1. Definition

The paragraph is the basic unit for organizing information in your writing. You use paragraphs to structure information in all of your exam and assignment questions. If you write well-constructed paragraphs, then the reader/marker will be able to understand what it is that you are trying to explain. If you write poorly constructed paragraphs, then it is the easiest way for losing those valuable marks.

A short paragraph can be about six sentences long as you only need a few facts (evidence) to support your argument. If you are developing a complex idea, then your paragraph may be longer. For example, a long paragraph could have up to ten sentences. Therefore, you should aim to write paragraphs that are between six and ten sentences in length. The reader's attention is lost when paragraphs are too long. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: They define a paragraph as a group of at least half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph.

2. Parts of a paragraph

All students need to know how to write a good paragraph. The main parts of a paragraph are topic sentence, supporting sentences and concluding sentence. Students may receive lower marks for poorly constructed paragraphs.

3. Five easy steps to paragraph writing

.Step 1: Write the topic sentence

This is the best starting point. The general topic for your paragraph should be written in a topic sentence. Remember that the topic sentence is a summary of the whole paragraph. Every paragraph you write is worth marks, so put an effort into your paragraph.

Step 2: Brainstorm your information

Once you have written the topic sentence, you need to gather information to support what you have stated. Try brainstorming. In a list, write down everything (facts, details, examples, reasons) that relates to the topic sentence

Step 3: Organize your information

Brainstorming usually gives you too much information (about 100-150 words for good-sized paragraphs), so the next step is to cut out irrelevant information and combine like ideas. Then, use numbers to arrange the order of your ideas. This ordering is where you get your paragraph to flow (logical sequence), so it is an essential step

Step 4: Write & revise your draft paragraph

Once you have your topic sentence and your ideas sorted out, you can attempt to write up your paragraph. Revise each sentence. Look at your transitional word list to help you find the right connecting words within and between sentences. Write a concluding sentence if it helps the paragraph feel complete

صحح بروفات الطباعةStep 5: Proofread your paragraph

Check your paragraph for spelling and grammar. Once you have finished writing, it is essential that you re-read your paragraph two or three times to check it for misspelled words and poor grammar. Spelling mistakes and bad grammar can negatively affect your paragraph, even if the ideas it contains are of a high quality. It is very easy to overlook small mistakes when writing, so don't skip this step, even if you're in a rush

Ensure that each sentence has a subject and that all proper nouns are capitalized. Also make sure that all of the subjects and verbs agree with each other and that you use the same tense across the entire paragraph

Check your paragraph for the proper use of punctuation, making sure that you use marks such as commas, colons, and semicolons

For beginner writers, it is better to stick to short, to-the-point sentences which clearly express your point. Long sentences can very quickly become incoherent or fall victim to grammatical errors, so try to avoid them until you gain more experience as a writer

Every paragraph in a paper should be:

• Unified: All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph).

• Clear: The sentences should all refer to the central idea of the paper

• Coherent: The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development

• Well-developed: Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s controlling idea

Troubleshooting paragraphs استكشاف الأخطاء وإصلاحها

Problem: the paragraph has no topic sentence.

Imagine each paragraph as a sandwich. The real content of the sandwich - the meat or other filling - is in the middle. It includes all the evidence you need to make the point. But it gets kind of messy to eat a sandwich without any bread. Your readers don’t know what to do with all the evidence you’ve given them. So, the top slice of bread (the first sentence of the paragraph) explains the topic (or controlling idea) of the paragraph. And, the bottom slice (the last sentence of the paragraph) tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the argument.

Once you have mastered the use of topic sentences, you may decide that the topic sentence for a particular paragraph really shouldn’t be the first sentence of the paragraph. This is fine—the topic sentence can actually go at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph; what’s important is that it is in there somewhere so that readers know what the main idea of the paragraph is and how it relates back to the idea of your paper.

Problem: the paragraph has more than one controlling idea.

If a paragraph has more than one main idea, consider eliminating sentences that relate to the second idea, or split the paragraph into two or more paragraphs, each with only one main idea.