The Paragraph --

The qualities of a paragraph are the same as for a composition as a whole. They are:

• Unity
  
• Continuity
• Variety

Some textbooks add "proportion" to the list of qualities. Right now we will focus on the others.

Unity

"Unity" is what holds the paragraph together and separates it from the other paragraphs in the piece of writing. Most writing courses tell you to write a topic sentence and then use the rest of the paragraph to support or elaborate the main point. This is probably not how good writers actually think about their writing as they write, though. Perhaps it's more helpful to remember at the times when you need to revise a paragraph (in other words, when you notice it could use some improvement).

Here are some elements that are probably fairly obvious that help to maintain unity.

• A paragraph should use the same point of view and tense throughout.
• A paragraph should follow logical order -- for example, chronological (by order of time), or spatial (by order of place), or by order of importance.
• A paragraph should have some repetition to link the ideas, details, examples, incidents, facts or reasons.

Here's one version of a paragraph checklist that focuses on some of these elements. You don't have to pay much attention to this right now.

Try:

Writing a Paragraph flashcards (try the Scatter)

Go on to NEXT section: Examples of Paragraphs