Body Paragraph Worksheet
You will spend most of your writing time developing the supporting examples in your body paragraphs. While your introduction informs the reader “what” you believe, the body paragraphs will tell the reader “why” you believe this. The basic argumentative structure is outlined for you below. If you choose to use this structure for your body paragraphs, it will help you maintain coherence within each paragraph as well as within your essay as a whole. Each paragraph is “built” around a specific example and should be focused on supporting your thesis. This first outline is completed for you:
Transition
Bridge it: use a transitional word or phrase to move the reader from one paragraph to the next. “There are several important ways in which the environment is impacted by consumerism.”
Topic Sentence
Name it: identify the example to the reader. “Cars are produced to fit lifestyles, not environmental needs.”
Description
Describe it: provide the reader with information about the example. “Beginning in the economic expansion of the late 1990s, consumer taste shifted and people began buying SUVs in large numbers. While rural drivers were long accustomed to driving SUVs when the weather or terrain demanded it, newly affluent suburbanites acquired a taste for the vehicles and began buying them in record numbers. Unfortunately, while the vehicles are fun to drive and look quite nice, they also disproportionately impact the environment due to their poor gas mileage.”
Relevance
Defend it: tell the reader how this example supports your thesis. “Thus, the purely consumerist desire to own and drive the biggest, newest SUV, when no underlying need exists, has driven the demand for fossil fuels higher and severely impacted air quality in most urban areas.”
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Body Paragraph Worksheet
Activity: On the following pages, try to outline at least two body paragraphs for each writing prompt. "The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. The trite subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, luxury have always seemed to me contemptible.”–Albert Einstein Assignment: Many "wise" people routinely complain that Americans have become too concerned with material possessions. Einstein's quote demonstrates just this sentiment. Yet we cannot escape the fact that the American consumer is responsible for nearly two-thirds of all economic activity in the United States. So surely, many people must enjoy and find comfort in buying, selling, and trading material possessions. Do you? Write a persuasive essay in which you articulate your position on this issue. Be sure to support your stance with examples and reasons drawn from your studies, personal experience, and/or observations.
Paragraph One:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
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Body Paragraph Worksheet Paragraph Two:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
Paragraph Three:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
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Body Paragraph Worksheet
"Truly, to tell lies is not honorable; but when the truth entails tremendous ruin, to speak dishonorably is pardonable."– Sophocles Assignment: Is it always necessary to tell the truth, regardless of the consequences, or are there times when it is permissible to tell a lie? What "rule" should guide a person in determining when to tell the truth or tell a lie? Write a multi-paragraph essay in which you articulate your position on this issue. Be sure to support your position with relevant examples and arguments from your readings or personal experience.
Paragraph One:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
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Body Paragraph Worksheet Paragraph Two:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
Paragraph Three:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
COPYRIGHT © 2007 by Vantage Learning. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be used, accessed, reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a database or any retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Vantage Learning.
Body Paragraph Worksheet
"Trying to be number one and trying to do a task well are two different things."–Alfie Kohn Assignment: Many apply the law of the jungle (i.e. "the survival of the fittest") to human behavior. Is it more important to be highly competitive or highly competent in order to be successful? Write a multiparagraph essay supporting your position on this issue. Be sure to include specific details and examples from your own experiences or readings.
Paragraph One:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
COPYRIGHT © 2007 by Vantage Learning. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be used, accessed, reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a database or any retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Vantage Learning.
Body Paragraph Worksheet Paragraph Two:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
Paragraph Three:
Transition
Topic Sentence
Description
Relevance
COPYRIGHT © 2007 by Vantage Learning. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be used, accessed, reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a database or any retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Vantage Learning.
