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Body ParagraphsBody Paragraphs
References
© 2001 by Ruth Luman
Writing Paragraphs of Importance Writing Paragraphs of Importance
Body ParagraphsBody ParagraphsPurpose
The body paragraphs in your essay supportthe main idea in your thesis statement bybreaking 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
_____________
Body ParagraphsBody Paragraphs
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.
Form
________________________ . ____________________. _____________________. _________________________. ____________________________. ____________________. ______________________. ______________________________.
indent
Key FeaturesKey Features Body paragraphs should should containsome of the following features…
A Topic Sentence
Supporting Sentences
A Concluding Sentence
Unity
Topic SentencesTopic Sentences
Every paragraph should have a topicsentence. This is the most important sentencebecause it expresses the main idea of theparagraph.
Definition
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 they’ve learned. The question and challenge for
teachers today is, “How can we help our students become intrinsically
motivated in what we are teaching?”
ExampleExampleTopic Sentence
Topic Sentence: states the main idea of the paragraph.
Topic Sentence EssentialsTopic Sentence EssentialsComplete Sentence
There are several things you need toremember when writing topic sentences. Thefirst is that topic sentences are alwayscomplete sentences.
ExampleExample
Strategies of learning English.
There are many strategies
that you can use to help you
learn a new language.
Not a complete sentence
ExampleExample
The Day of the Dead.
The Day of the Dead is a special holiday in Mexico when people can get together to remember deceased loved ones.
Not a complete sentence
Topic Sentence EssentialsTopic Sentence EssentialsTwo Parts
A topic sentence contains the topic of theparagraph and a controlling idea. Thecontrolling idea limits the topic to somethingvery specific.
Topic Sentence Companies should develop more efficient forms of energy such as solar heating panels.
ExampleExampleThis sentence does not contain a controlling idea. 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
Example #2Example #2Topic and Controlling Idea
Topic Sentence
One of the most serious problems in today’s 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.
Example #2Example #2Topic and Controlling Idea
Topic Sentence
One of the most serious problems in today’s 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 specific comment about the subject. Tells the reader what the paragraph will say about the main topic.
Be Careful!Be Careful!
Make sure that your topic sentence does not contain too many controlling ideas.
Topic Sentence The advent of the Internet has benefited society through improved communication.
ExampleExampleThere are too many controlling ideas to be covered 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 society through improved communication, access to information, and streamlined commerce.
Supporting SentencesSupporting SentencesDefinition
Every paragraph has sentences that relateto the ideas in the topic sentence. Thesesentences are called supporting sentences. Look at the supporting sentences on the nextpage to see how the writer provided moreinformation on the subject in the topicsentence.
Supporting SentencesSupporting SentencesTopic Sentence
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 they’ve learned.
Supporting Sentences
Concluding SentenceConcluding Sentence
A concluding sentence is the lastsentence in a paragraph. A conclusion
canremind the reader of the main points of aparagraph and/or leave the reader withsomething to think about in relation to
thetopic. Look at the next page to see howthe writer used a concluding sentence.
Definition and Purpose
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 they’ve 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 tries to leave a final thought with the reader by asking a question.
Concluding Concluding SentenceSentence
Useful Expressions
It is sometimes helpful to have a concluding expressionin your last sentence to signal the end of your paragraph.Some common expressions used in concluding sentencesare listed below.
As we can see,
These examples show that…
As a result,
In summary,
Finally,
Consequently,
UnityUnityDefinition
Good paragraphs have unity. Thatmeans that each sentence in the paragraphis related to the topic sentence. Unifiedparagraphs also discuss only one main idea.
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 won’t
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. Topic Sentence
These sentences do not relate to the topic sentence in the paragraph. This paragraph does not have unity.
Practice ExercisePractice Exercise
Now, you are ready to practice what you’ve learned. Click onthe button below to go back to Unit C. Do the InteractiveExercise and print and complete the worksheet for PracticeExercise Two.
References PowerPoint Presentation by Ruth Luman:
Modesto Junior College.
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