Five-Sentence Paragraph

The “five-sentence paragraph” is a simple writing technique that can help writers create a good paragraph. Of course, it is possible (and permissible) to use more or less than five sentences in a paragraph. However, it is helpful to limit the number of sentences in a paragraph, and five is a good number. Moreover, the classic five-sentence paragraph has a clear structure in which each sentence plays a specific role:

1. State the primary idea of set the stage for the paragraph.

2. Elaborate on the primary idea or expand on the topic.

3. Continue to elaborate.

4. Finish the elaboration.

5. Restate the primary idea in a conclusive manner (hopefully ending with an interesting closing).

This is very similar to a communication principle used by good teachers and good speakers. That principle says that any good lesson or speech can be organized into three basic sections:

1. Tell the listeners what you are going to tell them.

2. Tell the listeners what you want to tell them.

3. Tell the listeners what you have told them.

Of course, some writing follows different structures, but a well-constructed “five-sentence paragraph” is a good place to start.