English Language Writing Skills

By Danso Kwasi Nti Samuel (DAS). Study the complete course source, examine every model and practise alongside Professor Jarvis.

Course printed page 80 PDF page 86 of 505

For tables, matching columns, IPA and original formatting, open the course PDF above.

A paragraph of an essay is part of an essay (mini- essay) with one central

theme/topic/idea/point. In other words, a paragraph is a series of sentences that explains

only one point /theme. This means a paragraph should talk about only a point/idea.

In a broader sense, a paragraph can be a whole book. Examples are the Bible, science book,

story book, etc. They are paragraphs because they talk of one topic or idea/theme. Strictly,

we are dealing with a mini -essay paragraphs or point paragraphs which concentrate on the

development of one point.

Meaning of paragraph

A paragraph is a group of related sentences which develop one main idea called topic

sentence or controlling idea. The Paragraph has three main parts; an introduction, a body of

a paragraph and a conclusion.

It has the topic sentence and a few supporting sentences and a conclusion. For us to

understand and write a good paragraph, we must show the features of a good paragraph

which will be a guide when we are writing an essay.

The Features of a good paragraph

For us to understand and write paragraphs in a well-organized manner, we need to

understand the features of a good paragraph.

The signs or features of a good paragraph are;

     a. Paragraph unity.

     b. Paragraph coherency.

     c. Paragraph completeness.

     d. Paragraph consistency.

Let us go into details the various features of a good paragraph.