The true intent of a paragraph is to express coherent points. It could be one sentence or through many sentences. The idea or what we call the “main idea” of the paragraph always flows in one direction. As soon as this idea changes, we change the paragraph too.
Paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit”. Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this handout, we will refer to this as the “controlling idea,” because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.
So what goes into a Paragraph Writing?
- It all begins with one idea and everything familiar that naturally flows with it fits into one paragraph.
- Every paragraph you have should have points or sentence/s related and referring to the central idea.
- These ideas should not be random. It always helps to jot down quick points quickly in a rough sheet, arrange them into a logical chronological order that flows in one direction making it easier to read.
- Don’t leave any point or sentence hanging loose without any substantiation or explanation. Every statement you make should be backed by logical reasoning that stays in one paragraph.
Fitting your Paragraph
Once you know the central idea and a rough plan for your paragraphs, you need to arrange them in a certain manner to get your story across. Following are some possible ways of organizing your paragraphs:
- Narration: Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish.
- Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic.
- Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third.
- Classification: Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic.
- Illustration: Give examples and explain how those examples prove your point.
How to develop Paragraphs?
Create the Main Idea
Have the central idea in your mind and convey it right at the beginning. A lot of times the central idea is conveyed right in the first sentence. “Oceans are slowly becoming human dust-bins.”
Once the statement of your main idea is out there, you will be explaining or providing validation points. This way, your main idea isn’t hanging loose. This is going to make sure how the reader is going to interpret the main idea, because of you leading them to it.
This is where the writer explains the focus point. “Garbage in the ocean comes from trash from trash cans, the streets, and landfills that gets blown into sewers, rivers, or directly into the ocean. The trash makes its way into storm drains. Trash travels through sewer pipes, into waterways, and finally into the ocean.”
Use an Example
Examples always clarify without explanations. People understand better when you give them something to relate to. They provide the necessary evidence or support required to prove our central idea. “A new study – based on what researchers called a mega-expedition to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2015 – suggests there is about 16 times more waste than previously thought floating there.
How do I organize a paragraph?
There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief examples:
- Narration: Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. (See an example.)
- Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. (See an example.)
- Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. (See an example.)
- Classification: Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. (See an example.)
- Illustration: Give examples and explain how those examples prove your point. (See the detailed example in the next section of this handout.)
5-step process to paragraph development
Let’s walk through a 5-step process for building a paragraph. For each step there is an explanation and example. Our example paragraph will be about slave spirituals, the original songs that African Americans created during slavery. The model paragraph uses illustration (giving examples) to prove its point.
- Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence
- Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea. Here is the controlling idea for our “model paragraph,” expressed in a topic sentence:
- Model controlling idea and topic sentence — Slave spirituals often had hidden double meanings.
Step 2. Explain the controlling idea
Paragraph development continues with an expression of the rationale or the explanation that the writer gives for how the reader should interpret the information presented in the idea statement or topic sentence of the paragraph. The writer explains his/her thinking about the main topic, idea, or focus of the paragraph. Here’s the sentence that would follow the controlling idea about slave spirituals:
- Model explanation: On one level, spirituals referenced heaven, Jesus, and the soul; but on another level, the songs spoke about slave resistance.
Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)
Paragraph development progresses with the expression of some type of support or evidence for the idea and the explanation that came before it. The example serves as a sign or representation of the relationship established in the idea and explanation portions of the paragraph. Here are two examples that we could use to illustrate the double meanings in slave spirituals:
- Model example A: For example, according to Frederick Douglass, the song “O Canaan, Sweet Canaan” spoke of slaves’ longing for heaven, but it also expressed their desire to escape to the North. Careful listeners heard this second meaning in the following lyrics: “I don’t expect to stay / Much longer here. / Run to Jesus, shun the danger. / I don’t expect to stay.”
- Model example B: Slaves even used songs like “Steal Away to Jesus (at midnight)” to announce to other slaves the time and place of secret, forbidden meetings.
Step 4. Explain the example(s)
The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence and rationale that were stated at the beginning of the paragraph. This explanation shows readers why you chose to use this/or these particular examples as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.
Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence. Look at these explanations for the two examples in the slave spirituals paragraph:
- Model explanation for example A: When slaves sang this song, they could have been speaking of their departure from this life and their arrival in heaven; however, they also could have been describing their plans to leave the South and run, not to Jesus, but to the North.
- Model explanation for example B: [The relationship between example B and the main idea of the paragraph’s controlling idea is clear enough without adding another sentence to explain it.]
Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph
The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph and reminding the reader of the relevance of the information in this paragraph to the main or controlling idea of the paper. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information that you just discussed in the paragraph. You might feel more comfortable, however, simply transitioning your reader to the next development in the next paragraph. Here’s an example of a sentence that completes the slave spirituals paragraph:
Model sentence for completing a paragraph What whites heard as merely spiritual songs, slaves discerned as detailed messages. The hidden meanings in spirituals allowed slaves to sing what they could not say.
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