Sentences grouped together form a paragraph. The English word ‘paragraph’ is an amalgam of the two greek words ‘para’ and ‘graph’ – meaning, respectively, ‘beside, or near,’ and ‘writing.’ For academic writing, there are standards within each subject to regulate the appearance and function of paragraphs. Being that there are no hard-and-fast grammatical rules, the following are simple guidelines – or rather, basic recommendations – that any writer can follow to make their paragraphs more intelligible and interesting.
Topic Sentences
A topic sentence is a simple sentence that states the main idea within the paragraph. To be effective at this, a topic sentence should not be weighted down with details or contrasting ideas. A topic sentence can appear anywhere within a paragraph, but to be both recognized and be effective as a topic sentence, it is a safer bet to have it appear at or near the top of a paragraph.
Supporting Sentences
Details should be reserved for supporting sentences. These sentences are what give a paragraph substance, and are most effective when they support and otherwise pertain to the ‘gist’ of the topic sentence. Between 5 and 7 supporting sentences is a good target amount. The lengths of these sentences should vary – some long, some short.
Contrasting or contradicting ideas should be reserved for subsequent paragraphs. A paragraph that discusses contradicting viewpoints shows a broad understanding of your topic and helps to build a stronger point if they can be discussed and refuted.
Concluding Sentences
A concluding sentence is a means to connect the reader back to the ‘gist’ of the topic sentence, and/or to transition to the next paragraph. It is almost as important to have strong concluding sentences as it is to have strong topic sentences – it helps to organize the writer’s thoughts, and therefore, the writer’s thoughts are more intelligible to their reader or readers.
Indentation
There are varying standards and practices between various academic disciplines about when to indent and by how much. Suffice to say, paragraphs within a greater body of writing are usually differentiated by an indentation. Writers and students should check with their professors for clarification about the formal traditions within the discipline they are writing about.
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