HOW TO DEVELOP IDEAS IN PARAGRAPHS Bilgi Writing

HOW TO DEVELOP IDEAS IN PARAGRAPHS Bilgi Writing and Learning Center

As a writer, you need well-developed ideas in the essay’s body paragraphs. When the ideas are not developed enough, students get poor grades So what does it mean to develop an idea?

You develop an idea by: supporting it, discussing its significance, showing how it connects to the rest of your essay and thesis statement. If you can do all three of these things, it will not be difficult for you to write strong, well-developed paragraphs.

To write a well-developed paragraph, follow the steps below. 1. What is the main idea of the paragraph? Write it as a complete sentence. This will be your topic sentence. 2. Support your main idea with at least one example. 3. Explain how your examples relate to your main idea. 4. Explain how your main idea supports your thesis.

3 Things Make a Good Paragraph: 1. Unity 2. Coherence 3. Elaboration “What do all of these mean? ”

“What does unity mean to you? ” • When a paragraph has unity, all the sentences relate directly to the main idea. • If there is a sentence off topic at all, this begins to create confusion for your reader. Use only the most important details!

“What does coherence mean to you? ” 1. Order details in a • A coherent paragraph is one in logical way which all of the sentences fit together. 2. Show a connection by using • When a paragraph has coherence, transitional words. your reader can easily follow your writing.

Some transitional words

Elaboration GIVING MORE DETAILS so your reader can get a clear picture of what you mean