How to write a good paragraph

An effective paragraph will have a single, clear focus. This focus should first be outlined in the topic sentence, and then explored in depth through the supplementary sentences. Often, the focus of the paragraph will be a direct response to the assignment question.

A topic sentence is usually the first sentence and directly outlines the focus of the paragraph. The topic sentence should capture all aspects of the paragraph in a single sentence. Notice in the paragraph above how the topic sentence directly responds to the essay question by repeating key words from the question (or synonyms of these words), such as “digital communication”, “across cultures” and “connections” . Once you have a clear topic sentence, you can use this as a guide when writing your paragraph. Check that all your supplementary sentences directly relate to your topic sentence to ensure you stay on track.

Supplementary sentences make up the majority of your paragraph. The supplementary sentences should explore the central idea of the paragraph, and should be made up of a combination of references to other writers’ ideas or research, and sentences where you are explaining or evaluating these ideas. In the above paragraph, the following sentence is a supplementary sentence written in the author’s voice: “Many scholars suggest that social media is a way for many different people to form relationships in the digital space even though they may be separated geographically.” The purpose of this sentence is to introduce the referenced ideas which follow.

In a well-written paragraph, the ideas will be presented in a logical order. Notice in the above paragraph how there are two main lines of discussion. The first line of discussion begins with the sentence, “Many scholars suggest …”, and explores the ways in which different scholars agree that social media enhances cross-cultural connection. All the experts in this section of the paragraph are basically saying the same thing. Later in the paragraph, in the sentence which starts with “However, other scholars suggest…”, the writer signals the beginning of the second line of discussion by grouping together several researchers who emphasise the limitations of social media as a tool for promoting cross-cultural communication.  

If this essay had a longer word count, the writer may have chosen to dedicate a whole paragraph to summarising the benefits of social media for cross-cultural communication, and explored this in greater depth. The subsequent paragraph summarises the writers who don’t think that social media is suitable for this purpose. The important point is to ensure before you begin writing that you have an assignment plan that outlines the focus of each paragraph.

A concluding sentence, much like a topic sentence, should indicate the scope of what has been discussed in the paragraph. Notice how in the above paragraph the concluding sentence acts as a mirror to the topic sentence by repeating the key focus of the paragraph, but also includes a small amount of additional information – that more research needs to be conducted in this area. Sometimes, a concluding statement will signal the content of the next paragraph.