Page 185 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Unity: Sticking to the Point of the

Essay

3 Define what gives a body paragraph unity.

An essay with unity is like a completed jigsaw puzzle. Every piece is

necessary, and each does its part to contribute to the big picture.

Each paragraph and each sentence fit perfectly to support the thesis.

When one piece does not fit, the essay lacks unity. Lack of unity

occurs within a paragraph when one or more sentences do not
support the paragraph’s topic sentence. Likewise, when an entire

paragraph does not support the thesis of the essay, the essay lacks

unity.

Read the paragraph in the example below and see if you can spot the

two sentences that interfere with the unity of the paragraph.

Example: Paragraph with Poor Unity

1
Video games, often regarded as a waste of time and brainpower, are
2
in fact useful in many areas. Most people have played a flight