4. Far out in the sea the water is as blue as the petals of the most beautiful corn-flowers, and as clear as the purest glass. But it is very deep, deeper than any cable will sound; and down there live the sea people. The Sea King had been a widower for many years. His old mother kept house for him and his daughters, the little sea princesses.
5. Shylock, the Jew, lived at Venice. He was a usurer, who had amassed an immense fortune by lending money at great interest to Christian merchants. Being a hard-hearted man, he was much disliked by all good men. Antonio was the kindest man that lived, the best loved, and had the most unwearied spirit in doing courtesies. He was greatly beloved by all his fellow-citizens; but the friend who was nearest to his heart was Bassanio, a noble young Venetian. One day, Bassanio came to Antonio and told him that he wished to repair his fortune by a wealthy marriage with a lady whom he dearly loved.
12. The Body of the Paragraph.—We are to begin with a topic sentence, or with a sentence that gives some hint of what is to follow. And what next? Next comes the body of the paragraph, the real paragraph, the idea we had in mind to express.
The best plan to follow in the making of your paragraph is this:—
1. Write brief notes of your material on the topic you have in mind, and make sure that it all bears directly on the topic.
2. Arrange these notes in the order that would be most natural and intelligible to the reader.
3. Find a good topic sentence.
4. Write the paragraph according to the plan arranged.
Example I. Subject of paragraph: The Long-spurred Columbine.