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Writing Body

Paragraphs“Readiness is all."   (William Shakespeare)

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HOW IS THE BODY PARAGRAPH DIFFERENT?

• Of the three paragraphs--introductory, body and concluding-- the body is probably the most difficult to write.

WHY?

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As a result,

Writing body paragraphs takes more planning and time than the introductory or concluding paragraph.

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Before you write a body paragraph, you need to

make sure . . .• That you have adequate and specific

examples. (Article, Graph, Chart, etc…) or• A short story (Novel, Play, Etc…) to back up

or illustrate your thinking. and • That your ideas are in the right T.E.X.A.S.

order.

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This is the format for the body paragraph which should include about 6 to 9 sentences and be of

about 100 words in length.

T – stands for Topic. Here you state what you’ll be talking about in the paragraph. It only needs to be one line, just enough to specify what you're talking about.E - stands for Explain. Here you will elaborate on your Topic, giving the reader more information about what it is. One line will do here, but two is more beneficial for your mark.X - stands for Example. This is where your paragraph comes to the crunch. You will have to use a real example. If you’re Responding to Literature, you'll need a real quote. If you're doing a formal writing essay you'll be able to get away with a looser interpretation of the word 'real'. You will be judged on the content of your quote and how you use it to back up your argument.A - stands for Analysis. Here you discuss how your example backs up your argument. Two lines is a good bet here, the more you show how much you understand your example the better. Feel free to start it off with, 'This shows how..." or "Here we see..." You shouldn't get marked down particularly, but you'll get marked up for a more original link.S - stands for Summary. This often means repeating your Topic statement with more affirmative grammar. Rearranging the words never hurt either.

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This is the format for the body paragraph which should include about 6 to 9 sentences and be of

about 100 words in length.

T – stands for Topic.

Here you state what you’ll be talking about in the paragraph. It only needs to be one line, just enough to specify what you're talking about.

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This is the format for the body paragraph which should include about 6 to 9 sentences and be of

about 100 words in length.

E - stands for Explain.

Here you will elaborate on your Topic, giving the reader more information about what it is. One line will do here, but two is more beneficial for your mark.

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This is the format for the body paragraph which should include about 6 to 9 sentences and be of

about 100 words in length.

X - stands for Example.

This is where your paragraph comes to the crunch. You will have to use a real example. If you’re Responding to Literature, you'll need a real quote from an actual book. You can easily start a sentence with “This can be seen when ______ says…” If you're doing a formal writing essay you'll be able to get away with a looser interpretation of the word 'real'. You will be judged on the content of your quote and how you use it to back up your argument.

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This is the format for the body paragraph which should include about 6 to 9 sentences and be of

about 100 words in length.

A - stands for Analysis.

Here you discuss how your example backs up your argument. Two lines is a good bet here, the more you show how much you understand your example the better. Feel free to start it off with, 'This shows how..." or "Here we see..." You shouldn't get marked down particularly, but you'll get marked up for a more original link.

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This is the format for the body paragraph which should include about 6 to 9 sentences and be of

about 100 words in length.

S - stands for Summary.

This often means repeating your Topic statement with more affirmative grammar. Rearranging the words never hurt either.

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Before you begin to write, you must outline,

brainstorm or pre-write.

• Use the T.E.X.A.S. Graphic Organizer to arrange and plot out your ideas. If you ultimately move your sentence around that is okay, but use the organizer to rough draft.

Created by José J.

Gonzalez, Jr. Spring 2002

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(TOPIC) "New Zealand roads are seriously overcrowded. (EXPLAIN) Most people own a car and use that car everyday. This has lead to crowded streets and more traffic jams. This increased traffic is having a negative effect on a number of people in our society. (EXAMPLE) A government report released in 2006 showed that “the increased ownership of cars has led to a 20% increase in traffic jams over the last 10 years.” (ANALYSIS) Police must monitor and direct Traffic Jams; traffic Jams cause problems like pollution, accidents, and road rage. Also, people get to work late and lose hours for productivity. This means later hours and/or rushed final products. Finally, traffic means parents are late picking up kids from school, not preparing dinner, and/or missing quality time with their children. (SUMMARY) New Zealand roads are far too overcrowded."