Students want to know, “Why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence? How do real writers create paragraphs?”
Do you see topic sentences in all of the paragraphs you read? Well, it’s not your imagination. Not all paragraphs have topic sentences. This is not just my opinion. Researchers have done studies to determine just how common topic sentences are. Be sure to read The Truth About Topic Sentences, Main Ideas, and Paragraphs.
In short, the studies showed that only between 30-44% of paragraphs have topic sentences. Put another way, readers must infer the main idea in at least 50% of all paragraphs. By the way, the paragraphs they looked at were in academic journals and educational publications. To be clear, these are the kinds of publications where you would expect to find topic sentences. We can assume that fiction stories, newspapers, and magazines use far fewer topic sentences.
Many years ago, as a new teacher, I was confused about why our textbooks didn’t match what I was teaching my students about topic sentences and paragraphs. If you are at all confused about how writers create their paragraphs, please keep reading.
Three Basic Principles of Topic Sentences, Main Ideas, and Paragraphs
Let’s begin with a few simple principles. You must understand these three principles before moving forward.
- Every paragraph has a main idea.
- Some paragraphs have a topic sentence.
- A topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph. When there is no topic sentence, readers must infer the main idea.
Okay, that’s the simple part. Let’s move on.
The Short and Lively Paragraph Style
Are you familiar with the “topic sentence, three details, and concluding sentence” model? Most people are. Well, here’s a model or style of creating paragraphs that is far more common in the real world. I call it the “Short and Lively” paragraph style.
It’s impossible to understand paragraph writing in the real world without understanding the “Short and Lively” paragraph style. All naturally skilled writers intuitively understand the Short and Lively paragraph style. Short and Lively is a standard in many of the most popular types of writing, including newspapers, magazines, the internet, and fiction stories. The Short and Lively paragraph style averages between 1-3 sentences.
Have you heard this old saying (attributed to various famous authors)? “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one.” Writing a short letter without using the Short and Lively style is nearly impossible. If you don’t understand the Short and Lively paragraph style, please read President Reagan’s Alzheimer’s letter. It’s an excellent example of this style of writing. His paragraphs average 2.5 sentences per paragraph. Two paragraphs are just a single sentence!
Please note that I discuss many other paragraph styles in The Ten Stages of Paragraph and Multi-Paragraph Mastery. The “Academic Style” is the most likely to follow the traditional paragraph rules, including the topic sentence rule.
Understanding the Truth About Different Styles of Paragraph Writing
Once again, our purpose here is not to learn about paragraphs that follow traditional paragraph rules or formulas. This page is devoted to all the paragraphs professional writers create in the real world.
Why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence? How are paragraphs really created?
Once again, the research shows us that not all professionally written paragraphs have clearly stated topic sentences. This means that readers often have to infer (figure out) the main ideas of paragraphs because the main ideas are implied. Keep in mind that the research looked at professionally written expository texts, which is the kind of text that is most likely to use topic sentences. Popular narrative stories and Short and Lively styles surely contain even fewer topic sentences.
How can this be? How does this work? Why is this so? This is what we are going to try to figure out.
Paragraph Concepts in the Real World
Why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence? These six plus concepts answer that question.
- Divisions, Unity, Emphasis, Contrast, What’s My Point?, BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending, and Transition
- The Point is Obvious: Avoid Redundancy
- Paragraph Blocs: It’s a Continuation of the Previous Paragraph
- Different Genres: “Show, Don’t Tell” and the “Short and Lively” Paragraph Style
- Paragraphs are Divisions, Not Building Blocks
- Paragraph Length: Find the Logical Breaks
Everyone should understand all of the so-called paragraph rules. However, everyone should also understand the truth about what they see right in front of them in the books, magazines, and newspapers that they read. Let’s begin!
1. Division, Unity, Emphasis, Contrast, What’s My Point?, BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending, and Transition
Regarding paragraphs, many skilled writers say, “I just know when to indent. I can’t even explain it.”
Please Note: If you teach paragraph or multi-paragraph writing, you owe it to yourself to check out Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay. Stop explaining and start creating organized and natural paragraph writers quickly and easily! Your students will soon be saying, “I get it! I finally get it!”
The following seven-plus concepts explain much about what you see in all kinds of paragraph writing.
1. What’s My Point? Every paragraph has a point. That point is at least slightly different than the paragraphs around it.
2. Division: “Where should I indent?” is the same question as “Where should I divide this?” The reality of paragraph writing is that when a paragraph starts to go on for too long, we must find a place to indent. As we prewrite, write, and rewrite, we divide. Every paragraph is a division (noun.)
3. Unity: Unity is probably the most important guiding principle of paragraphs. Every paragraph must be about one thing. Experienced writers instinctively know when they have changed the topic. When they change the topic, they indent. It’s this simple. “I was talking about one thing. Now I’m talking about something different.” When you see a one-sentence paragraph, it’s usually because it doesn’t have unity with the paragraph before it or after it—so it gets its own paragraph.
