How to Write Body ParagraphsHow can you prove your thesis?

Body Paragraphs

ConclusionSay goodbye and walk away. (We’ll get to this later)

Body ParagraphsThe body is the physical support. It holds everything up much like the body paragraphs support the thesis.

Thesis & IntroLike the brain, the thesis and intro make decisions and keep everything going.

Body Paragraphs

The MEAT & POTATOES of an essay. The body paragraphs fill you up & keep you going

They support the thesis

This is the part of the essay when you get your ideas across.

Structure of Body Paragraphs:Topic Sentence

Each body part starts with its main idea presented in a form of a topic sentence.The topic sentence tells what the paragraph is going to focus on. This should be the first point from your thesis statement.

Transition words should begin a topic sentence to transition from the previous point.

Ex. Thesis:Thanksgiving is the best holiday because it gives people a chance to spend time with their families and eat delicious food.Ex. Topic SentencesOverall, the best part of Thanksgiving is spending time with

family. In addition to time spent with family, the food of Thanksgiving

adds to the fun of Thanksgiving.

Structure of Body Paragraphs:Supporting Details

You should include facts or points supporting the main idea of the paragraph.

The supporting points should not be positioned one after another, but general discussion of the point should be included in-between.

Types of SupportExpert Opinion (Ethos)Facts & Statistics (Logos)Personal Experience (Pathos)

Supporting Details:Expert Opinion (Ethos)

Using expert opinions in your essay adds to the credibility of your argument.

Ex. Ethos SupportAccording to Principal Debra Murdock, school uniforms

would cut down on violence in schools.Dentists have proven that flossing everyday reduces your

risk of gum disease.Michael Jordan, six-time NBA champion, relies on Nike to

supply all of his basketball shoes. Students agree that healthier choices in the lunchroom

would make them eat school lunch more often.

Expert Opinion (Ethos) Example:Product: George

Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine

Repertoire: Boxing Champ and Preacher

What does this say?Champion Boxer stays

healthy in his retirement by using the Lean Mean Grilling Machine.

Why is George Foreman credible?

Supporting Details Facts & Statistics (Logos):

• the logic used to support a claim; can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. THINK NUMBERS!!!

Ex Logos Support: 86% of students have access to a cell phone throughout the

school day, but only 65% have access to a computer. Allowing cell phones in schools will help students have more access to technology.

Three out of five homes have two working parents. Students who are allowed to have an afterschool job can help ease the burden that parents carry.

Every year, over 18.000 teenagers are killed in car accidents. If the school would offer a driver’s education course, these numbers would go down significantly.

Facts & Statistics (Logos) Example:

Message: Smoking will kill you.Incorporation into a paragraph:

The school board should consider a smoking ban at all school events to lower students’ risk of health problems. Diseases such as asthma, cancer, and emphysema often result from smoking. Spending time around smokers can also lead to these illnesses. Everyday, 1200 people in America die from smoking related illnesses. By outlawing smoking at school events, the school board help reduce a student’s risk of getting these illnesses from smoking themselves or allowing them to be around second-hand smoke.

Supporting Details:Personal Experience (Pathos)

An appeal to emotion

Ex Pathos Support: Watching my grandmother die of lung cancer was the

most difficult experience of my life. She had started smoking when she was only sixteen years old. When she died at 56 years old, she had been attached to an oxygen tank for eight years. Her life basically stopped at that time. She could not spend time with us because she had to make sure her oxygen would not run out. She did not get to experience most of what life had to offer because she had chosen to smoke cigarettes.

Personal/Emotional Experience (Pathos) Example:Message: Tag Body

Spray will make you irresistible to women.

Incorporation into a paragraph:Good hygiene is important when someone is trying to get a date. Using body sprays can help people become more attractive to others. Tag Body Spray is the best smelling spray to women. They cannot resist it.

Supporting Ideas Example: Thesis: Divers education classes should be taught in high schools to help students learn how to drive and to keep students safe behind the wheel.

List supporting details that will support the thesis above.Facts & Statistics:

Personal/Emotional Experience:

Expert Opinion:

Each body paragraph should have a concluding sentence in order to make connection to the next paragraph.

You have to transition to your next point.

Examples: All things considered, a smoking ban will help

reduce the risks of smoking related diseases.After all, no one wants to be around someone who

smells bad. To summarize, a uniform policy will prevent

violence because it will reduce conflict. On the whole, cell phones are more helpful than

distracting.

Structure of Body Paragraphs:Concluding Sentence

Body Paragraphs: Final TipsStay focused on one idea/argument only in each body paragraph

Keep the thesis statement in mind because each of the body paragraphs supports a point from this thesis statement

Make the topic sentence of each body paragraph as clear as possible.

Prove the ideas presented in the body paragraphs through mentioning detailed and convincing examples.

Use transitions to connect ideas in body paragraphs.