“What’s your point?” That’s the most critical concept in writing. It’s crucial at the paragraph level and the whole composition level.
Writers need clear and organized thinking throughout the entire writing process. Let’s look at four key concepts that help writers maintain organized thinking as they write.
1. Unity
2. Wholes
3. BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending
4. What’s Your Point?
Please note that all four concepts are intertwined. These concepts are guiding principles for clear thinking and organized writing. Any writer who looks back over a piece of writing and thinks, “How does this sound?” is thinking about these four concepts.
Here are a few more questions that relate to our four guiding principles.
Does this belong? Should I remove this? What’s missing? Does this start well? How does this part end? How did I transition from one part to another? Is there an effective separation or transition between my points? Does this sound right? Does it flow well? How should I break this up? How can I make everything fit together better? Is this clear? What’s my point?
Now, let’s take a closer look at our four guiding principles.
Unity
Unity is the quality or state of being one. Unity is oneness. Unity is the most important paragraph concept. In fact, the father of modern paragraph theory defined a paragraph this way:
- A paragraph is a collection of sentences with unity of purpose. A paragraph handles and exhausts a distinct topic. — Alexander Bain (1866)
Paragraphs must have unity of purpose. So must whole compositions. What’s a whole composition? A whole composition is a piece of multi-paragraph writing with a beginning, middle, and ending. The main types of whole compositions for student writers are 1) essays, 2) articles, 3) stories, 4) reports, 5) research papers, and 6) letters.
Paragraphs and whole compositions are UNITY STRUCTURES ™. As the name implies, every unity structure must be a unified whole. The parts (sentences, paragraphs, etc.) are unified wholes, and the parts add up to a larger unified whole. Therefore, we have:
- Unified Whole Paragraphs
- Unified Whole Compositions
- Other Unity Structures: Books, chapters, sections, units, lessons, scenes, etc.
Our goal is rarely to create a single unified paragraph. As a rule, we aim to create a series of unified paragraphs. This series of unified paragraphs should add up to a unified whole composition.
We indent to show where one unified whole paragraph ends and another begins. It’s that simple. When paragraphs grow beyond their unity, the writer must divide them into two paragraphs or delete the part that doesn’t belong.
We create unity in paragraph and multi-paragraph whole compositions by using the writing process. In short, the writing process involves three steps: 1) prewrite, 2) write, and 3) rewrite.
The writing process works in two ways as relates to unity:
1. Adding Up: A collection of unified paragraphs must add up to a unified whole composition.
2. Dividing Down: A unified whole composition is divided into a collection of unified paragraphs.
To accomplish this goal, we use prewriting, writing, and rewriting as a recursive (round and round) process.
Aristotle: Unity, Wholes, and BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending
The concepts of UNITY, WHOLES, and BME in speaking and writing are thousands of years old. In Poetics, Aristotle (384 BC—322 BC) devotes many chapters to plot. He wrote his first two chapter titles on plot as rules. I’ve included a short quote to accompany each chapter title.
1. The Plot Must Be a Whole: “A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end.”
2. The Plot Must Be a Unity: “The plot… must imitate one action.”
Writing and storytelling are acts of composition—assembling parts into a whole. It has been this way since before even Aristotle. The act of composition requires that the author focuses on both the parts and the whole composition at the same time.
Unity, Wholes, and BME are three valuable concepts to be aware of as we write. The most important questions we ask ourselves as we write often relate to these concepts. For example:
- What am I trying to say? What’s my point? How does this part relate to the whole?
Aristotle’s ancient concepts relate to student writing in two ways:
1. A paragraph must be a whole and a unity with a beginning, middle, and ending.
2. A whole composition must be a whole and a unity with a beginning, middle, and ending.
Put another way: Students must understand and internalize two levels of beginning, middle, and ending:
1. Beginning, middle, and ending in paragraphs.
2. Beginning, middle, and ending in whole compositions.
On a side note, in the 16th century, Aristotle’s unity was interpreted as consisting of three unities: the unity of action, unity of place, and unity of time. These three unities became known as the Aristotelian unities or classical unities.
