Building a Body Paragraph

What does a body paragraph start with?

A. A transition word and thesis statement

B. A topic sentence

C. A transition word and topic sentence

D. A thesis statement

Correct answer: C : A transition word and topic sentence

Examples: First, uniforms are ugly and boring. Next, uniforms take away students’

freedom to express themselves. Lastly, uniforms are expensive.

What goes next in a body paragraph after your topic sentence?

A. Concluding sentence B. The examples and reasons that the

paragraph is going to be about C. A transition word and concluding

sentence D. The hook statement and examples

and reasons the paragraph is going to be about

The correct answer is… B: The examples and reasons that

the paragraph is going to be about

This is your support for your ideas and your explanations about them.

What ends each body paragraph? A. a topic sentence B. A thesis statement C. a transition word D. A concluding sentence

The answer is…

D: A concluding sentence

Topic sentences…

Start the body paragraphs State what the entire paragraph is going

to be about Are in a complete sentence Do not start to explain what you are

going to say in your paragraph.

Yes or no? Are these correct topic sentences? 1. First, uniforms are ugly because

students have to wear ugly navy blue shirts.

2. First, uniforms are uncomfortable. 3. Another reason uniforms are horrible

is because they are ugly. 4. Uniforms are expensive. Here’s why.

Tips for Concluding Sentences:

Go as the last sentence of each body paragraph

Repeats the topic sentence without the transition word

Might start with “These are the reasons why”

Are not a chance to ask a question to the reader

Yes or no? Are these correct concluding sentences? 1. These are the reasons why uniforms

are ugly and boring. 2. I hope you agree with me that

uniforms are ugly and boring. 3. As you can see, this is why uniforms

are ugly and boring. 4. Do you think uniforms are ugly and

boring?

Tips for writing a good body paragraph: Use complete sentences Write at least 5 or more sentences (we should all be

around 6-7 per paragraph by now) Make sure you explain your ideas clearly and

thoroughly Make sure all of your examples and support relate to

the point of the paragraph and prove what you are trying to say. Take out anything that doesn’t relate.

Use transition words throughout the body paragraphs Avoid using too many pronouns (he, she, them, you, it)

without first telling me what the noun you are talking about is

Example:Students shouldn’t have to wear them because they are ugly. Put in a simile or a metaphor if you can to make your

point Example: The shirts are as rough as sandpaper.

Make sure you explain your ideas clearly and thoroughly Just putting an example without

explaining it doesn’t work. Take the time to really tell the reader what they are thinking. Treat the reader like a 2 year old. Spell out for them exactly what you are trying to say.

Example of not explaining yourself enough First, uniforms are ugly and boring. I

don’t like the colors; they make them look boring. They have to wear red collared shirts and khaki pants. You also have to tuck your shirt in your pants. Also, we have to wear the same thing everyday, so we don’t get to show off our regular clothes. This is why uniforms are ugly and boring.

How to fix it? First, uniforms are ugly and boring. I don’t like the colors

that schools make students wear. Kids have to wear red collared shirts and khaki pants. Since everyone is wearing the same thing, every day, it makes everyone look boring. Also, students have to tuck in their shirts into pants. This makes people look ugly, since today’s style is to wear your shirt untucked.Lastly, we have to wear the same thing everyday, so we don’t get to show off our regular clothes. This is a problem because it gets boring to wear the same clothes every day. It is nice to be able to wear something different each day or to wear something that we want to wear. This is why uniforms are ugly and boring.

Another Non-Example:Lastly, lots of uniforms are too expensive. Students need other clothes for other things. Lots of times, parents are asked to put the school’s logo on and that costs money. Sometimes, less fortunate families don’t have enough money. That is why uniforms are too expensive.

Lastly, lots of uniforms are too expensive. Students need other clothes for other situations. Students also need regular clothes for when they are outside of school.For example, students would rather wear regular clothes to the mall,than their uniform.This would require parents to buy regular clothes in addition to buying a school uniform. This would get expensive. Also,lots of times, parents are asked to put the school’s logo on the front of the shirt and that costs money. It costs extra money to have the logo added. Parents will have to pay an extra fee on top of already paying for the shirt itself. This can get pricey when students have more than one shirt that needs a logo added. Also, less fortunate families sometimes don’t have enough money to buy uniforms and regular clothes. Buying two sets of clothes, just gets too expensive. If students didn’t have to wear uniforms, their parents would not have to worry about not being able to afford them. That is why uniforms are too expensive.

Example of Taking out Unrelated Ideas: Before:

Finally, uniforms are expensive. They are expensive because you have to buy them at certain stores.What if you don’t have one near your house? You would have to drive all over, spending money on gas, just to find the right uniform clothes. Also, you have to have your school’s logo on your shirt and the logos are ugly. Uniforms have to be a certain color and most are ugly. What if you don’t like the color they are or you don’t look good in that color? Lastly, you can get bullied because you are wearing an ugly uniform. These are reasons why uniforms are expensive.

After: Take out what doesn’t relate and replace with ideas that do relate

Finally, uniforms are expensive. They are expensive because you have to buy them at certain stores.What if you don’t have one near your house? You would have to drive all over, spending money on gas, just to find the right uniform clothes. Also, you have to have your school’s logo on your shirt and the logos are ugly. Uniforms have to be a certain color and most are ugly. What if you don’t like the color they are or you don’t look good in that color? Lastly, you can get bullied because you are wearing an ugly uniform. These are reasons why uniforms are expensive.

Pronoun Problem Example:

Before (with pronoun problems) Lastly, it takes away their ability to express

themselves. It doesn’t show what a person likes. This can prevent them from making friends. It doesn’t show how they act or what the person is interested in.. It doesn’t show what kind of style they like or anything. This is how they take away their freedom to express themselves.

Pronoun Problem Fixed

Lastly, uniforms take way students’ abilities to express themselves. Uniforms don’t show what a person likes. This can prevent students from making friends. It doesn’t show how they act or what a person is interested in. Uniforms don’t show what kind of style a person is into or anything. This is how uniforms take away students’ freedom to express themselves.