Paragraphs

What is a paragraph?
A paragraph develops ONE main idea through a series of related sentences. This main idea is usually
introduced in the first sentence of the paragraph. The idea is then developed further through the
sentences that follow the first sentence.

A paragraph is a basic unit for writing. Paragraphs play an important role in writing because they provide
a framework for organising our ideas. Using a clear structure for your paragraphs helps guide the reader
through your written work.

Paragraph Structure
A useful way of understanding a paragraph’s structure is to think of it as a block that is divided into three
sections: the beginning, the middle, and the end.

A general paragraph follows this structure:

Example: Q. Discuss how media can influence children. Use specific examples to support your view.
Children can also be influenced negatively as a result of media. Over exposure to television and gaming
are two examples of possible negative impacts on children. Research suggests that children who are
over-exposed to television are more likely to display aggressive behaviours than those who are not. For
example, a ten-year longitudinal study of over 430 children revealed that eight-year-old boys “who were
in the upper 20% of television exposure were significantly higher on measures of aggression than the
study’s other participants” (Eron, Huesmann, Lefkowitz and Walder 1972, cited in Sullivan 2013, p.46).
The study also found that these children continued to show aggressive behaviour throughout their
childhood and teens (Eron, Huesmann, Lefkowitz and Walder 1972, cited in Sullivan 2013). Furthermore,

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these children, who were studied into their twenties and thirties, continued to show high measures of
aggression (Huesmann, Moise-Titus, Podolski & Eron 2003, cited in Sullivan 2013). This suggests that
over exposure to television can have long term and negative impacts on the behaviour of children. These
effects not only impact aggressive behaviour, but also children’s attitudes and values (Clay, 2003).
Additional research on the link between exposure to video gaming and aggression is suggesting similar
findings with a link between time spent on video games and higher scores on measures of aggression
(Anderson and Bushman 2001 cited in Kirsh 2003). They suggest gaming influences aggressive
behaviour, cognition, and physiological arousal. Given that 80 percent of the most popular video games
on the market today are violent in nature (Diez 1998, cited in Kirsh 2003), the influence of gaming on
levels of aggression are concerning. Media, then, can have a negative impact on levels of aggression on
children who are over-exposed to television and video games.

Activity: Paragraph Examples

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Example 3:
No studies conceptualising care resistance as fear-evoked threat response have been located to date.
Previous nurse researchers examined and confirmed that “difficult” (Burgener, Jirovec, Murrell, &Barton,
1992), “aggressive” (Whall et al., 2008), “agitated” (Sloane et al., 2004), and “assaultive”
(Somboontanont et al., 2004) behaviours occurred within the context of care. Yet, no care-resistant
intervention work has been framed around threat perception and fear response evoked by a threatening
situation.

Text taken from: Jablonski, R. A., Therrien, B., & Kolanowski, A. (2011). No more fighting and biting during mouth
care: Applying the theoretical constructs of threat perception to clinical practice. Research and Theory for Nursing
Practice: An International Journal, 25(3), 163-175. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1541-6577.25.3.163 pp.167

Questions:
1. Identify the topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence in example 3.

2. Look at the topic sentences of each paragraph; is it clear what the topic of that paragraph is?

3. Do the supporting sentences include evidence or examples? If so, how has this information been
presented and integrated? Is the relevance of the example or the evidence clear?

4. Re-read the paragraphs and locate any words or phrases that allow the reader to transition from one
point, or example, to another. Are these transitional phrases effective?

5. What does the concluding sentence of each paragraph make a link to?

6. Using information from the table below to guide your response, what is the purpose of each
paragraph?

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Write with purpose: what task do you want this paragraph to do?

Task Paragraph Breakdown

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References:
Davis, L., & McKay, S. (1996). Structures and strategies: An introduction to academic writing. South
Melbourne: Macmillian Education Australia.

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2007). How to write a paragraph: The art of substantive writing. Tomales, CA:
Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Turner, K., Ireland, L., Krenus, B., & Pointon, L. (2011). Essential academic skills (2nd ed.). South
Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

UNE Academic Skills Office. Writing different paragraph types. (2012) Retrieved 15th August, 2012, from
http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/aso/students/factsheets/#writingd

Williams, K. (2009). Getting critical. London: Palgrave Macmillan

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