process of writing paragraph

Jump to navigation

Inside Writing
Teacher's Guides
Student Models
Writing Topics
Minilessons
Shopping Cart
Inside Grammar
Grammar Adventures
CCSS Correlations
Infographics

Reading a Process Paragraph and Essay

Before you explain a process, you'll want to see how others did so. This lesson shows you a process paragraph and a process essay, explaining each part. As you read them, think about how the writers put ideas together and how you might explain ideas in your process writing.

Reading a Process Paragraph

A process paragraph has three main parts. The topic sentence states the process. The body sentences describe the steps. The ending sentence wraps up the process. This paragraph describes the process of building a tree house.

Listen to "Tree House Summer."

Sample Paragraph

Tree-house summer.

Topic Sentence Last summer, my friends and I built a tree house in my back yard. We started by designing the tree house. Body Sentences Then we listed materials we needed and found a store that sold building supplies. We took our list and the money we had saved and went shopping. We loaded everything into my dad’s van and headed back. The first thing we had to do was build a frame for the floor of the house. (My mom helped with that.) Next we used a rope to raise all the wood up into the tree. We then carefully nailed the boards to the frame, and we soon had a floor. After that, we added walls and a roof. Ending Sentences We now had a great place to hang out for the rest of the summer!

k12.thoughtfullearning.com

The Writing Process

The writing process is something that no two people do the same way. There is no "right way" or "wrong way" to write. It can be a very messy and fluid process, and the following is only a representation of commonly used steps. Remember you can come to the Writing Center for assistance at any stage in this process.

Steps of the Writing Process

Step 1: Prewriting

Think and Decide

Step 2: Research (if needed)

Step 3: Drafting

Step 4: Revising

Make it Better

Step 5: Editing and Proofreading

Make it Correct

How to Write a Paragraph

Last Updated: February 2, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 35 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 2,566,009 times.

Writing can seem like a challenge, but it doesn't have to be difficult! These suggestions will help you put together A+ paragraphs in no time.

Planning Your Paragraph

Writing Your Paragraph

Reviewing Your Paragraph

Paragraph Help

Expert Q&A

Don't wait until the last minute if this is for a school assignment. Give yourself plenty of time to plan out and write each paragraph. Your assignment will be of a much higher quality as a result. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 69 Not Helpful 13

About This Article

To write a great paragraph, start with a topic sentence that states the subject and main idea. In the next 3-5 sentences, present evidence, like facts, examples, or even short anecdotes, to back up your main idea. Use transition phrases, like “in addition to,” or “however,” to help your paragraph flow well. Finish the paragraph with a concluding sentence that reinforces the main idea, briefly sums up the evidence, and hints at the ideas to come in the next paragraph. To learn more from our English Ph.D. co-author, such as when to start a new paragraph or revise your writing, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Aug 31, 2022

Did this article help you?

Featured Articles

Watch Articles

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

Learn How to Write a Paragraph in 10 Easy Steps

Are you struggling to learn how to write a paragraph? This guide will give you the details you need to do it well.

Writing a clear and concise paragraph is one of the signs of being a good writer. A good paragraph has coherence, proper grammar, and the right structure.

Yet writing the perfect paragraph doesn’t happen by accident. You need to carefully plan everything from the first sentence to the last sentence to make it work.

This guide will teach you step-by-step how to write a paragraph, so you can start getting your points across to your readers well.

How to Write a Paragraph? Start with Knowing What Makes a Good Paragraph

Step 1: brainstorm your topic, step 2: write your thesis statement or topic sentence, step 3: write supporting sentences, step 4: write your last sentence, step 5: know when to start a new paragraph, step 6: use transition words, step 7: check grammar and spelling, step 8: read it out loud, step 9: check for consistency, step 10: rewrite for conciseness and clarity, common problems in paragraph writing, using strong paragraphs to write strong essays, a final word on how to write a paragraph, faqs on how to write a paragraph.

Before you can write a paragraph , you need to know its parts. A good paragraph will have:

Learning how to write a good paragraph is one of the most important writing skills you can develop. It makes your piece of writing stronger and helps readers stay engaged. Here’s how you can do it.

The first step in writing, whether a paragraph or a paper, is brainstorming. Think about your ideas, your position on the topic, and what research supports your position. Always spend some time thinking before putting pen to paper to write.

Want to learn more? Read our guide to brainstorming tips .

First, write your topic sentence. This sentence tells the reader what your point of view is and what the paragraph will tell them. It establishes the main idea or scenario for the following words.

Here is an example of a good central idea that can serve as a topic sentence:

The Pilgrims faced many troubles when they took their trip across the Atlantic on the Mayflower.

This clearly states the purpose of the paragraph, to talk about the struggles on the Mayflower.

The majority of the paragraph is the supporting middle sentences. The number you include depends on your writing audience.

