Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Plan your paragraph
• Method 2 of 3: Write your paragraph
• Method 3 of 3: Review your paragraph
• Tips
• Warnings

The art of paragraph writing is essential to good writing. Paragraphs help break up large chunks of text and make content easier for readers to process. However, knowing how to write a good, well-structured paragraph can be tricky. Read the guidelines below and learn how to take your paragraphs from good to great!

To step

Method 1 of 3: Plan your paragraph

1. Determine what will be the main topic of the paragraph. Before you start writing your paragraph, you need to be clear about what the paragraph will be about. This is because a paragraph is basically a collection of sentences all related to one particular topic. Without a clear idea of ​​what the main topic is, your paragraph will lack focus and unity. To determine the exact subject of your paragraph, ask yourself a few questions:
   • What is the assignment I have been given? When you write a paragraph in response to or answer a particular question, such as, "You have decided to give money to a cause. Which charity do you choose and why?" or, "Describe your favorite day of the week," you should think carefully about that assignment and focus on it instead of straying from the topic.
   • What are the main ideas or issues I need to address? Think about the topic you need or want to write about, and consider the most relevant ideas or issues related to that topic. Since paragraphs are usually relatively short, it is important that you try to cover all the important points without straying from the topic.
   • Who am I writing for? Think of the target group of readers you want to reach with this paragraph or article. What is their prior knowledge? Are they familiar with the topic being discussed, or do they need some explanatory sentences?
2. Write down information and ideas about that topic. Once you have a clearer idea of ​​what you want to discuss in your paragraph, you can start organizing your thoughts by writing down your ideas in a notebook or text document. You don't have to write complete sentences yet, just put in some keywords and phrases. Once you see everything on paper, you may have a clearer idea of ​​which points are essential to include in your paragraph, and which points are redundant.
   • At this point you may realize that you are lacking some knowledge, and that you need to look up some facts and figures to support your thesis.
   • It's a good idea to do this research work now so that you have all the relevant information to hand when you start writing.
3. Decide how you want to structure your paragraph. Now that you have all of your thoughts, ideas, facts, and numbers in front of you, you can start thinking about how you want to structure your paragraph. Think about each of the points you want to discuss and try to put them in a logical order - this will make your paragraph more coherent and easier to read.
   • This new order can be chronological, starting with the most important information, or just making the paragraph easier and more interesting to read - it all depends on the topic and style of the paragraph you want to write.
   • Once you've determined where everything should go, you can rewrite your points according to this new structure - this will help make the writing process a lot faster and easier.

Method 2 of 3: Write your paragraph

1. Write a topic sentence. The first sentence in your paragraph should be the topic sentence. A topic sentence is an introductory line that discusses what the main idea or argument of the paragraph will be. It should contain the most important and relevant point you want to make about your topic so that it summarizes the paragraph as a whole.
   • Any other sentence you write should support the topic sentence and provide more detail and discussion of the issues or ideas it raises. If a sentence you write is not directly related to the topic sentence, it should not be included in this paragraph.
   • More experienced writers can include their topic sentence at any point in the paragraph, not necessarily on the first line. However, writers who are just starting out or are uncomfortable writing paragraphs should stick to the topic sentence beginning, as that will guide you through the rest of the paragraph.
2. Fill in the supporting details. Once you've written your topic sentence and are happy with it, you can start filling out the rest of your paragraph. This is where the detailed, well-structured notes you wrote earlier prove their usefulness. Make sure your paragraph is coherent, which means that it is easy to read and understand, that every sentence is connected to the next, and that everything runs as a whole. To achieve this, try to write clear, simple sentences that express exactly what you want to say.
   • Link each sentence with transition words that form a bridge between one sentence and another. Transition words can help you compare and contrast, show order, show cause and effect, highlight important ideas, and move smoothly from one idea to the next. Such transition words can be, for example, "additionally", "in fact" and "thereby". You can also use chronological transitions such as "first," second ", and" third ".
   • The supporting sentences are the most important part of your paragraph, so you should fill them with as much evidence as possible to support your topic sentence. Depending on the topic, you can use facts, figures, statistics and examples or stories, anecdotes and quotes. Everything is allowed, as long as it is relevant.
   • When it comes to length, three to five sentences are usually enough to cover your main points and support your topic sentence well, but this is very dependent on the topic and the length of the piece you are writing.
3. Write a closing sentence. The closing sentence of your paragraph should bring everything together and repeat the main point of your topic sentence, but in different wording. A good closing sentence will reinforce the idea put forth in your topic sentence, but now it has all the weight of the evidence or arguments behind it in your supporting sentences. After reading the closing sentence, the reader should be in no doubt about the accuracy or relevance of the paragraph as a whole.
   • In fact, the closing sentence of the paragraph should put the subject sentence in different wording, while using some of the data in the paragraph itself for support.
   • For example, consider a paragraph on the topic "Why is Canada so great to live?" The closing sentence could be something like, "From all of the above evidence, such as Canada's fantastic health care system, excellent education system, and clean, safe cities, we can conclude that Canada is indeed a great place to live."
4. Know when to start a new paragraph. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine where to end one paragraph and start a new one. Fortunately, there are a number of guidelines you can follow to make the decision to move to a new paragraph clear. The most basic guideline to follow is that every time you discuss a new idea, you should start a new paragraph. Paragraphs should never contain more than one central idea. If a particular idea has multiple points or facets, each individual aspect of the idea should have its own paragraph.
   • A new paragraph is also used every time you put two points opposite each other, or highlight two sides of an argument. For example, if your topic is "should civil servants have a lower salary?" one paragraph would deal with the arguments for a lower salary for civil servants, while the other paragraph would discuss the arguments against it.
   • Paragraphs make an article easier to understand and give readers a "pause" between new ideas to digest what they have just read. If you feel that the paragraph you are writing is getting too complicated, or has a series of complex points, consider breaking it down into individual paragraphs.
   • When writing an essay, the introduction and closing should always have their own paragraph. The introductory paragraph should define the purpose of the essay and what it hopes to achieve, while also providing a brief overview of the ideas and issues it will discuss. The closing paragraph summarizes the information and arguments in the essay, and states in clear terms what the essay has demonstrated and / or proven. It can also introduce a new idea, one that opens the reader's mind to the questions raised by the essay.

