HOW TO WRITE A BODY PARAGRAPH Moving from general To Specifi c

Your paper should be organized in a way that moves from general to specific information. The most general information sits at the beginning (your topic sentence or main idea), and as the paragraph progresses, the information becomes more and more supportive of the topic sentence or main idea. The paragraph should have specific, detailed evidence supporting a claim and an explanation of how and why the information provided connects to and supports the main idea. – 3 Kinds of Evidence Empirical: Numbers (25% of kids, 1 in 3 dentists, half of Americans) Anecdotal: Personal experience (My son has chicken pox and larynx medication didn’t help with the spreading or the itching) Logical: Expert Testimony (Dr. George R. Brown conducted a study of whales over 19 years and has proven that “whales raise their offspring in communities.) OVERVIEW OF BODY PARAGRAPHS

THE 4 ELEMENTS OF A GOOD PARAGRAPH A good paragraph should contain at least the following four elements: Transition Topic sentence Evidence and analysis Brief wrap-up sentence TTEB! A Transition sentence leads in from the paragraph before it to assure smooth reading. – This acts as a hand off from one idea to the next. A Topic sentence tells the reader what you will be discussing in the paragraph. – Also known as the main idea Evidence that is specific and supports your main idea and that provides a deeper level of detail than your topic sentence. A Brief wrap-up sentence that tells the reader how and why this information supports the paper’s claim. – This is when you connect your reasoning and support to your claim, and it shows that the information in the paragraph is related to your claim and helps defend it. Include a transition from one body paragraph to the next

Intro: In Amy Tan’s short story “Two Kinds,” the author leads us on a journey of a mother’s expectations for her daughter to become a prodigy are too high and willingly not obtainable. Upon a closer analysis of the writing, one can argue that the mother is not allowing her daughter to become her own person. She is instilling all hopes of her lost children on her sole child. In due course this short story looks at whether or not the pressure from the mother, hinders the daughter. Sample Body Paragraph: (1) Upon a further examination, the mother’s constant pressure on the daughter was beginning to wear on her. (2) Jing-mei’s mother would consistently give her daughter tests and the expectations to succeed were high. (3) As the daughter states right after she failed to perform well at the climatic piano recital (4) “After seeing my mother’s disappointed face once again, something inside me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations” (Tan 1152). (5,6) After seeing the dissatisfaction from her mother’s face, the tests and hopes for success, began to eat away at her. It began to tear at the daughter’s emotional state. (7) The consistent disappointment pushed the daughter to the point where she would not become someone she is not. EXAMPLES OF BODY PARAGRAPHS #1

Intro: The University of Texas (UT) provides a diversity of social, academic and athletic opportunities for students. This can be a powerful positive force, but it can also detract from students ‟ abilities to manage their time. More attention to time management training is needed to ensure that all UT students graduate with the ability to succeed in their chosen careers Sample Body Paragraph: (1) While there is little doubt that extracurricular opportunities at UT are a positive and critical component of students ‟ overall development, providing students with time management skills is equally important. (3) One only needs to look at past alumni to see the validity of this claim. As famous alum George W. Bush states, (4) “I sometimes overdid it when I was at UT, missing out on valuable academic opportunities. Fortunately, I buckled down in my senior year and managed to make a „C ‟ average and things have worked out fine since” (227). (5) In this example, George W. Bush is arguing that the detrimental effects of extracurricular excesses can be rectified in the senior year of college. (6)While George W. Bush is certainly correct when he implies that it is never too late for a student to try to raise his or her GPA, it is probably better for students to attempt to balance academic and other activities early in their college career. Also, Bush assumes that all students can achieve what they want with a „C ‟ average, but many students need higher GPAs in order to apply to professional school, graduate school and for graduate-entry jobs. (7) While extracurricular activities are often a positive and critical component of student life at UT, administrators should consider instigating a time management education and awareness course for all incoming freshmen. After all, not every UT graduate will be as lucky as George W. Bush; if our students are going to succeed in business and higher education, we need to first ensure they understand the importance of time management. EXAMPLES OF BODY PARAGRAPHS #2

Good transitions connect paragraphs and turn disconnected writing into a unified whole. Instead of treating paragraphs as separate ideas, transitions can help readers understand how paragraphs work together, reference one another, and build to a larger point. The key to producing good transitions is: – highlighting connections between paragraphs. It is a good idea to continue one paragraph where another leaves off. – Picking up key phrases from the previous paragraph and highlighting them in the next can create an obvious progression for readers. – It only takes a few words to draw these connections. – Write a transition that could only connect one specific paragraph to another specific paragraph Let’s go back and look for transitions in our example paragraphs HOW DO I TRANSITION?

