Paragraphing: When to Start a New One
Paragraphing is not about neatness. It is part of how your writing is organised, and organisation is one of the things being assessed in your language mark.
Two problems are common. One long block with no breaks at all, or a new paragraph every two sentences.
Rule 1: New time
The story jumps forward. Later that evening. The next morning. New paragraph.
Rule 2: New place
You move from the classroom to the field. New paragraph.
Rule 3: New speaker
Every time a different person speaks, start a new line. This one is a rule, not a choice.
Rule 4: New idea
You move from describing a problem to solving it. From what happened to how you felt. New paragraph.
The one-sentence paragraph
Sometimes a single short sentence on its own line is exactly right. Use it once, at the most important moment.
“Then the lights went out.”
Used once, it is powerful. Used four times, it stops working.
Join them at the seams
Breaking your writing into paragraphs is only half the job. The next step is connecting them.
No connection: “The next day was the competition.”
Connected: “That failure was still with me the next morning, when the competition began.”
Read only the first sentence of each of your paragraphs, in order. If they feel like separate blocks, add a bridge. One clause is enough.
Read next
- Cohesion: The One Thing That Moves You Up a Language Band
- Tense Control: The Commonest Reason Scripts Sit at 11 or 12
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