Central and East European Studies

8. Paragraphing

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Four facts about paragraphs:

  1. Paragraphs are sentences grouped into blocks, each block dealing with a topic.
  2. Paragraphs are separated from each other by an extra line space. You can indent the first line of every new paragraph if you wish. If you do this, make sure you're consistent.
  3. Paragraphing is important because a long, unbroken page of text is often difficult to read.
  4. Paragraphing is a key writing skill.

Frequently asked questions.

How long should a paragraph be?
What should a paragraph contain?
If I have a lot of information, can one key point be spread across paragraphs?
Example:

Essay title: How has the political party system in Hungary changed since the first free elections in 1990?

Introduction: The first free elections etc. ... This essay will briefly describe the position in 1990 and chart the rise of different parties; discuss why Hungary's experience of the political party system has differed from the experience of her neighbours; and assess how the political party system has been affected by wider issues in Hungary.

End of introduction. There is a clear break here.

The topics listed in the introduction may well require more than one paragraph.

For example:

Topic 1:

Para 1:
Brief description of Hungary as a stable, one-party state under communist rule and outline of position in 1990.

Para 2: With the formation of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) in 1987, Hungary was one of the earliest central European countries to develop a political party organisation. This paragraph would to on to describe other parties. Each party would not be given a paragraph, since the essay question is asking about the political party system so the descriptions of each party would be brief.

Para 3: It was between the 1990 and 1994 elections that the first changes in the political party system became evident, when the government coalition began to fragment. Discussion of the fragmentation. Although this fragmentation was only to be expected in a country finding its democratic feet, Hungary's experience was different to that of her neighbours.

Topic 2:

Para 1: Comparison with neighbours.


Organising your text into manageable paragraphs with smooth linking lines will keep your essay structurally well balanced. If one paragraph is much longer than another, re-read it to see if you've wandered away from the paragraph topic or if your paragraph needs dividing into two.















TaskTask TypeDifficulty
Task 1Free textModerate
Task 2Free textMore Challenging
Task 3Free textModerate
Task 4Free textEasier
Task 5Free textModerate