Writing a Well-Developed
Paragraph
What does “well-developed”
even mean?
“Well developed” means that every idea
discussed in the paragraph is
adequately explained and supported
with evidence and details that work
together to prove the paragraph’s
controlling idea.
Step 1: The Topic Sentence
• The topic sentence is the controlling idea of
the paragraph. It is what everything in the
paragraph is about.
• When you write a paragraph about literature
that is not a part of a larger essay, please
mention the title and author in the topic
sentence.
• Example: “In Julia Alvaraz’s In the Time of the
Butterflies, Dede Mirabal’s greatest weakness
is her inability to speak her mind honestly.”
Step 2: Evidence
Evidence is simply the textual support that you use to
prove your point. It should consist of a direct quote you
find in the text which proves your point. Remember that
you must introduce your text support, so that your
reader can follow your thinking. Don’t forget to include
a parenthetical citation for each quote.
Evidence
When the gringa
dominicana journalist
asks Dede for an
interview, Dede thinks,
“But this is March…
Doesn’t she have seven
more months of
anonymity?” (Alvarez 3).
However, Dede still
agrees to the interview.
When the journalist asks
about Virgilio Morales,
Minerva’s special friend,
Dede snaps back at her,
claming that Lio was a
special friend of hers too.
Then she thinks to
herself, “There she has
said it, so why doesn’t it
feel good?” Fighting with
her dead sister over a
beau, my goodness”
(Alvarez 66).
When Dede begins to
think about the revolution,
Jaimito urges her to
compromise. Dede
responds, “’I see,’ …
already beginning to
compromise with the man
she was set to marry”
(Alvarez 79).
Step 3: Explanation
After every quote, you need an explanation to explain
exactly how the quote that you chose proves your point.
Evidence
Explanation
When the gringa
dominicana journalist
asks Dede for an
interview, Dede thinks,
“But this is March…
Doesn’t she have seven
more months of
anonymity?” (Alvarez 3).
However, Dede still
agrees to the interview.
When the journalist asks
about Virgilio Morales,
Minerva’s special friend,
Dede snaps back at her,
claming that Lio was a
special friend of hers too.
Then she thinks to
herself, “There she has
said it, so why doesn’t it
feel good?” Fighting with
her dead sister over a
beau, my goodness”
(Alvarez 66)
When Dede begins to
think about the revolution,
Jaimito urges her to
compromise. Dede
responds, “’I see,’ …
already beginning to
compromise with the man
she was set to marry”
(Alvarez 79).
This shows that Dede
doesn’t really want to do
the interview, but she
can’t speak her mind, so
she ends up having to
relive her sisters’ deaths
for the interview.
It is shown here that
Dede never expressed
her true feelings for Lio,
therefore she still harbors
some resentment in her
heart that Minerva
developed a stronger
relationship with him. If
she had spoken her mind,
this problem would not
exist.
When Ded says this, it
shows that she
disregards her beliefs
about the revolution,
simply because Jaimito
asks her to do so. She
does not speak her mind,
but does as her husband
says instead.
Step 4: The Closing Sentence
The closing sentence simply wraps up what you
have said in the paragraph before, in a different
way than stated in the topic sentence.
Evidence
Explanation
When the gringa dominicana
journalist asks Dede for an
interview, Dede thinks, “But
this is March… Doesn’t she
have seven more months of
anonymity?” (Alvarez 3).
However, Dede still agrees to
the interview.
When the journalist asks about
Virgilio Morales, Minerva’s
special friend, Dede snaps
back at her, claming that Lio
was a special friend of hers
too. Then she thinks to herself,
“There she has said it, so why
doesn’t it feel good?” Fighting
with her dead sister over a
beau, my goodness” (Alvarez
66).
When Dede begins to think
about the revolution, Jaimito
urges her to compromise.
Dede responds, “’I see,’ …
already beginning to
compromise with the man she
was set to marry” (Alvarez 79).
Dede doesn’t really want to do
the interview, but she can’t
speak her mind, so she ends
up having to relive her sisters’
deaths for the interview.
Dede never expressed her true
feelings for Lio, so she still
harbors some resentment in
her heart that Minerva
developed a stronger
relationship with him.
Dede disregards her beliefs
about the revolution, simply
because Jaimito asks her to do
so.
Ultimately, Dede Mirabal misses out on several opportunities and ends up
unhappy due to the fact that she avoids speaking up for herself.
Step 5: Wording and Transitions
•Once you have your topic sentence, evidence, and
explanations, your paragraph is practically written!
•You may have to tweak your wording a little to ensure
that your paragraph flows clearly.
•Don’t forget to add transitions between different
pieces of evidence (such as: in addition, secondly,
finally, etc.) to keep things flowing smoothly.
•Practice reading your paragraph out loud if you’re
unsure about the flow.
MLA Reminders
• Place a heading in the upper left-hand corner (Name,
Teacher, Class, Date).
• Create a header in the upper right-hand corner (Last
Name and Page #). http://www.hasd.%20Format.pdf
• Double-space the entire paper and use 12-point
Times New Roman font.
• Include an MLA citation for the book:
Alvaraz, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies. Chapel
Hill: Algonquin Books, 1994. Print.
• Use parenthetical citations after quotes within the
paragraph: “It started with Patria wanting to be a nun”
(Alvaraz 11).
Other Reminders
• Avoid first person in a literary response
(no “I”, “me”, “we”, “us”, you, etc.)
• Try to stay in the present tense.
• Be sure to proofread and use the spell
checker!