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Principles of Paragraphing

Many college writers create paragraphs with too little strategy; many simply hit “enter” on the keyboard when they see they’ve written 6-8 sentences since their last paragraph break.

But professional writing requires paragraphs adhere to certain principles of practice, as paragraphs—like sentences—are actually units of intellectual measurement. Some ideas are worth a whole sentence. Some ideas are worth a whole paragraph. Some ideas are so important they require a one sentence paragraph.

The keen professional writer will make strategic decisions about paragraphing during the planning phase, drafting phase, and revision phase of the writing process.

Principles of Paragraphing:

1. Build Paragraphs Around One “Big Idea.”

2. Present that “Big Idea” in the First Sentence.

3. Every Sentence Should Advance that “Big Idea.”

4. Align the Grammatical Subjects.

Big Ideas (1-3 explained):

Paragraphs are a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. Learning to write effective paragraphs will help you communicate clearly and concisely with your intended audience. You may have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas aren't presented in an organized fashion, you will lose your readers—and fail to achieve the goal of the document.

The big idea of this paragraph is “paragraphs,” right? All sentences relate to that big idea.

Notice also that big idea is presented in the first sentence; the reader knows the paragraph’s content from the first words. In professional situations, readers must read quickly, so “topic sentences” are essential.

More subtly but equally as important, notice how each sentence teaches us something new about paragraphs by building on what has already been taught? Every sentence should advance the big idea! Readers do not want to a) see information repeated (think concision), b) have information presented in a hodgepodge manner (providing information we’re not ready for or information we needed earlier), or c) have to reread a paragraph to understand its content.

Subject Alignment (the hardest paragraphing concept to grasp, maybe):

Paragraphs work best when each sentence begins with an anticipated, or “aligned,” subject.

Here’s a paragraph that isn’t aligned:

Roger lost his dog. On Friday morning, the door was opened because smoke was filling the apartment. Five to ten minutes later, Rodger shut the door. The dog had vanished when the door was open.

“The door” comes out of nowhere right? We don’t understand how “the door” relates to the big idea of “Roger losing his dog.”

How to Keep Subjects Aligned—Strategies of Drafting:

1. Consistent Subjects: Every sentence uses the same subject. (Pronouns and synonyms help avoid repetition)

Ex) Roger lost his dog. On Friday morning, he opened the door to let smoke vacate the apartment. Five to ten minutes later, he shut the door. Only then did Roger notice his dog was missing.

2. Chaining: Every sentence begins with a known subject and ends with new information. Every sentence after the first uses the last new information as its subject.

Ex) Roger lost his dog. The dog went missing when Roger opened his apartment’s door to let smoke out. Five to ten minutes later, the smoke had left—and so had the dog!

3. Foreshadow a subject, allowing the audience to anticipate its appearance, as in:

Roger’s dog escaped from his apartment. The door was left open during a kitchen fire, allowing the dog a chance to flee…

***Of course, professional writers don’t rely on a single one of these strategies when drafting. Writers have learned the three strategies and use a mix of the three strategies to ensure their subjects remain aligned.***

Keeping Subjects Aligned—Strategies for Revision:

1. Use introductory information to steer the reader toward an unanticipated subject, as in:

Wild salmon are a necessary component of any watershed in the Pacific Northwest. Without salmon, nutrients would not move from the ocean to the inland valleys.

The steering shows the reader how this new subject relates to the known information.

2. Use the passive voice to help highlight the “right” subject.

Crime statistics are a necessary component of any law enforcement strategy. Without these statistics, police officers wouldn’t know where to concentrate their efforts. The Census Bureau compiles data and then delivers crime statistics to the law enforcement agencies.

Vs.

Crime statistics are a necessary component of any law enforcement strategy. Without these statistics, police officers wouldn’t know where to concentrate their efforts. Crime statistics are compiled by the Census Bureau and delivered to the law enforcement agencies.