Griffith English Language Institute
HELP Yourself Resource Transcript: Paragraphing Part 2
This video forms Part 2 in a series on paragraphing. Part 1 looked at using one idea per
paragraph, as described in each paragraph's topic sentence. This video will now look at two
other ingredients of a good paragraph: cohesion and coherence.
Coherence
Let’s look at coherence in a paragraph. Once you have written your topic sentence, all the
other sentences in the paragraph need to develop that idea and directly relate to it to in order
to make the paragraph coherent. ‘Coherence’ refers to the logical order of the information in
your paragraph; that is, how one idea leads logically to the next.
Here is a structure commonly used for paragraphs in academic writing. It starts with a topic
sentence and then goes on to provide support, example or details. Notice how each
sentence supports a previous idea.
I.
Topic Sentence
A. Supporting statement 1
1. Support, examples, or details
2. Further support, examples, or details
B. Supporting statement 2
1. Support, examples, or details
2. Further support, examples, or details
It’s a good idea to use an outline like this to plan the structure of each paragraph. For
example, when the ideas are added, the outline would look like this:
I.
The terms ‘net generation’ and ‘digital native’ are under critical scrutiny.
A. Bennett et al. (2008) raise questions about the terms
1. the debate is overly dramatic
2. it’s too focused on oppositions
B. Bayne and Ross (2007) are unsure about the pressures on schools because
1. arguments are forcing institutions to change
2. each person is fixed by their generation
Once you have your ideas in place, you can then write the sentences out in full like this:
I.
Recently the idea of a Net generation and the term Digital Native has come under
some critical scrutiny.
A. Bennett et al. (2008) have argued that there are still significant questions
surrounding the main claims.
1. They maintain that the debate can be compared to an academic form
of ‘moral panic’ in which arguments are expressed in overly dramatic
language.
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2. They also note that this academic panic is associated with polarized
arguments in which descriptions rely on oppositions between digital
natives and digital immigrants (Bennett et al., 2008 pp. 782-783).
B. Bayne and Ross (2007) are equally sceptical about the nature of the claims
made about the pressures arising in education from a new generation of
Digital Natives.
1. They suggest that the arguments lead to a one-way determinism,
forcing institutions and teachers to change.
2. They further note a paradox at the centre of this debate because
each person is fixed by their generational position: you either are or
you are not a ‘native’.
The final form of your paragraph should be set out with either a line between each paragraph
or a five-space indentation at the beginning of each paragraph, but not both.
Of course there are several other ways of structuring a paragraph. Check out the links below
to find out more on this.
Cohesion
Now let’s look at the other ingredient for a good paragraph: cohesion. ‘Cohesion’ refers to
how your sentences are linked together through different grammatical devices such as
conjunctions, linkers and pronouns.
You have probably studied common cohesive devices such as sequencing words and linking
words. In addition to these, we also use words to refer back to information within the
paragraph. This adds to a sense of cohesion.
Let’s look again at the paragraph about the Net Generation and examine the words in bold.
You can pause this video if you need more time to do so.
Recently the idea of a Net generation and the term Digital Native has come
under critical scrutiny. Bennett et al. (2008) have argued that there are still
significant questions surrounding the main claims. They go on to maintain that
the debate can be compared to an academic form of ‘moral panic’ in which
arguments are expressed in overly dramatic language. They also note that this
academic panic is associated with polarized arguments in which descriptions
rely on oppositions between digital natives and digital immigrants (Bennett et al.
2008, pp. 782-783). Bayne and Ross (2007) are equally sceptical about the
nature of the claims made about the pressures arising in education from a new
generation of Digital Natives. They suggest that the arguments lead to a oneway determinism forcing institutions and teachers to change. They further
note a paradox at the centre of this debate because each person is fixed by
their generational position and either is or is not a ‘native’.
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Look at the four examples of the word ‘they’. Who does ‘they’ refer back to? Pronouns like
‘they’ refer back to previous nouns that we have mentioned. It adds cohesion and minimises
the repetition of words within the text.
Look next at the word ‘this’. What does ‘this’ refer to? Again, it refers back to previous
information and avoids repetition of that information.
Now look at the instances of ‘which’. These also link current to previous information without
the need for repetition.
Referring back to previous ideas helps a reader follow an argument through a paragraph. It
also helps the writer have more variety within the text by avoiding the repetition of words or
phrases.
Summary
Writing a good paragraph is one of the most important aspects of academic writing. To
summarise, there are four main points that you should keep in mind when writing them:
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Firstly, make sure that you have only one topic per paragraph. If you change topic,
create a new paragraph.
Secondly, use a topic sentence to state the topic or purpose of your paragraph,
usually towards the beginning of the paragraph.
Thirdly, consider the coherence and logical order within the paragraph. This can be
done by writing an outline first.
Finally, consider the cohesion of your paragraph by using some of the techniques
identified in this video - such as conjunctions, linkers and pronouns to refer
backwards and forwards to other ideas.
If you haven’t already done so, you might like to review the videos and exercises for
conjunctions and linkers, as these words are important for a well-written paragraph.
This video series has provided an introduction to paragraphing. You will find exercises on
this topic below.
Reference
Net generation or Digital Natives: Is there a distinct new generation entering university?
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