Qualities of an Effective Paragraph Ryan Lee All quotes taken from The Little, Brown Handbook

Unity “A paragraph is unified if it holds together-if all its details and examples support the central idea” (78). “Clear identification and clear elaboration of one idea and of that idea only” (73).

Coherence “A paragraph is coherent if readers can see how the paragraph holds together-how the sentences relate to each other-without having to stop and reread” (78).

Development A paragraph is developed if it “provide[s] enough information… to evaluate or [ ] care about the writer’s assertions” (91). “Plenty of solid information to support your general statements” (91). “completeness” (91).