8. Paragraph Structure

8. Paragraph Structure

As with sentences, so with paragraphs; the most important quality is unity. A paragraph
should have only one theme. This subject may be stated or implied in the opening
sentence and then expanded, qualified or illustrated in succeeding ones. Sometimes the
so-called topic sentence comes at the end of the paragraph, to sum up what has gone
before. Too many ideas thrown together in a paragraph confuse the reader. We need to
remember that sentence and paragraph structure contribute equally with the choice of
words to the clarity of what we write.
Summary:
1. In order to communicate effectively, you must know:
1. Your subject (what you want to say)
2. Your purpose (why you want to say it, what result do you want to
get?)
3. Your receiver(s)/audience.
2. Effective business communication must be:
i. Clear
ii. Concise
iii. Coherent