The Original Unity Structure: What’s Your Point? What’s My Point?
“What’s your point?” That question is probably as old as time. As writers and speakers, we want to ask this next question constantly so that no one ever asks the other question: “What’s my point?”
These questions are two versions of the same unity structure. Remember, I use the term “Unity Structure” for anything that serves as a guide for unity. I include an entire section on “Unity Statements” and “Unity Structures” in Academic Vocabulary for Critical Thinking, Logical Arguments, and Effective Communication. Be sure to check it out!
“What’s your point?” has probably been around for as long as humans have. We can think of “What’s your point?” as a paragraph seed. It’s also a whole composition seed. This paragraph seed was planted when some annoyed listener could bear it no longer and asked a long-winded speaker this question: What’s your point?
Everything about main ideas and topic sentences focuses on that one question: What’s your point? The writer must have a point in mind in all genres (expository, argument, description, narrative, etc.). We don’t describe something randomly, and we don’t compare and contrast things randomly—we do so with a point in mind. If we don’t have a point in mind as we write, some readers will wonder, “What’s your point?”
For example, what’s the point of describing an old, scary house in a story? The point is that the teenage detectives should not go exploring inside of it! The writer makes that point clear through description so that when the teenage detectives do go exploring inside it, the readers feel an urgent sense of fear, excitement, and trepidation. All of this is the point.
Speakers and storytellers sitting around campfires have always needed to have a point in mind. If they didn’t, they were probably met with this age-old question: What’s your point?
I often use the language of “making points” in the classroom. It makes sense to everyone. But let’s admit it: “What’s your point?” is often viewed as being a little aggressive or hostile. Here are a few alternatives for the classroom: What’s the point of this paragraph? Of this whole composition? What point or what points are you trying to make?
Paragraph Rules and Making Points: Alexander Bain!
In English Composition and Rhetoric (1866), Alexander Bain single-handedly created the modern paragraph. Although a few people had written a few sentences about paragraphs prior, no rules or even concrete concepts existed regarding the paragraph.
Bain defined a paragraph this way: “A paragraph is a collection of sentences with unity of purpose.” He then listed six paragraph rules for creating this unity of purpose. Those six paragraph rules eventually morphed into the concepts of Unity, Coherence, and Emphasis, which remains an excellent model for thinking about well-structured writing.
In short, Bain’s paragraph rules target our four concepts: 1) Unity, 2) Wholes, 3) BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending, and 4) What’s Your Point?
In reality, the following paragraph rules are not actual rules. Most professional writers end up creating “organized and natural” paragraph and multi-paragraph writing through the writing process. That’s what I teach. To be clear, I use Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay at the beginning of the school year to create a solid multi-paragraph writing foundation quickly and easily. After that, teaching writing is easy!
Bain’s rules all sound great, but most professional writers don’t think about rules like these as they write. They focus on making points clear and creating a beginning, middle, and ending rhythm. You will see that many of Bain’s rules relate to emphasis. It’s emphasis that largely creates this rhythm of beginning, middle, and ending. Paragraphs have an emphatic beginning, which is sometimes a topic sentence. Paragraphs then conclude with an emphatic ending. Most paragraphs end in a way that lets you know the topic has been exhausted (as Bain would say).
If you read The Truth About Topic Sentences, Main Ideas, and Paragraphs, you will see that topic sentences are far less common than we are led to believe. In truth, readers must infer the main idea of at least 50% of professionally written expository paragraphs.
Bain’s Six Paragraph Rules
Before we look at Bain’s rules, let me state that every paragraph should have a different point than the paragraphs around it. This is true in every type of paragraph writing, including the “Short and Lively” paragraph style, where sentences are just 1-3 sentences long.
