Paragraphs

In academic writing, a paragraph should have a single controlling idea and should develop that idea with supporting details, not simply restate the point in different words.

Is your paragraph only two or three sentences long?

It is probably not fully developed.

Is your paragraph more than a page long?

It probably needs to be condensed, pruned, or divided into two.

*Strategy: Making a numbered list of your paragraphs, using a brief statement of the single controlling idea in each, is a good way to get an overview of a rough draft before revising it. Ask yourself: “Does each idea here lead logically to the next? Do I have transitions to help the reader see how paragraphs are related to each other and to the thesis, or to the question I am responding to? Am I repeating myself?”