writing paragraphs and essays pdf

Improve Your Paper by Writing Structured Paragraphs

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In academic writing, effective paragraphs serve as building blocks to construct a complex analysis or argument. Paragraphing helps readers to understand and process your ideas into meaningful units of thought.

What do paragraphs do?

Imagine reading this page without paragraph breaks. Paragraphs create order and logic by helping your reader recognize the boundaries where one point ends and another begins.

How long should a paragraph be?

In a first draft, it may make sense to set a goal for length. For example, you can set a goal of writing four to six sentences per paragraph: in that number of sentences you can announce an idea, prove that idea with evidence, and explain why this evidence matters by linking it to the overall goal of your paper.

In the final version of your paper you may have a shorter paragraph or two. Short paragraphs call a lot of attention to themselves, so they can effectively emphasize a point. Too many short paragraphs, however, may indicate that your ideas are not developed with evidence and analysis.

You’ll generally read and write longer paragraphs in academic papers. However, too many long paragraphs can provide readers with too much information to manage at one time. Readers need planned pauses or breaks when reading long complex papers in order to understand your presented ideas. Remember this writing mantra: “Give your readers a break!” or “Good paragraphs give one pause!”

Kinds of sentences in a paragraph

Thinking about paragraphs rigidly in terms of length may lead to formulaic writing. Instead, as you revise your draft think about how each sentence is functioning in your paragraph, and whether your paragraph has sufficient functional sentences to make its point.

Transition sentences guide your reader smoothly from the topic of the preceding paragraph into the topic of your new paragraph. Writers sometimes begin with a transition sentence before introducing the topic of the new paragraph.

A topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph. Beginning a paragraph with a topic sentence ensures your reader recognizes early in the paragraph what larger idea the paragraph is going to demonstrate. Expert writers may not introduce the topic until the middle or end of the paragraph, and often imply their topics without ever writing a topic sentence.

Body sentences develop the topic of the paragraph. These sentences work to analyze data or quotations, describe a text or event, set up a comparison, showcase evidence, and sometimes they enumerate the logical points for readers to give them a sense of a paper’s bigger picture. In body sentences, you need to consider how much quoted data or evidence will demonstrate or prove your point.

Linking sentences relate back to the paper’s main argument by showing how the idea of that paragraph matches the overall goal of the paper.

Concluding sentences may bring a section to its end before you move on to a new section of the paper.

Some sample paragraphs

Undergraduate art analysis.

Notice how the writer develops the idea in the body sentences, as promised in the first sentence, and concludes her paragraph by offering a keen, close observation of specific details.

In order to understand how Manet’s work echoes or communicates with Titian’s, one must first consider the similarities between their paintings. To begin with, both take a nude woman as the subject. More than that, however, Manet directly copies the composition of Titian’s Venus; the overwhelming similarity in color and the figures’ arrangement in each painting prove this. Both women are lying in the same position with their heads on the left-hand side of the canvas. Both women have their left leg crossed over the right. Both women have flowers and accessories. Other key elements unite these paintings, as well: the arrangement of the sheets on the bed; the green curtains; the servants; and the small animal at the foot of the bed. All these features clearly indicate that Manet echoes Titian. If one stopped at the similarity in the composition, it would appear that both paintings communicate the same thing; both would be a celebration of the beauty of the human figure, and Manet’s voice would have added nothing new to the conversation; it would have no additional meaning besides venerating the masterful work of Titian. ( Used with permission .)

Undergraduate literary analysis

In this paragraph from a 2012 Lewis Prize-winning English essay, UW–Madison undergraduate Abby Becker organizes her sentences savvily. She first transitions her reader into her topic, then introduces the source of evidence for that paragraph before analyzing that source and returning to the topic with the new critical perspective that her analysis suggests.