Example: Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. Another important thing to note is that the corporation had expanded its international influence. – Revision: Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. These impressive profits are largely due to the corporation's expanded international influence. Example: Fearing for the loss of Danish lands, Christian IV signed the Treaty of Lubeck, effectively ending the Danish phase of the 30 Years War. But then something else significant happened. The Swedish intervention began. – Revision: Fearing for the loss of more Danish lands, Christian IV signed the Treaty of Lubeck, effectively ending the Danish phase of the 30 Years War. Shortly after Danish forces withdrew, the Swedish intervention began. Example: Amy Tan became a famous author after her novel, The Joy Luck Club, skyrocketed up the bestseller list. There are other things to note about Tan as well. Amy Tan also participates in the satirical garage band the Rock Bottom Remainders with Stephen King and Dave Barry. – Revision: Amy Tan became a famous author after her novel, The Joy Luck Club, skyrocketed up the bestseller list. Though her fiction is well known, her work with the satirical garage band the Rock Bottom Remainders receives far less publicity. EXAMPLES OF TRANSITIONS

indeed,further,as well (as this),either (neither),not only (this) but also (that) as well, also,moreover,what is more,as a matter of fact,in all honesty, and,furthermore,in addition (to this),besides (this),to tell the truth, or,in fact,actually,to say nothing of, too,let alone,much lessadditionally, nor,alternatively,on the other hand,not to mention (this), Addition such as, as, particularly, including, as an illustration, for example, like, in particular, for one thing, to illustrate for instance, especially, notably, by way of example, Introduction speaking about (this), considering (this), regarding (this), with regards to (this), as for (this), concerning (this),the fact that on the subject of (this) Reference similarly, in the same way, by the same token, in a like manner, equallylikewise, Similarity

Identification that is (to say), namely, specifically, thus, that is (to say),I mean,(to) put (it) another wayin other words, Clarification but, by way of contrast, while, on the other hand, however, (and) yet, whereas,though (final position), in contrast, when in fact, conversely, still Conflict even more, above all, indeed, more importantly, besides Emphasis but even so, nevertheless, even though, on the other hand, admittedly, however, nonetheless, despite (this), notwithstanding (this), albeit (and) still, although, in spite of (this), regardless (of this), (and) yet, though, granted (this), be that as it may, Concession

Every paragraph should include a topic sentence that identifies the main idea of the paragraph. – A topic sentence also states the point the writer wishes to make about that subject. – Generally, the topic sentence appears at the beginning of the paragraph. – It is often the paragraph’s very first sentence. – A paragraph’s topic sentence must be general enough to express the paragraph’s overall subject. – But it should be specific enough that the reader can understand the paragraph’s main subject and point The topic sentence should identify the main idea and point of the paragraph. The supporting details in the paragraph (the sentences other than the topic sentence) will develop or explain the topic sentence. – Read all the supporting details in the paragraph and think about the ideas they discuss. TOPIC SENTENCES

The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the claim statement. There are 3 kinds of evidence: Empirical: Numbers (25% of kids, 1 in 3 dentists, half of Americans) Anecdotal: Personal experience (My son has chicken pox and larynx medication didn’t help with the spreading or the itching) Logical: Expert Testimony (Dr. George R. Brown conducted a study of whales over 19 years and has proven that “whales raise their offspring in communities.”) EVIDENCE

Relevance: speak directly to the point. Representativeness: you cannot make a point for the whole U.S. population based on information about one state, for example. If information is only available for one state, present the evidence, but note the problems. Accuracy: try to find the same information in more than one place, if possible. Detail: provide as much as possible. If you know how many thousands of people smoke, tell us the exact number, don't just say "thousands smoke." Adequacy: Figure out which are the most important points in your arguments and support these in the most detail. Lesser points also need evidence, but don't get bogged down on debating a minor detail of the policy. TIPS FOR INCLUDING EVIDENCE