Lesson 1 of 8
What Is a Paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one complete idea. Most paragraphs are three to five sentences long.
Key idea: one paragraph = one complete idea.
- Length: usually three to five sentences. Staying on one idea matters more than the count.
- Complete idea: the reader understands what you're saying without getting confused.
- Two ideas need two paragraphs, even when they happened on the same day. A paragraph that starts on video games and ends on a trip to the zoo should be split.
Watch me explain itThe 0:35 to 1:50 section of my full T.E.D.L. video.
Quick check: read your first sentence, then your last sentence. If they're about different things, you probably have two paragraphs.
Find the sentence that drifts
Every sentence here is about getting to school. One isn't about the idea in the topic sentence. Click it.
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