10 Structure of a Paragraph

Your essay MUST be organized into separate paragraphs, each with its own controlling idea. In general, a paragraph should be structured like this:

1. Topic sentence (ts). The ts should explain the controlling idea of the paragraph, kind of like a thesis statement for a single paragraph. What are trying to accomplish in this paragraph? What do you want your reader to understand in this section of your essay?

2. Supporting Details. Provide details that support or explain the main point you’re trying to make in your paragraph.

3. Example. The kind of example you provide might vary depending on the genre of the text you’re writing. If you’re writing a textual analysis or some other essay that requires sources, your example will probably be a quote sandwich. In personal writing, you might provide an anecdote from your own experience that helps explain something clearly. Keep in mind, though, that any sources you include in your essay should be quoted at least twice, and every quote needs to be part of a quote sandwich.

4. Concluding sentence (cs). The cs ties together your discussion in the paragraph and connects it back to your main point in the project as a whole. This is where you explain the significance of the ideas in this paragraph.