Create a visual picture of what is happening structurally in your paragraph. Create a visual picture of what is happening structurally in your paragraph.
"My paragraph can be represented by a pyramid of five balls; four on the bottom and one on top. The top ball represents the topic sentence of my paragraph. The four bottom balls represent the supporting paragraphs. The four supporting paragraphs come together to support the topic sentence, just as the three bottom balls of the pyramid come together to support the top ball. If any one of the balls from the base is removed, the top ball will fall down. This is also like my paragraph because if any one of the supporting sentences is removed, my argument won't be valid."
- Catherine
"All thoughts are leading up to the main idea."
"The cloud represents the single thought or idea. The dots falling from the cloud represent the details that support the idea being described."
"The structure of a paragraph can be viewed as an artichoke. Each one different from the next with it’s own personality and attributes. Both a paragraph and an artichoke have uniform exteriors, but interiors as intricate as a labyrinth. Infinite layers, like sentences, each contributing to the core. Each part must be seen, read, and pulled apart to see and understand the heart of the idea."
- Natalia
If the paragraph is done well, all the smaller ideas contribute to the controlling idea.
"A paragraph is unified when every sentence develops the point made in the topic sentence. It must have a single focus and it must contain no irrelevant facts. Every sentence must contribute to the paragraph by explaining, exemplifying, or expanding the topic sentence. In order to determine whether a paragraph is well developed or not, ask yourself: 'What main point am I trying to convey here?' (topic sentence) and then 'Does every sentence clearly relate to this idea?'" (1)
(1) Turner, Dorothy. Developing Unified and Coherent Paragraphs. HyperGrammar University of Ottawa. 23 Sept. 2001 <http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/parunif.html>.