Academic Writing

In academic writing, you can have long paragraphs with several supporting middle sentences. Each sentence should add support to the single topic in the topic sentence. They often include transition words to help them flow with the rest of the paragraph.

In the paragraph about the Pilgrims, these would work well as supporting sentences:

You could continue to add sentences until you have covered all of the supporting ideas.

Web Writing

In web writing, short paragraph construction works best. The middle sentences of the paragraph may just be a single sentence, so it needs to be strong.

Sometimes, each paragraph in web writing covers just one main supporting fact, with the first paragraph offering the topic sentence. This structure is different from traditional paragraph writing.

The last sentence of a paragraph does one of two things. Either it concludes the thought completely, or it transitions to the next paragraph.

If you have more to say on the topic but need to start a new paragraph, you can add transition words. If you have completely finished your thought, then any new thoughts need separate paragraphs.

Here is how you could conclude the Pilgrim paragraph and transition into a new paragraph on the troubles they faced at Plymouth:

Due to these struggles, several of the Pilgrims died on the voyage, and when they saw Plymouth on the horizon they were definitely ready to get off the boat.

This opens up the next paragraph while concluding the reason the struggles were so important to the Pilgrims’ story.

One of the skills you need to write paragraphs is knowing when it’s time to start a new one. Some signs that you need to start a new paragraph include:

Sometimes you need to start a new paragraph when your existing paragraph is getting too long. If you have many subpoints under your main topic, adding them into one large paragraph would not work well. Instead, use transitions to connect them to a previous paragraph as you develop the writing.

Keep in mind that English grammar does not have rules about the length of a paragraph. If it conveys the necessary thought, a single sentence can be a paragraph, but often you will need at least three.

Transition words connect sentences within a paragraph and also connect paragraphs within a document. You can over-use these, but you should have some of them.

Transition words may include numbers, like first,second or third, or they may include connecting words. Some of these include:

In addition

These words give your writing more cohesion and make it more interesting to read.

Once you have your ideas on paper, make sure the grammar and spelling are accurate. A strong paragraph has good grammar and no spelling errors, as well as good ideas. If it helps, consider running your paragraph or entire piece through some software.

We’ve rounded up the best grammar checkers to help in this guide.

Once you have a single paragraph written, read it out loud. It should be cohesive in tone and style. Reading it to yourself will show you if it is not.

Make sure every sentence of the paragraph flows smoothly into the next one. Keep your point of view consistent, and use varied vocabulary when you can.

Reading the paragraph out loud will also help you spot typos and problems with wording choices that make it less effective.

Consistency is the key ot a strong sentence. Things that need to stay consistent throughout your paragraph include:

Finally, rewrite your paragraph to make sure it is concise and clear. Our original Pilgrim paragraph reads like this:

The Pilgrims faced many troubles when they took their trip across the Atlantic on the Mayflower. First, they had little fresh water to drink. Not only that, but they also struggled with a number of diseases and fought seasickness. Third, the Mayflower ran into many winter storms over its 66 days at sea. Due to these struggles, several of the Pilgrims died on the voyage, and when they saw Plymouth on the horizon they were definitely ready to get off the boat.

You could rewrite this to be more concise like this:

The Pilgrims faced many troubles when they crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower. First, they had little fresh drinking water. They also struggled with disease and seasickness. Finally, the Mayflower hit many winter storms over its 66-day passage. Many Pilgrims died on the voyage, and when they saw Plymouth they were definitely ready to get off the boat.

This second paragraph is stronger because it has fewer words while still covering the same topics. It opens the door to write about them landing on Plymouth and starting a new colony in the following paragraphs.

As you learn how to write paragraphs, watch out for these common problems:

Spending some time learning how to write paragraphs is wise because you will use paragraphs in all of your writing. Essay writing relies heavily on well-thought-out paragraphs. Typically, an essay is five paragraphs long.

In the first paragraph, create a strong paragraph that introduces your topic and your main points. Then, each of the three paragraphs that follow will expound on one of those points. Finally, your conclusion will wrap up your thoughts and arguments.

Being able to write a paragraph is essential to being a good writer. Paragraph structure lets you assemble a group of sentences that cover a main point into one area of your writing. It guides the reader to know where your thoughts are and guides your writing so you do not ramble off-topic.

Yet writing a paragraph is not as easy as you might initially think. Learn the three basic parts of a paragraph, the opening, middle, and conclusion, and then learn to write them well.

With this skill under your belt, you will be a better writer.

How to write a paragraph?

To write a paragraph, first, decide on one main point. Write a topic sentence, then support it with additional sentences. Conclude the paragraph with a concluding sentence.

How to write a 5 paragraph essay?

