Title: Paragraph Development
Course: Study PrepProg - Improve Your English from B1 to B2 Level > Section: Reading and writing academic texts

Look at the examples to learn about paragraphs.

Paragraphs are the main building blocks of a text.

A paragraph consists of three types of sentences:

- a topic sentence, which tells the reader about the main idea
- body/central sentences: the main ideas are expressed logically
- a concluding sentence: the finishing idea of the paragraph

Leave an empty line between paragraphs. Some writing styles might use indentation for new paragraphs.

Example #1

Gold

Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. [a topic sentence] First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewellery, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. The most recent use of gold is astronauts' suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection outside the spaceship. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility [a concluding sentence].

Example #2

Marketing and advertising influence brand and image creation [a topic sentence]. For example, according to Miller (2015, 4), companies that have a clear advertising strategy are very likely to produce a positive brand image in consumers’ minds. Jones (2017, 5) argues that contemporary technology companies, such as Apple, would not be nearly as successful as they are without massive investments in marketing. Furthermore, Jones (2017, 8) gives several other examples to justify his argument. However, marketing and advertising are often given little attention (Smith 2017, 10). To conclude, studying why some companies fail to pay attention to marketing and advertising is a current research topic that should be discussed more [a concluding sentence].