Paragraphs

"A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develops one main idea.  Although there is no definite length for a paragraph, it is often from five to twelve sentences long." p. 18

• Clearly indent the first word of every paragraph about 1 inch (5 spaces).
• Extend every line of a paragraph to the right-hand margin.
• However, if the last word of a paragraph come before the end of the line, leave the rest of the line blank.  p. 19

Topic sentence and body --

• Most paragraphs contain one main idea to which all the sentences relate.
• The topic sentence states this main idea.
• The body of the paragraph develops and supports this main idea with particular facts, details, and examples.  p. 19

This material is adapted (or directly taken)  
from the college textbook Evergreen: A Guide to Writing by Fawcett/Sandberg, 5th Edition, 1996 Houghton Mifflin Co.  Susan Fawcett and Alvin Sandberg