PARAGRAPH WRITING

THE WRITING PROCESS

ELEMENTS OF PARAGRAPH

•Paragraph purpose
•Paragraph structure
•Topic sentences
•Supporting sentences
•Paragraph cohesion
•Concluding sentences
Paragraph Purpose
• present information and explain how your thinking developed to reach a
particular conclusion

•  Paragraphs are used to organise this information so that your reader can
easily follow your thought processes and the relationship of one topic to
another

• Each paragraph therefore has a specific function within the overall aim of the
piece of writing. It may serve to describe a topic, explain a concept, analyse
findings, support or refute a contention, qualify a claim, evaluate a study,
compare or contrast information

• You move on to a new paragraph once the purpose has been achieved
Paragraph Structure

• Most academic writing is structured in paragraphs with

-topic sentence
-supporting sentences
-concluding sentences

• Whenever you feel you have ‘completed’ a point, begin a new paragraph

• If a paragraph fills most of the length of an A4 page it is likely covering more

than one key point, and should be broken up. Look for a suitable place to
create a break, such as a shift to another aspect of the topic
Topic Sentences
• The topic sentence is like a mini introduction
• It performs two essential functions:
-establishes the topic of the paragraph
-sets up the reader’s expectations regarding the aspect of the topic to be developed in the paragraph.

Compare these two topic sentences:

A. Gold has long been valued for its beauty.
B. While gold is well-known for its decorative functions, it also has a range of industrial uses.

It is clear that ‘gold’ is the topic of both paragraphs. After reading sentence A we might expect the
paragraph to review the history of gold as a decorative metal. After reading sentence B, we would expect to
learn about its industrial uses.
In long pieces of writing topic sentences can be quite complex as they also play a role in marking the
transition from one aspect of a topic to another, or even to a completely new topic.
Supporting sentences
• Supporting sentences develop or elaborate on the point introduced in the topic sentence.
• They can perform a variety of different functions, depending on the purpose of the paragraph
Analyze, define, describe, evaluate, explain, negate, qualify, summarise

 Read the paragraph and click on the supporting sentences that attempt to explain the outcome of
the experiment.
 Read the paragraph again and click on the supporting sentences that qualify the claims made.

It was expected that our study would show a far higher rate of decomposition in the shore zone, where there
are more chances for sediments to rub against the leaves. However the two zones show no significant
difference in leaf breakdown, although these results are non-conclusive due to the limitations of this
experiment. The two zones of leaf decomposition were physically too close and over the incubation period,
reeds were observed growing close to the limnetic zone. This may have negatively affected the accuracy of the
results by reducing the differences in habitat at these sites as seen in other experiments (Jones et al. 1981). Our
results also had large standard deviations, possibly due to these physical constraints or human error in
weighing leaves. Further studies with more diverse zones and precise procedures should be undertaken in
order to explore leaf decomposition and rates of energy transfer more effectively.
Paragraph cohesion
The cohesion of a paragraph depends largely on the order in which
the ideas are presented.

Look at this paragraph, which introduces an essay on the potential of

garlic to treat cancer. Can you identify the topic sentence?

Garlic has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (Aboul-
Enein and Aboul-Enein, 2005), and possess anti-microbial (Sivam, 2001) and
antioxidant properties (Imai et al., 1994). This essay will explore research
into garlic's potential roles in reducing cancer risk and in treating cancer.
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has been used for centuries for medicinal
purposes. Its use for healing purposes can be traced back as far as 1550BC
when documentations of its therapeutic use first appear in Egypt (Hassan,
2003; Rivlin, 2001). In modern times belief in the beneficial effects of garlic
on health has led to it being used for a number of conditions.

Make sure the paragraphs flow from general to specific, and distant to
recent.
Concluding sentences
Not every paragraph needs a concluding sentence.
When used, concluding sentences indicate that the topic or an aspect
of the topic is complete. They can do this by performing one of the
following functions:
•summing up the key point/s of a long paragraph
•drawing a conclusion based on the information presented in the
paragraph
•reinforcing the relationship of the paragraph content to the overall
aim of the piece of writing
•transitioning to the next paragraph

The relationship between the concluding sentence and the topic sentence
should always be clear. If you cannot trace the development of the theme
between them, you may have digressed from the original purpose of
the paragraph.
Paragraph structure is important in
ensuring that your meaning and thought
processes are clear to the reader. The topic
sentence introduces your point, the
supporting sentences develop the point by
providing evidence, explanation or
examples, and the concluding sentence,
where used, helps connect your point to
your overall argument. Every sentence
should serve a clear purpose in relation to
the topic sentence.