diff --git a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.js b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.js
index 9ff0ce19e8..ac777cf9d0 100644
--- a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.js
+++ b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.js
@@ -12,16 +12,43 @@ module.exports = function renderExamples(getExampleRegion) {
       docs.forEach(doc => {
         if (doc.renderedContent) {
           // We match either `code-example` or `code-pane` elements that have a path attribute
-          doc.renderedContent = doc.renderedContent.replace(/<(code-example|code-pane)([^>]*)>[^<]*<\/\1>/g, (original, element, attributes) => {
-            const attrMap = parseAttributes(attributes);
-            if (attrMap.path) {
-              // We found a path attribute so look up the example and rebuild the HTML
-              const exampleContent = getExampleRegion(doc, attrMap.path, attrMap.region);
-              return `<${element}${renderAttributes(attrMap)}>\n${exampleContent}\n</${element}>`;
-            }
-            // No path attribute so just ignore this one
-            return original;
-          });
+          doc.renderedContent = doc.renderedContent.replace(
+            /<(code-example|code-pane)([^>]*)>[^<]*<\/([^>]+)>/g,
+            (original, openingTag, attributes, closingTag) => {
+              const attrMap = parseAttributes(attributes);
+              if (attrMap.path) {
+                if (closingTag !== openingTag) {
+                  // The markdown renderer will wrap what it thinks is a paragraph in `<p>` and `</p>` tags.
+                  // If you do not leave a blank line between a paragraph of text and a `<code-example>` then
+                  // the markdown renderer may add a paragraph marker "in-between" the opening and closing
+                  // tags of the code-example. For example:
+                  //
+                  // ```
+                  // Some paragraph
+                  // <code-example path="...">
+                  //
+                  // </code-example>
+                  // ```
+                  //
+                  // will be rendered as:
+                  //
+                  // ```
+                  // <p>Some paragraph
+                  // <code-example path="...">
+                  // </p>
+                  // </code-example>
+                  // ```
+                  throw new Error(
+                    'Badly formed example: ' + original + ' - closing tag does not match opening tag.\n' +
+                    ' - Perhaps you forgot to put a blank line before the example?');
+                }
+                // We found a path attribute so look up the example and rebuild the HTML
+                const exampleContent = getExampleRegion(doc, attrMap.path, attrMap.region);
+                return `<${openingTag}${renderAttributes(attrMap)}>\n${exampleContent}\n</${openingTag}>`;
+              }
+              // No path attribute so just ignore this one
+              return original;
+            });
         }
       });
     }
diff --git a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.spec.js b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.spec.js
index c0e1f90a1f..362d8406f5 100644
--- a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.spec.js
+++ b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/processors/render-examples.spec.js
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ describe('renderExamples processor', () => {
     describe(CODE_TAG, () => {
       it(`should ignore a <${CODE_TAG}> tags with no path attribute`, () => {
         const docs = [
-          { renderedContent: `Some text\n<${CODE_TAG}>Some code</${CODE_TAG}>\n<${CODE_TAG} class="anti-pattern" title="Bad Code">do not do this</${CODE_TAG}>` }
+          { renderedContent: `Some text\n<${CODE_TAG}>Some code</${CODE_TAG}>\n<${CODE_TAG} class="anti-pattern" title="Bad Code">do <strong>not</strong> do this</${CODE_TAG}>` }
         ];
         processor.$process(docs);
-        expect(docs[0].renderedContent).toEqual(`Some text\n<${CODE_TAG}>Some code</${CODE_TAG}>\n<${CODE_TAG} class="anti-pattern" title="Bad Code">do not do this</${CODE_TAG}>`);
+        expect(docs[0].renderedContent).toEqual(`Some text\n<${CODE_TAG}>Some code</${CODE_TAG}>\n<${CODE_TAG} class="anti-pattern" title="Bad Code">do <strong>not</strong> do this</${CODE_TAG}>`);
       });
 
       it(`should replace the content of the <${CODE_TAG}> tag with the whole contents from an example file if a path is provided`, () => {
@@ -88,6 +88,15 @@ describe('renderExamples processor', () => {
         processor.$process(docs);
         expect(docs[0].renderedContent).toEqual(`<${CODE_TAG} title="a &quot;quoted&quot; value" path="test/url">\nwhole file\n</${CODE_TAG}>`);
       });
+
+      it('should throw an exception if the code-example tag is not closed correctly', () => {
+        const docs = [
+          { renderedContent: `<${CODE_TAG} path="test/url"></p></${CODE_TAG}>`}
+        ];
+        expect(() => processor.$process(docs)).toThrowError(
+          'Badly formed example: <' + CODE_TAG + ' path="test/url"></p> - closing tag does not match opening tag.\n' +
+          ' - Perhaps you forgot to put a blank line before the example?');
+      });
     })
   );
 });