Lesson 5 of 8
How to Add Detail to a Paragraph
A detail sentence builds on your example with more information, so the reader has very few questions left. When your example is a quote, the detail explains what it shows.
Key idea: answer the question your example raises.
Example: I make pizza three times a week.
The reader wonders: What happens to all that pizza?
Detail: I share it with friends and family at the potluck dinners we host every Friday. But don't be surprised if I eat the whole pie myself.
- It builds on your example, or adds another example that makes the topic clearer.
- Every idea builds on the last. T states it, E builds on it, D builds on E.
- When you're done, the reader should have very few questions left.
- It can be more than one sentence, as long as every sentence stays on the same idea.
Watch me explain itThe 3:54 to 4:33 section of my full T.E.D.L. video.
What a detail is not
"Many students also have jobs." Interesting, but it starts a different idea.
Saying the same thing in new words adds nothing.
"Sleep is important." True, but it doesn't connect to your point.
"Johnson is a researcher." It's about the source, not your point.
Sentence frames
- This means ______.
- Because of this, ______.
- That's why ______.
- This shows that ______. (after a quote)
- In other words, ______. (after a quote)
After a quote, the detail explains it
A quote doesn't explain itself. Say what it shows and why it matters for your topic.
EJohnson states, "Teenagers need more sleep than adults."
DThis shows that a 7:15 start forces students into class while their bodies still need rest.
Same job, three places
E: I make pizza three times a week.
I share it at the potluck dinners we host every Friday.
E: Maria says, "That's not funny. She's new."
This shows that Maria now cares more about protecting a friend than about fitting in.
E: The ceremony starts at 2:00, so I would need to leave by 1:00.
I've already asked Dana to cover my afternoon calls, and I'll finish the weekly report on Thursday.
Each detail answers what the reader would ask next: what happens to the pizza, what Maria's words show, and who covers the work.
Round 1: Builds on it, or new idea?
T: Volunteering at the animal shelter made me more responsible. E: Every Saturday, I'm in charge of feeding and walking six dogs.
If I'm late, they don't eat on time, so I set two alarms every Friday night.
The shelter is trying to raise money for a new building.
Last month, the manager asked me to train two new volunteers.
My favorite dog there is a beagle named Pepper.
Round 2: Which detail explains the quote?
T: Our school should start later. E: Johnson states, "Teenagers need more sleep than adults."
Round 3: What question does the example raise?
T: Volunteering at the food bank taught me to stay calm under pressure. E: On my first Saturday, a truck showed up an hour early with three hundred boxes.
Add your detail
Here's your paragraph so far:
Read your example. What would the reader ask next? Answer that.
Check it:
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