In order for a political or social revolution to occur, connections must be formed. More means of communication lead to more opportunities to make connections. In Dos Passos’ The 42nd Parallel, J. Ward Moorehouse focuses on making business connections but never forms any relationships. He explains at a party that “he had come down in a purely unofficial way you understand to make contacts” (249). In business and politics, making contacts denotes an impersonal, removed way of dealing with people. This type of communication does not result in connections. Moorehouse’s connections are for his own political personal gain. There may be a connection but no insight or true relationship. Moorehouse views people as a tool to advance his own business and political agendas demonstrating that connections with people are often made out of selfish, egotistical motives.

Magazine profile

From a September 2006 The Atlantic article , by Marshall Poe, describing Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia, and collaborative knowledge. Notice how the first sentence introduces a philosophical issue that the body sentences define and link to both Wikipedia and Wales’s own personality.

Wales was an advocate of what is generically termed “openness” online. An “open” online community is one with few restrictions on membership or posting-everyone is welcome, and anyone can say anything as long as it’s generally on point and doesn’t include gratuitous ad hominem attacks. Openness fit not only Wales’s idea of objectivism, with its emphasis on reason and rejection of force, but also his mild personality. He doesn’t like to fight. He would rather suffer fools in silence, waiting for them to talk themselves out, than confront them. This patience would serve Wales well in the years to come.

From Spontaneous Gestures Influence Strategy Choices in Problem Solving (2011). UW-Madison Psychology Professor Martha Alibali et al. present empirical research on how children use physical gestures to acquire mathematical problem-solving knowledge. Notice the clarity of expression in the first paragraph’s topic sentence: the writer provides sufficient set-up to prepare readers for the data which comes at the end of each paragraph.

We predicted that participants in the gesture-allowed condition would be less likely than participants in the gesture-prohibited condition to generate the parity strategy, because the availability of gesture would promote use of perceptual-motor strategies instead. This was indeed the case; the proportion of participants who used the parity strategy on at least one trial was .74 in the gesture-allowed condition and .91 in the gesture-prohibited condition, _2(1, N = 85) = 4.17, p = .04 (Fig. 1). Once they generated the parity strategy, most participants (89%) used it on all subsequent trials.

Mechanical engineering

From Mounting methodologies to measure EUV reticle nonflatness (SPIE Proceedings 7470, 2009), by the lab of UW–Madison Professor Roxanne L. Engelstad. Notice how Battula et al. signal the practical consequence of their findings and also suggest that another result would be possible depending on further research.

Unfortunately, to map the entire reticle with a single measurement, a 12 in. beam expander is needed. With such a large optical system, the expander must be held rigidly, not allowing it to tip or tilt. Since the UW-CMC mount must remain vertical to be effective, it cannot be used in this scenario. Consequently, the application of this mount is limited. Thus, a number of new designs have been proposed by industry to address the alignment issues and provide for other options, such as automated handling. Three of these designs are described and evaluated in the following sections.

Literary studies

From Dorothy West’s Paradise: A Biography of Class and Color (2012), by UW–Madison Professor Sherrard-Johnson. Notice how the first two sentences give crucial background information in order to set up the topic sentence.

In Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America, Jeff Wiltse examines how U.S. swimming pools were transformed from interracial single-sex spaces in which class and gender were more important than race to “leisure resorts, where practically everyone in the community except black Americans swam together.” His study then follows what he calls the second social transformation—”when black Americans gained access through legal and social protest” and “white swimmers generally abandoned them for private pools.” The various iterations of West’s story, which discuss the span from 1950 to 1980, fall between these two moments in social and legal history. I am particularly intrigued by how the national history of segregated bathing areas informs the local, particular event described by West. Does the exclusion of blacks from the high beach parallel the segregation of public pools? In the early twentieth century, public bathing spaces were notoriously violent. The Chicago Riot in 1919 was touched off when white bathers threw rocks at black teenagers who had drifted into a white beach on Lake Michigan. Northerners’ use of pools during the Progressive era reinforced class and gender but not racial distinction. Working-class folk did not swim with the upper classes, but they were not as concerned about color. Following the Great Migration, the concerns about intimacy and sexuality that have always been latent in conversations about public space (in particular the public space of the pool) were directed at blacks. The peculiar democracy of the beach—in bathing suits it is more difficulty to determine class‐worked against black Americans. Wiltse marks this shift between the years of 1920 and 1940. The social changes that took place during this period shape West’s complex politics. (26)

Legal writing

Former UW–Madison School of Law Professor Arthur F. McEvoy wrote this model paragraph as part of a memorandum on effective writing. Notice that each of the body sentences illustrates and develops the main idea or topic sentence.

