College Composition / Unit 15 CMP 0367 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Moving a Paragraph
The idea
Moving a paragraph means placing it where its point builds on what readers already know and prepares what comes next.
In practice
Work in order. First, list each paragraph's point. Second, identify what each paragraph depends on: background, a defined term, or an earlier point. Third, check that nothing appears before the material it depends on. Fourth, check the overall pattern: chronological, by importance, or the steps of a cause-and-effect or problem-and-solution argument. Fifth, if a paragraph sits out of that order, move it to its logical position. Sixth, rewrite the transitions around both its old and new positions so the seams do not show.
Where people slip
Moving a paragraph without revising its transitions leaves sentences that refer to material that is no longer before them. Every move requires a second look at the paragraphs on both sides.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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