Method 3 of 3: Review your paragraph

1. Check your paragraph for spelling and grammar. When you are done writing, it is essential that you reread your paragraph two or three times to check for misspelled words and bad grammar. Spelling mistakes and poor grammar can greatly affect the perceived quality of your paragraph, even if the ideas and arguments in it are of high quality. You can easily miss mistakes while writing, so don't skip this step even if you're in a hurry.
   • Make sure every sentence has a subject and all names are capitalized. Also, make sure that all subjects and verbs match, and that you use the same time throughout the paragraph.
   • Use a dictionary to check the spelling of words you are unsure of, don't just assume they are spelled correctly. You can also use a thesaurus to find synonyms for words if you think you are using a particular word too often.
   • Check your paragraph for the correct use of punctuation, and make sure you use characters such as commas, colons, semicolons, and ellipses in the correct context.
2. Check your paragraph for coherence and style. Not only should the technical aspects of what you write be right, you should also try to bring some clarity, as well as stylistic fluency. You can do this by varying the length and format of your sentences, using transition words and a varied vocabulary.
   • The position of what you write should remain consistent throughout the paragraph and throughout the article. For example, if you write in the first person (eg "I think ...") you should not switch to passive voice halfway through ("it is thought").
   • You should avoid starting each sentence with "I think ..." or "My thesis is that ..." Try to vary the layout of your sentences as this will make the paragraph more interesting to the reader and help make it more fluid. to make.
   • For beginning writers, stick to short, concise sentences that get your point across clearly. Long, incoherent sentences can quickly become incoherent or fall victim to grammar mistakes, so try to avoid them until you have more experience as a writer.
3. Determine if your paragraph is finished. Once you've reread the paragraph and corrected the grammar or style errors, review it again to determine if it's finished. Try to look at the paragraph objectively and decide if it supports and develops your topic sentence enough, or if it needs some detail or additional evidence to support your claims.
   • If you feel that the main statement of your topic sentence is sufficiently supported and well developed by the content of the rest of your paragraph, your paragraph is probably finished. However, if an important aspect of the topic has not been covered or explained, or if the paragraph is shorter than three sentences, it probably still needs some work.
   • On the other hand, your paragraph may be too long and contain superfluous or superficial information. If so, adjust the paragraph to include only the most relevant information.
   • If you feel that all of the content is necessary for your argument, but the paragraph is still too long, you can break it down into a number of smaller, more specific paragraphs.

Tips

• A paragraph should consist of:
  • Subject phrase
  • Supporting phrases
  • Final sentence
• As you read, pay attention to how the paragraphs are divided. As you get experience working with paragraphs, you will naturally get a feel for dividing paragraphs.
• There are no hard and fast rules for the length of a paragraph. Instead, make sure there are natural breaks. Each paragraph should have a main idea and text to support it.
• Always start a paragraph with an indent. If you have a small index finger, use two fingers. If you have a large index finger, that's okay.
• Spelling and grammar errors can even distract from the best-planned written works. Use a spell check or ask someone to read your work if you are unsure about anything.
• If you're writing down a conversation, start a new paragraph every time someone else is speaking.
• The secret is in:
  • Unity: Have a single idea of ​​the topic you want to discuss.
  • Order: The way you organize your sentences helps the reader to understand better.
  • Coherence: Quality that makes what you write easier to understand. Phrases must be linked together.
  • Completeness: All sentences in a paragraph must convey a complete message.
• Adjust what you write to its purpose. You wear different clothes for different occasions and weather conditions, and so you have to write in a style that suits your purpose.
• Organize your paragraphs appropriately and consistently. You can indent the first line of each paragraph or leave a blank line between two paragraphs. Whatever you choose, be consistent.

Warnings

• Don't wait until the last minute when doing an assignment for school. Give yourself plenty of time to plan and write each paragraph. The result will therefore be of much higher quality.