The Form of a Paragraph
What Does a Paragraph Look Like 1. A paragraph often has a title to tell the reader what the paragraph is about. - capitalize the important words in the title - do not use quotation marks (“ “) or put a period at the end of the title - do not write the title as a complete sentence
2. Skip a line (leave a space) between the title and the first line of the paragraph 3. Indent the first sentence of the paragraph 4. Leave margins on the left side and the right side of the paragraph. Do not write in the margins.
5. There is no rule for how long a paragraph should be. The length of a paragraph depends on what you are writing about. 6. In this class, double space your paragraph (skip a line) so that there will be room to make changes and corrections.
The Topic Sentence of a Paragraph A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. We call the main idea sentence the topic sentence of the paragraph. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about. In U.S. academic writing, the topic sentence is usually the first sentence of the paragraph. All of the other sentences in the paragraph explain, describe, and support the topic sentence.
Supporting Details • The supporting details are the remaining sentences of the paragraph, after the topic sentence. There are usually between 6 to 8 sentences that explain and develop the main idea or topic. • Some techniques used to develop a paragraph and provide supporting details include:
• Using examples and illustrations, Citing data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others), Examining testimony (what other people say such as quotes and paraphrases), Using an anecdote or story, Defining terms in the paragraph, Comparing and contrasting two ideas or items, Evaluating causes and reasons, Examining effects and consequences, Analyzing the topic, Describing the topic, Offering a chronology of an event (time segments).
• Some, but not all, paragraphs also contain a summary sentence. The summary sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph; it recaps the main idea. • Not every paragraph has or needs a summary sentence. If the topic sentence makes a clear point, and the details adequately explain and develop the main idea, then a summary sentence is not needed or desired. In fact, sometimes it appears repetitious.