Paragraphs
Paragraphs:
A Useful Definition
►Paragraph:
a collection of related
sentences dealing with a single topic.
The Basics of Supporting ¶s:
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Topic Sentence - a sentence that indicates what idea the paragraph is going to convey. Like a
thesis statement, the topic sentence should have a strong sense of purpose, but it need not be
as specific (remember, the thesis is usually just one or two sentences, while a paragraph
gives you four to eight sentences to work with in articulating, defining, and conveying your
ideas.) A paragraph’s topic sentence should connect back to the thesis in a clear way.
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Paragraph Unity - the entire paragraph should revolve around a single idea or focal point. If
it begins with one idea, it should not end with another. This is why a strong topic sentence is
useful: it will keep you on track when writing the paragraph, and allow you to achieve unity.
Try to keep the paragraph unified as you are writing. When revising, be willing to cut
sentences that detract from the main idea of the paragraph.
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Paragraph Coherence - the order and flow of sentences in the paragraph should make good,
logical sense. Coherence can be more difficult to achieve than unity, but there should be as
much continuity as possible between sentences; this can be attained through transitions,
parallelism, repetition, etc. See the separate slideshow on the subject of paragraph coherence.
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Development/Detail - The topic of the paragraph should be discussed fully and adequately;
you should support your analysis of that topic with textual evidence and specific details. Pick
specific examples, find useful quotations, and try to paraphrase or summarize useful bits of
information and then integrate them into your analysis.
Here are two paragraphs with the same topic sentence. Both paragraphs have good details, but the order of
ideas/sentences in the first paragraph is confusing and illogical. Conversely, the second paragraph is
structured much more effectively. It also uses strategies such as parallelism, transitions, repetition, etc. to
achieve coherence.
Fowler, H. Ramsay and Jane E. Aaron. The Little, Brown Handbook, 12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2012: 87-88. Print.
Ways to Structure and Develop a Paragraph
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The purpose of a supporting paragraph is to advance an idea in support of the thesis, but there are many different ways
by which a paragraph can achieve this goal. Consider the following strong verbs that are typically associated with
paragraphs: Narrate, Explain, Describe, Compare and Contrast, Define.
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Narrate: recount a series of events.
Explain: clarify an idea by presenting relevant facts and details.
Describe: detail the traits or characteristics of someone or something.
Compare and Contrast: present the similarities and differences between two or more things.
Define: establishes what something is (or is not).
Each of these verbs lends itself to a specific pattern or sequence of sentences/ideas.
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Narrate: when you narrate, it is usually helpful to present events in the order in which they occurred.
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Explain: when explaining a process (or an idea), it is helpful to think in “steps” and to preserve linearity.
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Describe: when describing something (especially visually), it is useful to move in a specific way (top to bottom,
right to left, etc.)
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Compare and Contrast: when comparing and contrasting subjects, you can discuss the subjects separately
(giving them each a small section of the paragraph) or you can discuss them “simultaneously” by doing a point-bypoint analysis.
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Define: begin with a general definition, then get into more specific ideas and examples that further your definition.
Ways to Structure and Develop a Paragraph
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The previous slide offers some general suggestions regarding how to structure a paragraph,
but you could use a more specific rhetorical pattern as well. The following patterns set up a
coherent and logical structure for the paragraph.
 Chronological Pattern – Present the ideas and examples in chronological order. Begin
with the earliest events and then build toward the more current events.
 General to Specific Pattern – Begin with broad ideas and transition toward more
specific examples and details.
 Problem to Solution Pattern – Introduce a problem, explain it briefly, and then
transition toward the proposed solution.
 Climactic Pattern – Begin with the least important or significant example and then
transition toward the most dramatic or significant example.
When Should I Start a New Paragraph?
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As noted, a paragraph should only have one central idea. The moment that you start
writing on a new topic, make sure that you start writing a new paragraph as well.
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If you feel as though the paragraph is running long, but it is not yet time to
introduce a new topic, consider a logical moment to create a “break” in the
paragraph. Though the next paragraph will pick up right where its predecessor left
off, creating the break allows the reader to collect his or her thoughts on the topic
before continuing with the next phase in the topic’s development.
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Typically, a paragraph runs 4-8 sentences. Still, the length of the paragraph should
be based around the patterns of development and the ideas as opposed to a preprescribed numerical rule. Base your decisions regarding paragraph breaks on logic,
flow, and pace as opposed to length.
Here is a paragraph that a student wrote on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
There is much to admire in the paragraph: it deals with sophisticated ideas, it
presents numerous textual details, and it makes logical connections between
different points. Read the paragraph and think about some potential points for
improvement:
In Hamlet, words are a powerful medium used metaphorically as poison, as they can be used to inflict pain and
anguish on some characters or even be the cause of their unfortunate death. The most literal interpretation of poison
entering someone’s ear is, of course, the murder of King Hamlet: Claudius poured a leprous poison in his brother’s
ear to kill him almost instantaneously. Hamlet also reproduces this in his set up of a play, The Mousetrap, in which
the Player Lucianus pours a poison in the Player King’s ear to kill him for his estate. However, words can also enter
the ears of characters – a metaphorical poison – and inflict substantial emotional damage or be used to achieve sinful
goals. At the beginning of the tragedy, King Claudius explains to the Danish court why everyone should look past the
grief of King Hamlet’s death and towards his happy wedding to Queen Gertrude. Although the courtiers should have
looked upon this affair as incestuous, they were persuaded (in effect, “poisoned”) by Claudius’ emphatic and cunning
words that the marriage was justified and necessary for the kingdom’s prosperity. Only Hamlet seems to see the
situation as it is; even Gertrude, who marries within the month of her husband’s sudden death, seems unburdened by
her sinful deed. The power of persuasive speech is evident: words can be manipulated to easily deceive others.
