Writing

Paragraph writing

Elham Alighardash
Paragraph
A paragraph is a group
of related sentences that
discuss and elaborate a
single, complete idea.
The sentences are
connected like the links
of a chain and together
they develop a theme or
a topic sentence.

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Example
The following paragraph comes from an article in Animal Behaviour about begging behaviour among
young meerkats.

Begging provides offspring with benefits in the form of 'free food' (reviewed in
Wright & Leonard 2002). Such benefits to offspring occur at a cost to the adults
that provide the food (Pugesek 1990; Wheelwright et al. 2003). This produces a
conflict of interest between the offspring and the adults (Trivers 1974), such that
offspring are expected to benefit from extending their begging period and
attendant food supply, while adults benefit from stopping providing food to
begging offspring. Eventually, all offspring cease demanding ‘free food’ and stop
begging. Why do individuals stop begging, and so lose a low-cost source of
nutrition? Three mechanistic explanations have been suggested, and these could
apply to either vocal or nonvocal begging displays.

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Topic sentence
• A topic sentence should be general enough to be explained or supported with further discussion. Do not make
the mistake of confusing a topic sentence with a subject or a title for writing. Remember the topic sentence
expresses the entire theme of a paragraph in one sentence which serves a base.
• Avoid personal remarks and express the topic sentence in simple language. Do not
elaborate complicated statements. Be precise and direct.

• The topic of the paragraph is stated in an introductory sentence which catches the essence of the paragraph
and directs the reader to the issue under discussion - begging behaviour in young animals:

"Begging provides offspring with benefits in the form of 'free food'

(reviewed in Wright & Leonard 2002)."

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Supporting sentences
What is stated in the topic sentence is then followed up by three supporting sentences. The
first and the third supporting sentences ("Such benefits to offspring occur..." and
"Eventually...") provide further information and clarification, whereas the second
supporting sentence ("This produces...") offers an example of the statement that has been
presented:

"Such benefits to offspring occur at a cost to the adults that provide the food
(Pugesek 1990; Wheelwright et al. 2003). This produces a conflict of interest
between the offspring and the adults (Trivers 1974), such that offspring are
expected to benefit from extending their begging period and attendant food
supply, while adults benefit from stopping providing food to begging
offspring. Eventually, all offspring cease demanding 'free food' and stop
begging."

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Evidence:
Each paragraph should contain evidence or supporting sentences. The
supporting sentences of the paragraph are the “meat and potatoes” of
the paragraph in that they contain all of the substance that was
introduced in the topic sentence.

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Concluding sentences
The last two sentences conclude the argument of the paragraph and also create a
transition to the next paragraph, where the explanations referred to are explained
more in detail:

"Why do individuals stop begging, and so lose a low-cost source of

nutrition? Three mechanistic explanations have been suggested, and
these could apply to either vocal or nonvocal begging displays."

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Link:
The last sentence of each paragraph should contain a link that
transitions the reader from the current topic to the next. Including
transitional sentences is important because it shows your readers the
logical thought processes that went into your essay and how each
paragraph “flows” into the next paragraph. Links or transitions can be
standalone, be included at the end of the analysis, or be included at
the beginning of the next paragraph.

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Examples of transition words and phrases:

therefore, however, next, also, furthermore, in addition to, similarly,

likewise, accordingly, hence, consequently, as a result, otherwise,
subsequently, thus, so then, generally, usually, for the most part, as a
rule, ordinarily, regularly, in particular, for instance, particularly, such
as, including, namely, for example, as an example, in this case, coupled
with, compared to, in comparison to, together with, besides, in brief, in
short, in conclusion.

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How do you write a good paragraph?
• Unity:
• As each sentence deals with one thought, each paragraph must deal with one topic or idea. Every
sentence in the paragraph must be closely connected with the main topic of the paragraph. If summarized
they usually result in a single sentence and that is the topic sentence.

• Coherence:
• The presentation should be logical and natural. There should be logical sequence of thought. Events must
be related in order of their occurrence that it should be both logical and chronological order. All the ideas
should be connected with the central idea and arranged according to their importance. Spatial order is
also important. Visual descriptions often follow spatial order.
• Completeness: Does it have a topic sentence, evidence, a conclusion, and a link to the next paragraph?
• Order: Are your paragraph components presented in logical order? Are your paragraphs presented in logical
order?

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Recommendations
• Try to understand the central idea around which the paragraph is built.
• Arrange the points in logical order.
• Pay attention to your first and last or concluding sentence. Both should be
impressive.
• Write complete sentences in a simple and precise manner.
• Connect your sentences with transitions. Transitions are words and phrases that
show how ideas in a sentence relate to each other. They act as verbal sign posts
like, for example, to begin with, in addition to, furthermore, however,
nevertheless, all the same, not withstanding, etc.
• Use pronouns and demonstrative adjectives – this, that, those, these and
pronouns like many, each, some, either, such and easily connect sentences.
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Some examples of the order in paragraphs
• Climactic order
is when paragraphs are arranged by least important to most important. It is up to
you to determine what’s important, but one suggestion is for earlier paragraphs to
contain your weakest points and the later paragraphs to contain your strongest
points.
• Reverse climactic
order is where the most important information is presented first and the least
important is presented last. Be careful when choosing this order since having your
least important or less dynamic points at the end may make it more difficult to
keep your readers’ attention.

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Cont.
• Chronological order
is from earliest date/time to latest date/time.
• Reverse chronological order
is the same as chronological order, but instead of moving forward in time, your
paragraphs are arranged backwards.
• Spatial order
is when paragraphs are arranged by how they appear, or what order they appear in a
physical space. With spatial order, you can guide your reader from one point of interest to
the next.
• Topical order
is simply when you divide your paragraphs into specific topics, then choose to arrange
them based on those topics. When using topical order, it is important to make sure that
topics go naturally together and that one topic leads easily to the next.

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Transitions for orders
• Transitions for climactic/ reverse climactic order: more importantly,
best of all, still worse, above all.
• Transitions for chronological/ reverse chronological order: lastly, next,
hence, consequently, as a result, in conclusion.
• Transitions for spatial order: to the left, north, a few feet behind,
above.

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Which paragraph order should you choose?
• Use climatic order if you are writing an essay that leads up to a
finishing point.
• Use chronological order if you are writing an essay on historical
events or the progression of time.
• Use reverse chronological order if you are writing an essay that traces
a series of events to their origin.
• Use spatial order if you are writing an essay about geography or
multiple objects in different locations.

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Bad paragraphs
• The ‘monster’ paragraph
If your paragraph is taking over your entire page, you may have a ‘monster’ paragraph on your hands! In these
situations, check whether your topic sentence is too broad. Most often the problem stems from trying to cover
too much information in a single paragraph.

• The unsupportive paragraph

An unsupportive paragraph contains information that is not related to your thesis statement. Each topic
sentence in your paper should support your thesis statement. If your topic sentence is not related to your
thesis, you might be providing unnecessary or extraneous information in that paragraph.

• The undeveloped paragraph

The undeveloped paragraph lacks some or all of the required paragraph components. If your paragraph is
missing a topic sentence, evidence, a conclusion, or a link, the reader may feel as if they have only been told
part of the story.

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