How to Write a Well-Developed Paragraph

The key to writing a well-developed paragraph is organization. Approach your writing as you would a recipe and you can’t go wrong. Just follow the steps in an orderly fashion and your paragraph will be coherent and worthy of an A+!

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Choose a topic. Paragraph writing differs from essay writing. Your paragraph needs to be focused and organized. To achieve that focus you need to choose a very narrow topic.

2. Make a strong statement in the introduction. This is your Main Point. Let your reader know right away, in the first sentence, what your paragraph is going to be about.

3. Show, explain and prove your Main Idea by using support points in the body of your paragraph. This includes all the facts and details that pertain to your Main Point. The body paragraph should be 3 to 6 sentences long. Obviously, 6 sentences is considered a better well-developed paragraph!

4. Restate the Main Point in the conclusion of your paragraph.

5. Make an additional observation about your topic in the last sentence of your conclusion. This is not a restatement of the Main Point; it is more detail regarding the Main Point.

Tips & Warnings

• Type your paragraph using 12-point font and double spacing.
• Use transitional words and phrases throughout your paragraph.

Resources

• More advice on writing paragraphs.