The paragraph is the basic unit for writing essays, reports and blog posts. Its basic struture contains:
1- the topic sentence- the main idea is expressed here
2- the supporting sentences; these can be:
-a definition if in the topical sentence you introduced aany abstract, key, or probelmatic term
-examples that clarify your topic sentence
-detailed evidence that supports your main idea
3-the comment sentence is not included in the basic paragraph structure (image above) but it is expected in academic critical writing that you comment on the evidence to show how it supports or develops the main idea.
4- the concluding sentence – where you look back at the topic sentence, summarise the paragraph and provide a link to the next paragraph. It helps if you ask yourself: how have I moved on/ developed the main idea? Where am i going in the next paragraph?
examples:
http://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/D_BUS/study_skills/writing_report/example1.html
