Writing Body Paragraphs

by Brooks Emerson
 Overview

A good body paragraph has about 6 sentences. The first sentence is called the
Topic sentence. It tells the reader what the whole paragraph will be about. The
next four sentences will explain or give examples about the topic. These 4
sentences are usually separated by transition signals. The final sentence will give
a brief summary of the paragraph.

There is a lot of repetition in academic paragraph writing. Don’t worry about it- it’s
quite normal. At the same time, don’t try to fight it or write paragraphs your “own
way”. Remember, writing a good paragraph is all about the points you will receive
for the final product.
 The Topic Sentence
The topic sentence should be brief and to the point. It should start with the
subject of your paragraph and what you will say about it. For example, let’s
say your subject is “the cause of pollution in Istanbul” and you have decided
that “cars” and “factories” cause Istanbul’s pollution. One of your body
paragraphs will be about cars and the other will be about factories. Your
topic sentence for each body paragraph will look something like these:

Cars are one cause of pollution in Istanbul.

Factories are another cause of pollution in Istanbul.

Notice that both sentences are very brief. They only tell you the subject
(cars, factories) and what you will say about them (that they cause pollution
in Istanbul).
 Supporting Sentences
When writing supporting sentences, you have to be VERY CAREFUL to
stay with your subject. In our example, we are talking about the CAUSES
of pollution- not the effects. Many students lose points because they begin
their essay talking about how cars cause pollution and then go on to say
how that pollution gives people cancer and other health problems. The
best way to avoid this problem is to plan very, very carefully. You should
start with a BRAINSTORM.

Brainstorming is a way to get all of your ideas out of your head and onto
the paper. For example, in our “cars” paragraph, we need to decided how
exactly cars cause polution. You might start by writing the word “cars
cause pollution” in the middle of a piece of paper. Around that, you might
want to write all the ways you can think of how cars cause pollution.
 Brainstorming

ozone layer
pollution
Air pollution

Cars
trash (thrown
environmental
cause out)
pollution
Pollution
Beeping the horn all of
the time

Noise pollution
put Carbon Monoxide into the
air traffic
 Selecting Your Ideas
After brainstorming, you have to think for a minute about which ideas will best
fit into your paragraph. You will need to write four sentences and so you need
two ideas. For each idea, you will write a sentence that explains how that idea
fits into your topic.
For example, we are writing about how cars cause air pollution in Istanbul.
From the brainstorm we can choose two ways cars cause pollution. One way
might be “air pollution”. The other way cars cause pollution might be “noise
pollution.”
Once we choose our two ideas, we can write the two sentences:

First, cars cause air pollution. Additionally, they cause noise pollution.
 Selecting Your Supporting
Sentences
an effect

ozone layer
pollution
Air pollution
too
general Cars
trash (thrown
environmental
cause out)
pollution
Pollution too vague
Beeping the horn all
of the time

Noise pollution
put Carbon Monoxide into
the air traffic

too general
 Supporting Sentences
First, cars cause air pollution. Additionally, they cause noise pollution.

That is a good start, but it’s not enough. We have to explain why/how they cause
pollution in Istanbul. You must never forget your topic. If you do, it can mean a
loss of many points to your essay! For each sentence, you must have an
explanation.

First, cars cause air pollution. Thousands of cars take to the roads in
Istanbul daily emitting huge amounts of Carbon Monoxide in their
exhaust. Additionally, they cause noise pollution. Because many
drivers are impatient and have bad tempers, they constantly beep their
horns and fill Istanbul’s air with unnecessary noise.
 Supporting Sentences, continued
• Notice: your first sentences are very brief!
• Notice: your suporting sentences are like
an anchor that keep you on the topic!
• Notice: each idea is separated by a
transition signal and a comma: First,
Additionally, (for more transition signals
do a search on the internet or look in your
book)
 Concluding Sentence

Finally, you will write a concluding sentence that will summarize your paragaph.
In our example, a good concluding sentence might be:

In a nutshell, it’s clear that cars cause air and noise pollution in Istanbul.

Your concluding sentence will start with a “conclusion” word or phrase and a
comma such as: Finally, As you can see, In a nutshell, (for more ideas, go to the
internet or look in your book).

NOTE: If you use a concluding phrase like “It is clear that...”, you will NOT use
a comma. For example, “It is clear that cars in Istanbul are responsible
for air and noise pollution.”
So, here is our final product:

Cars are one cause of pollution in Istanbul. First, cars cause air
pollution. Thousands of cars take to the roads in Istanbul daily
emitting huge amounts of Carbon Monoxide in their exhaust.
Additionally, they cause noise pollution. Because many drivers
are impatient and have bad tempers, they constantly beep their
horns and fill Istanbul’s air with unnecessary noise. In a nutshell,
it’s clear that cars cause air and noise pollution in Istanbul.

(72 words)