5.3: Writing Body Paragraphs

Section Objectives

After reading this section, you will be able to 

• Focus and develop your essays’ body paragraphs with effective topic sentences that support your thesis statements.  

• Develop your body paragraphs with relevant and satisfying examples and evidence, supporting your topic sentences.  

• Document any use of outside source material in your body paragraphs.  

• Conclude your body paragraphs effectively.  

• Strengthen and deepen your body paragraphs through revision.  

In the hamburger illustration used earlier, the condiments and “fixin’s” of the hamburger, such as ketchup, mustard, pickles, cheese, onions, and whatever you like to have on a hamburger, refer to the “juicy details” of the essay—the supporting points and the details that develop those.  Since you already have the experience of developing supporting details in standalone paragraphs, you are definitely ready to also “grow” your essay body paragraphs.  

As you do this, you must remember all the basics you have been practicing in the writing of paragraphs: the use of topic sentences, supporting details, and concluding sentences.  These are essential for good body paragraphs of essays just as they are in standalone paragraphs.  For a review of these essentials, see the “Writing Paragraphs” chapter of this book.   

If your thesis gives the reader a roadmap to your essay, then body paragraphs should closely follow that map. The reader should be able to predict what follows your introductory paragraph by simply reading the thesis statement. The body paragraphs present the evidence you have gathered to confirm your thesis.   

Recall that when you pre-write and outline, you essentially make a list of examples or reasons why you support your stance. Stemming from each point, you further provide details to support those reasons. After prewriting, you are then able to look back at the information and choose the most compelling pieces you will use in your body paragraphs.  

Developing Topic Sentences That Support Your Thesis   

Each body paragraph contains a topic sentence that states one aspect of your thesis and then expands upon it. Like the thesis statement, each topic sentence should be specific and supported by concrete details, facts, or explanations. Topic sentences are vital to your body paragraphs because they are linked to the ideas you have introduced in your thesis, thus reminding readers what your essay is about. A paragraph without a clearly identified topic sentence may be unclear and scattered, just like an essay without a thesis statement. Unity is important for good essay structure.   

Unless your professor instructs otherwise, you should include at least three body paragraphs in your essay. A five-paragraph essay, including the introduction and conclusion, is commonly the standard for exams and essay assignments because it is meant to help students create fully developed essays; however, writers should maintain flexibility and not expect all essays to conform to that model. The emphasis is on creating an essay that provides enough support to inform or persuade the audience.  

After deciding which supporting points you will develop in your topic sentences, you must add details to clarify and demonstrate each of those points. These supporting details provide examples, facts, or evidence that support each topic sentence point. As you read the following outline, notice the relationships between the thesis statement and the topic sentences (I, II, III), as well as the topic sentences and the details that support them (A, B, C):  

Thesis: Unleashed dogs on city streets are a dangerous nuisance.  

I. Dogs can scare cyclists.  

A. Cyclists are forced to zigzag on the roads.  

B. School children panic and turn wildly on their bikes.  

C. Dogs may run after cyclists and cause accidents/injuries  

II.  Loose dogs are traffic hazards.  

A. Dogs in the street make people swerve their cars.  

B. To avoid dogs, drivers run into other cars or pedestrians.  

C. Children coaxing dogs across city streets create danger.  

III. Unleashed doges damage gardens

A. They step on flowers and vegetables.  

B. They destroy hedges by urinating on them.  

C. They mess up lawns by digging holes.  

As you can see above, the topic sentences are directly related to the thesis statement because they are more narrow explanations of the thesis—they support the thesis statement point.  The supporting details, in turn, also explain and support the topic sentence points, just as an umbrella handle supports the umbrella.   

Developing Support in Your Body Paragraphs  

Many students worry, “Will my essay be long enough?” when it comes to essay writing.  This is a very realistic concern, for most professors do require a certain length for their essay assignments, and often students feel inadequate about having enough to say in their essays.   Thankfully, there are strategies that can help you grow not only your essay body paragraphs but also your confidence in writing these!   

Examples, statistics, and supporting quotations are key ways that you can provide supporting details to your thesis and topic sentence points in your body paragraphs, making reading your essay a satisfying, enlightening experience for your readers.    

Using the P.E.E.L. Strategy to Develop Your Body Paragraphs  

Now that you have learned and thought more about the different kinds of support a writer can use to develop body paragraphs, a practical strategy to help you put these in place in your essay can be helpful. P.E.E.L. is a body paragraph development strategy that can help you plan and write your body paragraphs with more depth and length, as explained below:  

“P” = Point: Make your point/claim in your body paragraph, which is in your topic sentence.   (In turn, this point should connect in idea back to your thesis point because you align your topic sentence points to support your thesis point.)  

“E” = Evidence: Back up your point/claim with supporting details, also known as “evidence.”  As explained in the section above, evidence comes in several forms, including quotations and statistics.    

