The Body Paragraphs
The middle paragraphs of the essay are collectively known as the body paragraphs and, as alluded to above, the main purpose of a body paragraph is to spell out in detail the examples that support your thesis.
For the first body paragraph you should use your strongest argument or most significant example unless some other more obvious beginning point (as in the case of chronological explanations) is required. The first sentence of this paragraph should be the topic sentence of the paragraph that directly relates to the examples listed in the mini-outline of introductory paragraph.
A one sentence body paragraph that simply cites the example of "George Washington" or "LeBron James" is not enough, however. No, following this an effective essay will follow up on this topic sentence by explaining to the reader, in detail, who or what an example is and, more importantly, why that example is relevant.
Even the most famous examples need context. For example, George Washington’s life was extremely complex – by using him as an example, do you intend to refer to his honesty, bravery, or maybe even his wooden teeth? The reader needs to know this and it is your job as the writer to paint the appropriate picture for them. To do this, it is a good idea to provide the reader with
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five or six relevant facts about the life (in general) or event (in particular) you believe most clearly illustrates your point. Having done that, you then need to explain exactly why this example proves your thesis. The importance of this step cannot be understated (although it clearly can be underlined); this is, after all, the whole reason you are providing the example in the first place. Seal the deal by directly stating why this example is relevant. Here is an example of a body paragraph to continue the essay begun above: Take, by way of example, Thomas Edison.
The famed American inventor rose to prominence in the late 19th century because of his successes, yes, but even he felt that these successes were the result of his many failures. He did not succeed in his work on one of his most famous inventions, the lightbulb, on his first try nor even on his hundred and first try. In fact, it took him more than 1,000 attempts to make the first incandescent bulb but, along the way, he learned quite a deal. As he himself said, "I did not fail a thousand times but instead succeeded in finding a thousand ways it would not work." Thus Edison demonstrated both in thought and action how instructive mistakes can
be. DO: Tie Things Together The first sentence – the topic sentence - of your body paragraphs needs to have a lot individual pieces to be truly effective. Not only should it open with a transition that signals the change from one idea to the next but also it should (ideally) also have a common thread which ties all of the body paragraphs together. For example, if you used "first" in the first body paragraph then you should used "secondly" in the second or "on the one hand" and "on the other hand" accordingly.
She reiterates her point multiple times, comparing the structure to that of the scientific method in its “hypothesize, test, conclude” approach and breaks the five-paragraph essay down into the simple idea of an introduction, argument, and conclusion. The fact that there are three body paragraphs is not something that should be strictly enforced, more of a guideline to produce a stellar piece. Smith uses credible examples of her own teachers and professors and emphasizes her own credibility when she states that she majored in English at UC Berkeley. To make her point even stronger, she concludes by pointing out that the essay she just wrote is, in fact, five paragraphs, and proves to be extremely
However, though John Warner’s argument is strong, Kerri smith’s argument is stronger. In Kerri Smith’s article “In Defense of the Five-Paragraph Essay,” She claims that the five-paragraph essay should stay taught in schools as a guideline for a well-structured essay. She explains the five-paragraph essay as an “introduce-develop-conclude structure” that even great expository writing follows this structure (Smith 16). She purposefully communicates to her audience this idea to show that this structure gives students the knowledge and capability to write a professional essay. The five-paragraph essay includes the three key points to have a well-structured and organized essay. By mentioning that other great writers use this form of structure, she creates a stronger argument as to why the five-paragraph essay is important to education. She continues her article by explaining her early stages of writing and how she was taught; over time, her teachers would show her new ways to improve her writing which, in the end, she was told to think “of those five paragraphs simply as a mode of organization” (Smith
I believe my introduction meets the exceptional criteria because my introduction grabs the reader’s attention creatively. I have a good thesis statement that explains what I am going to talk about in the other body paragraphs.
