University Writing Center

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines a paragraph as: “A subdivision of a written composition that consists of one or more sentences, deals with one point or gives the words of one speaker, and begins on a new, usually indented line.”

How should I construct a paragraph?

Include a Topic Sentence: This sentence is usually placed at the beginning of a paragraph. It states the topic being discussed in the paragraph.

Establish Unity: A paragraph is unified if each sentence supports a single topic (the topic sentence). Unity comes from what you say.

Establish Coherence: While paragraph unity requires that all sentences in the paragraph support a single paragraph idea, coherence requires that it be clear, logical, and readily obvious to the reader how each sentence supports that idea. To establish coherence, think about transitions between sentences, not just when beginning new paragraphs. To achieve coherence:

• Use key words to tie ideas together. Be careful of using synonyms just for variety–the same word creates coherence.
• Write new sentences to expand upon or further develop the previous ones (connecting old information with new)
• Use transitions to connect ideas within a paragraph. The University Writing Center handout, Transition Words and Phrases can help you compose transitions.

Example: Good writing comes from hard work [topic]. But [transition word] hard work [repeated key word and old information] never scared me. In fact [transition word], I relish the challenge of creating something new, no matter how difficult [key word] or time consuming [new information]. I have spent weeks on a few pages, months on an essay, and years on a book [old, i.e., time].

How do I know when to begin a new paragraph?

There is no hard and fast rule for when to begin a new paragraph, but consider the following junctures:

• When beginning a new idea
• When breaking an idea down into its more descriptive subsets
• In dialogue, when the speaker changes
• When summing up ideas (e.g., a conclusion)
• When a paragraph gets long and looks intimidating (usually over 12 sentences)

How can I organize and develop my paragraphs?

Two basic organizations can satisfy many needs:

1. Coordinate: Each sentence except the topic sentence is at the same level of specificity. This is somewhat like a list. Example: Good writing comes from hard work. First, you plan what you want to say, taking into account your audience. Next, you jot down some ideas, do some research, and write a rough outline or draft. After that, you’ll have to write a few more drafts, revising as your ideas take shape and develop, and as others read your work and give you feedback. In the final stages, you should proofread and polish.
2. Subordinate: Each sentence further develops the ideas addressed in the sentences preceding it. It gets more specific as it continues. Example: Good writing comes from hard work. Almost all expert writers produce multiple drafts. I have known a writer who claims he regularly drafts simple one-page memos an average of ten times, and it’s not uncommon for an experienced writer to produce five or six drafts before letting another person read on a first round. Usually, after a draft has been read by another person, the writer goes back for even more revision before beginning the final editing. With all that, most writers end up feeling their work is unfinished, even after publication.

You can organize by using a considering a few simple patterns:

1. Enumeration: Follow an ordered pattern of one, two, three.
2. Chronology: Use time to organize an event or tell a story or to describe how a process unfolds.
3. Space: In descriptions, start at the top and move to the bottom, or go from left to right, inside to outside, and so on.
4. General to specific or abstract to concrete: Although this pattern can be reversed, it is easier to read when the general statement comes first and the supporting examples, evidence, or illustrations follow.
5. Order of importance: You can begin with the most important point or end with it, but decide on the importance of each point within the paragraph and order accordingly.

To develop paragraphs (find something to say), consider these options:

1. Give examples, illustrations, or testimony: Examples and illustrations clarify your meaning and help your reader connect to what you are saying in a concrete way. You can also use quotes from an authority or from a text to clarify and emphasize your points.
2. Data: Facts and statistics can be used to support or illustrate your points.
3. Use the modes of exposition or argument to develop a topic within a paragraph:

• Analysis: Break the topic down into its constituent parts and then examine each part.
• Comparison and Contrast: What is the topic like? How does it differ from something else?
• Cause and Effect (Consequence): What caused it to happen? What effects does it have, or what are the consequences of the topic?
• Definition: Do you need to define the topic? Would a definition help to make the point?
• Evaluation: Does the topic lend itself to evaluation? Is it helpful to judge its value or power?
• Classification: Can you fit it into a class with other like things? Does doing so clarify it?
• Narration: Is there a story to tell about the topic?

Paragraph Clusters

It can be helpful to think of any written document as broken into clusters of paragraphs, especially if your paragraphs are getting very long. A cluster is a group of related paragraphs. So, for example, one paragraph might cover every step in a process, but if you want more detail, each step might be covered in a single paragraph. In describing a person, the first paragraph in a cluster might describe the face, the next, the torso and arms, and a third, the legs and feet.

Further Reading

• http://www.utoronto.ca/ writing/parag.html – Good discussion of how to create coherency in paragraphs.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/ general/gl_pgrph2.html – Describes the four traits of an effective paragraph and lists suggestions to ensure a well-developed paragraph. Click through to link on creating balanced paragraphs.
• http://www.ems.psu.edu/~schall/Paragraphing.html – Four methods for writing paragraphs and types of topic sentences. Includes a substantial list of transition words, sorted by function like causality and amplification.
• http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/REVISE+ EDIT/REVISE/Paragraph.htm – An excellent site on paragraphing, including examples of how to structure several different types of paragraphs, including topic shifts and dialogue.
• http://www .indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/paragraphs.shtml – Indiana University’s discussion of paragraphs includes topic sentences, structire, creating coherence, and transitions.
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ – Thorough and well-written discussion of focus and topic sentences, and another on coherence. Effective examples offered.
• http:/ /writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/paragrph.html – Features lists of strategies for developing paragraphs, reasons to start a new paragraph, and ways of ordering information within a paragraph.