# getParagraphStart(_:end:contentsEnd:for:) Returns by reference the beginning of the first paragraph and the end of the last paragraph touched by the given range. ``` func getParagraphStart(_ startPtr: UnsafeMutablePointer?, end parEndPtr: UnsafeMutablePointer?, contentsEnd contentsEndPtr: UnsafeMutablePointer?, for range: NSRange) ``` ## Parameters `startPtr` Upon return, contains the index of the first character of the paragraph containing the beginning of `aRange`. Pass `NULL` if you do not need this value (in which case the work to compute the value isn’t performed). `parEndPtr` Upon return, contains the index of the first character past the terminator of the paragraph containing the end of `aRange`. Pass `NULL` if you do not need this value (in which case the work to compute the value isn’t performed). `contentsEndPtr` Upon return, contains the index of the first character of the terminator of the paragraph containing the end of `aRange`. Pass `NULL` if you do not need this value (in which case the work to compute the value isn’t performed). `range` A range within the receiver. The value must not exceed the bounds of the receiver. ## Discussion A paragraph is any segment of text delimited by a carriage return (`U+000D`), newline (`U+000A`), or paragraph separator (`U+2029`). If `aRange` is contained with a single paragraph, of course, the returned indexes all belong to that paragraph. Similar to [`getLineStart(_:end:contentsEnd:for:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSString/getLineStart(_:end:contentsEnd:for:)), you can use the results of this method to construct the ranges for paragraphs. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)