Students often ask how they can write better papers. The key to writing better papers actually lies in writing great paragraphs.
Good paragraphs provide structure and flow to your paper. They provide evidence to back up your thesis statement and guide your reader through your argument.
Here are some tricks to help you write great paragraphs for your papers:
1) Write a good thesis statement
In order to write good paragraphs, you have to start with a good thesis statement. Without this, you run the risk of running off-topic throughout your paper. A good thesis statement is one that is:
- Polemical. One could argue either for or against it.
Poor example: “Many parents feel they don’t have enough control over their child’s online activities.” This is too general and hard to argue against. After all, many parents probably do feel they don’t have enough control over this issue and therefore, this is not a good thesis statement.
Good example: “Social media should include more ways for parents to manage their children’s online activities.” This is a polemical statement that one could easily fall on one side or the other of the argument.
- Specific. A thesis statement should be specific, not general.
Poor example: “Parents usually want more control over their children’s activities.” This is too general and doesn’t let the reader know what specific issue you’ll be talking about.
Good example: “Parents should demand more control over their children’s activities from social media platforms.” This shows the reader specifically what you’ll be discussing in your essay.
2) Outline
Using your thesis statement as a guide, write an outline of all the issues you plan to cover in your essay and the order you plan to discuss them. This will help you formulate good paragraphs and maintain a logical flow throughout your paper. Your outline should include:
- Opening paragraph (with a thesis statement). Where you introduce your topic to the reader and present them with the thesis statement.
- Supporting paragraphs. Where you provide concrete examples and facts to support your thesis statement.
- Antithesis. Where you explore the other side of the argument and its merits including why you disagree.
- Concluding paragraph. Where you summarize the arguments stated in the paper.
3) Topic sentence
Pay particular attention to topic sentences as you craft your paragraphs. Topic sentences should accomplish the following things:
- Express the main point of the paragraph.
- Let the reader know where they are in the essay by letting them know what they’ll be learning about in this paragraph.
- Summarize the main point of the paragraph.
4) Stay on course
One of the biggest mistakes in paragraph writing is drifting off-topic. For example, if your topic sentence was “The 2008 election proved that voters were ripe for political change after the Bush administration,” make sure that you use details, facts and evidence to support this. What was the voter turnout for the election? What kind of change did people want? What were the major differences in the Obama campaign and the Bush administration? These would be appropriate issues to address in this paragraph. Don’t start talking about Nelson Mandela’s election in South Africa. That could be relevant to the general topic you’re covering, but it doesn’t belong in this particular paragraph.
5) Transition words
Use transition words throughout your paragraphs in order to signal to the reader that you’re:
- Adding new information to back up a statement you already made: furthermore, in addition, likewise.
- Providing a counterpoint to a statement: however, even though, although, on the other hand.
Transition words help create a flow of your paragraphs and keep the reader informed as to the next steps in your argument.
Your paper’s paragraphs should remain true to your thesis statement, include well-written topic sentences, specific on-topic details and well-placed transition words to guide the reader through your essay. Good luck and happy writing!