Jackie Elliott

University of South Florida

 par·a·graph (pār'ə-grāf')
n. A distinct division of written
or printed matter that begins on
a new, usually indented line,
consists of one or more
sentences, and typically deals
with a single thought or topic or
quotes one speaker's continuous
words (Paragraph).
 A group of sentences or a single
sentence that forms a unit
(Lunsford and Collins).
 A brief article, notice, or
announcement, as in a
newspaper (Paragraph).
Paragraph development can be a scary process;
especially if a person is unfamiliar with the writing
process. The first thing we had to do was determine
what a paragraph was. It used to be believed that a
paragraph was at least 5 sentences, half a page, etc. We
now know that a paragraph is not determined by the
number of sentences but by how that paragraph flows.
 Unified – All of the sentences in a single
paragraph should be related to a single main idea
(often expressed in the topic sentence of the
paragraph).

 Clearly related to the thesis

- The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or
thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens).

 Coherent - The sentences should be

arranged in a logical manner and should follow a
definite plan for development (Rosen and Behrens).

&
 Well-developed -
Every idea
discussed in the paragraph should be adequately
explained and supported through evidence and
details that work together to explain the
paragraph's controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens).
1. Controlling idea and topic sentence(s)
 The expression of the main idea, topic, or
focus of the paragraph in a sentence or a
collection of sentences.

 Learning how to turn in homework assignments

on time is one of the most valuable skills that
college students can take with them into the
working world (Paragraphs).
2. Explanation of controlling idea
 The writers explanation of his thinking about the main
topic, idea, or focus of the paragraph.

 Though the workforce may not assign homework to its

workers in the traditional sense, many of the objectives and
jobs that need to be completed require that employees work
with deadlines. The deadlines that students encounter in the
classroom may be different in the content when compared
to the deadlines of the workforce, but the importance of
meeting those deadlines is the same. In fact, failure to meet
deadlines in both the classroom and the workforce can have
serious consequences (Paragraphs).
3. Example
 The example serves as a sign or representation of the
relationship established in the idea and explanation
portions of the paragraph.
 For example, in the classroom, students form a contract with
the teacher and the university when they enroll in a class. That
contract requires that students complete the assignments and
objectives set forth by the course’s instructor in a specified time
to receive a grade and credit for the course.
 Accordingly, just as a student risks failing in the classroom if
he/she does not meet the deadline for a homework assignment,
so, too, does that student risk termination in the workforce.
(Paragraphs)
4. Explanation (of example)
 The reasoning behind why you chose to use this/or
these particular examples as evidence to support the
major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.
 When a student fails to complete assignments by the
deadline, the student breaks her contract with the university
and the teacher. This often leaves the teacher with no other
recourse than to fail the student and the university with no
recourse than to deny the student credit for the course.
 A former student’s contract with his/her employer functions
in much the same way as the contract that student had with
his/her instructor and with the university in a particular
course.
(Paragraphs)
5. Completion of paragraph’s
idea or transition into next
paragraph
 A review for your reader
about the relevance of the
information that you just
discussed in the paragraph,
or a transition or preparation
for your reader for the
paragraph that follows.
 Developing good habits about
turning in assignments now
will aid your performance as a
future participant in the
working world (Paragraphs).
Controlling Idea and Explanation of
Example
Topic Sentence(s) controlling idea

Completion of
Paragraph’s Idea or Explanation of
Transition into Next Example
Paragraph
 Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th
Edition. New York: The Modern Language Association of America,
2003.
 Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy and Jane E Aaron. The Bedford
Reader. 7th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000.
 Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Collins. The St. Martin's Handbook. 5th
Ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2003.
 "Paragraph." 2004. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English
Language, Fourth Edition. 7 December 2008
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paragraph>.
 "Paragraphs." 1998-2007. The Writing Center, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill . 7 December 2008
<http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/paragraphs.html>.
 Rosen, Leonard and Laurence Behrens. The Allyn and Bacon
Handbook. 4th Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

*Majority of this Presentation Borrowed from The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill