 Supporting paragraph structure In this video, you're going to learn how to write a properly structured paragraph. There are three parts to a paragraph. The topic sentence, the body, and the concluding sentence. The topic sentence is the first sentence in your paragraph. It contains the topic and controlling idea. The topic names the main or central idea of the paragraph. The controlling idea limits, controls, or restricts what the paragraph is going to say. Overall, the topic sentence focuses the information written about the topic in the paragraph so that it has unity. The topic sentence in the following example paragraph would be, The passing of an anti-smoking law in Toronto bars and restaurants is beneficial to business owners. The body of the paragraph provides supporting points, shows the development of the topic according to the controlling idea, and explains each main point according to the controlling idea. This creates unity. There are three supporting points in the body. The first point is, when restaurants and bars have a reputation for being clean, more people frequent them. Banning smoking in restaurants would boost sales. When people go out to eat, they would much rather go to a restaurant that is not filled with smoky haze that leaves their clothes smelling awful for days. The second point would be, also, when people eat dinner, they prefer not to have an ashtray beside them. Banning smoking would make restaurants more aesthetically pleasing, and more people would visit. And the last point. The smell of smoke also causes people to lose their appetite. If the city were to ban smoking in restaurants, sales would go up because patrons would eat more. Each of these points further develop the idea expressed in the topic sentence. The concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph. It usually begins with the transition word to indicate that the paragraph is coming to an end. For example, using transition words, such as, in summary, as a result, and to conclude. The concluding sentence acts as a summary of the main points and ideas of the paragraph. It can also act as a transition to the next paragraph. The following concluding sentence effectively summarizes the main points in the example paragraph. Therefore, banning smoking in restaurants would encourage sales. Let's do a quick review. The topic sentence contains the topic and the controlling idea. The body supports and develops the topic and controlling idea. The concluding sentence is a summary of the main points and concludes the main idea of the paragraph. All three of these components make up a properly structured paragraph. Congratulations! You're now able to write a properly structured paragraph. Thanks for watching.