Body Paragraphs

Writing Paragraphs of Importance

2001 by Ruth Luman

References

Body Paragraphs
Purpose
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 to
the thesis statement.
Essay
Introduction &
Thesis Statement

Body Paragraph 3
_____________

Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 4

_____________

_____________

Body Paragraph 2

Body Paragraph 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.
indent
________________________ . ____________________.
_____________________. _________________________.
____________________________. ____________________.
______________________. ______________________________.

Key Features
Body paragraphs should should contain
some of the following features

A Topic Sentence

Supporting Sentences

A Concluding Sentence

Unity

Topic Sentences
Definition

Every paragraph should have a topic

sentence. This is the most important sentence
because it expresses the main idea of the
paragraph.

Example
Topic Sentence
Topic Sentence: states
the main idea of the
paragraph.

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?

Topic Sentence Essentials

Complete Sentence

There are several things you need to

remember when writing topic sentences. The
first is that topic sentences are always
complete sentences.

Example
Not a complete
sentence

Strategies of learning English.

There are many strategies

that you can use to help you
learn a new language.

Example
Not a complete
sentence

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.

Topic Sentence Essentials

Two Parts
A topic sentence contains the topic of the
paragraph and a controlling idea. The
controlling idea limits the topic to something
very specific.

Example
This 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.

Topic Sentence

Companies need to develop more efficient forms of

energy.

Topic Sentence Companies should develop more efficient forms of

energy such as solar heating panels.
Controlling Idea: limits the ideas
in the paragraph and makes the
sentence more specific.

Topic: names the main

idea

Example #2
Topic and Controlling Idea
Topic: names the main
idea or general subject
of the paragraph

Topic Sentence
One of the most serious problems in todays inner-city public
schools is overcrowded classrooms.

Controlling Idea: makes a specific

comment about the subject. Tells
the reader what the paragraph will
say about the main topic.

Example #2
Topic and Controlling Idea
Topic: names the main
idea or general subject
of the paragraph

Topic Sentence
One of the most serious problems in todays inner-city public
schools is the low percentage of trained teachers.

Controlling Idea: makes a specific

comment about the subject. Tells
the reader what the paragraph will
say about the main topic.

Be Careful!
Make sure that your topic sentence does
not contain too many controlling ideas.

Example
There are too many controlling ideas to be
covered in one paragraph. A good topic
sentence should be limited to one controlling
idea.

Topic Sentence The advent of the Internet has benefited society

through improved communication, access to information, and
streamlined commerce.

Topic Sentence The advent of the Internet has benefited society

through improved communication.
Most topic sentences contain only
one controlling idea.

Supporting 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.

Supporting Sentences
Topic 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 theyve
learned.
Supporting Sentences

Concluding Sentence
Definition and Purpose
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.

Concluding Sentence
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?
This concluding sentence tries
to leave a final thought with the
reader by asking a question.

Concluding Sentence
Useful 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,

Finally,

In summary,

Consequently,

As a result,

These examples show that

Unity
Definition

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.

Find the sentences that are off topic or do not relate to the topic
sentence.
Topic
Body Paragraph

Sentence

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!
These sentences do
not relate to the
topic sentence in the
paragraph. This
paragraph does not
have unity.

Practice 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.

References

PowerPoint Presentation by Ruth Luman:

Modesto Junior College.
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