Writing Clean Body Paragraphs

FROM THE WRITING CENTER@ THE A.R.C.

What are important components to body paragraphs?

• What do you mean key components to body paragraphs? The first sentence is important to the body of your paragraph for it will be the topic of the whole paragraph! It should also go along with your thesis, and the main idea for your paper.

“The weather in Maine is a pivotal choice in deciding to live there.” Anything after this topic sentence should be pertaining to the weather in Maine being a pivotal choice in living there!

Supporting information and also using your own words•Supporting information is really important for your body paragraphs. It will strengthen the credibility of your paper.

“The weather in Maine is a pivotal choice in deciding to live there.” While it is good to follow up with statistics to back up this information, make sure you use a bit of your own knowledge and words first.

“From my experiences living in Maine, it is usually cold and rainy year round. This is not so bad if you enjoy staying inside and spending quality time with your family and friends.”

Following up with facts!

•Now that we have some background information in our own words, we can start using statistics to back up our claim. We can do this in two ways: Stating who made the information in the sentence, or using an in text citation. ( You can also see our unpacking quotes module, and citation module for more information.)

“According to usdataclimate.com, the annual high temperature in Maine is 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit, with the low being 36.8 degrees Fahrenheit, while also having an annual rainfall of 49.1 inches.” Using an in text citation:“In Maine, the annual high temperature is 54,5 degrees Fahrenheit, with the low being 36.6 degrees Fahrenheit, while also having an annual rainfall of 49.1 inches (2015, U.S Climate Data).” •Extra tip! You treat the in text citation as part of the sentence, so make sure you put the period after it.

Using in text citations are more formal and usually preferred in academic writing. However, the first sentence is okay as long as you don’t do that every time because it disturbs the flow of the paper.

Now we need more of our voice again!•We call this the sandwich method. You start your body paragraph with your topic sentence, your own voice/information, a quote, fact, or statistic to back up your information, and lastly we need more of your own voice to cap off the paragraph. Using a lot of your own voice will show the reader how much effort You put into it, rather than just using someone else's information!

“Since I have such a big family to keep me company, I do not mind staying inside most of the year. I also feel very safe indoors considering the low crime rate over the whole state of Maine.”•We just used a transitioning sentence to set up for the body of my next paragraph, the topic of which will be about crime rate in Maine!

The big picture• “The weather in Maine is a pivotal choice in deciding to live there. From my experiences living in Maine, it is usually cold and rainy year round. This is not so bad if you enjoy staying inside and spending quality time with your family and friends. In Maine, the annual high temperature is 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit, with the low being 36.6 degrees Fahrenheit, while also having an annual rainfall of 49.1 inches (2015, U.S Climate Data). Since I have such a big family to keep me company, I do not mind staying inside most of the year. I also feel very safe indoors considering the low crime rate over the whole state of Maine.”•Now we have created a solid body paragraph while also setting up the next body paragraph to be about crime rate in Maine.

What not to do in the body of your paragraphs!

• Do not stray off topic! If you have a defined topic sentence, stick with it and do not bring in information that does not fit.

• Do not use too many quotes and statistics, you want mostly your own voice rather than someone else's.

• Do not spend too much time on one paragraph. You want concise, even information distributed throughout the whole paper!

• These tips should make your body paragraphs a walk in the park.

In Conclusion…After viewing this presentation, you should now be able to:•Know what key components are in the body paragraph•Support information in your own words•Follow up with facts•Not stray off topic•Not use too many quotes•Construct a proper body portion of your paper