When to Paragraph

How do you know when a paragraph is done or when it’s time to start a new one? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer because it depends on what you’re writing and the style you’re using. For example, digital writing often uses shorter paragraphs to make it easier to read.

When you’re revising, look for spots where the focus shifts, and add paragraph breaks there. You can try to break paragraphs as you draft, but it’s okay to fine-tune them during revision.

Overall Paragraph Structure of an Essay

Essays are often structured like the outline shown below, though the format can vary depending on the purpose and rhetorical style of the assignment. You’re probably familiar with the basic five-paragraph essay format. While some may dismiss it, this structure is helpful for organizing ideas without being too rigid. As you write longer essays in college and possibly for your job, five paragraphs might not be enough, but the same principles still apply: use paragraphs to separate topics and support each topic sentence with evidence.

• 1. Introduction
     • Background information on topic
     • Overall point of view of the topic (thesis)
     • Overview of components to be discussed (structure)
  2. Body paragraphs
     • paragraph 1
       • Topic sentence outlining first component
       • Sentences giving explanations and providing evidence to support topic sentence
       • Concluding sentence – link to next paragraph
     • paragraph 2
       • Topic sentence outlining second component
       • Sentences giving explanations and providing evidence to back topic sentence
       • Concluding sentence – link to next paragraph
     • paragraph 3
       • Topic sentence outlining third component
       • Sentences giving explanations and providing evidence to back topic sentence
       • Concluding sentence – link to next paragraph
  3. Conclusion
     • Summary of the main points of the body
     • Restatement of the main point of view
     • Justification/evaluation (if required by task)

Figure 1. Just as architects carefully construct buildings, a well-structured essay will help readers to clearly follow and understand your ideas.

Linking Paragraphs: Transitions

In writing traditional five-paragraph essays, you may have been taught very basic transition sentences: “My first point is,” “In conclusion,” etc.

In college, your professors will expect less formulaic writing. Strong transition words or phrases that indicate linkages in ideas are the key to taking your writing to the next level and moving from the formulaic to the organic.

When writing your argument, you need to lead your readers from one idea to the next, showing how those ideas are logically linked. Transition words and phrases help you keep your paragraphs and groups of paragraphs logically connected for a reader.

Below are some examples of transition words to help as you transition both within paragraphs and from one paragraph to the next.

Transition Words and Phrases

We divide these transition words and phrases into four categories. Click on the arrows below to learn more about additive, adversative, causal, and sequential transition.

Making Connections

In general, if you feel your readers may have a hard time making connections, providing transition words (e.g., “due to” or “on the other hand”) can help lead them. Transitions between paragraphs may appear at the end of the first paragraph, at the beginning of the second paragraph, or in both places. If the transition introduces new ideas, it usually appears at the beginning of the second paragraph.

Proofreading Your Writing

From sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, your ideas should flow into each other smoothly and without interruptions or delays. If someone tells you that your paper sounds choppy or jumps around, you probably have a problem with transitions. Compare these two sentences:

• Proofreading is an important step in the writing process. Read your paper. You can say it aloud to catch errors. Use spell check on your computer.
• Proofreading is an important step in the writing process. One technique is to read your paper aloud, which will help you catch errors you might overlook when reading silently. Another strategy is to use spell check on your computer.

Both sentences contain the same information. The second example, however, has better transitions between ideas. Transition words and phrases can make a huge difference in the readability of your writing. If you have to pick one aspect of your writing to focus on during the revision process, consider focusing on adding effective transitions to help your reader follow your thinking.