PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE Some guidelines What is a paragraph
![A Short Example (from “Is Google Making Us Stupid? ”) � [Reason: ]The Net’s](https://slidetodoc.com/presentation_image/2787cd3ddf1a0f7f0625b117b2662ff2/image-6.jpg "A Short Example (from “Is Google Making Us Stupid? ”) � [Reason: ]The Net’s")
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PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE Some guidelines
What is a paragraph?
What is a paragraph? • A contained idea in three parts • • • Main Point Body/Evidence Conclusion
Paragraph Structure (Advanced) • • • Reason (or main point of the paragraph). Any sub-reasons you need. Contextualize the Evidence (i. e. introduce it: where you found it, who said it, any necessary background, etc. ). Provide the Evidence (data, stats, quotes, examples, paraphrases). Explain or Interpret the Evidence (make sure the reader will understand it). Relate the Evidence to your Claim.
How many sentences? • • • Reason (or main point of the paragraph). (1 sentence) Any sub-reasons you need. (1 -2) Contextualize the Evidence (i. e. introduce it: where you found it, who said it, any necessary background, etc. ). (1 -2) Provide the Evidence (data, stats, quotes, examples, paraphrases). (1+) Explain or Interpret the Evidence (make sure the reader will understand it). (1 -2) Relate the Evidence to your Claim. (1 -2)
A Short Example (from “Is Google Making Us Stupid? ”) � [Reason: ]The Net’s influence doesn’t end at the edges of a computer screen, either. [sub-reason / intro evidence: ] As people’s minds become attuned to the crazy quilt of Internet media, traditional media have to adapt to the audience’s new expectations. [evidence: ] Television programs add text crawls and pop-up ads, and magazines and newspapers shorten their articles, introduce capsule summaries, and crowd their pages with easy-to-browse info-snippets. [intro to more evidence: ] When, in March of this year, The New York Times decided to devote the second and third pages of every edition to article abstracts , its design director, Tom Bodkin, explained that [the evidence: ] the “shortcuts” would give harried readers a quick “taste” of the day’s news, sparing them the “less efficient” method of actually turning the pages and reading the articles. [explaining/interpreting the evidence: ]Old media
Paragraph Length �The prior example is only 5 sentences. �Remember that you can (and should) write some longer paragraphs.
