How to Write a Background Paragraph

Your background paragraph must be credible, so check with trustworthy colleagues if you need to validate certain information.

If you are required to write a background paragraph, you must be "in the know." In other words, someone is depending on you to provide information that they do not have in order to better understand a present dynamic. Supervisors at large organizations write such paragraphs frequently--most often for their supervisors who have little to no contact with the person or situation that requires the background information. Such exercises must therefore be handled carefully, with a deft balance of precision and diplomacy.

Instructions

1. Write a topic sentence, which sets the tone and direction for the rest of the sentences in the paragraph to follow. "Tuesday's unfortunate incident mirrored several others my staff and I have observed since Steve joined our staff last September." However, if you're feeling creative and believe you can pull it off, write a teaser sentence that merely hints at the background information to come: "In retrospect, perhaps we should have known that Tuesday's incident was bound to happen eventually."

2. Write between three and five more sentences that build upon your topic sentence, choosing your words with care and precision and ensuring that your sentences are unified, cohesive and flow easily from one thought to the next. Whichever tack you choose, it is now incumbent on you to chronicle Steve's past errors and, perhaps, his reaction to them as well.

3. Strive for concrete if not descriptive and vivid language, but be careful to maintain a posture of confident objectivity. In other words, stick with supportable, credible facts. Double-check dates and other pertinent information that may be fact-checked by another source.

4. Read every sentence in the paragraph several times and then test it against the topic sentence. This is known as "the relevancy test." Every sentence should amplify, advance and build upon the topic sentence. If you cannot validate a sentence's purpose in your background paragraph, delete it.

5. 

   Put your words through a mental sieve to see if they hold other meanings.

   Review every single word in the paragraph for its denotation as well as its connotation. Remember that even one poorly chosen or inaccurate word could jeopardize your credibility.

Tips & Warnings

• Read your paragraph (and the rest of the paper, for that matter) aloud and edit it for spelling, punctuation, grammar and style before making any revisions.

References

• "The New St. Martin's Handbook"; Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors; 1999.
• "The Little, Brown Handbook"; H. Ramsey Fowler, Jane E. Aaron and Kay Limburg; 1992.