English 102 Week 3

Week 3, Section 1. Development of Body Paragraphs

Introduction to Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of a paper showcase your examples and evidence. They are key to demonstrating the thesis and having your reader agree with your thesis. Therefore, it is very important to develop them carefully and conscientiously through the topic sentence and appropriate content.

The Topic Sentence

In any piece of writing, well-constructed paragraphs present the content—that is, the substance or subject matter of the writing. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that does the following:

• lets the reader know the idea that the paragraph will develop
• reminds the reader that the paragraph, by providing a supporting idea, is also contributing to the thesis of the paper

The topic sentence thus looks back towards the thesis and forward towards the development of the new paragraph.

When a writer finely crafts the topic sentence of each paragraph, the structure of the paper is strong and cohesive. If a paragraph (or two or three) lacks this type of controlling sentence, the paper will appear loosely and even carelessly developed.

The Paragraph

If you need a review of how to develop a paragraph, visit The Purdue OWL’s explanation of paragraphs, which also includes an overview of the topic sentence.

• The Purdue OWL: On Paragraphs

For assistance in developing body paragraphs through visualizing them, access the PDF Reading below. You will need to read this material to understand how to respond to the required discussion topic below.

• PDF Reading: Week Three: Developing Body Paragraphs