26 Understanding Paragraph Development
In academic writing, effective paragraph organization is a principle to strive for. As a writer, you must ensure that your text is clear and organized before presenting it to your readers. If you don’t achieve good paragraph organization, your ideas will not be communicated effectively and your readers will get confused.
A paragraph is a group of sentences that revolve around a central idea or topic. Notice, however, that different academic fields have distinctive expectations for well-constructed paragraphs. If you have specific questions about paragraph structure, you should seek guidance from your instructors.
In ESL 116, your instructors will also expect your paragraphs and your summaries to be organized in a certain way, so be aware of specific guidelines for written work in this course.
Essential Elements
Despite some differences across fields, there are four universal elements that any paragraph should demonstrate:
Unity
The paragraph must focus only on one single idea. This means that every paragraph contains one controlling idea that is developed throughout the paragraph.
Unity helps readers follow the writer’s thoughts. When you introduce a new idea that doesn’t align with the topic sentence, perhaps it is time to create a new paragraph. Unity is crucial because when a new paragraph begins, your reader will understand that you have shifted to a different topic.
Topic Sentences
A topic sentence is often the first sentence of a paragraph. It introduces the paragraph’s focused topic, allowing readers to anticipate what follows. Typically, an effective topic sentence focuses on a single main idea. The subsequent sentences of the paragraph elaborate on that idea, providing supporting details and examples. When a topic sentence doesn’t align with the content that follows, the paragraph lacks unity, coherence, and sufficient development, so your reader will get confused.
Coherence
Paragraph coherence refers to how well your ideas flow and are easily understood by the reader. When a paragraph flows smoothly, it means it is harmonious so readers can grasp the main idea you have presented. To maintain this orderly flow of ideas, start by introducing the main idea in the topic sentence. Then, ensure that each subsequent sentence builds upon the previous one in an organized manner without deviating from the focused main idea. Finally, read your paragraph aloud to verify that your paragraph is coherent.
Adequate Development
A well-developed paragraph describes, explains, and provides support for its topic sentence. A well-developed paragraph should leave no lingering questions for the reader. Typically, a paragraph with only two or three sentences is considered underdeveloped. As a general guideline, aim for at least four sentences in a paragraph to thoroughly explain and elaborate on the focused topic of the paragraph.
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