What is a paragraph?
A paragraph should contain one main topic or idea. A paragraph is made up of:
- A topic sentence
- Supporting sentences
- A concluding sentence
Unless told otherwise, an assignment should have an introductory paragraph at the beginning and a conclusion at the end, which each have their own unique structure. The body of your assignment will contain several paragraphs where you discuss, analyse and evaluate issues relevant to your topic, supported by examples and evidence from other sources. The number of paragraphs required depends on the length of your assignment and the number of different ideas you discuss.
What does a paragraph look like?
Essay question: Does social media enhance cross-cultural connection?
[Topic Sentence] Research indicates that while digital communication has enhanced the capacity of people to connect across cultures, there are limitations regarding how this communication translates to genuine connection. [Supporting sentences] Many scholars suggest that social media is a way for people to form relationships in the digital space even though they may be separated geographically. Smith (2010, p. 75) suggests that technology has “greatly enhanced” the capacity of people to connect through digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Rogers et al. (2019) propose that these kinds of technology platforms not only benefit users in terms of social connectivity, but also significantly impact the distribution of knowledge between people and cultures. [1] Similarly, in a study of over 1,500 participants in Australia, China, India and Germany, Cosgrove (2018) found that people who regularly used social media were more likely to engage in activities from other cultures. However, other scholars suggest there are significant limitations to the extent to which social media enhances cross-cultural connection. [2] While Harrison (2017, p. 9) agrees that technology has increased the capacity for people to communicate across cultures, he raises concerns that such forms of communication fail to “foster in-depth relationships” between people and communities from different cultures. In a similar way, James (2020) suggests that developments in technology must be accompanied by rigorous and meaningful debate about the possibilities and limitations of such communication in terms of cultural connection. Going further, Markson (2018, p. 18) warns that digital communication platforms, while seeming to enhance connection, actually “erode the fundamental principles of cross-cultural engagement” by reducing important and complex aspects of culture to “instant images … for immediate gratification rather than deep understanding". [Concluding sentence] While social media platforms offer the chance for many people from different cultures to connect, more research needs to be done regarding the quality of such connection.
| [Topic sentence] | The topic sentence explains the main focus of the paragraph. |
| [Supporting sentences] | The supporting sentences introduce the ideas and research of other writers to further explore the idea introduced in the topic sentence. |
| [1] | Notice that in the first half of the paragraph, the writer has grouped together those scholars who support social media as a form of cross cultural communication. |
| [2] | The second half of the paragraph groups together scholars from the opposing side of the argument. Linking phrases such as “similarly” and “however” show the logical relationship between the ideas. |
| [Concluding sentence] | The concluding sentence summarises the main idea of the paragraph again, and either explains the paragraph's relevance to the broader assignment question, or links to the following paragraph. |
How do I write a paragraph?
Ask yourself the following questions when writing a paragraph. Click on each arrow to see more information about each question.
Do I have a clear focus?
An effective paragraph will have a single, clear focus. This focus should first be outlined in the topic sentence, and then explored in depth through the supplementary sentences. Often, the focus of the paragraph will be a direct response to the assignment question.
Do I have a good topic sentence?
A topic sentence is usually the first sentence and directly outlines the focus of the paragraph. The topic sentence should capture all aspects of the paragraph in a single sentence. Notice in the paragraph above how the topic sentence directly responds to the essay question by repeating key words from the question (or synonyms of these words), such as “digital communication”, “across cultures” and “connections” . Once you have a clear topic sentence, you can use this as a guide when writing your paragraph. Check that all your supplementary sentences directly relate to your topic sentence to ensure you stay on track.
Do I have effective supplementary sentences?
Supplementary sentences make up the majority of your paragraph. The supplementary sentences should explore the central idea of the paragraph, and should be made up of a combination of references to other writers’ ideas or research, and sentences where you are explaining or evaluating these ideas. In the above paragraph, the following sentence is a supplementary sentence written in the author’s voice: “Many scholars suggest that social media is a way for many different people to form relationships in the digital space even though they may be separated geographically.” The purpose of this sentence is to introduce the referenced ideas which follow.
Am I organising the ideas logically?
In a well-written paragraph, the ideas will be presented in a logical order. Notice in the above paragraph how there are two main lines of discussion. The first line of discussion begins with the sentence, “Many scholars suggest …”, and explores the ways in which different scholars agree that social media enhances cross-cultural connection. All the experts in this section of the paragraph are basically saying the same thing. Later in the paragraph, in the sentence which starts with “However, other scholars suggest…”, the writer signals the beginning of the second line of discussion by grouping together several researchers who emphasise the limitations of social media as a tool for promoting cross-cultural communication.
If this essay had a longer word count, the writer may have chosen to dedicate a whole paragraph to summarising the benefits of social media for cross-cultural communication, and explored this in greater depth. The subsequent paragraph summarises the writers who don’t think that social media is suitable for this purpose. The important point is to ensure before you begin writing that you have an assignment plan that outlines the focus of each paragraph.
Do I have a concluding sentence?
A concluding sentence, much like a topic sentence, should indicate the scope of what has been discussed in the paragraph. Notice how in the above paragraph the concluding sentence acts as a mirror to the topic sentence by repeating the key focus of the paragraph, but also includes a small amount of additional information – that more research needs to be conducted in this area. Sometimes, a concluding statement will signal the content of the next paragraph.
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