How To Write A Good Paragraph

How To Write A Good Paragraph

By: Holly Abidi

          Writing paragraphs are in fact the most basic structure in any writing. So understanding how to write effective and intriguing paragraphs can improve your writing greatly. So let's discover how to write a good paragraph.

What Is A Paragraph?

         A paragraph is a piece of writing that consists of several sentences. A paragraph should always have complete, correct, and concise sentences. As well it should be easy to read and well organized. The paragraph itself should focus on one subject, theme, or central idea.

         In other words, a paragraph could be about an object such as a young boy. If the paragraph starts out talking about the boy, it must stay the same throughout. For example, if the writer were to talk about where a young boy lives and then go on to describe what the boy looks like these are two separate ideas. This is demonstrated below:

John lived in San Francisco, California, with his two parents. He had his own bedroom, which he decorated himself. Him and parents all lived comfortably in the cozy apartment on the third floor. The apartments were only three blocks from where he attended J.U. High School.

John was only five years old, but he was extremely smart for his age. He wasn’t that tall and he was a bit on the skinny side. He had big blue eyes, light brown hair, rosy cheeks, and a friendly smile. Just looking at him he seemed like any other kid-- quite normal. Yet, everyone in his class looked at him differently because John could never be a normal kid. Instead, he wasn’t normal. No, he was a genius.

         In this example you can see that the first paragraph is about where John lives and the second paragraph covers another topic or idea, which is what he looks like. When examining a paragraph you can always ask yourself, what is the main idea in this paragraph? If you see two ideas as in the above example you might have to create two paragraphs. Although, in order to understand what a paragraph is and how to write one, you need to know how a paragraph is constructed.

Elements Of A Paragraph

         A paragraph should contain some structure and particular elements, which are listed below in relative order:

1.A Topic sentence- motivates the reader to want to read more.

2.The First main point- proves, backs up, or explains the topic sentence.

3.The Second main point- usually provides a reason for the first point made.

4.The Third main point- can help prove the topic sentence or back up the first or second main point of the paragraph.

5.The Conclusion- sums up the main points or ideas and it usually completes the topic.

         So just to recap, normally a paragraph starts out with a topic sentence or idea. The topic sentence is followed by the first, second, or third main points and then details are added in between each point in order to explain the idea fully. Once one idea or concept has been described the paragraph is brought to a conclusion by usually summing up the main points or making a transition into the next paragraph. However, for a closer look, let’s work through an example that shows us how to construct a paragraph by using the five elements listed above.

Example