Body
The body generally consists of
several paragraphs.
A successful, fully developed paragraph has a topic sentence
that states the main focus of the paragraph. Each topic
sentence should relate back to an aspect of the thesis. You should
support each topic sentence with details and examples.
No set length exists for each body paragraph. As you construct
your essay, consider the following factors to determine their length:
- complexity of the
idea. When you explain a
complex idea, you should use as many details and examples as
possible. In this manner, you can make sure that each reader of
your paper will understand its content.
- method of development. If
you are explaining a process in your essay, you want to organize
your body paragraphs to reflect the order in which the steps of
the process should be completed. Conversely, if you are discussing
an obscure aspect of a well-known topic, you might want to begin
your body paragraphs with information that readers already know,
and then led into information that they do not know.
- length of other body
paragraphs. If one of your body paragraphs is two
pages, and another is one-fourth of a page, you are emphasizing a
certain aspect of your essay while minimizing the importance of
another aspect. Unless this is your intention, you should try to
write body paragraphs of a similar length.
Click here to read an example of a
body paragraph.