Sentences and Paragraphs

• Writing Sentences
• Paragraphs - Some Frequently Asked Questions
• A Well-Built Paragraph
• A Badly-Built Paragraph
• Topic and Development Paragraphs
• How to Link Paragraphs Together
• Example - Links Between Paragraphs
• Linking Paragraphs Together
• Writing Introductory Paragraphs
• What should an Introductory Paragraph Do?
• Ways of Complicating Introductory Paragraphs
• Writing a Concluding Paragraph

Introduction

In this section of the site, you can learn how to write effective sentences and paragraphs.

A paragraph is a collection of sentences which relate to each other because they deal with the same topic. Writers divide their work into paragraphs because paragraphs separate out different parts of an argument and make the argument easier to follow. Think of paragraphs as a kind of route map through an essay.
Effective paragraphs make the reader's task easier, and they show that the writer of the essay is in control of the argument. For paragraphs to be effective, they should have two qualities. Firstly, they should have unity. This means that a paragraph should be about one topic, one element in the overall argument of the essay. Secondly, they should have coherence. This means that the different sentences in the paragraph should connect with each other, and also that the paragraph should connect with the paragraphs before and after it. One of the easiest and most common ways to build an effective paragraph is the 'topic and development' method, and we shall look at this in detail.