The body of an essay is an important part of the essay that sets the pace for the paper you’re writing. This section of the essay comes in the middle of the paper, right after the introduction and before the conclusion. Depending on the type of academic paper you’re writing, the body paragraphs range from three paragraphs to several pages in length. For instance, if you’re only writing a 300-word essay, there will be only three body paragraphs
To write a killer body paragraph, there are certain elements you must increase. Being able to write body paragraphs with logical and cohesive arguments is a skill every student should possess. However, very few people talk about what you’ll write in the middle of your essay, although they say it’s important.
Therefore, we’ve created this simple but comprehensive guide to writing body paragraphs in academic essays for every student. Meanwhile, you can always buy custom term papers or essays for a practical guide to a good body paragraph.
The Standard Structure of Any Essay Body Paragraph
Each paragraph in the body of an essay has a function or role to perform, no matter how little. While the entire essay has its normal introduction-body-conclusion structure, each paragraph in the body also has a miniature introduction, body, and conclusion. That is, a good body paragraph contains four elements: the topic sentence, supporting sentences, transitions, and summary or conclusion.
- The Topic Sentence: The topic sentence in the body is usually the first sentence; it is a sentence that introduces that particular paragraph. Each paragraph in the body section should have a topic sentence – and almost always open with it.
- Supporting Sentences: Supporting sentences explain the topic sentence and make up the miniature body of a body paragraph. Supporting sentences usually range from one to three, providing evidence, logic, expert testimonial, or persuasive opinion to develop the topic sentence’s assertion.
- Transitions: A body paragraph should feature transitions that let it flow or connect with other paragraphs in the essay. First, you should include transitions to connect the entire body paragraph with other sections in the essay. Also, each paragraph in the body paragraph should link to the other; transitions help create a coherent flow in the paper.
- Summary: The summary of the body paragraph typically consists of one concluding sentence that sums up the section. It can also be a sentence that reassures your thesis or original point based on the supporting evidence presented.
How to Write an Effective Body Paragraph in Six Simple Steps
It looks like a tough task, but writing a body paragraph is all about knowing what to write. Here are six simple yet essential steps to writing a compelling body paragraph. Meanwhile, while some steps are a must and must appear at a fixed point in the body, you can be flexible with others.
Step 1: Start with a Topic Sentence
More often than not, the first sentence in a body paragraph is the topic sentence. It is like the mini-thesis statement of that paragraph, as it establishes the paragraph’s main point. Also, each topic sentence in the body section bears some relationship to the main thesis statement of the entire piece.
The secret to writing a great topic sentence is ensuring readers understand the ideas that prove your essay’s thesis. Therefore, you want to keep it simple so that it will not confuse the reader or you end up writing too long-winded paragraphs.
Step 2: Develop Your Topic Sentence’s Claims
The next step is to develop the claims your topic sentence is making in each paragraph in the body. To do that, expand or explain all the individual parts – that is, parse out the discussion points that’ll support the topic sentence. While you can use as many sentences as necessary here, you don’t want to include too many components.
If you have too many, the best thing is to create a paragraph for each one – or put a few that fit together. Overall, include only one major idea in each paragraph; if there’s more than one major idea, you should revise your topic sentence.
Step 3: Support Your Topic Sentence with Evidence
Now, you need to create supporting sentences filled with facts, quotations, data, and figures to prove each topic sentence. Ensure you obtain evidence from reliable sources, and remember to credit the source. Now, remember you’re not simply passing off someone’s idea as your own in your essay. You are to offer original ideas but reference primary research and sources like personal experiences, books, scholarly articles, and studies.
Step 4: Do Not Leave Your Evidence Hanging
Just as your topic sentence needs support, your supporting sentences also need a little bit of support. To write a good body paragraph, you must not leave your paragraph’s evidence hanging; connect it with the essay’s main ideas. That is, the evidence in each paragraph is stronger when you link it to the main ideas that the paragraph seeks to prove. You can do that by debunking the evidence with a counterargument or explaining, commentating, interpreting, or expanding the evidence.
Step 5: Round Up the Body Paragraph
Rounding up each body paragraph in an essay is all about proving that particular paragraph’s objective. First, restate the topic sentence to tie up the paragraph using different language so you do not sound repetitive. Also, tie your proven claim in each paragraph to the entire paper’s thesis statement in every three to four paragraphs. This helps to make your body paragraphs more concrete as it creates a link between your essay’s main idea and your discussion.
Step 6: Create a Smooth Transition
Transitions are important in each body paragraph to create compelling and cohesive arguments and ensure readers stay glued. Like a bridge ramp, the transition guides readers smoothly from one paragraph to another. For the transition to work effectively, it must be smooth, creating a strong and clear connection between the two ideas.
Conclusion
To round up this guide, we’ll give you quick tips for crafting a compelling body paragraph. They include:
- Keep the topic sentence simple – if there are too many parts, break it down into smaller ideas and create a paragraph for each.
- Transitions can come within a paragraph or right before the topic sentence of the next paragraph.
- Keep each body paragraph short, no longer than half of a double-spaced margin – it can be longer, but shouldn’t fill one page.
- Avoid repeating the same information between paragraphs; if they seem similar, help your readers make the connections using signal phrases.
