Printable version of Building Strong Body Paragraphs (PDF). A strong body paragraph explains, proves, and/or supports
your argument/claim/thesis statement. It may be useful to think of your paper as a tree: the trunk represents the whole paper, which is designed to prove your main argument, while the branches signify individual body paragraphs that develop your supporting claims or arguments. These components must work together to effectively develop your primary idea or overall claim. Ultimately, each body paragraph should be
unified, coherent, and fully-developed. An effective body paragraph will usually accomplish the following: 1. Express a Claim/Point/ArgumentIdentify the main idea of your paragraph and its relevance to your thesis or argument. 2. Provide Evidence in ContextChoose your evidence source and summarize the context. 3. Analyze Evidence and Link to Larger ArgumentExplain what the evidence means and how it connects to the argument in your paragraph or thesis statement. Sample paragraph (separated by claim, evidence, and analysis)
Tip: students are often taught the "hamburger" method of constructing body paragraphs (where claim, evidence, and analysis are layered on top of each other in a formulaic way). However, as you develop your writing style further, you should be aware that more nuanced writing will often navigate back and forth between evidence and analysis. See academic journals in your discipline for different strategies. Back to Writing Centre resources How do you start a body paragraph?Though a body paragraph should always begin with a topic sentence and end with proof of your objective — sometimes with a direct connection to the essay's thesis — you don't need to include the transition in that paragraph; instead, you may insert it right before the topic sentence of the next paragraph.
What is a body paragraph example?What Is a Body Paragraph? Body paragraphs are units of text that offer supporting evidence to back up the thesis statement of an essay, report, or story. A good body paragraph contains three main sections: a topic sentence (or key sentence), relevant supporting sentences, and a closing (or transition) sentence.
How do you write a good body paragraph example?Strong Body Paragraphs.. INSERT A TOPIC SENTENCE:. EXPLAIN YOUR TOPIC SENTENCE:. INTRODUCE YOUR EVIDENCE:. INSERT YOUR EVIDENCE:. UNPACK YOUR EVIDENCE:. EXPLAIN YOUR EVIDENCE:. INSERT A CONCLUDING SENTENCE:. What are 5 parts of a body paragraph?Despite the number of body paragraphs in your essay, all of your body paragraphs should have the following elements:. A Topic Sentence.. Transitions.. Details.. Commentary.. Concluding/Transition Sentence.. |