Meat in the Middle
Creating Body Paragraphs to Support Your Thesis
Body Paragraphs
These three paragraphs will make up the vast majority of your paper. They should be the longest paragraphs in your paper and include a baby-thesis (also called a topic sentence), evidence (with citations), and an explanation. Each body paragraph should address just one topic that was listed in your roadmap. When moving from one body paragraph to another, try to use a transition sentence to make the reading smooth. Follow the tips and tutorials below to ensure that you have high-quality body paragraphs in your essay.
Creating a Baby-Thesis (Topic Sentence)
The "baby-thesis" serves the purpose of telling the reader what they will be looking for in this paragraph. It should be simple and direct and should not include the use of personal pronouns.
Providing Evidence
Ever feel like no one cares what you're saying in an argument? Well, sorry to break it to you, but as the person grading your paper, I really don't care about what you have to say... UNLESS you have evidence to support your opinion. The brutal truth is that as a student who hasn't even graduated high school yet, you are an unreliable source (sorry). You can argue until you're blue in the face, but if you don't have evidence from an expert or a primary source document, ultimately your argument has no ground to stand on.
If you are still having trouble understanding how to use evidence in your paragraph, watch the two videos shown below the next section.
Making Your Argument
At last! The section of the paragraph that most students are good at, giving their opinion. After providing evidence from the documents, you need to explain what the evidence shows. This can typically be done in a couple of sentences.
If you would like to view a tutorial on how to use evidence and explain how it fits your argument, watch the two videos below.
Argument Writing Lesson #4: The Evidence Sandwich PART 1/2
Argument Writing Lesson #4: The Evidence Sandwich PART 2/2
Transition Sentences
In addition to providing a "baby-thesis", providing evidence, and explaining your argument, you will need to transition from one topic to another. If you're struggling with writing transition sentences, watch the video below:
Writing - Transitions - in addition, moreover, furthermore, another
Still Confused?
Watch the video below for a simple tutorial on writing a solid body paragraph.
How to write a body paragraph