Paragraph Structure
We've been doing it all year with our One Page Papers. Now you just have to do it 2-3 times, depending on your paper. Below is generally how you should structure your paragraphs:
- Topic Sentence (1 Sentence): In your One-Page Papers, this was your thesis. Basically, what's the focus of the next paragraph we're reading.
- Context (1-2 Sentences): Essentially, what information is needed so the reader understands the evidence. More information about how to do this can be found here.
- Evidence (1 Sentence): Either a quote from the text or a description of an image. Make sure you're able to analyze your evidence – it should show, not tell. More information about how to do this can be found here. Be sure to correctly cite your evidence.
- Analysis (2-3 Sentences): In your analysis you should be moving from a more granular analysis to a broader connection back to your idea for the paragraph and larger thesis. More information about how to do this can be found here.
- Repeat Context, Evidence, and Analysis. You should do this at least twice.
- Conclusion/Bridge (1 Sentence): In this final sentence of your paragraph, you should work to wrap up the ideas you've made and move us towards the next paragraph. If you can't make that bridge in this concluding sentence, you can work it into the beginning of your next paragraph.
- To write an effective concluding/bridging sentence for your paragraph is what helps you to write an essay that naturally flows and feels that it is building on itself. Here are some ways you can consider doing this:
- (a) Looking Back, Looking Forward Method: This is the classic "bridge" technique. You spend the first half of the sentence summarizing the paragraph you just finished and the second half hinting at what’s coming next.
- Formula: "While [Point A] establishes the foundation for X, it is the introduction of [Point B] that truly complicates the narrative."
- (b) Use Pivotal Conjunctions: If your next paragraph offers a counter-argument or a shift in perspective, your concluding sentence should signal that "pivot" early. This prevents the reader from feeling "idea whiplash."
- Contrast: "However, this internal conflict does not fully reflect..."
- Causality: "Because the character is developed in this way..."
- Complexity: "This use of imagery, however, not only works to develop a clear setting, but also the atmosphere which we see when examining..."
- (c) The Echo Technique: Identify a key word or concept from your next paragraph’s topic sentence and "echo" it at the end of your current paragraph.
- Next Paragraph: Discusses the Bleak Landscape
- Weak Ending: "Thus, the protagonist's isolation is complete."
- Strong Ending: "The protagonist's isolation is complete, set against a bleak landscape that mirrors his internal state."
- (d) Focus on the "So What?": Analytical essays often fail when they describe what happened but forget why it matters. Use your concluding sentence to tie your specific paragraph point back to your overall thesis and then use that to point us towards what's next in your paper.
- Example: "By deconstructing the imagery of the clock, we see that the author isn't just obsessed with time, but is actually preoccupied with the inevitability of decay—a theme that extends into the poem's final stanzas."
Want to look at an exemplar essay? Here's one.