4. Emphasis: Most paragraphs start and end emphatically. Does the first day of school have a feeling? Does the last day? It’s the same way with paragraphs. Writers tend to indent when they feel they have ended one thing and are ready to start something new. Emphasis creates a rhythm of beginning, middle, and ending. Topic sentences and concluding sentences certainly create emphasis. However, many emphatic sentences simply have a feeling that something has started or ended.
5. Contrast: Students learn that writers transition between paragraphs. The truth is that a surprisingly large percentage of paragraphs use what I call a “Hard Break: Topic Change.” In short, the contrast between the ending of one paragraph and the beginning of the next paragraph is so strong and abrupt that it’s obvious why a new paragraph is required.
6. BME: Beginning, Middle, and Ending: In paragraph and multi-paragraph writing, “Beginning, Middle, and Ending” (aka BME) is a feeling. Sure, we can create BME concretely and even formulaically; however, we can also achieve it through emphasis, contrast, etc. Writers create a feeling of BME in each paragraph and also the whole composition.
7. Transition: Transition is a critical concept both between paragraphs and within paragraphs. Skillful transitions help create coherence, logical flow, and style. Keep in mind that transitional phrases are just one aspect of transitioning. Contrast, emphasis, and BME are equally important. Transitioning well is both a skill and an art. The three most common types of transition are likely time, sequence, and contrast.
2. The Point is Obvious: Avoid Redundancy
Why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence? Professional writers probably think more about the points they are making than they do about clearly stated topic sentences.
If the point is obvious through description, explanation, etc., why state it again? It’s redundant. Also, writers tend to credit their readers with a certain amount of intelligence. It can be a little insulting to spell out or spoon-feed what you have already made clear.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t always have a topic sentence. However, stating what is obvious sometimes comes off as formulaic and repetitive.
What does obvious look like? Take a look:
- A paragraph heatedly discusses a list of terrible things that happened this morning.
- The Probable Main Idea: It’s been a terrible morning, and I’m still a little upset.
Here is another example:
- A paragraph discusses the many impressive accomplishments of a senator running for reelection.
- The Probable Main Idea: This senator is highly qualified, and you should vote for this senator.
To be clear, these same points may be explicitly stated in other paragraphs or even multiple times throughout a piece of writing. If the title is “My Terrible Day,” we can assume that each part of the day that is discussed and sounds terrible was terrible. Do we need to repeat what is perfectly clear? No.
3. Paragraph Blocs: It’s a Continuation of the Previous Paragraph
Once again, why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence? Main ideas are frequently addressed over multiple paragraphs. In 1972, William Irmscher called this concept a “paragraph bloc.” In paragraph blocs, each paragraph is a different continuation of the paragraph that came before it. It may help you to compare the definitions of bloc and block to see what Irmscher was getting at:
- Bloc: A group of things sharing a common purpose.
- Block: A group of things that are viewed as a unit.
It’s rather easy to find examples of these paragraph blocs. However, they come in many different forms. Here is an example from Tarr & McMurry’s Geographies: North America (1908):
- P1 = Paragraph 1; P2 = Paragraph 2; Red = The Two-Sentence Topic Sentence
P1: These forests are valuable in two other ways. From them, we obtain turpentine and tannic acid. Tannic acid is the liquid that cowhides are soaked in to make leather. In the Northern States, hemlock bark furnishes a tannic acid that gives the leather a red color, so that shoes made from it need to be blackened. But tannic acid from the chestnut oak of the South gives the leather a tan color, and it is from such leather that tan shoes are made.
P2: Turpentine is manufactured from the sap of the pine tree. The bark is scraped off, and the sap is allowed to ooze out, somewhat as in the case of the sap of the sugar maple. This is then reduced to raw turpentine, to be used in paints, varnishes, medicine, tar, and other substances.
As you can see, the two-sentence topic sentence comes at the beginning of P1. After the topic sentence, the rest of P1 is “all about tannic acid.” P2 is a continuation of P1, but it’s “all about turpentine.” That’s a paragraph bloc! Does that make sense to you? It sure makes sense to me!
To be clear, professional writers can easily rewrite paragraph blocs to create a clear topic sentence for each paragraph. However, doing so often just adds more words and sentences with no new information. That’s why paragraph blocs exist!
4. Different Genres: “Show, Don’t Tell” and the “Short and Lively” Paragraph Style
Why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence?
Show, Don’t Tell
Every genre is different in some respect. Every genre has its own set of qualities and characteristics that define the genre.
Understanding the characteristics and requirements of the different genres is one of the most important and seriously neglected topics in writing instruction. If you don’t meet at least some of the requirements of the genre, you have not written in the genre. As an example, a mystery story must contain some of the characteristics of a mystery story to be called a mystery story. If it doesn’t, then it’s not a mystery story.
One of the most revered mantras in narrative stories and descriptive writing is to “Show, Don’t Tell.” However, by definition, topic sentences TELL. Put simply, you won’t find many topic sentences in narrative stories and descriptive writing because they TELL, NOT SHOW.
