obvious is this: the horizontal development of the
topic sentence (its horizontal progression) indicates the vertical development of the paragraph (its
vertical progression of ideas in sectored space). Let us take a closer look at this phenomenon by
examining an example of the double unfolding of the progression of idea (through the sentence and
through the paragraph).
The Horizontal Unfolding of the Sentence (an example)
1. Writing a paragraph used to be easy, but now the construction of a well developed, well
constructed paragraph has become difficult because of the mathematical preciseness one must bring
to the writing process.
First sector of paragraph (in red); second sector of paragraph (in blue).
Writing a paragraph used to be easy, but now the construction of a well developed, well constructed
paragraph has become difficult because of the mathematical preciseness one must bring to the
writing process. What is so difficult about writing a paragraph? When we were ignorant of the rules of
paragraph writing, any group of sentences were able to be haphazardly assembled and effortlessly
Comment [R1]: In red is the first half of the
topic sentence as it is written from left to right on a
horizontal plane. It is this idea – “that writing a
paragraph used to be easy” – which will be
developed in the first sector of the paragraph on its
vertical axis.
Comment [R2]: In blue is the second half of the
topic sentence as it is written from left to right on a
horizontal plane. It is this idea – “that writing a
paragraph now is part of a constructed structural
process – that will be developed in the second
sector of the paragraph on a vertical axis.
passed off as a paragraph. But now one is forced to follow a precise outline for building a paragraph.
The naïve construction of a paragraph no longer is sufficient to an aware writer. Now we must have a
strong topic sentence because it is the backbone of the whole paragraph, and every key element
becomes a piece of the backbone’s vertebrae. The topic sentence is connected to the controlling idea,
which acts like the brain of the system with each element under its command. Every idea and sentence
meshes together in the conquest for unity of idea. Each piece of the puzzle is carefully placed down
with an eye to its relation to all of the other components. All of the elements in the topic sentence work
in unison, like the fingers on a hand, to complement all the other elements of the succeeding or
following sentences. What used to be an easy process, however, has now given way to a complex
system of mathematical equations – the set as well-written paragraph. Paragraph writing has become a
“mechanical process” completely at odds with style and grace as one writes inspiration into syntax. This
constriction makes the writing of the paragraph difficult for writers who have an artistic sensibility.
Comment [R3]: The first sector of the paragraph
is in red. Notice how it takes the part of the topic
sentence in red and develops it vertically in the
paragraph itself.
Comment [R4]: The second sector of the
paragraph is in blue. Notice that it picks up the
second sector of the topic sentence and develops it
vertically in the paragraph. Notice as well how
much more space is given to this particular part of
the topic sentence. The first part and the second
part of the topic sentence are not equal in the mind
of the writer. Instead we see much more ink spilled
to make the second point and its key elements: well
developed, well constituted paragraph =
difficult/mathematical/precise.