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.
