What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a unit of writing that consists of one or more sentences,

all of which relate to the same topic. Paragraphs are essential for
organizing long pieces of writing such as novels, papers, or even
emails. Each paragraph should focus on a single topic.

How is a paragraph structured?

Before we dive into paragraph structure, let’s start with paragraph

meaning. A paragraph is an individual segment of writing that
discusses a central idea, typically with more than one sentence. It even
has its own paragraph symbol in copyediting, called the pilcrow (¶), not
to be confused with the section symbol called the silcrow (§) that’s
common in legal code.

Here we focus mainly on paragraph structure, but feel free to read

our ultimate guide to paragraphs for more of the basics.

Parts of a paragraph

Like other forms of writing, paragraphs follow a standard three-part

structure with a beginning, middle, and end. These parts are the topic
sentence, development and support, and conclusion.

Topic sentences, also known as “paragraph leaders,” introduce the

main idea that the paragraph is about. They shouldn’t reveal too much
on their own, but rather prepare the reader for the rest of the
paragraph by stating clearly what topic will be discussed.

The development and support sentences act as the body of the

paragraph. Development sentences elaborate and explain the idea
with details too specific for the topic sentence, while support sentences
provide evidence, opinions, or other statements that back up or confirm
the paragraph’s main idea.

Last, the conclusion wraps up the idea, sometimes summarizing

what’s been presented or transitioning to the next paragraph. The
content of the conclusion depends on the type of paragraph, and it’s
often acceptable to end a paragraph with a final piece of support that
concludes the thought instead of a summary.

How many sentences are in a paragraph?

Most paragraphs contain between three and five sentences, but there
are plenty of exceptions. Different types of paragraphs have different
numbers of sentences, like those in narrative writing, in particular,
where single-sentence paragraphs are common.

Likewise, the number of sentences in a paragraph can change based

on the style of the writer. Some authors prefer longer, more descriptive
paragraphs, while other authors prefer shorter, faster-paced
paragraphs.

When it comes to nonfiction writing, like research papers or reports,

most paragraphs have at least three sentences: a topic sentence, a
development/support sentence, and a conclusion sentence.
 Types of paragraphs

Depending on the kind of writing you’re doing, you may need to use
different types of paragraphs. Here’s a brief explanation of the
common paragraph types most writing deals with.

 Expository: Common in nonfiction and all types of essays, expository

paragraphs revolve around explaining and discussing a single point or
idea.

 Persuasive: Just like expository paragraphs, persuasive paragraphs

focus on discussing a single point; however, they support opinions
instead of facts.

 Narrative: When telling a story, a narrative paragraph explains an

action or event. Each new sentence furthers or expands upon the
action by providing new information.

 Descriptive: Also common in storytelling, descriptive paragraphs

focus on describing a single topic, such as a person or an
environment. Each new sentence adds a new detail about that topic.

The type of paragraph used usually depends on the type of writing. For
example, if you’re writing a research paper, it would be difficult to
justify a narrative paragraph.

How to write a paragraph

Paragraph structure isn’t just for the benefit of readers, it also helps
authors organize their thoughts and communicate clearly. Below we
explain the different steps of how to write a paragraph, from the
paragraph introduction all the way to the conclusion.

How to plan a paragraph

Before you begin writing a paragraph, look at how the paragraph fits
into the writing as a whole. As mentioned above, different types of
writing use different types of paragraphs, so make sure the paragraph
type you’re planning matches the context.

Ideally, you’ll already have an outline for whatever you’re writing, which
will tell you what the paragraph is about and what to include. If not,
your first step is to decide on the paragraph topic and which facts to
include as support and development.

Keep in mind what comes before and after the paragraph so you can
plan the right topic for the flow of your writing. It’s jarring for the reader
when the author jumps wildly from one topic to the next, so try to keep
all related paragraphs together and in a logical sequence. If that’s not
possible, plan your topic sentence as a segue, perhaps using
a transition word.

It also helps to sketch out the parts of your paragraph: topic sentence,
development and support, and conclusion. The more you prepare
these parts now, the easier it will be to put them into words later.

How to start a paragraph

Unless you’re doing narrative writing, your paragraph introduction

should always be the topic sentence. The trick is to avoid
overexplaining—say only what’s necessary. The goal of the topic
sentence is to inform the reader what the paragraph is about;
everything extra should be saved for the following sentences.

For example, in the Twelve Years a Slave paragraph sample, the topic
sentence is only four words long. Northup saves the details for the
following sentences. As an added effect, the brevity of his first
sentence adds both mystery and potency, piquing the reader’s interest
and enticing them to continue.

On a technical note, when beginning a new paragraph, follow the rules

of paragraph indentation for whatever style guide you’re using. There
is a paragraph indentation debate about when to indent the first line
and when not to; really, it depends on the assignment or audience.

How to transition within a paragraph

It’s not enough to just throw all your support sentences into a
paragraph and hope for the best. For the convenience of your reader,
it’s best to connect the sentences in a way that lets the reader move
from one point to the next without getting confused.

While some paragraph sentences will run together on their own,

sometimes you need transition sentences to assist the flow. Transition
sentences make use of transition words like “however,” “therefore,” or
“similarly,” or sometimes directly reference the preceding sentence.

Consider the sentence in Russell’s paragraph example: “This is why

the heart is as important as the head.” If Russell had said only “The
heart is as important as the head,” it would have created an abrupt
tone—he adds “this is why” to ease the transition.
If your sentences create a list, such as instructions, you can transition
from one item to another using ordinals like “first,” “second,” “third,” etc.
Ordinals work well with difficult transitions because they can fit almost
any paragraph.

How/when to end a paragraph

When you’ve said everything you need to say about a topic, it’s time to
end the paragraph. If the paragraph looks like it’s too long after you’ve
said everything, consider breaking it up into separate topics and
paragraphs for the sake of the reader.

The best way to end a paragraph is to sum up the topic with all the
new information from the support sentences. In the excerpt
from Dracula, Stoker concludes with an overall impression of the Count
from all the details listed in the previous sentences.

However, it’s not always necessary to restate the topic, which can
sometimes come across as padding. It’s equally viable to end a
sentence stating one final piece of support. In these instances, it’s best
to conclude with the piece of information that has the most profound
effect, as with Northup’s excerpt.