The ideal paragraph contains five sentences. The topic sentence almost always comes first and states as clearly as possible the point that the paragraph makes, just as the first sentence of this paragraph did. The three middle sentences of the paragraph follow the topic sentence in some rational order and substantiate it with examples, analysis, or other kind of development; if written clearly, middle sentences may employ conjunctions or subordinate clauses to put across complex ideas without breaking the basic form. Every well-written paragraph ends with a “clincher” sentence that in some way signals completion of the paragraph’s point and places it in context, either by restating the topic sentence, relating the topic back to the thesis of the writing as a whole, or by providing a transition to the paragraph that follows. While good style may require a writer to vary this basic form occasionally, the five-sentence model captures the Platonic essence of the paragraph and most effectively accomplishes its purpose, which is to state a single idea, in sequence, discretely and comprehensively.

Writing Process and Structure

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Developing a Thesis Statement

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Paragraphs: Types of Paragraphs

Level: High School • Narrative Paragraph-tells a story about an event, adventure, scene, or happening • Descriptive Paragraph-describes specific sensory details about a person, place, or thing • Expository Paragraph-gives information, explains directions, or shows how something happens • Persuasive Paragraph-tries to convince the reader of the author's point of view Read each paragraph carefully and decide whether it is a narrative, descriptive, expository, or persuasive paragraph. Label it appropriately in the blank. 1. Paragraph Type (narrative, descriptive, expository, or persuasive) Expository To be healthy, teens can exercise, eat nutritious foods, and keep themselves safe. First, participating in various kinds of fitness can keep them in shape. This can include walking, riding their bikes, and playing sports. Next, maintaining a nutrient-rich diet can help teens stay well. Three balanced meals and two wholesome snacks a day can keep their health on track. Finally, staying out of dangerous situations can keep teens healthy. Avoiding strangers, wearing seatbelts in cars, and checking smoke detectors are all great ways to accomplish this task. Teens who follow these tips will keep their bodies unharmed and in good physical shape. 2. Paragraph Type (narrative, descriptive, expository, or persuasive) Narrative One of the oddest coincidences in my life happened when I left America to visit Seoul, South Korea. A friend and I wanted to visit a castle in Seoul, so we found some locals who agreed to take us to see it. As we were walking up some steps from one part of the grounds to another, I saw some people watching us from the top of the steps. When I got to the top, someone I had never seen before mentioned my sister's name and asked if I was her sister. I almost couldn't talk! How could these people know my sister, who lived in Australia? They explained that they were my sister's neighbors in Australia and that I looked just like her. It was the strangest experience in my life! Tellez

