Body Paragraph

Introduction to the Body Paragraph

If you have already reviewed the basic paragraph lessons (See this section in Writing Lessons), this body paragraph lesson will feel a lot like a review for you. That is because the body paragraph has the same parts as the basic paragraph.

As a reminder, the basic paragraph has four parts:

  1. Single controlling idea
  2. Topic sentence
  3. Supporting details
  4. Concluding sentence

This is an image of an outline of a paragraph. The paragraph starts with an indent. The first line is a topic sentence. The topic sentence states the controlling idea of the paragraph. The rest of the paragraph is sentences that are supporting details. The supporting details are: facts, expert testimony, statistice, and personal experiences. The final sentence in the paragraph is the concluding sentence. The condluign sentence states how the supporting details all support the controlling idea.

The body paragraph has the same four parts but there a few important additions:

  1. The single controlling idea of the body paragraph is not standalone like it is in the basic paragraph. It must tie back to the thesis statement (or controlling idea of the essay) as indicated in the introductory paragraph of the essay
  2. The body paragraph only needs one supporting detail instead of two
  3. The concluding sentence in the body paragraph must serve not only as a conclusion (as it does in the basic paragraph) but also as a transition to the next paragraph (and next thought)

This means that the four parts of the body paragraph become:

  1. Single controlling idea that ties back to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph
  2. Topic sentence
  3. Supporting detail
  4. Concluding/Transition sentence

This is an image of an outline of a paragraph. The paragraph starts with an indent. The first line is a topic sentence. The topic sentence states the controlling idea of the paragraph. The rest of the paragraph is sentences that are supporting details. The supporting details are: facts, expert testimony, statistice, and personal experiences. The final sentence in the paragraph is the concluding sentence. The condluign sentence states how the supporting details all support the controlling idea.