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Body ParagraphsBody Paragraphs
References
2001 by Ruth Luman
Writing Paragraphs of ImportanceWriting Paragraphs of Importance
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Body ParagraphsBody ParagraphsPurpose
The body paragraphs in your essay support
the main idea in your thesis statement by
breaking it down into smaller ideas or subtopics.
Ideas in your paragraphs should relate back tothe thesis statement.
Essay
Introduction &
Thesis Statement
Body Paragraph 1
_____________
Body Paragraph 2
_____________
Body Paragraph 3
_____________
Body Paragraph 4
_____________
Body Paragraph 5
_____________
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Body ParagraphsBody Paragraphs
Most paragraphs contain between five toten sentences. The first line of a paragraph isusually indented (begin a few spaces to the
right of the margin) to show that there is anew paragraph.
Form
________________________ . ____________________. _____________________. _________________________.
____________________________. ____________________.______________________. ______________________________.
indent
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Key FeaturesKey Features
Body paragraphs should should containsome of the following features
A Topic Sentence
Supporting Sentences
A Concluding Sentence
Unity
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Topic SentencesTopic Sentences
Every paragraph should have a topic
sentence. This is the most important sentence
because it expresses the main idea of the
paragraph.
Definition
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Body Paragraph
An important factor in learning a foreign language has to do with the
concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. When we do something
for the fun of it or because we enjoy it, that is called intrinsic
motivation. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is when we do
something for the purpose of receiving some kind of external reward
such as money, time off from work, etc. Many education experts believe
that intrinsic motivation is more powerful when it comes to helping
students retain what theyve learned. The question and challenge for
teachers today is, How can we help our students become intrinsically
motivated in what we are teaching?
ExampleExample
Topic Sentence
Topic Sentence: statesthe main idea of theparagraph.
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Topic Sentence EssentialsTopic Sentence EssentialsComplete Sentence
There are several things you need to
remember when writing topic sentences. Thefirst is that topic sentences are always
complete sentences.
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ExampleExample
Strategies of learning English.
There are many strategies
that you can use to help you
learn a new language.
Not a completesentence
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ExampleExample
The Day of the Dead.
The Day of the Dead is a
special holiday in Mexico
when people can get
together to rememberdeceased loved ones.
Not a completesentence
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Topic Sentence EssentialsTopic Sentence Essentials
Two Parts
A topic sentence contains the topicof the
paragraph and a controlling idea. Thecontrolling idea limits the topic to something
very specific.
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Topic Sentence Companies should develop more efficient forms of
energy such as solar heating panels.
ExampleExample
This sentence does not contain a controllingidea. This is not a good topic sentence,
because it does not limit the topic to make it
more specific.
Controlling Idea: limits the ideas
in the paragraph and makes the
sentence more specific.
Topic Sentence Companies need to develop more efficient forms of
energy.
Topic: names the main
idea
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Example #2Example #2
Topic and Controlling Idea
Topic Sentence
One of the most serious problems in todays inner-city public
schools is overcrowded classrooms.
Topic: names the main
idea or general subject
of the paragraph
Controlling Idea: makes a specific
comment about the subject. Tells
the reader what the paragraph will
say about the main topic.
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Example #2Example #2
Topic and Controlling Idea
Topic Sentence
One of the most serious problems in todays inner-city public
schools is the low percentage of trained teachers.
Topic: names the main
idea or general subject
of the paragraph
Controlling Idea: makes a specificcomment about the subject. Tells
the reader what the paragraph will
say about the main topic.
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Be Careful!Be Careful!
Make sure that your topic sentence doesnot contain too many controlling ideas.
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Topic Sentence The advent of the Internet has benefited society
through improved communication.
ExampleExample
There are too many controlling ideas to becovered in one paragraph. A good topic
sentence should be limited to one controlling
idea.
Most topic sentences contain only
one controlling idea.
Topic Sentence The advent of the Internet has benefited societythrough improved communication, access to information, and
streamlined commerce.
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Supporting SentencesSupporting Sentences
Definition
Every paragraph has sentences that relate
to the ideas in the topic sentence. These
sentences are called supporting sentences.Look at the supporting sentences on the next
page to see how the writer provided more
information on the subject in the topic
sentence.
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Supporting SentencesSupporting Sentences
TopicS
entence
An important factor in learning a foreign language has to do with the
concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.
When we do something for the fun of it or because we enjoy it, that
is called intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is when we do something for
the purpose of receiving some kind of external reward such as
money, time off from work, etc.
Many education experts believe that intrinsic motivation is more
powerful when it comes to helping students retain what theyve
learned.Supporting Sentences
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Concluding SentenceConcluding Sentence
A concluding sentence is the last
sentence in a paragraph. A conclusion can
remind the reader of the main points of a
paragraph and/or leave the reader with
something to think about in relation to the
topic. Look at the next page to see how
the writer used a concluding sentence.
Definition and Purpose
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Body Paragraph
An important factor in learning a foreign language has to do with the
concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. When we do something
for the fun of it or because we enjoy it, that is called intrinsic
motivation. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is when we do
something for the purpose of receiving some kind of external rewardsuch as money, time off from work, etc. Many education experts believe
that intrinsic motivation is more powerful when it comes to helping
students retain what theyve learned. The question and challenge for
teachers today is, How can we help our students become intrinsically
motivated in what we are teaching?
Concluding SentenceConcluding Sentence
This concluding sentence triesto leave a final thought with thereader by asking a question.
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Concluding SentenceConcluding SentenceUseful Expressions
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.
As we can see,
These examples show that
As a result,
In summary,
Finally,
Consequently,
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UnityUnityDefinition
Good paragraphs have unity. That
means that each sentence in the paragraph
is related to the topic sentence. Unified
paragraphs also discuss only one main idea.
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Body Paragraph
One of the recent status symbols for many American business people is the
palm pilot. Palm pilots are small electronic devices that help people organize
information such as dates for meetings, short notes, and addresses of contacts.
Fax machines are also very popular among office workers. With palm pilots, a
person can input information at any time and any place. Many business people
also have cellular phones so that they can make phone calls from just about
anywhere. When a person returns to the office from a business trip, he/she wont
have to spend hours organizing notes or addresses, because the palm pilot
already has that information. All that person has to do now is hook up the palm
pilot to a personal computer, and voila! All the information from meetings is
efficiently organized on the hard drive of the personal computer!
Find the sentences that are off topic or do not relate to the topic
sentence. TopicSentence
These sentences donot relate to thetopic sentence in theparagraph. Thisparagraph does nothave unity.
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Practice ExercisePractice Exercise
Now, you are ready to practice what youve learned. Click on
the button below to go back to Unit C. Do the Interactive
Exercise and print and complete the worksheet for Practice
Exercise Two.
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References PowerPoint Presentation by Ruth Luman:
Modesto Junior College.
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