What is “unity”?

An essay should never lose focus on its subject and assertion. Each part of the essay should keep a continual eye on the focus, both at a macro and micro level. Each body paragraph of an essay should be working to prove the overall focus of the essay while also striving to support and illustrate the paragraph’s topic sentence. As the writer of the essay, you need to continuously ask yourself how your paragraph relates to its topic sentence and how it maintains and develops the essay’s thesis. Never lose track of your goals. Only use details that develop and support the topic sentence and thesis; do not digress.

As you write each paragraph, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does the evidence presented in the paragraph have a direct relation to the thesis statement?
2. Is the supporting evidence consistent with the paragraph’s topic sentence?
3. Do the sentences flow together correctly, offering a logically developed argument?
4. Does any of the paragraph seem irrelevant or out-of-place?

By knowing the answers to these questions, you can write a unified paragraph. These same questions can also be applied to the essay’s body paragraphs. Knowing the answers can help you revise your essay so that it is unified.

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Composition FAQ