What is a paragraph?

Paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and Connors 116). Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. This “controlling idea” guides what happens in the rest of the paragraph, and within the context of paragraphs it is called a topic sentence.

Topic Sentences

Every paragraph usually should begin with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph will prove/develop. The first paragraph of a main point should contain a clear global topic sentence that provides the reader with expectations at the start of the paragraph; in this way you help them understand where you are, were you are going, and how the paragraph fits in with the global structure of your essay. Further, topic sentences should always connect back/speak, explicitly or implicitly, to your thesis statement – if you cannot find a way to describe a paragraph in relation to your thesis, you probably do not need it.

If you have more than one paragraph for a main point of development (sub-topical paragraphs), be sure to include a local topic sentence for each that indicates you are still on the same main point but are writing about something different or offering further development in relation to it.