Writing Body Paragraphs
In the body of the essay, all your preparation up to this point comes to
fruition. The topic you have chosen must now be explained, described, or
argued. Each main idea that you wrote down in your thesis statement will
become one of the body paragraphs.
Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure:
1. Start by writing down one of your character traits in sentence form. If
your character trait is "exhibits a tough exterior," you might say this:
“First and foremost, Dally Winston portrays a tough exterior to the
world.”
2. Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea.
3. Provide some elaboration for each point. Elaboration can be further
description or a quote.
Example:
Two Supporting Points
A. He seems to enjoy rattling off his criminal record to any
captive audience.
B. Dally doesn’t show his pain on the outside.
Elaboration (further description or a quote to prove your point)
A. “You ought to see my record sometime baby…Guess what I’ve been in
for?” (22).
B. “Dally’ll be okay,” I thought. “Dallas is always okay. He can take
anything” (102).
Now put it together into a paragraph:
First and foremost, Dally Winston exhibited a tough exterior.
He seemed to enjoy rattling off his criminal record to any captive
audience. For instance, when he was flirting with Cherry at the
drive-in, he thought he would impress her with his rap sheet. “You
ought to see my record sometime, baby…Guess what I’ve been in for?”
(22). Not only did he portray this cold exterior for personal
gain, but he also appeared to do this to hide his internal pain.
According to Ponyboy, “Dally’ll be okay,” I thought. “Dallas is
always okay. He can take anything” (102).
A word about transitions:
Between paragraphs you will need to add transitions that allow the reading
to flow smoothly.
Example: “Along with his tough exterior, Dally tends to find trouble
easily.”
These two traits seem to go hand-in-hand. (Now you’re ready to do your
next paragraph!)
Sample transition words (not a comprehensive list):
likewise while in the same way similarly
however
on the other hand although in contrast as a result
therefore
for example for instance in addition moreover
for instance
along with another yet in fact for this
reason
Writing Body Paragraphs Worksheet
Name Name of Character
I. Character Trait #1
A. Supporting Points:
1.
2.
B. Elaboration (further description or quote – must have at least one quote with
page number per trait)
1.
2.
II. Character Trait #2
A. Supporting Points:
1.
2.
B. Elaboration (further description or quote – must have at least one quote with
page number per trait)
1.
2.
III. Character Trait #3
A. Supporting Points:
1.
2.
B. Elaboration (further description or quote – must have at least one quote with
page number per trait)
1.
2.