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A Closer Look at Structure

When you speak to someone, you start with “hello” and end with “good-bye.” When you write, you need to begin by welcoming the reader and end by wrapping up ideas:

• The beginning introduces the topic of the writing. In a paragraph, the beginning is a topic sentence. In a longer piece of writing, the beginning is a whole paragraph. It focuses readers on the big idea.
• The middle part provides details about the topic. Sentences or paragraphs in the middle include main points as well as facts, examples, definitions, descriptions, sensory details, and so on.
• The ending helps the reader take away key ideas. The ending restates the focus and gives a final thought about it. A short piece of writing has a closing sentence, while a longer piece has a closing paragraph.

Organizing the Writing

An organized kitchen has ice cream in the freezer, bowls in the cupboard, and spoons in a drawer—everything where you need it. In the same way, you should organize your writing so readers can find what they need. Here are two common patterns of organization. (Also see pages 61–63.)