WRITING PARAGRAPHS

The Building Blocks of a Strong Paragraph

  1. Topic Sentence
    Start with a clear statement that answers the question or introduces your main idea. A good trick is to rephrase the question in your answer.
  2. Main Points
    Include 2–3 key points that support your topic sentence.
  3. Evidence & Analysis
    Back up each point with at least two pieces of evidence (facts, examples, quotes). Explain how your evidence supports your points and connects to your main idea.
  4. Concluding Sentence
    Wrap up by summarizing your paragraph and showing how it proves your argument.
💥PRO TIP: You don’t always need a separate sentence for each part. Many writers combine main points, evidence, and analysis into the same sentence. Just make sure each part is clearly included.

💥PRO TIP: Write an outline to help you organize your ideas before your start writing.

Memory Aids to Help You Write Better Paragraphs

Try one of these strategies to help you remember how to write detailed paragraphs that properly explain your main idea or effectively defend your argument. You can use them to write single paragraph answers or to create effective body paragraphs for essays.

Sample Paragraph

Here is a sample of a paragraph written about the following topic:
​Explain how Renaissance art differed from medieval art.

An outline for this topic might look like this:

The final paragraph might look something like this:

Colour Coding Key
  • Topic sentence
  • Main Point 1
  • Evidence to Support Main Point 1
  • Main Point 2
  • Evidence to Support Main Point 2
  • Concluding Sentence
⭐⭐⭐
Note how analysis is always provided to show how the evidence supports the point.
               Renaissance art was really different from medieval art because it was more realistic and had different themes. Medieval art, like the Bayeux tapestry, looks flat and things aren't the right size. Renaissance artists developed new techniques, like perspective and proportion, that helped make their work look more realistic. Leonardo da Vinci used these techniques when painting the Virgin of the Rocks, a painting where the people look lifelike and the background has depth. In the Middle Ages art was mostly about war, religion and death. Renaissance art was more optimistic. Renaissance artists still made art with religious themes, but they also focused on classical themes, beauty and human perfection. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is an excellent example of a painting where these three themes are present. If you look at a medieval painting and a Renaissance painting, you will easily see the difference.
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