STUDENT ZONE (BenOrtiz.com/classes)

Note the three-sentence structure in the following paragraphs, demonstrating how a paragraph mirrors the structure of an essay: introduction, body, and conclusion. This basic structure is more important to conveying your ideas than any random formula for how many sentences you should have in a paragraph.

Smoking is for lowlifes, at least on film. A survey of 1990s blockbuster movies found that on-screen smokers tended to be poor and villainous. But while the habit may have lost its previous glamour, it retains a “cool” factor that is likely to seduce impressionable adolescents. (“Cigs” 15)

The trouble with human space flight is that perception is everything. Nations that undertake the challenge of sending their citizens into space are engaged in a calculated display of technical prowess. Taxpayers and politicians have been willing to go along with the attendant cost and risk to human life so long as the goal seems worthwhile. (“Editorial” 3)

As he has in the past, Mr. Calderón called on the United States Congress to pass changes to immigration law that would grant legal status to about 12 million Mexicans living and working illegally in the United States. He also reiterated his strong opposition to plans to build more fences and other barriers along much of the southern border. The assembled business executives and dignitaries gave him a standing ovation. (McKinley)

WORKS CITED
“Cigs for villains.” NewScientist 13 Aug. 2005: 15.

“Editorial: Keep on flying.” NewScientist 13 Aug. 2005: 3.

McKinley, Jr., James C. “Mexican President Assails U.S. Measures on Migrants.” The New York Times 3 Sept. 2007. 3 Sept. 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/03/world/americas/03mexico.html.