Once you’ve mastered the basic paragraph, you are ready to combine paragraphs to make an essay. A 5 paragraph essay follows the same structure as a paragraph. It has an opening paragraph that introduces the main point, followed by three supporting paragraphs and one concluding paragraph.

Join over 15,000 writers today

Get a FREE book of writing prompts and learn how to make more money from your writing.

Success! Now check your email to claim your prompts.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

View all posts

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

What this handout is about

This handout will help you understand how paragraphs are formed, how to develop stronger paragraphs, and how to completely and clearly express your ideas.

What is a paragraph?

Paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and Connors 116). Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this handout, we will refer to this as the “controlling idea,” because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.

How do I decide what to put in a paragraph?

Before you can begin to determine what the composition of a particular paragraph will be, you must first decide on an argument and a working thesis statement for your paper. What is the most important idea that you are trying to convey to your reader? The information in each paragraph must be related to that idea. In other words, your paragraphs should remind your reader that there is a recurrent relationship between your thesis and the information in each paragraph. A working thesis functions like a seed from which your paper, and your ideas, will grow. The whole process is an organic one—a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where there are direct, familial relationships between all of the ideas in the paper.

The decision about what to put into your paragraphs begins with the germination of a seed of ideas; this “germination process” is better known as brainstorming . There are many techniques for brainstorming; whichever one you choose, this stage of paragraph development cannot be skipped. Building paragraphs can be like building a skyscraper: there must be a well-planned foundation that supports what you are building. Any cracks, inconsistencies, or other corruptions of the foundation can cause your whole paper to crumble.

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be :

How do I organize a paragraph?

There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief examples:

Illustration paragraph: a 5-step example

From the list above, let’s choose “illustration” as our rhetorical purpose. We’ll walk through a 5-step process for building a paragraph that illustrates a point in an argument. For each step there is an explanation and example. Our example paragraph will be about human misconceptions of piranhas.

Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea.

Controlling idea and topic sentence — Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans.

Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

Paragraph development continues with an elaboration on the controlling idea, perhaps with an explanation, implication, or statement about significance. Our example offers a possible explanation for the pervasiveness of the myth.

Elaboration — This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media.

Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)

Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the previous sentences.

Example — For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman.

Step 4. Explain the example(s)

The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence. The explanation should demonstrate the value of the example as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.

Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence.

Explanation for example — Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear.

Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph.

Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph

The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information to the larger paper, or you can make a concluding point for this example. You might, however, simply transition to the next paragraph.

Sentences for completing a paragraph — While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Finished paragraph

Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans. This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media. For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman. Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear. While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Troubleshooting paragraphs

Problem: the paragraph has no topic sentence.

Imagine each paragraph as a sandwich. The real content of the sandwich—the meat or other filling—is in the middle. It includes all the evidence you need to make the point. But it gets kind of messy to eat a sandwich without any bread. Your readers don’t know what to do with all the evidence you’ve given them. So, the top slice of bread (the first sentence of the paragraph) explains the topic (or controlling idea) of the paragraph. And, the bottom slice (the last sentence of the paragraph) tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the broader argument. In the original and revised paragraphs below, notice how a topic sentence expressing the controlling idea tells the reader the point of all the evidence.

Original paragraph

Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Revised paragraph

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Once you have mastered the use of topic sentences, you may decide that the topic sentence for a particular paragraph really shouldn’t be the first sentence of the paragraph. This is fine—the topic sentence can actually go at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph; what’s important is that it is in there somewhere so that readers know what the main idea of the paragraph is and how it relates back to the thesis of your paper. Suppose that we wanted to start the piranha paragraph with a transition sentence—something that reminds the reader of what happened in the previous paragraph—rather than with the topic sentence. Let’s suppose that the previous paragraph was about all kinds of animals that people are afraid of, like sharks, snakes, and spiders. Our paragraph might look like this (the topic sentence is bold):

Like sharks, snakes, and spiders, piranhas are widely feared. Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless . Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Problem: the paragraph has more than one controlling idea

If a paragraph has more than one main idea, consider eliminating sentences that relate to the second idea, or split the paragraph into two or more paragraphs, each with only one main idea. Watch our short video on reverse outlining to learn a quick way to test whether your paragraphs are unified. In the following paragraph, the final two sentences branch off into a different topic; so, the revised paragraph eliminates them and concludes with a sentence that reminds the reader of the paragraph’s main idea.

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. A number of South American groups eat piranhas. They fry or grill the fish and then serve them with coconut milk or tucupi, a sauce made from fermented manioc juices.

