Paragraphs

This is Unit Fourteen of College Composition. Unit Thirteen held every paragraph accountable to the thesis. This unit looks inside the paragraph, where the thesis is developed one point at a time. Carry one idea through this lecture. A paragraph has one main point, and every sentence in it should support, explain or illustrate that point; unity is not about sharing a topic but about serving the same point. Two worked examples near the end revise a paragraph for unity and another for development. By the end you will be able to write topic sentences and keep paragraphs unified. To develop a point with evidence and explanation. To adjust paragraph length and structure. And to decide where a sentence belongs or whether it should go.

Four entries on what a paragraph does, its topic sentence, unity, and the off-topic sentence.

What a paragraph does.

CMP 0326 What a Paragraph Does

Paragraphs guide readers: each new paragraph signals a new idea, more development, or a new direction. An effective paragraph has a main point, support for that point, a sensible order, and a length that is neither too short nor too long. A page with no paragraph breaks, a wall of text, hides the structure of even a well-organized argument.

The main point stated.

CMP 0327 Topic Sentences

The main point of a paragraph is usually stated in a topic sentence, which works like a small thesis for that paragraph. Like a thesis, a topic sentence has a topic and an angle, but a narrower one: one supporting point. A topic sentence that only names a subject, such as "Next, exercise," gives readers no point to follow.

Sticking to one idea.

CMP 0328 Paragraph Unity

A unified paragraph sticks to one main idea, and every sentence supports or expands that idea. Each paragraph should be distinct and should stay with its main point; when an idea grows too big, it may need a new paragraph. Unity is the paragraph-level version of matching thesis and body.

Sentences that wander.

CMP 0329 Off-Topic Sentences

A sentence that does not support the paragraph's main point breaks its unity, however true or interesting it is. In a paragraph about why a library should open later, a sentence about the building's architecture wanders off the point. Revision items often ask which sentence to delete; the answer is usually the one that serves a different point.

Three entries on developing a paragraph's point with evidence and the analysis that explains it.

Enough support.

CMP 0330 Developing a Main Point

Developing a point means supplying enough support and explanation that readers understand and accept it. Support may include facts, statistics, expert opinions from sources, and examples from experience, depending on the kind of writing. A paragraph that states its point and moves on has asserted it, not developed it.

Evidence plus analysis.

CMP 0331 Supporting Evidence and Analysis

A developed paragraph combines evidence with analysis, the writer's explanation of what the evidence means. The analysis, in the writer's own words, explains the significance of the evidence and ties it back to the paragraph's main point. Evidence without analysis leaves readers to draw the connection themselves, and they may draw the wrong one.

A reliable structure.

CMP 0332 Evidence, Then Explanation

A reliable body paragraph moves from claim to evidence to explanation and back. The topic sentence states the point and connects to the thesis. Evidence follows, with its source named. An explanation shows what the evidence means and why it matters, and further evidence gets its own explanation. A closing sentence ties the evidence back to the point. In the anchor's model, a paragraph on retirement benefits gives three sentences of evidence and ends with two of the writer's own analysis. Without explanation, a paragraph is a list of facts; without evidence, it is unsupported opinion.

Seven entries on paragraph length, breaking and combining paragraphs, the concluding sentence, where the topic sentence goes, model structures, and underdeveloped paragraphs.

Long enough, short enough.

CMP 0333 Paragraph Length

Paragraph length should follow the point: long enough to develop it, short enough that readers do not lose it. A paragraph that is too short often lacks evidence; one that is too long can bury its point. Academic paragraphs usually run several sentences. Length depends on genre; online writing uses shorter paragraphs than a college essay.

Breaking a long paragraph.

CMP 0334 Breaking a Long Paragraph

Break a long paragraph where its information shifts in focus, so each part holds one main idea. A paragraph that moves from the cost of a program to its benefits can split at that turn, with a new topic sentence for the second part. Do not split at an arbitrary length; split where the idea changes.

Joining thin paragraphs.

CMP 0335 Combining Thin Paragraphs

Several very short paragraphs on the same point usually belong together as one developed paragraph. Three two-sentence paragraphs, each giving one example of the same benefit, read better as one paragraph with a single topic sentence. Combining works only when the paragraphs share a point; joining unrelated ones breaks unity.

Closing the paragraph.

CMP 0336 The Concluding Sentence

A paragraph often ends with a sentence that sums up its point or shows how the point supports the thesis. After evidence about exercise and longevity, a closing sentence might state that people who exercise regularly tend to live longer, healthier lives. A concluding sentence should not introduce a new point; that belongs in the next paragraph.