Hamlet later forces his mother to look upon her own sin when they speak privately, and she exclaims, “O, speak to
me no more!/These words like daggers enter in mine ears” (III.iv.84-85). In this instance, Hamlet’s words are similar
to a poison because they are used to inflict pain on Gertrude, manipulated so that they depict the stark contrast
between her former and current husband. He even compares Claudius to “a mildewed ear” (III.iv.63), perhaps hinting
at Claudius’ parasitic quality since he gained power and a wife by secretive plotting, foul murder, and cunning
manipulation.
Revising the Paragraph
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Cut unnecessary material: though the paragraph is well-written, it
features several unnecessary sentences (particularly in the early portion
of the section). The writer should cut these sentences and keep the
paragraph focused on the main idea.
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Create continuity between examples: the paragraph revolves around
two major examples: Claudius and Hamlet. The subject of Hamlet’s use
of poisonous words could be introduced more effectively, and it could
build upon the Claudius section more naturally and smoothly.
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Bring the paragraph to a stronger conclusion: the paragraph should
come to a stronger and more emphatic conclusion regarding the overall
purpose of the section.
Here is a revised version of the previous paragraph; the writer has cut the
unnecessary sentences and thus streamlined the paragraph. The writer has also
refocused the Hamlet section so that it builds more naturally upon the Claudius
section. Moreover, the paragraph comes to a stronger conclusion:
In Hamlet, the most literal interpretation of poison entering someone’s ear is, of course, the
murder of King Hamlet: Claudius poured a leprous poison in his brother’s ear. However, words
can also enter the ears of characters – a metaphorical poison – to achieve sinful goals or to inflict
substantial emotional damage. At the beginning of the tragedy, King Claudius explains to the
Danish court why everyone should look past the grief of King Hamlet’s death and towards his
happy wedding to Queen Gertrude. Although the courtiers should have looked upon this affair as
incestuous, they were persuaded (in effect, “poisoned”) by Claudius’ emphatic and cunning
words that the marriage was justified and necessary for the kingdom’s prosperity. Only Hamlet
seems to see the situation as it is, though Hamlet is also capable of using words destructively.
When he forces his mother to look upon her own sin, she exclaims, “O, speak to me no
more!/These words like daggers enter in mine ears” (III.iv.84-85). In this instance, Hamlet’s
words are similar to a poison because they are used to inflict pain on Gertrude; however, his
words are also meant to manipulate her so that she will see the stark contrast between her former
and current husband. During this conversation, Hamlet notably compares Claudius to “a
mildewed ear” (III.iv.63), hinting at Claudius’ parasitic quality and attempting to turn Gertrude
against him by alluding to his secretive plotting, foul murder, and cunning manipulation. As in
the case of Claudius’s speech to the courtiers, the power of persuasive speech is evident: words
can be manipulated to “poison” others.
Here is yet another revised version of the paragraph. In this version, the writer has split the paragraph into
two shorter paragraphs. Note that each paragraph has a slightly different focus: the Claudius paragraph focuses
on words as “poison” in the sense that they can deceive, but the Hamlet paragraph focuses on words as “poison”
in the sense that they can injure. Since the characters’ use of words as poison is fundamentally different in this
version, it makes sense to split the paragraph in two. Also, note that each paragraph comes to a strong conclusion,
and that the first sentence of the second paragraph refers back to its predecessor (see highlights):
In Hamlet, words are a powerful medium used metaphorically as poison, as they can be
used to achieve sinful goals. At the beginning of the tragedy, King Claudius explains to the Danish
court why everyone should look past the grief of King Hamlet’s death and towards his happy
wedding to Queen Gertrude. Although the courtiers should have looked upon this affair as
incestuous, they were persuaded (in effect, “poisoned”) by Claudius’ emphatic and cunning words
that the marriage was justified and necessary for the kingdom’s prosperity. The poisonous power of
persuasive speech is evident: words can be manipulated to easily deceive others.
Throughout the play, only Hamlet seems immune to Claudius’s poison, and he continues
to see the situation as it truly is. However, Hamlet discovers another “poisonous” use of words upon
realizing that they can be used to inflict pain, anguish, and substantial emotional damage on other
characters. In the middle of the play, Hamlet forces his mother to look upon her own sin, and she
exclaims, “O, speak to me no more!/These words like daggers enter in mine ears” (III.iv.84-85). In
this instance, Hamlet’s words are similar to a poison because they are used to inflict pain on
Gertrude. He compares her beloved Claudius to “a mildewed ear” (III.iv.63), hinting at Claudius’
parasitic quality and implying that Claudius gained power and a wife by secretive plotting, foul
murder, and cunning manipulation. Whereas Claudius’s poisonous words are used to manipulate his
courtiers and cover up his crimes, Hamlet’s poisonous words are used to injure his mother and make
public her sins.