The enthymeme is the most important part of your essay as it responds to a question at issue. Your enthymeme states your claim, which is then supported by your main reason. My entire body paragraph structure is related to my enthymeme. There is no set way to start addressing your body paragraphs. I started with my because clause in most cases. For example in my essay 2.2, I started with my because clause which addressed my reason. The paragraph started by addressing my reason to my enthymeme, “Television advertisements have mastered the effects of advertising, which involve addressing to the majority. This happens by the use of projecting the majority’s social behaviors...
Use transitions and make connections not only between paragraphs, but among sentences, too. Play with different types of sentence structures (some long, some short, etc.) and more vivid, descriptive word choice to make the essay engaging to the reader.
All through our academic years we were taught how to write. Starting with elementary, when the form of writing was first introduced, it consisted of compositions with simple prompts about our weekends. Now, that there was an idea of how to write, middle school English teachers began teaching students a writing format. This format is commonly known as the five-paragraph essay, which entailed an introduction, three supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The five-paragraph essay began being strongly implemented in high school and it leads to many debates whether or not it benefited students proceeding into college. I believe the five-paragraph format was helpful for high school students starting out, but is not as beneficial to freshman
It is important to show why the topic you are discussing is important, especially if there are other topics that could be studied in place of the one you are discussing. In this case, the discussion is on Saint Anselm and his Ontological Argument. There have been other arguments made before Saint Anselm on God's existence, and the first paragraph will show why it is important to study this particular argument. Then the argument itself is given and discussed. And just like most arguments in the field of philosophy, the Ontological Argument has an objection. This too is given and discussed.
Absolutely do not start out writing the paper with the opening or ending paragraph. It is best to
Trying to rush to the paragraph is not the right way to begin. Take a few minutes to understand what really the argument is saying. An argument essay depends on an effective, convincing, well-developed evidence. Likewise, the argumentative essay has three major parts, the introduction, the body and the conclusion. The readers as an audience can spot you out right away after reading your first paragraph whether it is a good or bad essay. In introduction paragraph, you always need to explain the prime subject and end it with your thesis. Thesis engages your reader through your thesis statement which gives the purpose of the essay. Your thesis will be the heart of an argumentative essay which covers and give meanings to every paragraph. It should be a clear and concise to the audience where it signals and makes your reader attentive about your main points and arguments. In addition, your introduction paragraph will be the roadmap for the rest of the
3. Your paper should be organized so that each point, or each character is discussed in a separate paragraph and you stick to that character until you have fully discussed him or her.
1. The introduction starts with a fairly general opening statement which introduces readers to your topic (or
In conclusion Mr. Thomas Edison was a great inventor which enhances my everyday life with his unbelievable inventions. If Thomas Edison never invented the lightbulb who knows what the world would be like today. I think that Thomas Alva Edison was a great inspiration and inventor to many people today.
Thomas Edison is widely regarded as one of the most influential inventors and innovators of the Twentieth Century. Edison’s efforts ushered in a new era of technology; a world in which electricity would be harnessed and made to bow before man’s will. Walter Lippman wrote, “It is impossible to measure the importance of Edison by adding up the specific inventions with which his name is associated” (qtd. in Baldwin 409). Edison’s decades long career was a synergistic melding of his success as an inventor and his prowess as a promoter and businessman. He exemplified the ideals of intelligence married to hard work and perseverance. He forever changed the landscape of American invention and the limits of technological change (Baldwin 409).
The worst example that I found was on an essay we did about the internet and the effects that it has on basic human cognition, mind that this is the first sentence, “so is the internet making us smarter or stupider,”. From the punctuation to the word ‘stupider’, which isn’t even a word, made the rest of the essay mute as that first sentence would have made a teacher cringe and lose interest in reading the rest of the essay. Today I try to start with more of a strong statement that catches peoples attention, and tells the basic message or name of the characters in the passage, “In the story The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the reader follows the story of an Edna Pontellier through her conundrum of trying to better understand herself and these new feelings that are being awakened within her”. This is a vast improvement from the beginning of the year, this names the character of the book, names the author, and gives a brief description of the characters