Essay flow
“Flow” is a word often used by lecturers to describe the way that the essay holds together and moves from point to point. In an essay it is very easy to pile facts upon facts, and thus lose sight of the overall cohesion of the essay. Flow can apply within individual paragraphs and between different paragraphs.
This video lecture discusses the process of refining a draft assignment to improve the flow and clarity of the writing.
Within paragraphs
Having researched your topic in preparation for writing an essay, you will probably have accumulated a wide range of facts, published research, and other information relevant to the topic. Many people simply throw these facts together in body paragraphs, without properly applying them to the topic or signalling to the reader the connections between them.
Firstly, you must ensure that all outside sources are integrated with your own writing. They should not appear randomly through the paragraph but should be given context, and interpreted for the reader. For more on this, see quoting and paraphrasing.
It is also important to link information together to create a kind of “narrative” in your essay. Consider this example paragraph:
Incorporation offers several advantages to businesses and their owners. Ownership is easy to transfer. The business is able to maintain a continuous existence even when the original owners are no longer involved. The stockholders of a corporation are not held responsible for the business's debts. If the XYZ Corporation defaults on a $1 million loan, its investors will not be held responsible for paying that liability. Incorporation enables a business to obtain professional managers with centralised authority and responsibility; the business can be run more efficiently. Incorporation gives a business certain legal rights. It can enter into contracts, own property, and borrow money.
There are a lot of facts, but the paragraph feels jumpy and disjointed. Simply adding a few connecting words – known as “signposts” – make it much more readable:
Incorporation offers several advantages to businesses and their owners. For one thing, ownership is easy to transfer. The business is able to maintain a continuous existence even when the original owners are no longer involved. In addition, the stockholders of a corporation are not held responsible for the business's debts. If the XYZ Corporation defaults on a $1 million loan, for instance, its investors will not be held responsible for paying that liability. Incorporation also enables a business to obtain professional managers with centralised authority and responsibility; therefore, the business can be run more efficiently. Finally, incorporation gives a business certain legal rights. For example, it can enter into contracts, own property, and borrow money.
Signposts make your writing flow more smoothly and make it easier to follow.
They tell the reader
- what is going to be said
- what is being said
- what has already been said
- how the main ideas support the thesis statement
- how each group of ideas follow from the ones before
Some of the most common signposts are listed here, according to what they do in a paragraph.
Signpost words and phrases
Importantly, …
Indeed, …
In fact, …
More importantly, …
Furthermore, …
Moreover, …
It is also important to highlight …
However, …
Rather, …
In contrast, …
Conversely, …
On one hand, …
On the other hand, …
In comparison, …
Compared to …
Another point to consider is …
Similarly, …
Likewise, …
Again, …
Also, …
Finally, …
Lastly, …
In conclusion, …
To summarise, …
In summary, …
Overall, …
The three main points are …
In particular, …
In relation to …
More specifically, …
With respect to …
In terms of …
For instance, …
For example, …
this can be illustrated by …
…, namely, …
…, such as …
Although …
Even though …
Despite …
Notwithstanding …
Therefore, …
Subsequently, …
Hence …
Consequently, …
Accordingly, …
As a result, …
As a consequence, …
To this end, …
Between paragraphs
“Flow” can also be applied to the connections between paragraphs.
As discussed in the page on body paragraphs, each paragraph should discuss only one major point. However, each body paragraph must also be different from the other paragraphs. Its major point should be unique.
The unique point of each paragraph should be identified before you begin writing: this is the most important part of the planning stage. You might be discussing several aspects of the answer, or analysing it from different perspectives. You might be following it chronologically, or presenting one side and then the other.
If a paragraph flows well from point to point, it should be obvious to the reader when you move from one point to another. The signpost words described above can also be used between paragraphs, to indicate the transitions from one sub-topic to another.
For example, if you are analysing one study and then comparing it to another in a later paragraph, a transition would use a word or phrase from the “changing direction or creating a comparison” list:
In contrast to the conclusion drawn by Smith (2004), Nguyen (2006) showed that the connection between the factors was not causal in most circumstances.
A paragraph that illustrates a point with a case study or example would use the “giving an example” list to create a transition:
The interpretation in Nguyen (2006) was supported in practice, as illustrated by the fieldwork of Corelli (2008).
Transitions show the reader the “movement” between paragraphs: they show that they follow a logical order and build on each other. They can also show the reader how the paragraphs reconnect with the overall topic of the essay as described in the thesis statement.
If you cannot identify the movement from one paragraph to another, you may need to return to the plan to see if they are actually unique. If your paragraphs jump over important points, repeat themselves, or leave gaps in the explanation, this will also undermine the flow of the essay.