5 Must Dos for Writing a Paragraph

Want to write exceptional paragraphs but not sure how? Well, you came to the right place! We will show you the 5 elements you need to learn how to write paragraphs!

5 Must-dos when learning how to write paragraphs:

Here are the 5 elements you must keep in mind when you are learning how to write paragraphs. You will find that many of these elements overlap one another!

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1. Purpose
2. Sustained argument
3. Signposting
4. Order/structure of ideas
5. Coherence

1. Purpose

Writing a paragraph is like writing a mini-essay.

The topic sentence is your thesis, your analysis is your body and your linking sentence is the conclusion.

An essay without a thesis is simply an (often incoherent) information dump.

There is no focus and clarity: you aren’t demonstrating your ability to evaluate the text and answer the question.

This is the same with paragraphs without purposes. So, let’s see how we can give our paragraphs a purpose!

a. Directly support thesis

Body paragraphs need to directly support your thesis to make your essays more convincing.

Too often, students begin to waffle as they write. This is because the content of their writing isn’t directly supporting their thesis. What happens? They lose track of their thesis.

So, how can we support our thesis in our writing?

1. Brainstorm ideas that support your thesis during the planning stage
2. Select the strongest ideas (or ideas that interests you most)
3. Flesh out these ideas by giving them detail and focus (ask “why” and “how”!)
   eg. Don’t simply say, “Macbeth explores man’s desire for power.” Instead, write “Macbeth explores the consequences of man’s desire for power to highlight the importance of controlling it.”
4. Find strong evidence that supports your idea for each paragraph
5. Continue to signpost your thesis throughout your writing

b. Be specific

Your arguments should never be a generalisation or a broad statement.

If you are simply restating your thesis, then you are demonstrating that you don’t have a strong understanding of your text.

So, how do you ensure that your argument is specific enough?

1. Figure out your perspective about the issue and take a stand
2. Extend your thesis by asking ‘why’ or ‘how’
3. Provide additional insight for every paragraph
4. Ensure that each paragraph explores a different idea

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2. Sustained argument

Teachers always go on about the importance of sustaining an argument. But, do you really know what that means?

A sustained argument is a main argument (your thesis) that is consistently carried throughout your essay

This means that everything you write has to somehow relate back to your thesis, including your paragraph ideas, topic sentences, and conclusion, right down to your evidence and analysis.

So, let’s see how we can write a sustained argument:

a. Answer the question

You need to write an essay that answers the question you received, not the question you want.

This means that you have to ensure that your thesis, paragraph ideas, evidence and analysis are always relevant to the question.

So, you must:

1. Carefully read the question and break it down
2. Brainstorm ideas that answer the question
3. Select your thesis from your brainstorm (this is your purpose)
4. Brainstorm ideas that extend from your thesis
5. Select evidence that directly supports your thesis
6. Analyse your evidence in light of your thesis
7. Ensure that your writing always supports your purpose.

This will help you sustain your argument throughout your paragraph. All your writing is working towards a singular idea!

b. Relevant evidence and analysis

We know it’s tempting to show-off your analysis skills by analysing your most sophisticated piece of evidence instead of a less engaging but relevant example.

However, this will only cause you to lose marks because you are not answering the question.

So, how do you select relevant evidence:

1. Categorise your notes according to different themes (If you are looking for help making study notes check out our Ultimate Guide to Writing Perfect Study Notes or read our How to Make English Notes article to help!)
2. Select evidence that relates to the themes you’re keen on exploring or discussing
3. Always link your analysis back to your idea/purpose

3.  Signpost

Think of a signpost. They are signs that show the direction towards a town and how far away it is. They give travellers an indication of where they are headed or need to go.

Similarly, signposts in essay writing show your readers what to expect in your essay.

These are an essential way to continually remind your readers about your thesis and the purpose of the essay.

So, how do you signpost in your essay?

a. Topic sentences

Your topic sentences are the main signposts of your essay. They are the first line of each paragraph that labels what each paragraph is about.