Problem: transitions are needed within the paragraph

You are probably familiar with the idea that transitions may be needed between paragraphs or sections in a paper (see our handout on transitions ). Sometimes they are also helpful within the body of a single paragraph. Within a paragraph, transitions are often single words or short phrases that help to establish relationships between ideas and to create a logical progression of those ideas in a paragraph. This is especially likely to be true within paragraphs that discuss multiple examples. Let’s take a look at a version of our piranha paragraph that uses transitions to orient the reader:

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, except in two main situations, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ instinct is to flee, not attack. But there are two situations in which a piranha bite is likely. The first is when a frightened piranha is lifted out of the water—for example, if it has been caught in a fishing net. The second is when the water level in pools where piranhas are living falls too low. A large number of fish may be trapped in a single pool, and if they are hungry, they may attack anything that enters the water.

In this example, you can see how the phrases “the first” and “the second” help the reader follow the organization of the ideas in the paragraph.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Lunsford, Andrea. 2008. The St. Martin’s Handbook: Annotated Instructor’s Edition , 6th ed. New York: St. Martin’s.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

Make a Gift

English 100: Interactive Writing

Process Pattern

Learning engineer, writing the process paragraph.

You can think of the process paragraph as a "how to." A process paragraph gives your reader instructions on how to accomplish something, or an account of how some event occured, or how something works.

Following a logical order is very important in a process paragraph. If you're writing instructions, steps should be listed in the order that they should be performed and if you're describing a past event, it's generally best to follow a chronological order.

Don't leave any steps out! Let's pretend I've never made a sandwich. Think about how you would tell me to make a PB&J. What's the first step? If the first thing you tell me to do is put peanut butter on a slice of bread, I might do something ridiculous like tear open the package of bread with my teeth, or scoop peanut butter out of the jar with my hand. Chances are, you're explaining a much more complicated process and if you assume that a step is understood, you could end up with disastrous results! Be specific and thorough so there are no misunderstandings!

Like any other kind of paragraph, your process paragraph should start with a topic sentence . In this kind of pattern, you want that topic sentence to clearly and specifically identify the process that you'll be describing and explain why this process is important. Instead of supporting sentences, the body of a process paragraph describes the steps of the process , but should not be a simple list. Using complete sentences and appropriate transitional phrases will keep your writing formal but interesting. Finally, you should include a concluding sentence that restates the importance or the purpose of the process you've described. Your concluding sentence might also mention the results your reader should expect from this process, or provide the reader with references for other sources of information.

Transitional Phrases:

First Before To begin with...

Last After Once you have...

Eventually Afterward Finally

Process Paragraph Examples - How to Write a Process Paragraph

Selecting An Idea

Please enable JavaScript

Run Through of the Steps

Write : If you want to stay organized in English class, spend time placing items in your three-ring binder in logical order.

IMAGES

process paragraph
Paragraph Writing in the Writing Process
This paragraph writing pack contains differentiated graphic organizers and rubrics that will
Develop writing skills in your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th grade classroom and home school students with
Steps of the Writing Process
Paragraphs in the Writing Process

VIDEO

Paragraph writing (1)
Writing Good Paragraphs
32 Paragraph Writing
HOW TO WRITE PROCESS/ ANY SEQUENCE PARAGRAPH @ PROCESS WRITING/ ALL [email protected] SURAJIT THE TRANSLATOR
The Process of Washing Dirty Clothes / Processing Paragraph Writing VIDEO 2
Topic:Paragraph writing/How to write a paragraph/Easy paragraph

COMMENTS

Paragraph Development in 5 Steps*
writer gives for how the reader should interpret the information presented in the guiding idea statement or topic sentence of the paragraph.
Reading a Process Paragraph and Essay
A process paragraph has three main parts. The topic sentence states the process. The body sentences describe the steps. The ending sentence wraps up the process
How to Write a Process Paragraph
This video clearly explains the structure, transition words, and grammar you need to write a fantastic process paragraph.
The Writing Process
Step 4: Revising · Read what you have written again. See Revising Content and Revising Organization · Rearrange words, sentences, or paragraphs into a clear and
How to Write a Perfect Paragraph
How to Write a Perfect Paragraph · 1. Make the first sentence of your topic sentence. · 2. Provide support via the middle sentences. · 3. Make your
How to Write a Paragraph: 10 Steps (with Pictures)
To write a great paragraph, start with a topic sentence that states the subject and main idea. In the next 3-5 sentences, present evidence, like facts, examples
Learn How To Write A Paragraph In 10 Easy Steps
Learn How to Write a Paragraph in 10 Easy Steps · Step 1: Brainstorm Your Topic · Step 2: Write Your Thesis Statement or Topic Sentence · Step 3: Write Supporting
Paragraphs
Illustration paragraph: a 5-step example · Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence · Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea · Step 3.
Process
Process Pattern · You can think of the process paragraph as a "how to." A process paragraph gives your reader instructions on how to accomplish
Process Paragraph Examples
The three main steps in writing a process paragraph are as follows: write a topic sentence, write the body that includes the steps to complete