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2.12: Formatting Your Paragraph

  • Page ID
    293695
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    Formatting Your Paragraph

    Look at this typed paragraph below and notice how it looks on the page. In college, some professors may ask you to format your paper differently, but for this class we will use MLA (Modern Language Association) format. The paragraph below is in MLA format. (Your paragraph will need to be double spaced. This paragraph is single spaced.)

    First Name Last Name

    Professor Name

    Course Name and Number

    11 April 2022

    The Process of Writing

              For many students, writing is one of the most difficult subjects, but with a little bit of organization and a good attitude, writing can be a very simple process. Once you have a topic, the first thing to do is brainstorm and outline. These two steps go well together because you’ll need to get ideas with a brainstorm and then organize them with the outline. After that, the best thing to do is just write the whole first draft. If you feel stuck while writing your first draft, stop and take a shower or go for a walk to clear your mind. As soon as you have a finished draft, ask a friend or a tutor to read your paper before you give it to your teacher. Finally, carefully read your teacher’s feedback and follow their instructions if they ask you to write a second draft. Following your teacher’s recommendations and asking questions about them will ensure that you get the best grade possible. By following these simple steps, you will find that writing an essay is a piece of cake.

    Exercise 23

    A. Label these items on the paragraph by numbering them on the document.

    1. header 2. indent 3. title 4. margin 5. double-spaced lines

    B. Now read the paragraph and highlight the key features of the paragraph:

    1. topic sentence 2. transitional words 3. subtopics 4. conclusion sentence

    Attributions:

    Content on this page was adapted from ESL Academic Writing(opens in new window), which was shared under a CC BY (opens in new window)license by Prince George's Community College.


    This page titled 2.12: Formatting Your Paragraph is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Connie Mathews, Elizabeth Stein, and Mary Elizabeth Wilson-Patton.