Writers sometimes begin with a transition sentence before introducing the topic of the new paragraph.Ī topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph. Transition sentences guide your reader smoothly from the topic of the preceding paragraph into the topic of your new paragraph. Instead, as you revise your draft think about how each sentence is functioning in your paragraph, and whether your paragraph has sufficient functional sentences to make its point. Thinking about paragraphs rigidly in terms of length may lead to formulaic writing. Remember this writing mantra: “Give your readers a break!” or “Good paragraphs give one pause!” Kinds of sentences in a paragraph Readers need planned pauses or breaks when reading long complex papers in order to understand your presented ideas. However, too many long paragraphs can provide readers with too much information to manage at one time. You’ll generally read and write longer paragraphs in academic papers.
Too many short paragraphs, however, may indicate that your ideas are not developed with evidence and analysis. Short paragraphs call a lot of attention to themselves, so they can effectively emphasize a point. In the final version of your paper you may have a shorter paragraph or two. For example, you can set a goal of writing four to six sentences per paragraph: in that number of sentences you can announce an idea, prove that idea with evidence, and explain why this evidence matters by linking it to the overall goal of your paper. In a first draft, it may make sense to set a goal for length. Paragraphs create order and logic by helping your reader recognize the boundaries where one point ends and another begins. Imagine reading this page without paragraph breaks.
Paragraphing helps readers to understand and process your ideas into meaningful units of thought. In academic writing, effective paragraphs serve as building blocks to construct a complex analysis or argument.
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