I am want to believe that every teenager knows what a paragraph is. But then just in case I am wrong, I will briefly define- a paragraph is a part of a composition, an essay or a chapter which contains a set of related sentences about a particular subject matter or topic. The ability to write a good paragraph is inevitable to writing a generally well composed piece, which is why anybody hat aspires to become a good writer must first (among other things) learn how to write good paragraphs. Unfortunately, many students nowadays do not know how to write basic, well-structured paragraphs and as a result their entire compositions are incoherent and replete with errors. When the paragraphs in an essay for instance are not well written, the message being conveyed tends to get lost even as any attempt to read such an essay results in stress. That said, below are some the most common mistakes students make when writing paragraphs.
THE ABSENCE OF A TOPIC SENTENCE: This is the sentence in a paragraph, often appearing first, which summarizes the idea being conveyed in a paragraph. When your paragraph lacks a topic sentence, the entire paragraph becomes almost meaningless; unfocused. Therefore, students must ensure to write their topic sentences when writing their paragraphs in order to bring focus to their thought process in every paragraph in their composition.
LACK OF STRUCTURE: A good way to ensure that your paragraphs have structure is to consider every single paragraph you write as a miniature composition talking about a small idea which is part of something bigger. This way, you can learn to start your paragraph with an introduction (i.e. the topic sentence) just the same way you would start a typical composition, including a layer of body sentences and then ending with the concluding parts which would then lead to the next idea to be discussed in subsequent paragraphs.
WHEN PARAGRAPHS LACK FOCUS: This follows with what I have just mentioned above about structure. When your paragraphs lack structure, the entire composition losses focus. But a structured paragraph gives such a paragraph a particular focus which it then transfers to the next paragraph; bringing about what is called coherence.
WHEN THE PARAGRAPH IS UNNECESSARILY SHORT: Often times, students make the mistake of writing very short paragraphs that are made up of only one to three lines. No one could possibly state a topic sentence, espouse the idea and conclude it in just three sentences. Unless if really necessary to explain stuff in brief paragraphs, writing extremely short lines in a full-fledged article and calling such a paragraph is unacceptable. Take note please.
WRITING VERY LONG PARAGRAPHS: Just like it can be bad to write extremely short paragraphs, writing a lengthy one can also amount to a mistake. Too many sentences in paragraph can either cause the reader to lose focus or get bored; either of which is good enough if you really want to captivate your readers and pass across important information. The acceptable standard is writing at least ten sentences in your paragraphs; both simple and compound sentences. And if you paragraph must be long, ensure to write it in a way that meaning will not be lost in between.
In a related post I will write more about the paragraph, focusing more on its basic features and rules and with examples to guide. All the best please!
