The basic paragraph contains the elements of

Paragraphs must have a specific number of sentences.

A topic sentence resembles a thesis statement except that it functions for a paragraph rather than the entire essay.

The placement of the topic sentence provides the reader with the organization of ideas from general to specific or specific to general.

If a topic sentence is placed in the middle of the paragraph, the sentences that come before it act like the hook and background sentences in an introductory paragraph.

In the paragraph below, the transition word or words is/are: Napoleon and his navy were no match for the British. In fact, Napoleon lost almost all of his sea battles. On the other hand, the French army was very strong and powerful. Under Napoleon’s orders, it conquered most of continental Europe.

In the paragraph below, there are no transition words. In October, the history society had a bake sale, car wash, and book fair. The department chair was very proud of the students’ efforts. Despite their fundraising efforts, the history society did not raise enough money to go on a trip to Ottawa. All of the students are extremely disappointed

The paragraph below functions as a transitional paragraph because of the words still and remains. Taylor’s system is still very much with us; it remains the ethic of industrial manufacturing. Once his system was applied to all acts of manual labor, Taylor assured his followers, it would bring about a restructuring not only of industry but of society, creating a utopia of perfect efficiency.

The paragraph below is an example of a counterargument which can be a transitional paragraph. Admittedly, many students would like to smoke on campus. Some people may rightly argue that if smoking on campus is not illegal, then it should be permitted; however, second-hand smoke may cause harm to those who have health issues like asthma, possibly putting them at risk.

The most often used and most reliable transitional words and phrases are