Body Paragraphs

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Body Paragraphs

• Support and Expand your THESIS

Modified From Original Document Westwood
Academy
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Body Paragraphs Purpose

• Topic sentences introduce the paragraph and its
  connection to the thesis statement.
• Provide support for thesis (examples, quotes,
  statistics, etc.)
• Elaborate on research and connect back to thesis
  statement and the introductory paragraph

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Organization and flow

• Each body paragraph and its topic sentence refer
  directly back to the thesis statement.

Introduction Thesis Statement
Body Paragraph 3 _____________
Body Paragraph 4 _____________
Body Paragraph 1 _____________
Body Paragraph 2 _____________
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Body Paragraphs Connection and Conciseness

• Within each body paragraph, examples, evidence,
  etc. support the topic sentence and thus refer
  back to or connects to the thesis.

NOTE Each sentence in a body paragraph should
support the topic of the paragraph and thus the
thesis.
Topic Sentence
Elaborate on and explain support.
Quote Story Statistic other
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Body Paragraphs FORM

• Most paragraphs contain between five to seven
  sentences. The first line of a paragraph is
  indented to show that there is a new paragraph.
• Hint If you look at your outline, each new
  CAPITAL LETTER (A, B, C, etc. should be a NEW
  paragraph!)

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Components of a Body Paragraph

• Topic sentence
• Supporting sentences
• Elaborating or Explanatory sentences
• Concluding or transition sentence

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Topic Sentences

• Tell the reader what the paragraph will be about
  and connects back to the thesis statement from
  the introductory paragraph.

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Supporting Sentences

• Provide support to the paragraph and thesis
• Includes quotes from research sources,
  statistics, case studies or examples

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Explanatory or Elaborating Sentences

• Relate to the ideas in the topic sentence
• Your voice (3rd person!) explains or elaborates
  on the connections between the topic and the
  research/support

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Concluding Sentence

• Signals the end of the paragraph
• Transitions to next topic sentence
• Some common expressions used in concluding
  sentences are listed below.
• It is apparent
• This is just one
• Consequently,
• This demonstrates that

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Sample Body Paragraph

• Lastly, athletes should not use steroids because
  the use of steroids, once only found in
  professional sports, has spread to young athletes
  at the high school and middle school level. This
  poses a huge problem because if steroids can have
  such negative effects on the adult human body,
  imagine what they can do to a growing teenagers
  body. In fact, when teenagers use steroids, the
  steroids can signal the users bones to stop
  growing. The University of Michigans Institute
  for Social Research conducts an annual survey of
  student drug use, and they found that the steroid
  use of twelfth graders has grown steadily
  throughout the twenty-first century. Since
  steroid use has grown so rapidly, it is no
  surprise that the Center for Disease Control and
  Prevention found that more than six percent of
  teenagers nationally have used steroids
  (Negative). Due to the serious and dangerous
  health effects, it is scary to think that
  steroids have become so prominent in this country
  that high school and middle school athletes are
  able to get them so easily. Consequently,
  student-athletes must seriously consider the
  dangerous health effects steroids can have on
  their young, growing bodies and ignore the
  temptation to use these drugs, regardless of how
  easily accessible they are.

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