Body Paragraphs

1. Body Paragraphs Support and Expand your Main Idea

2. Body Paragraphs • Contain topic sentences – sentences that introduce the paragraph and its connection to your main idea statement. • Provided support for your main idea – this can be in examples, quotes, statistics, etc. • Connect back, through elaboration, to the main idea and the introductory paragraph.

3. Essay Organization and flow… • Each body paragraph and its topic sentence refer directly back to the thesis statement. Introduction & Main Idea Body Paragraph 3 _____________ Body Paragraph 4 _____________ Body Paragraph 1 _____________ Body Paragraph 2 _____________

4. Body Paragraph Body Paragraphs: Connection and Conciseness • Within each of your body paragraphs, examples, evidence, etc. support the topic sentence and thus refers back to or connects to your essay thesis. NOTE: Each sentence in a body paragraph should support the topic of the paragraph and thus the thesis. Topic Sentence Elaborate on and explain support. Quote Story Statistic other

5. Body Paragraphs: FORM Most paragraphs contain between five to ten sentences. The first line of a paragraph is usually indented (begin a few spaces to the right of the margin) to show that there is a new paragraph. Begin with a single tab or five spaces (indent), before you begin the paragraph.

6. Key Features of the body paragraph • Topic sentence • Supporting sentences • Elaborating or Explanatory sentences • Concluding or transition sentence

7. Topic Sentences • This sentence contain the controlling and connecting elements of the body paragraph. • It tells the reader what the paragraph will be about and connects back to the thesis statement from the introductory paragraph.

8. Topic Sentence Supporting Sentences Elaborating or Explanatory Sentences Concluding sentence Example Body Paragraph Family vacations can bring people closer together. I remember a time when my sister and I were not getting along. When we first left on family vacation, she and I hardly spoke, but being forced together made us have to interact. Positive situations like this – forced or otherwise – can create closer bonds, important to forging good relationships. According to Dr. John Smith PhD., “people who are open to counseling or group therapy have stronger, healthier relationships” (89). Communication in a variety of forms can improve personal interaction. This demonstrates one of the countless ways to open up vital avenues to quality communication. Family vacations can bring people closer together. I remember a time when my sister and I were not getting along. When we first left on family vacation, she and I hardly spoke, but being forced together made us have to interact. Positive situations like this – forced or otherwise – can create closer bonds, important to forging good relationships. According to Dr. John Smith PhD., “people who are open to counseling or group therapy have stronger, healthier relationships” (89). Communication in a variety of forms can improve personal interaction. This demonstrates one of the countless ways to open up vital avenues to quality communication. Family vacations can bring people closer together. I remember a time when my sister and I were not getting along. When we first left on family vacation, she and I hardly spoke, but being forced together made us have to interact. Positive situations like this – forced or otherwise – can create closer bonds, important to forging good relationships. According to Dr. John Smith PhD., “people who are open to counseling or group therapy have stronger, healthier relationships” (89). Communication in a variety of forms can improve personal interaction. This demonstrates one of the countless ways to open up vital avenues to quality communication.

9. Supporting Sentences • These sentence are used by the author to provide support to the paragraph and the essay main idea. • They can be quotes from researched sources, personal anecdotes, statistics, stories or examples. • NOTE: These must be in complete sentences or woven into complete sentences.

10. Explanatory or Elaborating Sentences • Every paragraph has sentences that relate to the ideas in the topic sentence. These sentences are called supporting sentences. • These are the sentences in which the author explains or elaborates on the connections between the supporting sentences and the overall topic.

11. Concluding sentence • It is sometimes helpful to have a concluding expression in your last sentence to signal the end of your paragraph. • Some common expressions used in concluding sentences are listed below. • It is apparent … • This is just one … • Consequently, • This demonstrates that …

12. Sample Body Paragraph • One more time … Family vacations can bring people closer together. I remember a time when my sister and I were not getting along. When we first left on family vacation, she and I hardly spoke, but being forced together made us have to interact. Positive situations like this – forced or otherwise – can create closer bonds, important to forging good relationships. According to Dr. John Smith PhD., “people who are open to counseling or group therapy have stronger, healthier relationships” (89). Communication in a variety of forms can improve personal interaction. This demonstrates one of the countless ways to open up vital avenues to quality communication.