Why do I need body paragraphs?
Your body paragraphs will support your thesis statement. You should put them in a logical order of succession. Your body paragraphs are a way for your to organize information for your reader.
Unfortunately, there is no magic number for how many body paragraphs you should have in your essay. The number of body paragraphs will depend on your thesis and the points that you intend to make in your essay. Just keep in mind that your essay should fit together like a puzzle; if I cut your essay into sentences, I should be able to piece it back together. Sentences and ideas should build upon each other.
Just as your thesis states the idea for your entire essay, you must have a Topic Sentence that states the idea for your entire paragraph. The topic sentence should not only refer back to the thesis statement, but also limit the content of the paragraph. Usually the topic sentence is the first sentence in the body paragraph; however, you may want to use a transition sentence at the beginning of the new paragraph to connect it to the paragraph before. Whether or not your topic sentence is your first sentence or not, your topic sentence must appear at the beginning of the new paragraph. You must also use transitions to flow from one idea or paragraph to another. Transitional elements are very important. Transitions should be used throughout your essay. You should also use sentences of varying lengths and complexities. In the same way that each sentence should flow into the next one, each paragraph should flow into the next one. Do not create a choppy essay by forgetting to use transitions!
Ideas for transitional elements:
Sequential Order:
-simultaneously
-meanwhile
-finally
-additionally
Opposite ideas:
-on the contrary
- instead
-despite this fact
-by contrast
Similar ideas:
-likewise
Argument for/ against:
-otherwise
-needless to say
-incidentally
-in any case
-indeed
-shortly thereafter
Regardless:
-nevertheless
-however
-despite
-in spite of
-because
Vary SentenceLength
Work on developing your style by varying your sentence length and your word choice. Make your writing interesting.
This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It's like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals--sounds that say listen to this, it is important. So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader's ear. Don't just write words. Write music.
Gary Provost
Complex Sentences
A complex sentence contains two clauses: a main clause and a subordinate clause. It’s easy to spot the subordinate clause because it begins with a subordinator.
while, after, though, because, as soon as, wherever, when, before, as,
so that, unless, since, although, if, until, even though, whether
Explain: If anyone ever presents you with a complex sentence and asks you to identify the subordinate clause, you can say, “That’s easy; it’s the one that begins with a subordinator.”
One of the most common mistakes students make is putting a comma in front of the subordinator. A complex sentence only requires a comma when the first clause is subordinate.
Look at these pairs of correctly-punctuated complex sentences.
If I were a rich man, I wouldn’t be here.
I wouldn’t be here if I were a rich man.
I did not pass the Algebra exam even though I studied for over twelve minutes.
Even though I studied for over twelve minutes, I did not pass the Algebra exam.
Because you have a pool, you can be my friend.
You can be my friend because you have a pool.
Compound Sentences
FANBOYS are used to combine two simple sentences into one compound sentence. You’ll be relieved to discover that compound sentences are much easier to punctuate than complex sentences. All you have to do is replace the period with a comma, insert the appropriate FANBOY, and change the first letter of the second sentence from uppercase to lowercase.
Here are some examples:
I want to go out. My girlfriend wants to stay home.becomesI want to go out, but my girlfriend wants to stay home
Don’t hurt me. I am just the piano player.becomesDon’t hurt me, for I am just the piano player.
I worked very hard. I should get a good grade.becomesI worked very hard, so I should get a good grade.
I studied all night. I got a “D” on the test.becomesI studied all night, yet I got a “D” on the test.(But and yet can be used interchangeably.)
I love pizza. My best friend owns a pizzeria.becomesI love pizza, and my best friend owns a pizzeria.
A note on and: By my crude estimation, only about half of the high school English teachers enforce the comma rule for compound sentences using the word and. Moreover, the comma is unnecessary when combining two simple sentences with the same subject. Thus, the following sentence requires no comma: I’m going to go out and buy a car.
