A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. Cohesion is the glue – the words and links that make ideas flow from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph.
What makes a paragraph
Start a new paragraph when you change: time, place, topic or speaker. Many strong paragraphs open with a topic sentence that states the main idea, then develop it with supporting detail.
- Topic sentence: Helping at the food bank taught Aisha real responsibility.
- Support: Each Saturday she sorted donations, greeted families and kept careful records.
Cohesive devices
Connectives and linking words signal how ideas relate:
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Adding | also, furthermore, in addition |
| Contrasting | however, on the other hand, yet |
| Sequencing | first, next, finally |
| Cause/effect | because, therefore, as a result |
Linking across paragraphs
You can also link paragraphs with pronouns (she, it, they) and by referring back: This decision changed everything. These references stop your writing repeating nouns and help ideas connect.
Vary where you place connectives too. Starting every sentence with the same linking word quickly feels mechanical, so aim to weave them in naturally and only where they add meaning. A short, well-chosen connective can do more work than a long, vague phrase, and the best writers use them sparingly but precisely.
Test your paragraphing: could each paragraph have a short heading that fits every sentence in it? If one sentence does not fit, it may belong elsewhere.