This page features material on paragraph structure and inter-paragraph relations in a section of text. Paragraphs in texts whose purpose is to inform, explain or persuade often consist of a topic sentence and supporting reasons and evidence; the paragraph as a unit performs a rhetorical function within the framework of a (section of) text as a whole, e.g. in Swales’ Creating a Research Space model of research article introductions. Cohesion from paragraph to paragraph is often achieved by the use of metadiscourse markers for reader navigation; coherence of ideas is often realized by paragraphs expressing those ideas, developing thematic progressions or constituting stages in the development and support of an overarching argument.

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