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Writing a good body paragraph takes craft and mastery. But, lucky for you and us, this guide can give you all the information you might need. We will guide you step by step on how to write a topic sentence, overall structure, and other crucial details. In the end, we bet you’ll understand how to perfect your writing. So keep on reading, and we’ll get this one together!
What Is a Body Paragraph?
The body of an essay is the meat of any good burger. Without it, our burger will not be tasty, or your essay will not be convincing.
Thinking of how to start an introduction for an essay? First, create a thesis statement. It gives your readers the main argument of the overall essay. However, body paragraphs are made for proving the argument you have developed.
They are also perfect places for evidence, research, and everything that can make your peace truly convincing. The size will depend on your essay, but three sentences are your bare minimum. Normally, we have three body paragraphs that take up to 80% of our work.
What Is the Purpose of an Essay Body Paragraph?
Why do we even need body paragraphs of an essay, and what is their purpose? It’s a good question. You might have noticed that our academic world doesn’t believe everything you’re right. So here’s why we need these parts of an essay:
- They make your essay more clear.
- Body paragraphs provide details and evidence that prove your argument.
- They also give you some time to analytically propose our solution for a problem, in case you have given any.
- Main body makes your writing sharp and convincing.
Body Paragraph Structure
We also wanted to talk about parts of a body paragraph. Like any essential part of an essay, this one has a specific structure. It consists of three main parts. Take a look below to find out:
- Topic sentence It summarizes the overall idea of your section.
- Supporting sentences They provide evidence to prove the argument from the beginning of the section.
- Concluding statement Wraps up the section and slowly leads to the next one.
How to Write a Body Paragraph?
Now we can think about how to start a body paragraph. Writing is challenging if one has no good tips or guidelines. So we made sure to include all points one might need. Find all our tricks and hacks from StudyCrumb.
1. Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence Introduction
How to start a topic sentence for a body paragraph? That is an excellent question. First and foremost, you should remember that the topic sentence is put at the beginning of our section. Consequently, it contains the main idea of your paragraph.
It is an ideal opportunity to prepare the reader for what they are going to read about next. However, make sure that it doesn’t sound like a fact or a statement that one cannot argue. You've yet to prove it. Something like this will work.
2. Back Up Your Claim With Evidence in Body of a Paragraph
Body paragraph of an essay was created specifically to add evidence and prove your point. As a consequence, it is an ideal opportunity to include everything that is related to your argument and proves it. The following items are usually used:
- Quotations from research
- Statistics or similar quantitative findings
- Experiences of other professionals in our field
- Schemes or tables retrieved from peer-reviewed sources that support your argument.
Therefore, by including our material that we have mentioned above, you have enough information to prove a claim. You can quote texts or paraphrase authors. But make sure that you give credit to original researchers. Otherwise, you might be facing plagiarism here. Run a plagiarism check before turning your paper in.
3. Analyze the Evidence in Body Paragraph
Writing a body paragraph also involves not only giving it evidence but also analyzing it. Sadly, it is not enough to randomly put some numbers and statistics without taking our time and commenting on them.
First and foremost, you should focus on thorough analysis. Everything you use, each piece of evidence, must be connected with an argument and be explained. Remember that you were making a case and not simply including quotations and words of other authors.
To avoid the lack of analysis, make sure that each piece of evidence you use is followed by your own analysis. This combination of proof and your commentary will provide an ideal case for your argument.
4. Concluding a Body Paragraph
How to end a body paragraph? That is also an excellent question. And we are glad that you asked. We all need some closure. As a consequence, our body paragraph must have some as well.
Your concluding sentence provides a quick summary of all the other sentences and details. Mention what our reader has learned and slowly transition to the next paragraph. Also, make sure that you are not using any additional information. It’s not a very good place to do that.
Transition Words for Body Paragraph
Body paragraph transition words are also crucial for a good flow of your text. What are transition words for essays? There are those little things that tie everything together. They can show contrast at flow and ensure that our reader stays on top of the material all the time. You might have seen such words:
- In contrast
- However
- First and foremost
- In conclusion.
Here, our list is endless. But by using them, you keep the attention of your readers and arrange your text in a clear manner. Here’s an example:
Modern horror films greatly rely on jumpscares. In contrast, more old-fashioned movies preferred an eerie atmosphere and carefully crafted starting.
5. Revise and Proofread Your Body Paragraph
Your essay body paragraph cannot be completed without some proper proofreading. We all make mistakes, especially when it comes to writing.
You always should revise and proofread your text to find those embarrassing little errors. Remember, misspelling can happen to anyone. Moreover, the academic world is really harsh with how you write. Therefore, by proofreading your text, you also re-check whether you have proved your argument.
It is a perfect opportunity to look critically at your text, analyze evidence and possibly even edit out some sentences. Keep in mind that word count is not the most important part of your essay.
Tips on Writing a Great Essay Body Paragraph
A good body paragraph will be convincing and full of evidence. Of course, there are certain things to avoid and lots of points to remember. Moreover, there are different structures of body paragraphs depending on the type of work you’re writing. But we still want to include a final list of tips you can use. These tips will help you with the question, "How to write a paper fast?"
- Start with outlining your sections.
- Keep your thesis statement nearby to recheck whether your body paragraphs prove their main argument.
- Research before you actually start writing.
- Write your topic sentences before adding evidence or quotations.
- Continue asking yourself whether you are given an analysis of your evidence and not just quoting it.
Body Paragraph: Example
We couldn’t leave you without body paragraph examples. Writing will be much easier if you have several examples at your disposal. While checking our example below, think about techniques that can be used to grab the attention of your reader. Besides, keep in mind the basic essay structure that includes a topic sentence, supporting statements, and a concluding one.
Final Thoughts on Writing a Body Paragraph
Now we know everything about our body of a paragraph. You might want to practice a little bit. But all tricks and tips are still here to check. Be sure to remember this structure for your essay.
Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.
Comments
We have quite a few suggestions about transitioning from introduction to body paragraph. We have prepared a list of transition words. So you can find them down below:
First and foremost
Initially
Primarily
Essentially
To begin with
Firstly.
Thanks for your comment! Yes, technically, you can open a body paragraph of an essay with definitions. But consider the following things:
1. Definitions work well if you focus on a technical topic like finance or business, where you may provide a definition.
2. However, this technique cannot be used in argumentative writing, where students should provide different claims.
Thank you for your question. You can support your thesis in the body paragraph with several items. First and foremost, you should keep in mind that your topic sentence should support your thesis. The same can be said about supporting details and all pieces of evidence you have used. It is our best way to avoid missing the main points of your thesis. We hope this answer has helped you!