What defines a “good” paragraph? Some English teachers would say it must be at least three sentences — enough for an introduction, a supporting sentence, and a transition — but that isn’t always true. The rules of paragraph structure are widely disputed in writing instruction, particularly regarding the guidance that every paragraph should be three to five sentences. While some champion this method as a way to teach students to write cohesive paragraphs, others call out its limitations. Ken MacRorie, author of the influential creative writing book Uptaught, says that “formula-style” essay structure forces students “to write mechanically instead of self-expressively.”
If the guidelines around paragraph length seem unclear, that’s because they are. Even academic institutions diverge in their recommendations. Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts, for example, suggests three- to five-sentence paragraphs, aligning with what many of us were taught in school. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center offers a more flexible approach, noting that short paragraphs are permissible in certain contexts, such as journalism, and explaining that occasionally, “a paragraph can be just one sentence long.”
The leading international editing company Cambridge Proofreading similarly highlights a variability in paragraph length across different writing styles. Per its recommendations, academic writing follows the strictest guidelines, requiring three to eight sentences (or more) with a clear introduction and a conclusion/transitional sentence. These are the structured paragraphs that many students learn to write in English courses.
However, Cambridge believes the rules can be more lax in professional and business writing, where brevity and clarity are valued. In these contexts, the company recommends aiming for two to four sentences, with single-sentence paragraphs used sparingly for emphasis. Creative writing, meanwhile, seems lawless compared to other writing styles. A paragraph can be whatever an author wants — long, short, or fragmented. In modern digital content, such as blog posts and online articles, short paragraphs are the norm. One- to three-sentence paragraphs enhance readability and break up “walls” of text to prevent overwhelming the reader.
Given these variations, Cambridge editors advise writers to consider the audience and the medium when determining paragraph structure. When in doubt about where to break your writing, remember that the purpose of a paragraph is to convey a single main idea, regardless of how many sentences it takes to complete it.
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