Readers look at topic sentences to get a feel of your paragraph

That’s why it is important that your paragraphs directly support your thesis. Your topic sentence will indicate whether or not your thesis is sustained throughout your essay.

So, how do we write a topic sentence?

1. Accurately introduce the paragraph’s idea and purpose
2. If your idea is complex, break it down to 2 sentences to ensure it is introduced clearly
3. Use keywords from your thesis/question (this shows that you’re answering the question and sustaining your argument)

b. Keywords

You can also signpost by using keywords from your thesis or question throughout your essay.

This is an explicit way to show your readers that you are answering the question.

Using keywords as a signpost for your thesis/question also helps you sustain your argument. It stops you from straying away from your essay’s purpose.

So, how do you do this?

1. Highlight keywords or key phrases from your question
2. Consistently use it throughout your writing, not just your topic and linking sentences.

Note: It is better if you use the exact words and phrasing from the question. However, if you feel like it is getting repetitive, feel free to use some synonyms too.

4. Order and structure of ideas

Students tend to overlook the importance of ordering their ideas in a specific manner.

However, structuring your writing helps your reader easily follow your argument.

When you are planning your essays, you should think about ordering your paragraph ideas, and your evidence and analysis.

There are many different ways you can do this. Remember, you don’t have to stick to one method. Feel free to mix and match to suit the purpose of your essay.

Let’s see what the different structures are:

a. Logical progression

Logical progression refers to how each idea/analysis smoothly leads you to the next one.

You should use this method if your readers need to understand the 1st point to be capable of understanding the next.

For example, you need to understand the plot of Romeo and Juliet before you are able to understand its themes and messages.

This is an effective way to show how ideas/analysis are connected to one another. Students can also use logical progression to slowly lead the reader to a conclusion.

So, how do we structure our writing using logical progression?

1. Brainstorm and identify links between different ideas
2. Plan carefully – Think about how 1 idea leads to the next
3. Show cause and effect in your writing
4. Use connective words that add information, contrasts or concludes (eg. As such, moreover, however…)

b. Order of importance

These essays order their ideas/evidence from the most important/strongest to least important/weakest.

This method is useful if your ideas/evidence aren’t linked by cause and effect or if you want to persuade your reader.

By showing the most important argument/evidence first, you immediately capture the reader’s attention. This will keep them reading through your other points.

So, how do I use this structure in my essays:

1. Rank your ideas/evidence by their value in your planning stage
   • Which is more significant in relation to the thesis?
2. Use evaluative words (eg. clearly, importantly, effectively etc.)
3. Use connective words to transition between ideas/evidence (eg. Similarly, furthermore, also)

5. Coherence

Coherence refers to the clarity and unity of your writing.

Think about coherence as the bridge linking your sentences, ideas and paragraphs.

A coherent essay means that all parts of your writing work well together to ensure that your readers are able to follow the flow of your writing and ideas.

So, how do we ensure that our writing is coherent?

a. Connective words

Connective (or transition) words are extremely useful when drawing connections between different points.

You can use them to lead your reader to the next sentence or paragraph.

Let’s see the different types of connective words you can use in your writing:

b. Repeating words

Similar to signposting, repeating words show your readers that you are linking to previously discussed points.

For example,

“William Golding explores themes of civilization and anarchy in Lord of the Flies. Here he uses the conch shell to symbolise civilisation as it ensures order during the boy’s meetings; whoever holds the shell is allowed to speak during the meeting without interruption. As such, when the conch shell was broken, Golding highlights how the boys have fallen into anarchy“

Notice how the repeated words unify this short paragraph? It explicitly shows us that every sentence and analysis is connected to one another in different ways.

So, don’t shy away from repeating the same words!

c. Writing is unified by a thesis

As we’ve consistently stated throughout this article, your writing should always be unified by your thesis (your purpose).

Even if you don’t pay attention to repeating words or connective words, your essays will be coherent as long as your ideas, topic sentences, evidence and analysis consistently support your thesis.