“E” = Explanation: Explain how the evidence supports your point/claim; the explanation is a way to create cohesion (unity) between the point and the evidence.  

Note: Evidence and Explanation can be interchangeable, as you will see in upcoming examples.   

“L” = Link: “Linking” at the end of the body paragraph means you wrap up the ideas raised in your paragraph.  There are several strategies that you may use to do this. This is the same concept that was discussed in the “Writing Paragraphs” chapter of the book, regarding the conclusion sentence of a paragraph.  

Read the following example body paragraph which was developed using the P.E.E.L. Strategy.  The topic sentence of the paragraph is italicized.  

Even though one may find it hard to believe, habits can be changed. (Point) For starters, one must look at a habit objectively as possible can help see the “cycle” of it.  Author Charles Duhigg explains what he calls “The Habit Loop” in his book The Power of Habit, stating, “Over time, this loop—cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward—becomes more and more automatic” (19). (Evidence) Breaking one’s own habit down into these parts can really help see the inner workings of the habit.  In doing this, a person can start to change their behavior. (Explanation) This does take time and determination, but a stubborn habit can be changed. (Link)  

The example paragraph above begins with the Topic Sentence, which is the Point of the paragraph.   The topic sentence of the paragraph includes the topic and the writer’s point about that topic, and it must clearly be connected in idea to the Thesis of the essay.  The Evidence given is a quote from Duhigg’s book, which develops the topic sentence point.   After that, the writer follows with Explanation not only of the quote but of how the quote proves and develops the topic sentence point.   (Actually, the second sentence of the paragraph includes  

Explanation, too!)  Finally, the writer Links at the end of the paragraph by making a statement that connects back to the topic sentence point, giving the reader the sense that the paragraph is finished and that the essay will move on to the next main point.   

Planning P.E.E.L in Your Body Paragraphs  

As you develop your outline for essay, think about how you will incorporate P.E.E.L. into your body paragraphs. To do this, you can list  P., E., E., L. on your outline for each body paragraph so as you make your outline, you will work to incorporate these elements into your essay draft, as seen in the example below:  

 Main Supporting Point (topic sentence): Habits can be changed.  

1. Evidence for Point: The cycle of cue, routine, reward (Duhigg quote)  

2. Explanation: People can break their own habits into these parts and thus start to change them  

3. Linking: A stubborn habit can be changed  

Planning ahead like this will make your draft experience much easier in the long run and your essay more developed and satisfying for your reader.  

Exercise 5.3 Outlining with P.E.E.L.  

When you are making an outline for your upcoming essay, include P.E.E.L. details in it, as illustrated in the example outline above.    

Strategies to Further Develop Body Paragraphs  

As you draft and revise your body paragraphs, ask yourself this question: Is there some idea here that I should explain more by giving another fact, detail, or example? There is no rule about how many layers of development should be included in a paragraph. The number of layers you include will always depend upon the idea or information in each different sentence you write. But if you get in the habit of wondering if you just wrote something that might need further development, then you will be less likely to leave readers guessing about what you really mean, and your ideas will be clear.   

When you are examining a body paragraph to make sure it is adequately developed, consider using the following techniques:  

1. Use different colors of highlighter markers to identify the layers in your paragraph. Use one color, such as yellow, to highlight the topic sentence, which is the most general sentence in the paragraph. Use another color, such as pink, to highlight the second sentence, which should develop the first sentence. If the third sentence develops the second sentence, use yet another color to highlight it. If the third sentence develops the first sentence, highlight it with the same color that you used for the second sentence. Follow this same procedure for all the other sentences in the paragraph. Then, after you have highlighted every sentence, see how colorful your paragraph is. In general, paragraphs that contain more colors are probably developing the main idea with  sufficient details. A paragraph that is highlighted with only two colors, however, may need the addition of more specific information and examples.  

2. Count the sentences in your paragraphs. There is no magic minimum or maximum number of sentences for a paragraph. The number of sentences a paragraph contains will depend upon the main idea and the supporting information. However, if a paragraph contains only three or four sentences, it may be incomplete because it is not adequately developed. Get in the habit of scrutinizing short paragraphs to make sure that they include enough layers of development.  

3. Scan your drafts for the phrase “for example.” This phrase often begins sentences that really help readers grasp your ideas. If you never begin sentences this way, you may not be including the specific information your readers need in order to understand your thoughts on a topic.   

4. Ask yourself if you need to start a new paragraph. How do you know when it is time to start a new body paragraph?   When you begin a new main point, which should be indicated by a new topic sentence, it is generally time for a new body paragraph.   Also, if a sentence in a paragraph doesn’t match up with the topic sentence, it may be the start of a new main point.  Examine the following sentence to help you decide if this is the case or if that sentence simply doesn’t fit in that paragraph.