Cirbo/Scow EGE
Fall 2013
DO NOT LOSE THIS! YOU WILL USE IT ALL YEAR LONG!
Complex Sentences as Claims
A claim identifies the subject of the paragraph and tells readers what you plan to prove about that subject.
And it helps you, the writer, decide what supporting information to include in your paragraph. Here is a
formula for writing effective claims:
a subject
+ a specific feeling or feature about the subject
_________________________________________
= an effective claim
A strong claim is a complex sentence that includes one of these words in a dependent clause:
 If
 Even though
 Though
 After
 Although
 Even if
 Since
 Unless
 Because
 Before
 While
 As soon as
 So that
 When
 As if
 Whenever
 Even
 As
 As long as
 Until
 In order that (or to)
 Where
To write a claim, consider the point you want to make and details you have or will find. Then write a
single sentence that covers the details and expresses your point.
Example:
The lake is icy cold. A strange film floats on the surface.
Snapping turtles have been seen patrolling the murky water.
Claim:
Because the lake has three big problems, it is unfit for swimming.
Write a claim for each group of sentences below.
1.
Supplies were low, and the soldiers were discouraged. It was cold. The enemy was across the
river.
Claim:
2.
Max, the main character in the story, always has a plan. No matter what goes wrong, he comes up
with an idea for solving the problem. Sometimes Max makes clever gadgets.
Claim:
On your own paper, arrange the following sentences into a paragraph by rewriting them in the correct
order.
Most people like lots of cheese on their pizza. In order to make a great pizza, a person must use great
toppings. These ingredients certainly turn pizza into pizzazz! In addition, a variety of grated cheese adds
melty gooiness to the pizza. No one wants to eat a pizza that doesn’t have color and crunch. These
toppings turn dough and cheese into a smorgasbord of tasty treats. Likewise, lots of ingredients add
color, texture, and taste to the pie. First of all, a layer of tomato sauce provides the foundation for a
medley of olives, peppers, and onions.
Cirbo/Scow EGE
Fall 2013
DO NOT LOSE THIS! YOU WILL USE IT ALL YEAR LONG!
Eight-Sentence Paragraphs
Using just eight sentences in a paragraph is one very helpful way to make sure your paragraphs are
organized and make sense. An eight-sentence paragraph can be expanded later on into an 11-sentence
paragraph and then a five-paragraph essay.
An eight-sentence paragraph, funnily enough, has exactly eight sentences. These sentences are arranged
in a very specific way:
Sentence 1:
Sentence 2:
Sentence 3:
Sentence 4:
Sentence 5:
Sentence 6:
Sentence 7:
Sentence 8:
Claim
First transition + first point
Evidence to support first point
Second transition + second point
Evidence to support second point
Third transition + third point
Evidence to support third point
Conclusion that ties it all together
Using transitions in an eight-sentence accordion paragraph: You need a transition each time you
introduce a new point. The following are some beginning transition sets that work in eight-sentence
paragraphs:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
first * second * third
one * another * next
one * another * last
first * also * besides
first * in addition * finally
first of all * next * the final
More advanced transition sets:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
a good * a better * the best
to begin with* then * consequently
it started when * as a result * therefore
at the beginning * following this * finally
initially * then * after that
one way * another way * a final method
a bad * a worse * the worst
as soon as * later * in the end
first of all * likewise * in addition
one important * another important * the most important
Cirbo/Scow EGE
Fall 2013
DO NOT LOSE THIS! YOU WILL USE IT ALL YEAR LONG!
Conclusions should summarize the paragraph, convince readers of the writer’s position, or challenge
readers to think about the issue. Conclusions should not introduce a new topic.
Please do not use the following:
 All in all (or, even worse, “All and all”)
 In conclusion
 That’s what I think
 As I have said
 As I proved
 As you can see
Helpful words and phrases (concluding clues) include:
 In fact
 Certainly
 Obviously
 Truly
 Clearly
 Definitely

Surely
The final statement is important!
Some tips:
 Vary the sentence structure. Use a different structure for your conclusion than you used for
your topic sentence. Think about simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex
sentence structures.

Use synonyms. New topics and new information should not be introduced in the conclusion,
though the conclusion should leave the reader with something to ponder. Writers can use
synonyms to make the conclusion new, clear, and interesting.

Use words from the conclusion word list if they fit the style and topic of the paragraph. The
conclusion word does not need to be the first word in the concluding sentence.
Examples:
Black-eyed peas are ___________________________________ a family tradition that will continue
for many years in my family.
My family ___________________________________ loves fried chicken cooked in the big, black
kettle.
Those cinnamon rolls we eat every Christmas morning are __________________________ the besttasting cinnamon rolls of the year.
Cirbo/Scow EGE
Fall 2013
DO NOT LOSE THIS! YOU WILL USE IT ALL YEAR LONG!
Practice Guide for eight-sentence paragraph about 9th graders. Please write your completed paragraph on
your own paper to turn in.
This sentence should include a subordinating conjunction (see the list of
words to use to begin a dependent clause), and it should be complex.
Claim:
Transition:
First point:
Evidence to support the point:
Transition:
Second point:
Evidence to support the point:
Transition:
Third point:
Evidence to support the point:
Use one of the conclusion words listed under “concluding clues.”
Do not use this word as the first word of your sentence!
Concluding clue:
Conclusion: