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Effective Paragraphs
Completion requirements
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Just as poor sentences will make a document difficult for the reader to understand, so writing which is not broken up into paragraphs make it difficult to understand the message. Paragraphs can vary in length depending on the amount of information they cover. However, all good paragraphs consist of the following:
Topic Sentence
The topic sentence is the thought or vital piece of information from which the rest of the paragraph flows. The topic sentence is the first sentence in the paragraph and should be quite short.
The topic sentence must be supported with details. When giving details, be specific. Give dates, places, times and names.
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Too Vague |
More Specific |
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Several people complained that it gets too hot in the office. |
Thirteen employees reported the temperature rose above 24oC in the Customer Service Department on January 13,15,18 and 21. |
Be complete. Give all the information necessary for the reader to act.
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Incomplete |
More complete |
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The meeting will be on Thursday during lunch. |
The secretarial staff will meet Thursday, 17 June 2001, 12 noon at the Kraft Cafe, 113 Long Street, |
Be accurate. Check your facts. Are they correct?
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Incorrect |
Correction |
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Since Freedom Day is on Friday in 2004, all security personnel were required to work that night. |
[Freedom Day was on a Saturday in 2004.] |
Be clear. Avoid jargon and company specific phrases.
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Difficult |
More Clear |
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In future incendiary emergency exercise egress patterns cannot be disregarded by assigned marshals or the result may be ultimate loss of personnel. |
Marshals must ensure that emergency exit routes are practiced in fire drills, or people may die. |
Be ordered. Write the way things happened. Bring the reader along with you step-by-step.
The opening paragraph should create the context or framework for the rest of your document.
The middle paragraph(s) or body should deal clearly with the topics you are writing about.
The closing paragraph should summarise the main points or ideas and tie up loose ends. Be specific.
Be concise. Avoid wordiness. Use the fewest words possible. Remember to try shorter sentences to make your writing more readable.
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Wordy |
More Concise |
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It has come to my attention, as brought forward by several straight-thinking and appreciated employees in the mail room, that personal correspondence not addressed to a localized address in the company is requiring far too much valuable and expensive company time to research. |
Please request that all mail sent to you includes your work station identification in the address. Thanks to the mail room for their help in alerting us to this way of reducing costs. |
In order to create effective paragraphs you need to:
Focus on one idea at a time. Combining different topics in a paragraph can be confusing.
Keep your paragraphs short as long paragraphs lose their focus and become boring. Keep to one thought and no more than three sentences per paragraph.
Vary the length and structure of both your sentences and paragraphs as this will help keep you document interesting.