Using paragraphs

In a nutshell

A paragraph is a group of sentences. When writing, it is important to know what to write in your paragraphs. This summary will help you organise paragraphs in your writing.

Perfect paragraphs

Paragraphs help readers to enjoy their reading experience because it splits up writing into small, easy-to-read, chunks. Paragraphs are used to introduce a new part of the story, character or setting. 

When writing a paragraph, try and keep the same person, place and topic within each paragraph. You should also start a new paragraph when the person, place or topic has changed and start a new line when a new paragraph is introduced.

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Organising paragraphs

When writing a paragraph, think of the topic sentence, supporting sentences and adding detail.

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Examples

My mother is a very busy person. She works sixteen hours a day. She goes to the office early in the morning and come back late at night. Sometimes, she even works on Saturdays. She has no time to play or have fun.

My mother is a very busy person. My toy is broken. The cows are grazing in the fields. The sun sets in the west. My name is Kali Prassad. A mouse is a little creature.

These are examples of paragraphs. However, the first example is an example of a good paragraph because it talks about one topic, which is the mother and her work schedule. The second paragraph is not a very good paragraph because each sentence is different and its own topic. Here are some reasons the first paragraph is considered a good paragraph:

• The paragraph includes a topic sentence: 'My mother is a very busy person.'
• It also includes supporting sentences which tells the reader how busy the mother is: 'She works sixteen hours a day. She goes to the office early in the morning and comes back late at night.'
• There is also additional information included: 'Sometimes she even works on Saturdays. She has no time to play or have fun.'

If you aim to write like this in each paragraph, your writing will be very well structured!