Related Papers

Curriculum & Instruction Dept., Faculty of Education, Assiut University

Dr Mahmoud M S Abdallah

PREFACE Writing is a very important skill that should be mastered properly by university students, especially pre-service language teachers (e.g. EFL student teachers). In order to present their ideas efficiently in the context of their academic study, they have to be trained well on how to write meaningful pieces (e.g. essays, academic reports, summaries, critical reviews, etc.). Moreover, writing is an important skill that prospective English language teachers need to develop during their pre-service education (training) programmes. Course information based on new regulations (college bylaws, recently modified in 2013): Level: 2nd, year- 1st Semester Course Title: Writing (2) Code: Curr213 Number of Units: -Lecture (Theoretical Study): 1 hour -Workshops (Practical Sessions): 2 hours -Total: 3 hours Major: BA in Arts and Education (English Section) This Writing II course to 2nd-year EFL student teachers complements - and builds on - the Writing I course studied in the previous year by fresh student teachers. It gradually takes student teachers further from the basic mechanical writing skills studied in Writing I at the sentence and paragraph writing levels, into the more advanced essay writing process. Thus, it aims mainly to foster EFL student teachers’ essay writing skills, and help them to identify different ways, strategies and/or techniques used for writing a standard English essay (e.g. a comprehensive five-paragraph essay). In this regard, it provides many examples, samples and illustrations of how to write different types of essays, and how to use various techniques to develop paragraphs, and thus explore, reinforce and develop the main topic. More specifically, by the end of the course, EFL student teachers are expected to be able to: 1. Identify an English essay and its main components; 2. Write an English essay accurately and adequately; 3. Identify a topic paragraph in an essay; 4. Write a topic paragraph (and topic sentences or thesis) in an essay; 5. Identify different genres and types of essays; 6. Write different types of essays (e.g. expository, academic, descriptive, and narrative); 7. Practice essay writing skills (e.g. pre-writing strategies such as brainstorming and free writing; summarizing and skimming skills; developing ideas in paragraphs; providing sufficient/supporting details; drafting/redrafting; reflection and revision; electronic writing skills, etc.); and 8. Identify different genres of essays online (e.g. fiction and literature; factual and realistic pieces; functional products; expository essays; reflective diaries; and academic essays) Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs): 1.1 Knowledge & Understanding: 1.1.9 The student teacher recognizes the difference between the paragraph, the composition and the essay. 1.1.10 The student teacher recognizes the various modes and genres of writing, such as comparing and contrasting, cause and effect, argumentative and expository writing. 1.1.11 The student teacher recognizes how to revise and edit essays and check them for unity, order and coherence. 1.1.15 The student teacher recognizes the difference between translating the text and the context and the various stylistic devices used in social, political, medical and cultural contexts. 1.2 Intellectual Skills: 1.2.6 The student teacher produces various writing genres (explanatory, expository, descriptive and narrative) accurately and fluently. 1.2.7 The student teacher initiates and terminates paragraphs or essays accurately. 1.2.8 The student teacher uses the process and product approach to writing paragraphs and/or essays. 1.2.9 The student teacher achieves unity and coherence in his/her writing through various devices. 1.2.10 The student teacher determines the audience or the purpose of an intended writing piece. 1.2.11 The student teacher prepares writing in a format (e.g. oral presentation, manuscript, and multimedia) appropriate to audience and purpose. 1.2.12 The student teacher revises and/or edits paragraphs and/or essays. 1.3 Professional Skills: 1.3.1 The student teacher enjoys English as an international means of communication. 1.3.2 The student teacher feels that learning English facilitates travelling abroad and communicating with native speakers. 1.3.5 The student teacher thinks that studying English dispels self-consciousness. 1.3.6 The student teacher thinks that English is a worthwhile subject. 1.4 General Skills: 1.4.1 The student teacher responds to specific situations and current conditions when implementing instructions. 1.4.2 The student teacher responds to the ideas and opinions of other speakers thoughtfully before uttering. 1. Lecturing 2. Discussion 3. Collaborative learning 4. Blended learning 5. Online learning 3- Teaching and Learning Methods 1. Online tutorials 2. Private interviews 3. Self-paced learning 4- Teaching and Learning Methods for Low Learners 5- Evaluation: Both forms of evaluation (i.e. formative and summative) are employed with student teachers throughout the whole semester. Writing tasks in workshops; oral/written presentations; formative assessment in workshops; and discussion in lectures a) Tools -Provisional scores are assigned for each student teacher every week in each workshop based on certain tasks. -A final total score is assigned for each one by the end of the semester based on total performance in both lectures and workshops. -Some time is devoted to online interactions with tutors and among student teachers themselves outside the frame of the formal schedule (e.g. a Facebook group or an online Blog). b) Time Schedule • Semester work + Oral production: 20 marks • Final semester exam: 80 marks • Total: 100 marks c) Grading System

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Writing for life : paragraphs and essays

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