Paragraphs

---

Although each sentence conveys meaning, an essay is not a sequence of sentences but the development of one central point through a series of steps. Those steps are, or ought to be, paragraphs. And just as paragraphs work together to develop a thesis, the sentences within an effective paragraph support and extend one another to develop a single idea. In key respects, then, you can think of a paragraph as a mini-essay. Like a full essay, a typical paragraph

1. presents a main idea that is usually, but not always, stated near the beginning;

2. supports or illustrates that idea;

3. arranges ideas and supporting material in an orderly pattern; and

4. uses logical associations and transitions to link one idea to the next.

In one sense, nothing could be easier than to form paragraphs; you simply indent the first word of a sentence by five spaces. But those indentions must match real divisions in thought if you are to keep your reader's attention. All readers sense that a new paragraph signals a shift: a new subject, a new idea, a change in emphasis, a new speaker, a different time or place, or a change in the level of generality. By observing such natural breaks and by signaling in one paragraph how it logically follows from the preceding one, you can turn the paragraph into a powerful means of communication.