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Week Four - Paragraph Structure - Lesson

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Reza Khamosh
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12 views

Week Four - Paragraph Structure - Lesson

Uploaded by

Reza Khamosh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE

__________________________________________________

Why are Paragraphs Important?


All academic essays require paragraphs. They are important because they fulfil the
following functions:

- Organisation: Structure and outline your ideas.


- Focus: Keeps the writer on track and on topic.
- Coherence: Assists readers in following a piece of writing.

What is a Paragraph?
A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic.

TOP TIP
It is important to remember that a paragraph in an academic essay is generally 5 – 10
sentences, but this can vary. These sentences need to build off one another to develop
the main point or focus of the paragraph.

One way to help give your sentences a good flow is to use logical bridges (connecting
ideas) or verbal bridges (connecting words).

Paragraph Breakdown
Figuring out how to write a great paragraph can be difficult, but there are some simple
steps to get you on the right track.

Topic sentence
A topic sentence presents the main idea of the paragraph. It lets the reader know what
you are discussing in the paragraph.

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Body sentences
These sentences discuss the topic and support the topic sentence with evidence.

Concluding sentence
The concluding sentence reiterates the topic and wraps up the paragraph. Remember,
that you do not restate content here because it will become repetitive. Rather, it is a
summary of your point.

TOP TIP
It is important to use signposts and transitions to guide the reader.

The Hamburger Analogy


The bun holding everything together is the topic sentence and the concluding sentence,
and everything in between is made up by the body sentences.

To be a good paragraph, or burger, it needs


to have enough filling in it, but not so much
that you can't manage to eat it (or stay fo-
cused).

Writers should be wary of paragraphs that


only have two or three sentences. The para-
graph is not fully developed if it is too short.

Academic Paragraph Structure


TOP TIP
An academic paragraph structure must contain the following elements:
- Claim
- Evidence
- Analysis

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The claim will stem from the overall thesis/argument of your essay, developing one
point that you will be making in the paragraph.

Evidence will be made up of your research, including academic sources and direct
examples from primary texts or studies that will support your claim.

Analysis: Your interpretation of the evidence and will segue into wrapping up the
paragraph.

If you follow these simple steps you can create a coherent and fluid paragraph:
Adhering to this structure ensures that the sentences build off of one another and
connect to each other with a clear flow that effectively gets your points across.

P. Q. E.
When writing academic essays, paragraph structure can also be considered in terms of
claims, evidence and analysis or

- Point
- Quotation
- Explanation

This is another way of achieving a fluid and coherent paragraph structure.

TOP TIP
Explain the relevance of the quoted evidence to your point and how it proves your thesis
or argument.

Paragraph Tips
Academic essays should be justified by
selecting the option in the Home Tab.

Indent the start of the paragraph (topic


sentence) by hitting the "tab" key on your
keyboard.

Alternatively, you can leave a blank space


between paragraphs.

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- One paragraph should contain only one idea. Too many points all at once that
are not fully developed will confuse the reader.

- Logical bridges carry the same idea over from sentence to sentence whereas,
verbal bridges use words to link sentences. For example, transitional words like
"therefore", which is a pronoun that refer to nouns in previous sentences or repeated
keywords or synonymous words across sentences.

- Transitions generally appear at the end of a paragraph and are used to segue/link
from one idea to another.

- Signposts are used to outline what has been or will be covered, or what direction
the paragraph or essay is headed.

When to start a new paragraph?


New ideas should always start in new paragraphs. If you have an extended idea that
spans multiple paragraphs, each new point within that idea should have its own paragraph.
Separate paragraphs can serve to contrast sides in a debate, different points in an
argument, or any other difference.

Breaks between paragraphs function as a short "break" for your readers — adding
these in will help your writing be more readable. You would create a break if the
paragraph becomes too long or the material is complex.

Your introductory and concluding material should always be in a new paragraph.

Useful links
- Purdue University, Online Writing Lab, Available at: https://owl.english.pur-
due.edu/owl/resource/606/01/
- Time4Writing, ‘The Secrets to Good Paragraph Writing’, Available at:
https://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/paragraph-writing-secrets/
- Waylink English, ‘Making links between paragraphs’, Available at: http://www.way-
link-english.co.uk/?page=61180
- Smrt English, ‘Paragraph Structure’, Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLzKqujmdGk
- Smrt English, ‘Paragraph Structure (Part 1)’, Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoBuQgefNZg
- Smrt English, ‘Paragraph Structure (Part 2)’, Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yoF-MnJYTo
- Smrt English, ‘Paragraph Structure (Part 3)’, Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfV_yM7A1SY

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