What about expository and argument writing? In both types of writing, sometimes it’s better to “Show, Don’t Tell.” If a writer makes a point viscerally, the readers will feel that point deep inside their minds and bodies. Sometimes, it’s better to let people feel things and then let them believe they have discovered the truth or come to their own conclusions. Sometimes, it’s better to “Show, Don’t Tell.”
“Short and Lively” Paragraph Style
Newspapers and magazines are genres, as they tend to share similar qualities and characteristics. Writing for children is also a distinct genre.
Have you noticed that most newspapers, magazines, and children’s writing use short paragraphs? I call this the “Short and Lively” paragraph style. Well, many of these short paragraphs don’t have topic sentences. However, these writing genres probably use many of the previously discussed Paragraph Blocs.
Even though these paragraphs may not have a topic sentence, they will express the feeling of beginning, middle, and ending. Most of these paragraphs are built on logical continuation. The paragraph starts and then logically continues forward. Furthermore, these paragraphs have a clear logical separation from the paragraph that comes before and the paragraph that comes after.
5. Paragraphs are Divisions, Not Building Blocks
Why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence?
In 1866, Alexander Bain created six rules for paragraphs. These rules remain the foundation of rule-based paragraph instruction even today. Before 1866, there were no paragraph rules. Regardless, people still divided their writing into paragraphs.
People have been dividing their writing into paragraphs for thousands of years. Did you know that the paragraph mark was the first-ever punctuation mark? Thousands of years ago, writing was simply a long string of letters. Finally, someone said, “I need a way to divide this thing up. I think I’ll put a mark in the margins to divide it.” In a way, that’s what our indents still do.
Today, when students and teachers think of paragraphs, they usually think of them as building blocks—i.e., nouns. However, before Bain created his six paragraph rules, it may have been just as common to think of the word paragraph as a verb. Paragraph meant the act of dividing your topic into paragraphs.
For over 100 years, dictionaries have defined the word paragraph as a noun and a verb. Here is how Webster’s Dictionary (1913) defines paragraph:
1. Noun: Paragraph: A distinct part of writing; any section of a writing which relates to a particular point, whether consisting of one or many sentences.
2. Verb: Paragraph: To divide into paragraphs.
As Alexander Bain laid down his six paragraph rules, he asked, “What is a paragraph?” His answer is: “A paragraph is a group of sentences with unity of purpose.” That’s also what defines every other division in writing. Take a look!
- A paragraph is a group of sentences with unity of purpose.
- A whole composition is a group of paragraphs with unity of purpose.
- A chapter is a group of paragraphs with unity of purpose.
- A book is a group of chapters with unity of purpose.
A paragraph is simply a division that has unity of purpose. Its purpose is slightly different from the paragraph before it and after it.
6. Paragraph Length: Find the Logical Breaks
Why doesn’t every paragraph have a topic sentence?
On state writing assessments, many of the best student writers write in the “Short and Lively” paragraph style. How can that be? Well, these students just “get it.” They are natural writers. When these students write, they feel when the topic has changed even slightly, and then they indent. Furthermore, on these writing assessments, students are writing short whole compositions. They are not writing books or research papers. The Short and Lively paragraph style is often effective in short whole compositions.
Once again, the Short and Lively paragraph style uses more paragraph blocs than topic sentences. Now, let’s look at paragraph length from a different perspective.
One full page of single-spaced text in a Word document is about 500 words. Do you like to read paragraphs that are over a page long? In Anna Karenina (1878), Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) wrote some paragraphs that were 28 sentences and 532 words long. In Count of Monte Cristo (1844), Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) wrote some paragraphs that were 37 sentences and 771 words long.
These are two classic books by two classic authors. Would a modern editor and publisher allow all of those long paragraphs? I doubt it. Today, people don’t like to read long paragraphs. Would a modern editor want to change the text substantially? No. However, they would probably want to divide those long paragraphs into shorter paragraphs.
Could Tolstoy’s and Dumas’s classic paragraphs really be broken up? Yes, and easily! I should say it’s easy once you have trained yourself to identify the logical breaks. To do this, you need to understand the language of logical thought. In short, most logical divisions occur on subtle shifts in logic. As an example, the writer has moved from an “explanation” to an “example” or from a “problem” to a “solution” or from the “explanation of a claim” to the “proof that supports the claim.”
If you wish to improve your logical and critical thinking skills, be sure check out Academic Vocabulary for Critical Thinking, Logical Arguments, and Effective Communication. Start creating academic and professional success today!
Alexander Bain (1818-1903), the creator of the modern paragraph, defined a paragraph this way: “A paragraph is a group of sentences with unity of purpose.” In other words, Tolstoy’s and Dumas’s paragraphs all had unity of purpose. However, we could easily find places to divide those long paragraphs into smaller paragraphs that still have unity of purpose.
Full Disclosure: We would probably want to make minor superficial edits because all well-written paragraphs have a feeling of beginning, middle, and ending.
Once again, everyone should understand all of the so-called paragraph rules. However, everyone should also understand the truth of what they find right in front of them in the books, magazines, and newspapers that they read. Hopefully, you can now understand the logic behind paragraphs that don’t have topic sentences. And yes, there is a logic behind them!
Now, you know the truth about paragraphs!
