{"id":2314,"date":"2012-07-06T17:07:55","date_gmt":"2012-07-06T17:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/SchoolTutoring.com\/help\/?p=2314"},"modified":"2014-12-02T08:33:42","modified_gmt":"2014-12-02T08:33:42","slug":"paragraphs-form-and-functions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/paragraphs-form-and-functions\/","title":{"rendered":"Paragraphs – Form and Functions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sentences grouped together form a paragraph<\/em>. The English word \u2018paragraph\u2019 is an amalgam of the two greek words \u2018para\u2019 and \u2018graph\u2019 – meaning, respectively, \u2018beside, or near,\u2019 and \u2018writing.\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

Topic Sentences<\/strong><\/p>\n

A topic sentence<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

Supporting Sentences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Details should be reserved for supporting sentences<\/em>. These sentences are what give a paragraph substance, and are most effective when they support and otherwise pertain to the \u2018gist\u2019 of the topic sentence. Between 5 and 7 supporting sentences is a good target amount. The lengths of these sentences should vary \u2013 some long, some short.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Concluding Sentences<\/strong><\/p>\n

A concluding sentence is <\/em>a means to connect the reader back to the \u2018gist\u2019 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\u2019s thoughts, and therefore, the writer\u2019s thoughts are more intelligible to their reader or readers.<\/p>\n

Indentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/em>. Writers and students should check with their professors for clarification about the formal traditions within the discipline they are writing about.<\/p>\n

SchoolTutoring Academy<\/span> is the premier educational services company for K-12 and college students. We offer tutoring programs for students in K-12, AP classes, and college. To learn more about how we help parents and students in Pico Rivera\u00a0visit: Tutoring in Pico Rivera, CA. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sentences grouped together form a paragraph. The English word \u2018paragraph\u2019 is an amalgam of the two greek words \u2018para\u2019 and \u2018graph\u2019 – meaning, respectively, \u2018beside, or near,\u2019 and \u2018writing.\u2019 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[364,867,926,966,1278,1279,1785,2098,2171,2550],"class_list":["post-2314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-and-grammar","tag-concluding-sentences","tag-how-is-a-paragraph-made","tag-indentation","tag-introductory-sentences","tag-paragraph","tag-paragraphs","tag-supporting-sentences","tag-what-are-the-parts-of-a-paragraph","tag-what-is-a-paragraph","tag-what-kind-of-sentances-are-in-paragraphs"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}