9.2 Writing Body Paragraphs – Writing for Success |
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Choose Supporting Topic Sentences
Each body paragraph contains a topic sentence that states one aspect of your thesis and then expands upon it. Like the thesis statement, each topic sentence should be specific and supported by concrete details, facts, or explanations. Each body paragraph should comprise the following elements. topic sentence + supporting details (examples, reasons, or arguments) As you read in Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?”, topic sentences indicate the location and main points of the basic arguments of your essay. These sentences are vital to writing your body paragraphs because they always refer back to and support your thesis statement. Topic sentences are linked to the ideas you have introduced in your thesis, thus reminding readers what your essay is about. A paragraph without a clearly identified topic sentence may be unclear and scattered, just like an essay without a thesis statement. TipUnless your teacher instructs otherwise, you should include at least three body paragraphs in your essay. A five-paragraph essay, including the introduction and conclusion, is commonly the standard for exams and essay assignments. Consider the following the thesis statement: Author J.D. Salinger relied primarily on his personal life and belief system as the foundation for the themes in the majority of his works. The following topic sentence is a primary support point for the thesis. The topic sentence states exactly what the controlling idea of the paragraph is. Later, you will see the writer immediately provide support for the sentence. Salinger, a World War II veteran, suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, a disorder that influenced themes in many of his works. Exercise 3In Note 9.19 “Exercise 2”, you chose three of your most convincing points to support the thesis statement you selected from the list. Take each point and incorporate it into a topic sentence for each body paragraph. Supporting point 1: ____________________________________________ Topic sentence: ____________________________________________ Supporting point 2: ____________________________________________ Topic sentence: ____________________________________________ Supporting point 3: ____________________________________________ Topic sentence: ____________________________________________ Collaboration Please share with a classmate and compare your answers. Draft Supporting Detail Sentences for Each Primary Support SentenceAfter deciding which primary support points you will use as your topic sentences, you must add details to clarify and demonstrate each of those points. These supporting details provide examples, facts, or evidence that support the topic sentence. The writer drafts possible supporting detail sentences for each primary support sentence based on the thesis statement: Thesis statement: Unleashed dogs on city streets are a dangerous nuisance. Supporting point 1: Dogs can scare cyclists and pedestrians. Supporting details: Cyclists are forced to zigzag on the road. School children panic and turn wildly on their bikes. People who are walking at night freeze in fear.Supporting point 2: Loose dogs are traffic hazards. Supporting details: Dogs in the street make people swerve their cars. To avoid dogs, drivers run into other cars or pedestrians. Children coaxing dogs across busy streets create danger.Supporting point 3: Unleashed dogs damage gardens. Supporting details: They step on flowers and vegetables. They destroy hedges by urinating on them. They mess up lawns by digging holes.The following paragraph contains supporting detail sentences for the primary support sentence (the topic sentence), which is underlined. Salinger, a World War II veteran, suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, a disorder that influenced the themes in many of his works. He did not hide his mental anguish over the horrors of war and once told his daughter, “You never really get the smell of burning flesh out of your nose, no matter how long you live.” His short story “A Perfect Day for a Bananafish” details a day in the life of a WWII veteran who was recently released from an army hospital for psychiatric problems. The man acts questionably with a little girl he meets on the beach before he returns to his hotel room and commits suicide. Another short story, “For Esmé – with Love and Squalor,” is narrated by a traumatized soldier who sparks an unusual relationship with a young girl he meets before he departs to partake in D-Day. Finally, in Salinger’s only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, he continues with the theme of posttraumatic stress, though not directly related to war. From a rest home for the mentally ill, sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield narrates the story of his nervous breakdown following the death of his younger brother. Exercise 4Using the three topic sentences you composed for the thesis statement in Note 9.18 “Exercise 1”, draft at least three supporting details for each point. Thesis statement: ____________________________________________ Primary supporting point 1: ____________________________________________ Supporting details: ____________________________________________ Primary supporting point 2: ____________________________________________ Supporting details: ____________________________________________ Primary supporting point 3: ____________________________________________ Supporting details: ____________________________________________ TipYou have the option of writing your topic sentences in one of three ways. You can state it at the beginning of the body paragraph, or at the end of the paragraph, or you do not have to write it at all. This is called an implied topic sentence. An implied topic sentence lets readers form the main idea for themselves. For beginning writers, it is best to not use implied topic sentences because it makes it harder to focus your writing. Your instructor may also want to clearly identify the sentences that support your thesis. For more information on the placement of thesis statements and implied topic statements, see Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?”. TipPrint out the first draft of your essay and use a highlighter to mark your topic sentences in the body paragraphs. Make sure they are clearly stated and accurately present your paragraphs, as well as accurately reflect your thesis. If your topic sentence contains information that does not exist in the rest of the paragraph, rewrite it to more accurately match the rest of the paragraph. Key Takeaways Your body paragraphs should closely follow the path set forth by your thesis statement. Strong body paragraphs contain evidence that supports your thesis. Primary support comprises the most important points you use to support your thesis. Strong primary support is specific, detailed, and relevant to the thesis. Prewriting helps you determine your most compelling primary support. Evidence includes facts, judgments, testimony, and personal observation. Reliable sources may include newspapers, magazines, academic journals, books, encyclopedias, and firsthand testimony. A topic sentence presents one point of your thesis statement while the information in the rest of the paragraph supports that point. A body paragraph comprises a topic sentence plus supporting details. |
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