Paragraphing

Paragraphs are the smallest units of a paper and are somewhat like links in a chain. The whole paper suffers when one link is weak or out of place.

• Every paragraph should have a topic sentence (much like the thesis statement of a paper) that states the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence usually, but not always, comes at the beginning of the paragraph.

• All the information in a paragraph should relate to the unifying thought of the topic sentence.

• A successful paragraph develops its main idea by presenting enough details to prove the point.

• Paragraphs vary in length but a good rule is it should fit into your computer screen.

• A strong paragraph is coherent presenting the ideas in an orderly manner and with a clear and logical relationship of one statement to the next.
  
  

  printable version

Need Help? Just ASC.
Return to the ASC Home page.