Also, even in a “Short and Lively” paragraph style, paragraphs should feel like they have a beginning, middle, and ending. Once again, this is largely achieved through emphasis or being empathic.
As you read through Bain’s paragraph rules, consider the following concepts. These guiding principles are the ideas we keep in mind as we prewrite, write, and rewrite.
♦ ♦ 1) Unity, 2) Coherence, and 3) Emphasis
♦ ♦ 1) Unity, 2) Wholes, 3) BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending, 4) What’s Your Point?
Please note that I have moderately adapted Bain’s rules for easy reading. Furthermore, I’ve also added a reference to how each rule relates to unity, coherence, and emphasis.
Bain’s Definition and Rules: “A paragraph is a collection of sentences with unity of purpose. A paragraph handles and exhausts a distinct topic.”
1. Unity and Coherence: Each sentence must be explicitly and unmistakably relevant to what precedes it.
2. Coherence and Emphasis: Use parallel construction when reiterating or illustrating the same idea in consecutive sentences.
3. Emphasis and Coherence: Topic Sentence Rule: The opening sentence (unless obviously preparatory) is expected to indicate with prominence the subject of the paragraph.
4. Coherence: A paragraph should be free from dislocation. Every sentence should be in its natural and logical place.
5. Unity: The paragraph should possess unity; which implies a definite purpose, and forbids digressions and irrelevant matter.
6. Emphasis and Proportion: Principal and subordinate statements should be proportional. Everything should have bulk and prominence according to its importance.
What Was Going On in 1866 That Made Bain’s Paragraph Rules Catch On?
Have you ever read any old-time writing and found it wordy and long-winded? Has it ever left you wondering, “What’s their point?” Well, it’s not your imagination. And you at least partially have Bain to thank for today’s clear and concise writing, which makes a point and makes it clear.
After the invention of the printing press (around 1440), the printed word became more common in more people’s lives every year. This continued throughout the Industrial Revolution (roughly 1760–1840).
To understand why Bain’s paragraph rules caught on, you must first understand what Belles-lettres is. Belles-lettres is French for “beautiful letters” and refers to literary works valued for their aesthetic qualities and style rather than their informational content. Although this type of writing had been produced for centuries, it gained prominence in Europe during the Renaissance (1300s to early 1600s) and Enlightenment (late 1600s to early 1800s) when there was a focus on literature, philosophy, and art.
What was happening in 1866 that made the world ready for Bain’s paragraph rules to catch on? Well, the Second Industrial Revolution (1870–1914) was just beginning. This period is also known as the Technological Revolution, and as implied by the name, information was growing even more critical during this period.
In 1866, people were quickly losing interest in the meandering Belles-lettres writing style. They didn’t have time for it anymore. People wanted to know, “What’s your point?” More readers wanted writers to present information in a way where they could quickly and easily extract the main points. This is what Bain’s paragraph rules achieved.
A Final Note: Making Points in Different Genres: Explicitly Stated vs. Implied
All four guiding principles are relevant and valuable in all genres of organized writing.
- 1) Unity, 2) Wholes, 3) BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending, 4) What’s Your Point?
Having said that, different genres have different requirements and characteristics. In short, writers don’t always make their points crystal clear. In fact, studies show that even in expository writing, main idea topic sentences are far less common than we are told. In short, readers must infer the main idea to some degree in over 50% of expository paragraphs.
A defining characteristic of many professional essays is that they meander in a reflective or exploratory way. This means that essay writers need an even stronger sense of organized thinking to stay in control as they figure out what they are trying to say and how to say it.
Show, don’t tell. That’s a famous storytelling maxim. Yes, writers make some points clear in stories but imply many more points. Most points are made by showing, not telling. A great story is never about what the story is about.
In conclusion: Keep our four guiding principles in mind as you prewrite, write, and rewrite! If you are a teacher, remember them as you teach writing.
