TEACHER’S NOTES

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Body Paragraphs

Activity Type Introduction

Reading and writing In this body paragraphs worksheet, students practice planning
exercises and writing body paragraphs that support a thesis statement.

Procedure
Focus
Students begin by reading an introductory text about body
Body paragraphs
paragraphs. The students then write topic sentences for body
paragraphs that support a thesis statement.
Aim
Exercise A - Possible answers
To practice planning and
writing body paragraphs. 1. Using public transport has a number of advantages over owning
a private car.

Preparation Body paragraph 1: Public transport is better for the environment.

Body paragraph 2: Using public transport can improve health.
Make one copy of the
Body paragraph 3: Public transport reduces traffic congestion.
two-page worksheet for
each student.
2. There are a number of measures individuals can take to reduce
their impact on the environment.
Level
Body paragraph 1: People can reduce their energy consumption.
Intermediate (B1) Body paragraph 2: People can eat less red meat.
Body paragraph 3: People can generate less waste.

Time 3. When choosing a university course, there are some important

60 minutes factors to consider.

Body paragraph 1: S
 tudents should choose a course they find
interesting.
Body paragraph 2: F
 uture job prospects are an important
consideration.
Body paragraph 3: Students need to think about tuition fees.

Next, students choose one of the topic sentences from Exercise

A and create an outline for the body paragraph using keywords
and phrases.

Exercise B - Possible answer

Topic sentence: Public transport better for environment.

Supporting idea 1: Public transport is more energy efficient.
Details: Far less CO2 emissions per passenger mile.
Supporting idea 2: Public transport minimizes urban sprawl.
Details: Cars encourage growth of suburbs. Public
transport = smaller ecological footprint.

(continued on the next page)

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 TEACHER’S NOTES

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Body Paragraphs

Activity Type Procedure continued

Reading and writing After that, students use the paragraph outline from Exercise B to
exercises write a complete body paragraph.

Exercise C - Possible answer

Focus
Body paragraphs Using public transport is better for the environment than driving a
car. The first reason why public transport is more environmentally
friendly is that it is more energy efficient. This is due to the fact
Aim that buses and trains can carry far more passengers than cars,
which in many cases only carry a single passenger. Hence, the
To practice planning and amount of carbon dioxide emitted per passenger mile is many
writing body paragraphs. times less in a bus than it is in a car. Moreover, public transport
helps to minimize the impacts of urban sprawl. Car ownership
enables people to live on the fringes of cities and commute to
Preparation urban centres for school and work. However, this encourages the
Make one copy of the building of roads and the development of low population density
two-page worksheet for suburbs, which often result in the destruction of the countryside
each student. and natural environments. On the other hand, cities where public
transport is more widely used have a more contained ecological
footprint. In short, people should drive less and use trains and
Level buses more.
Intermediate (B1) Finally, students read the first body paragraph from an essay and
then write a follow-up paragraph that supports an additional and
related point on the topic.
Time
60 minutes Exercise D - Possible answer

An additional benefit of the Internet is that it allows us to

communicate and collaborate in more flexible ways. The Internet
makes it easy to stay in touch with family and friends no matter
where one may be. This is because there are a number of free
communication applications such as Skype that allow users to
reach out to people via messaging, calls, and video conferencing.
In previous times, people were limited to expensive phone calls
or inefficient postal communication to communicate with loved
ones abroad. Advances in communication brought about by the
Internet also make it easier for people in different places to work
together. It is now possible for work teams to share digital files
and review documents together or share an online workspace.
This means that workers do not necessarily need to be in the
same location to work together and can maintain productivity
even when travelling. To sum up, the Internet has improved
communication and teamwork.

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 ESSAY WRITING

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Body Paragraphs

The body of an essay consists of multiple paragraphs. We usually refer to these as body
paragraphs to distinguish them from the introduction and concluding paragraph. The purpose of
body paragraphs is to show that the thesis statement written in the introduction is reasonable
or valid through evidence such as explanations, examples, or definitions.

Body paragraphs begin with a topic sentence and are followed by supporting sentences that
should all relate to the topic sentence and in turn the thesis statement. In an essay, a body
paragraph may or may not have a concluding sentence. Concluding sentences in body paragraphs
are optional as the same function is carried out by the concluding paragraph.

A. For the following thesis statements, write topic sentences for each of the three
body paragraphs.

1. Using public transport has a number of advantages over owning a private car.

Body paragraph 1: .......................................................................................................

Body paragraph 2: .......................................................................................................

Body paragraph 3: .......................................................................................................

2. There are a number of things individuals can do to reduce their impact on the environment.

Body paragraph 1: .......................................................................................................

Body paragraph 2: .......................................................................................................

Body paragraph 3: .......................................................................................................

3. When choosing a university course, there are some important factors to consider.

Body paragraph 1: .......................................................................................................

Body paragraph 2: .......................................................................................................

Body paragraph 3: .......................................................................................................

B. Choose one of the topic sentences above and create an outline for the body
paragraph using keywords and phrases.

Topic sentence: ............................................................................................................

Supporting idea 1: ........................................................................................................

Details: .......................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

Supporting idea 2: ........................................................................................................

Details: .......................................................................................................................

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 ESSAY WRITING

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Body Paragraphs

C. Use the outline from Exercise B to write a complete body paragraph.

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D. Read the first body paragraph of an essay below and then write the second body
paragraph.

One of the main benefits of the Internet is the access it gives to useful information. Firstly,
information on the Internet has helped students easily access credible sources of information.
This is because they are now able to retrieve almost all the source material they need to write
a paper on their computer. In the past, students were often limited to information that was
available at their school or community library. If they were lucky, these libraries had extensive
and up to date collections, but this was not a certainty even for students in urban areas let alone
students in isolated rural regions. Information easily found online not only benefits students
but also consumers. This is because consumers can make more informed buying decisions in a
number of ways. For example, a person wanting to buy a new mobile phone can browse models
and brands in online shops such as Amazon and make quick, clear, and accurate comparisons.
They can also watch online videos where phones are demonstrated and reviewed by experts.
With this knowledge, they are able to choose the phone that best suits their needs and purchase
it at the best price. To conclude, the Internet is home to an abundance of valuable information.

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