A paragraph is a group of related sentences, which develop one main idea. PARAGRAPH

TOPIC SENTENCE The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. It tends to be the most general sentence in the paragraph and controls the paragraph. The main idea of the topic sentence controls the rest of the paragraph. Usually it is the first sentence in the paragraph, but not necessarily. It may come after a transition sentence; it may even come at the end of a paragraph.

TOPIC SENTENCES They are useful, however, in paragraphs that analyse and argue. They are particularly useful for writers who have difficulty developing focused, unified paragraphs (i.e. writers who tend to waffle). Topic sentences help these writers develop a main idea for their paragraphs and most importantly stay focused. Topic sentences also help guide the reader through complex arguments.

SUPPORTING SENTENCES The supporting sentences in a paragraph develop the main idea expressed in the topic sentence and provide the detail such as facts and examples. When the topic sentence comes first, the supporting sentences answer the questions the reader will develop in their minds after reading the topic sentence

CONCLUSION The last sentence (concluding sentence) can either return the reader to the topic at the beginning of the paragraph or act as a connection to link the information with that coming up in the next paragraph. When the topic sentence comes last, the supporting sentences build up arguments and examples to make a case for the main idea contained at the end.

A TIP Useful Tip: No writer starts with a perfect paragraph. Well formed paragraphs are the result of drafting and revising, aimed at giving the reader a coherent piece of information. There is no set length to a paragraph, but in university essays it is easier to work with paragraphs that are between four and eight sentences long.

Time Management No matter how you slice it, there are only 24 hours in a day. To be successful at university, students need to learn good time-management skills. The first skill is not taking on more than you can handle. If you are a working part-time, have a family and are involved in a community organisation, then taking a full course-load at university will be too much. Another time management skill is reasonably estimating the time required to perform each of the tasks at hand. For example, deeply reading a chapter from a course text cannot be completed in between television programmes. Finally, actually doing what needs to be done seems obvious, but is a very difficult skill. You may find that cleaning out your wardrobe becomes vital when you are avoiding study. Procrastination is a time manager's enemy. By learning time management skills your university study will be successful and most importantly enjoyable.