Where the topic sentence goes.

CMP 0337 Topic Sentence Placement

The topic sentence frequently comes first in a paragraph, but not always. It can follow a transitional sentence, or come at the end of a paragraph that builds toward its point; wherever it sits, the other sentences support it. Placing the topic sentence first is the safest choice for clarity, especially in academic writing.

Five structures.

CMP 0338 Model Paragraph Structures

Different reasoning strategies give paragraphs different structures. Cause and effect names a cause or effect and traces the chain. Comparison and contrast names both subjects and the basis of comparison, then moves between them. Problem and solution names the problem, describes it and proposes a solution. Definition gives the dictionary meaning, then the extended meaning with examples. Analogy links an unfamiliar idea to a familiar one. Unit fifteen treats each in depth. Choose the structure the paragraph's point calls for, and do not force a comparison onto material about a cause.

Points without support.

CMP 0339 Underdeveloped Paragraphs

An underdeveloped paragraph states a point without enough evidence or explanation to support it. "Online classes are better for working students. They are convenient." This needs specifics: what convenience means, for whom, and evidence that it helps. Revision often means adding to a paragraph, not only cutting from it.

Six entries on deciding where a sentence belongs and which to delete, two worked examples, and paragraphs as a sequence. The opening idea is paid off at the worked examples.

Placing a new sentence.

CMP 0340 Where a New Sentence Belongs

Deciding where to add a sentence means placing it where it continues the paragraph's logic. Name the paragraph's point and sequence: topic sentence, evidence, explanation, close. Decide what the new sentence does. Evidence goes after the claim it supports; an explanation right after its evidence; an example after the general statement it illustrates. Check the sentences on either side, and check pronouns and transitions: a sentence beginning with "this result" must come after the result it names. Many wrong placements are grammatical; the test is logical order.

Choosing the sentence to cut.

CMP 0341 Which Sentence to Delete

Deciding which sentence to delete means finding the one that does not serve the paragraph's main point. State the point in your own words. Test each sentence: does it support, explain or illustrate it? Mark any sentence that serves a different point, repeats another, or adds an irrelevant detail. Check whether removing it breaks a later reference, then delete the one that weakens unity. Do not delete evidence because it contains a number or name that seems minor; specific evidence develops the point, and the sentence to cut is the one that wanders.

Six sentences, two cuts.

CMP 0342 Revising a Paragraph for Unity

A worked example, constructed for this course, pays off the opening idea. A paragraph argues that street trees lower summer temperatures. It states the point, explains shade and moisture, gives comparative temperature evidence, and closes on why cooler streets matter to residents. Two sentences break unity: one says oak trees can live for centuries, and one recalls a grandmother's garden. Both go. The oak sentence is the harder cut, because it is about trees and sounds relevant. A sentence can be on topic and still off point. When unsure, state the paragraph's point aloud and read the doubtful sentence after it; if the two do not connect, it belongs elsewhere or nowhere.

Three thin sentences, developed.

CMP 0343 Revising a Paragraph for Development

A second worked example, constructed for this course, develops a thin paragraph about evening tutoring. The topic sentence is sharpened: working students cannot use tutoring under its current schedule. Evidence is added: the center closes in the afternoon, while many shifts end in the evening. An explanation follows: those who might gain most are the least able to reach it. An example makes it concrete, and a closing sentence ties the point to the thesis. Development is not padding; restating the point in new words adds length, not strength. Ask what a skeptical reader still wants to know after the topic sentence.

Paragraphs in order.

CMP 0344 Paragraphs in a Sequence

Body paragraphs work as a sequence, each building on the one before to develop the thesis. Drafting each topic sentence in an outline first shows whether the paragraphs advance the thesis in a logical order. Two paragraphs making the same point, in different words, signal a need to merge or cut.

Breaks for the reader.

CMP 0345 Paragraphing for the Reader

Paragraph breaks present ideas in chunks that readers can take in, and they show where one idea ends and the next begins. Writers often adjust paragraphing during revision, adding breaks where the focus shifts and joining paragraphs that split one idea. Paragraphing is part of meaning; moving a break can change which sentences readers group together.

Look at what you can now do. You can write a topic sentence with a narrow angle, and keep every sentence in the paragraph serving it. You can develop a point with evidence and the analysis that explains it, and close without starting a new point. You can adjust a paragraph's length, split or combine paragraphs where the idea changes, place the topic sentence, and choose a structure that fits the point. And you can decide where a new sentence belongs and which sentence to delete, and revise paragraphs as a sequence. Unit Fifteen widens the view to the organization of a whole essay.