#A PARAGRAPH HOW TO#

Step 4: Explain or interpret the evidence

This sentence cites specific evidence from a secondary source, demonstrating sighted people’s reluctance to accept Braille.

Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Descriptive examples of artistic or musical works, events, or first-hand experiences.

Qualitative or quantitative data that you have gathered or found in existing research.

Summaries, paraphrases, or quotations of secondary sources that provide information or interpretation in support of your point.

Quotations from literary texts, interviews, and other primary sources.

Common types of evidence used in academic writing include: “Evidence” here doesn’t just mean empirical facts-the form it takes will depend on your discipline, topic and approach. Now you can support your point with evidence and examples. See editing example Step 3: Give evidence

This sentence expands on the topic and shows how it fits into the broader argument about the social acceptance of Braille.

This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about-but why does this point matter for your overall argument? If this isn’t already clear from your first sentence, you can explain and expand on its meaning. Step 2: Show why the paragraph is relevant

Leaves space for evidence and analysis.

Clearly identifies this paragraph’s focus (the acceptance of Braille by sighted people).

Transitions from the previous paragraph (which discussed the invention of Braille).

It should be specific enough to cover in a single paragraph, but general enough that you can develop it over several more sentences.Īlthough the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. You can start by drafting a sentence that sums up your main point and introduces the paragraph’s focus. If you have already made a plan or outline of your paper’s overall structure, you should already have a good idea of what each paragraph will aim to do. News readers generally lose interest with long descriptions and even one-sentence paragraphs are considered both acceptable and impactful.First, you need to know the central idea that will organize this paragraph.

Journalists, for example, know that their readers respond better to short paragraphs. What’s more, if all of your paragraphs are long, you may lose opportunities to draw your reader in. The fact of the matter is that although you may have numerous valid facts or descriptions related to your paragraph’s core idea, you may lose a reader’s attention if your paragraphs are too long.

#A PARAGRAPH HOW TO#

READ: Splitting Paragraphs for Easier Reading How to write paragraphs people want to read

Yet, not all writing is academic, and once you have learned the concept behind good paragraph construction-which is really the art of focused writing in disguise-you should know that there are times when paragraph “rules” can, and should, be broken. You can see from this example how a topic is introduced, supported, and then brought to its natural conclusion. They appear to have been highly prized by early North American hunter-gatherers and were their only animal companions for centuries, since there were no horses on the continent until the 16th century. When the first humans came to North America from Eurasia, at least 12,000 years ago, domesticated dogs came with them. DNA studies on archaeological finds suggest that dogs may have been domesticated by humans as long as 40,000 years ago. Recent research has provided a wealth of insight about how dogs came to be domesticated by humans and the roles they played in Native American culture.

A paragraph