How to start a first body paragraph

Transcript

Every essay or paper is made up of 3 main sections: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Today, we’re going to look specifically at body paragraphs, and learn what they’re used for and how to write them. Let’s get started!

Imagine your essay was a meal. Now, think of your body paragraphs as the main course. Your introduction is an appetizer that briefly describes what your main idea of the text will be about, and the conclusion is the “dessert” that nicely wraps up everything you talked about. Meanwhile, your body paragraphs hold the bulk of the information and supporting details about your main idea. But how do you go about creating these paragraphs? Let’s take a look at how a body paragraph is structured.

The first sentence of a body paragraph starts with an introduction or transitions. This can be a phrase or sentence that tells the reader what the main point of this paragraph will be. Here’s an example.

Though diets are a popular form of weight loss, many diets have been proven to be unsafe ways to lose weight. Many diets claim to help people lose weight fast, however, losing too much weight too quickly can do more harm to your body than good. Losing too much weight too fast from dieting can lead to muscle loss, gallstones and nutritional deficiencies. According to many experts, losing 1-2 pounds per week is a safe rate to lose weight. You should always be wary of diets that promise fast results or don’t encourage regular exercise as part of the routine.

In this example, the first sentence argues that some diets aren’t safe. This introductory statement lets the reader know that the rest of the paragraph should be about how diets can be unsafe.

This is where the supporting details and evidence come in to support the topic sentence. Let’s look back at our example.

Though diets are a popular form of weight loss, many diets have proven to not be safe ways to lose weight. Many diets claim to help people lose weight fast, however, losing too much weight too quickly can do more harm to your body than good. Losing too much weight too fast from dieting can lead to muscle loss, gallstones, and nutritional deficiencies. According to many experts, losing 1-2 pounds per week is a safe rate to lose weight. You should always be wary of diets that promise fast results or don’t encourage regular exercise as part of the routine.

Here, the sentences following the introduction go into detail about how diets can be dangerous and why. It also gives data to support this argument.

Lastly, the paragraph should wrap up with a conclusion sentence that ties up the main point.

Though diets are a popular form of weight loss, many diets have proven to not be safe ways to lose weight. Many diets claim to help people lose weight fast, however, losing too much weight too quickly can do more harm to your body than good. Losing too much weight too fast from dieting can lead to muscle loss, gallstones and nutritional deficiencies. According to many experts, losing 1-2 pounds per week is a safe rate to lose weight. You should always be wary of diets that promise fast results or don’t encourage regular exercise as part of the routine.

In this example, we’ve wrapped up the paragraph by telling the reader to take the information they’ve just read and apply it to their own life.

After you conclude your first body paragraph, you can reuse this system as many times as possible until you have enough body paragraphs to cover all the main points of your thesis for your paper.

Ok, let’s review before we go!

In an essay, body paragraphs come in between the introduction and conclusion. These paragraphs will flesh out your main ideas and provide supporting details to back them up. Finally, a body paragraph should start with an introduction and end with some sort of conclusion or transition to the next paragraph.

That’s all for this review! Thanks for watching, and happy studying!

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I.INTRODUCTION

A. Begins with a sentence that captures the reader’s attention

1)You may want to use an interesting example, a surprising statistic, or a challenging question.

B.Gives background information on the topic.

C. Includes the THESIS STATEMENT which:

1) States the main ideas of the essay and includes:

a.Topic

b.Viewpoint (what you plan to say about the topic)

2)Is more general than supporting data

3) May mention the main point of each of the body paragraphs

II.BODY PARAGRAPH #1

A.Begins with a topic sentence that:

1) States the main point of the paragraph

2)Relates to the THESIS STATEMENT

B.After the topic sentence, you need to fill the paragraph with well-organized details, facts, and examples.

C.Paragraph may end with a transition.

III.BODY PARAGRAPH #2

A.Begins with a topic sentence that:

1) States the main point of the paragraph

2) Relates to the THESIS STATEMENT

B.After the topic sentence, you need to fill the paragraph with well-organized details, facts, and examples.

C.Paragraph may end with a transition.

IV.BODY PARAGRAPH #3

A. Begins with a topic sentence that:

3)States the main point of the paragraph

4)Relates to the THESIS STATEMENT

B.After the topic sentence, you need to fill the paragraph with well-organized details, facts, and examples.

C.Paragraph may end with a transition.

V. CONCLUSION

A.Echoes the THESIS STATEMENT but does not repeat it.

B.Poses a question for the future, suggests some action to be taken, or warns of a consequence.

C. Includes a detail or example from the INTRODUCTION to “tie up” the essay.

D.Ends with a strong image – or a humorous or surprising statement.

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