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Paragraph
Phonetics:
ˈpærəɡrɑːf
Pronunciation:
Paragraphs Reloaded: Elevating Your Writing to the Next Level
Comprehensive Definition, Description, Examples & Rules
Introduction to Paragraphs
The paragraph is an important part of English writing in a more structured manner. So, let’s start with a paragraph meaning. The paragraph is organized and structured ways of writing sentences that are from a single topic. For instance, you can write 2-3 lines about Australia together in an organized way.
Everything that is more than a few sentences can be termed as a paragraph. Ideally, a paragraph should be five to 10 sentences long. Paragraph writing in English is used to provide information about a topic in an elaborated way. It is used to convince someone and describe something in an extended way. The paragraph is used in blogs, articles, essays, letters, or any other piece of creative writing.
Elements of a Paragraph
Writing an ideal paragraph requires a few must-have elements after you understand the paragraph meaning:
Topic Sentence: The topic sentence is an introductory sentence of the paragraph. The sentence will depict the idea of a paragraph or topic that it will talk about. To give a glimpse to readers about what they will read in a paragraph.
Supporting Sentence: Supporting sentences are the main elements where the topic will be described. These sentences will explain the topic that was shared in the topic sentence. In addition, these sentences will include examples and evidence to prove the topic.
Concluding Sentence: As the name suggests, the concluding sentence will briefly share the conclusion of the idea in a paragraph.
These three are important elements of paragraph.
Structure and Organization of Paragraphs
Writing paragraph is not only about putting sentences but organizing and structuring it in the best way possible. Here is how the paragraph should be structured and organized:
Unity: Unity in a paragraph refers to the way they connect. Every sentence is connected to the topic in the paragraph. For instance, if a paragraph is about the Olympic games, it should not contain sentences that don’t reflect the Olympic games.
Coherence: Coherence in a paragraph refers to the orderly arrangement of sentences. When sentences are arranged in more logical and transition-linked sentences. The sentences should be more connected and arranged in meaningful manners.
Length and Development: The paragraph should contain 5 to 10 sentences in length. The development should be done in a complete structure. Right from introducing the topic followed by supporting sentences, and arguments to concluding sentences.
Writing a Paragraph in English
To write a paragraph in English, here are a few steps or processes you need to follow:
Pre-written: First things first, you need to brainstorm on the paragraph topic. What do you want to write, what are the elements or things you must add for the topic to make it more understandable, evidence, examples, and more? Researching and brainstorming about the idea and topic you want to add to the paragraph is the first step to writing.
Drafting: Put all the research and brainstorming into sentences to draft the paragraph. Here are steps to draft a strong paragraph:
- Start with an introductory line that will give a brief about the topic or idea you want to talk about in the paragraph.
- Put up supporting sentences that describe the topic with transition words to connect paragraphs. Add a few pieces of evidence or examples to support the topic.
- End the paragraph with a concluding line.
Revision and Editing: Read the paragraph to improvise and edit for improvement. Cut words or replace them with better words. Sometimes we use lengthy words that can be used as single words. For instance, Instead of using ” First of all”, in paragraphs, you can use ” Firstly”, etc.
Common Challenges in Paragraph Writing
When writing paragraph, there are a few common challenges that you might face, such as:
Lack of unity or coherence: When paragraphs include more than one idea at once. Also, these ideas lack connection with supporting sentences in the wrong order.
To mitigate or eliminate this issue, make sure there is only one main idea flowing in the paragraph. The supporting sentences are connected to each other as well as with introduction and conclusion sentences.
Transitions: Lack of transition in a paragraph will make it look unrelated and poorly structured. It is important to have a transition for smooth reading. Transition in a paragraph will help in the logical connection between sentences and smooth flow of ideas.
Overwriting or Under Developing: Sometimes writers include extra information and too many examples in a paragraph making it more cluttered. Overwriting and under developing ideas and content in a paragraph will make it too much for readers to read. In addition, the ideas become cluttered for the mind to comprehend and relate. So, it is important to restrict a paragraph to 10 sentences maximum. Include 1 or two examples that are elaborately explaining the idea or topic.
Examples and Exercises
Let us check out a well-written, structured, and developed paragraph example:
Australia is one of the best countries in the world to explore for natural beauty. It is one of the smallest continents with only one country surrounded by ocean and small islands. The country is home to amazing tourist places which portray nature at its best. For instance, Great Barrier Reef, Blue Mountains National Park, Yarra Valley, and more. The stunning country is a complete package for exploring nature.
Here,
“Australia is one of the best countries in the world to explore for natural beauty.” is the introduction and topic sentence.
“It is one of the smallest continents with………………………..country is home to amazing tourist places which portray nature at its best.” are supporting sentences.
“For instance, Great Barrier Reef, Blue M…” are examples to prove evidence for supporting sentences.
“The stunning country is a complete package for exploring nature.” The concluding sentence.
Here are some of the paragraph prompts to try:
- Describe your favorite player in a paragraph
- Describe what climate change is in a paragraph
For more details and worksheets, you can visit Edulyte.
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Key Takeaways
- Paragraphs are an important part of creative writing to give information about ideas, and topics.
- Paragraphs must contain elements like unity, clarity, coherence, length, and development.
- Paragraph structure includes topic sentences, supporting sentences, and conclusion sentences.
- The common mistakes when writing a paragraph include lack of clarity, coherence, and transition.
Quiz
Question comes here
Frequently Asked Questions
To conclude a paragraph, write a brief summary that includes all the details about the topic in the paragraph. The concluding sentence gives a well-structured and organized closure to a paragraph.
The introduction paragraph will give context about the entire topic and create an impact on the reader. Moreover, it will be a reason your readers will continue to read. So, to write an introduction paragraph, set an overall tone of your topic in the entire writing, include background information on the topic, add a sentence or statement about what you will talk about, and add a short hook line.
To smoothly transition between paragraphs, you can either use a transition word, phrase, or sentence. For instance, however, similarly, etc.
It is better to put only one main idea in a paragraph, with supporting sentences for the same. Two or more ideas will create chaos for readers and lack transition from one idea to another.
To revise and edit the paragraph for clarity, make sure ideas are clearly portrayed in the paragraph. These supporting sentences are followed by examples supporting these sentences. In addition, check out transition words and more.
The reflection paragraphs are written with three main events- introduction, body, and conclusion. Choose an interesting topic, write an intro with 1 or 2 lines, followed by cause, effect, reasons, problems, or solutions with examples and evidence as body paragraphs, and then a conclusion.
