Academic Writing Style

eWriting > Academic Writing > 3.8

• English Expression
• Diction
• Concision and Precision
• Sentences
• Parallelism
• Paragraph building
• Self-Test E
• Self-Test F
• Impersonal writing style
• Passive voice and nominalisation
• Modality
• Choice of Vocabulary

3.8 Paragraph building

Rationale

Knowing how to produce a well-structured, cohesive paragraph will help you to present your own ideas and understandings clearly, together with good supporting evidence for your argument(s).

Paragraph criteria

• Has a topic sentence with a controlling idea
• Has an appropriate number of supporting sentences (3-8 can be taken as a guide) which can include explanations and examples, as well as giving appropriate evidence and a link to your major argument (shown in the thesis statement)
• Uses appropriate cohesive devices
• Has only one main idea
• Is written in an academic style
• Is grammatically correct

Paragraph structure

Topic sentence:

• The topic sentence for each paragraph introduces the controlling idea. Although it can come in the middle or at the end of the paragraph, it is a good idea to make it the first sentence. This allows you to present your own ideas so the writer’s voice (your voice) is evident.

Supporting sentences:

• These include your own explanation(s), any examples, details and supporting facts you may want to give, and most importantly, evidence from your reading to support your arguments.

Concluding sentence:

• This can sum up the main idea running through the paragraph and connect it to the main argument of the essay as a whole (as shown in the thesis statement in the introduction). It can also form a link with the following paragraph, although this link may be made at the beginning of that next paragraph.

NOTE 1: If your explanations need to be quite lengthy, you can put the evidence in a separate paragraph.

NOTE 2: Have you noticed how the structure of a paragraph reflects that of an essay as a whole:

Cohesion within the paragraph

Cohesion is the term given for the ways of structuring the flow of information so that the links between ideas are clearly expressed. Four important ways of making writing ‘flow’ and ’stick together’ are:

1. Use of TRANSITION SIGNALS such as conjunctions (e.g. and, although) and sentence connectives (e.g. however, finally). These show a logical relationship of ideas, e.g. but (contrasting/opposing idea); so (result); moreover (additional idea); lastly (time); because (reason).
2. Use of REFERENCE through pronouns (e.g. he, it, we, they)
3. REPETITION of key words and phrases in different forms (‘chains’ of words). (See below for examples.)
4. THEMATISATION where the words before the first finite verb are the focus (or theme), and the idea they express may be linked to those at the beginning of the next clause or sentence. Alternatively the new information (after the first finite verb) in one sentence may become the theme in the next. (See below for examples).

The following paragraph shows what happens when cohesive devices are not used:

Students work efficiently sometimes. Students may set out detailed daily and weekly plans. There is a semester. Students allot regular rest and leisure activities. Students plot hourly study sessions. The approach to time management follows a pattern familiar from secondary school. Sometimes unforeseen events occur. There can be problems.

Here is the same paragraph using the techniques listed above:

Some students find they⁵ work more efficiently if¹ they⁵ can develop for themselves⁶ a detailed daily and weekly timetable for a whole semester. They⁷ allot regular periods for all rest and leisure activities and² plot hourly study sessions. This⁸ approach to time management follows a pattern familiar from secondary school. However³ problems can arise when⁴ unforeseen events occur.

1. CONNECTIVES:

• 1. If - a subordinating conjunction which introduces a condition (something may or may not happen).
• 2. and - a co-ordinating conjunction introducing an additional idea.
• 3. However - a sentence connective introducing a contrasting idea.
• 4. when - a subordinating conjunction introducing a time clause.

2. REFERENCE:

• 5. They (twice). This personal pronoun refers to ’some students’ and it its use avoids the need to keep repeating the word ’students’.
• 6. Themselves - a reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject of the clause. In this case the subject of this clause is ‘they’ which of course refers to ’some students’.
• 7. They - again referring to ’some students’.
• 8. This - a demonstrative pronoun referring to ‘approach to time management’ which in turn refers back to the whole of the previous sentence. Notice that the phrase ‘approach to time management’ could be left out all together and the sentence would still make sense.

3. WORD CHAINS:

• Words/phrases to do with the idea of studying:
  students
  timetable
  semester
  study sessions
  secondary school
• Word/phrases related to time management:
  work more efficiently
  develop ... daily & weekly timetable
  allot regular periods for .... activities
  plot hourly study sessions
  approach to time management
• Words/phrases related to difficulties:
  problems
  unforeseen event

4. THEMATISATION

Notice how the theme in most clauses is students (or ‘they’ referring to students)

Notice how the themes in the paragraph change when a more academic style of writing is used:

A more efficient use of student time can result from the development of a detailed daily and weekly timetable for the whole semester. This approach to time management through the allotment of hourly study sessions and allowance for regular rest periods follows a pattern familiar from secondary school. Nevertheless the occurrence of problems because of unforeseen events cannot always be avoided.

The students have all but disappeared! The only time the word ’student’ appears is as a modifier for the noun ‘time’. In place of people acting on the world, there are abstract nouns representing ideas, and these are embedded in long, complex noun groups which form the themes of the three sentences.

The theme of the second sentence, this approach to time management ... picks up the idea expressed in the new information (the words after the finite verb group ‘can result’) in the first sentence ‘the development of a detailed ... timetable’.

The change of theme in the third sentence, the occurrence of problems ..., is signalled by the sentence connector ‘nevertheless’ which shows that a contrasting idea is to come.

Thematising whole clauses:

The idea in a dependent clause is subordinate to the one in the main clause and is very often written after the main clause.

e.g. Alex and Kim were late for their first lecture, because they lost the way to the auditorium.

However the writer may put the subordinate clause first in the prominent position in the sentence as a whole when s/he wants to draw attention to the idea expressed in it.

e.g. Because Alex and Kim lost the way to the auditorium, they were late for their first lecture.

Cohesion across paragraphs - sample essay plan and annotated paragraphs

NOTE 1: This section is to show how to link ideas in an essay, across the paragraphs. Only the introduction and first three body paragraphs have been written.

NOTE 2: The "sources" used for evidence and their dates have been made up.

Essay topic:
The first year at university can be considered as a form of culture shock. Briefly outline its causes, then discuss its effects and what measures could be taken to assist first-year students studying in Australian universities.

1. Introduction
   1. orientation statement
   2. thesis statement
   3. *outline
   4. *definitition of any technical term
   * Optional elements. Order of elements (optional or obligatory may be vaired
2. Causes of culture shock
   1. Academic
      - Differences in teaching/learning approaches
      - Differences in assessment techniques
   2. Daily life
      - Increased demands managing work and study
      - Differences in friendship and leisure activities
3. Effects of culture shock
   1. Stress manifested through:
      - loss of confidence
      - feelings of being cheated, deceived
      - irritation and anger
      - difficulty in sleeping
   2. Poorer marks than achieved in previous studies, or even failure
4. Measures to deal with culture shock
   1. Preparation prior to entering university
   2. Adequate support in the early stages of studying
5. Conclusion
   1. Summary of major points of essay
   2. Restatement of thesis