CEL discusses some very important aspects of using paragraphs in essays. I'm not going to repeat what you can read for yourself. Besides, much that is discussed should be general review for you (as I hope is the case with this lecture).
However, there are a few points that I want to remind you about as you work on drafts, and particularly when you revise for the portfolio.
The purpose of organizing your essays by paragraphs is to help your audience follow your discussion.
From the Online Book Initiative's "Online Book Repository."
- What did you do?
From "Couch Potato PCs" PC Magazine Online, ©1997
I thought so.
So have I.
Besides the fact that the text above is in Old English, the site of a massive block of text for the modern reader is daunting.
- What that says about our mental capacities today compared to a century or more ago, I'm not here to say.
But the point is that we need to divide up our essays into manageable paragraphs so that our readers can more effectively follow our train of thought.
So here are a few tips about using paragraphs in academic essays.
- Usually each paragraph includes a topic sentence (kind of like a mini-thesis statement for the paragraph).
- And each of the rest of the sentences backs up that topic sentence.
- When you change topics, you change paragraphs.
- If you find me noting in an essay [¶ unity] at the end of a paragraph, that means that you changed topics without changing paragraphs, or you digressed into some side issue that doesn't fit with the overall topic of the paragraph.
- In other words, you should make sure that you provide a number of sentences that provide plenty of support to show the validity of your topic sentence.
- Here is a memory device from Lynn Troyka in her Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers:
RENNS
Reasons--why your assertion in the topic sentence is so.
Examples--that show the validity of your assertions.
Names--of people, places, things, aliens, other dimensions.
Numbers--ages, dates, statistics, weights.
Sense details--smells, images, tastes, sounds.
Just a little speech that one of my first college instructors said to me (and which I paraphrased earlier):
- "Very few people will accept that something is so just because you say it.
Your mother might, but I doubt it.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend might, but not for long.
Your kids might--but only until they're two.
We all must face a rather obvious truism: Just because you say it, doesn't make it so."
Therefore, you have to back up whatever you assert so that we can see the validity of your point.
Hence, fully developed paragraphs.
- Therefore, for a double-spaced academic essay, you should expect to see between one to three paragraph breaks per page.
- If you find your paragraphs longer than this, you should look for ways to logically divide them along natural topic changes.
- If you find your paragraphs shorter than this, you should look for ways to develop your topics more fully.
This is not to say there is not a place for really short one or two sentence paragraphs.
- When you want a point to stand out, a very short paragraph is quite effective.
- Or if you want to emphasize the transition from one major section of your essay to another, very short paragraphs work well.
But they should be rare in an academic essay.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me or e-mail me. My phone number can be found at the top of the syllabus, and office hours can be found at https://angel.lcc.edu/AngelUploads/Files/holtd/_profile.htm. I do have voice mail for my phone if I'm not in. And I'm available on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) during my office hours. (If you want to meet at some other time, contact me and we can arrange such.) I will also be in Second Life on Angel Learning Isle. Finally, you can contact me through Twitter (danholt) or Facebook.
[Introduction] [Organization] [Thesis statements] [Paragraphing]
Created by Dan Holt 9/19/1997
Revised
15 Feb 2010 12:55 PM -0500
© by Dan Holt, 2010
