1. Paragraphs 101

2. Introductions
ndicate the Parts of Your Essay
• The intro should indicate what is coming.
• In the middle of you paper develop each point into one or two paragraphs
• Take a bold stand
• Start out with a strong statement of your position

3. Introductions
tart with the Other Side
• Tell what you disagree with and who aid it. Give the opposing reason
so that you can later prove them wrong.
ell a Brief Story
• Give one or two paragraphs to a single typical case, and then make
your general point.
se the News Lead
• Write a sentence incorporating, who, what, when, where, how, and
sometimes why.

4. Introductions
ove from the General to the Specific
• Begin with the wider context of the topic and the zero in on the case
at hand

5. 5
General statement introduction
Today smoking is an
issue which is on everybody’s
mind. The whole country is
divided on this issue. Some
people believe that smoking
should be banned everywhere
while others are not so harsh.
However, I believe that
tobacco should be outlawed
because smoking endangers
everyone’s health, pollutes
the environment, and drains
us of valuable energy.( 57)

6. 6
Quotation introduction
In The Monitor it was recently
stated that smoking is the greatest
threat to our health. The whole
country is divided on this issue. I
believe that tobacco should be
outlawed because it endangers
everyone’s health; it pollutes the
environment, and it drains of
valuable resources. (49)

7. Created by José J. González, Jr.
Spring 2002 7
Final reminders !!!!
e concise and to the point!
o not go into too much detail!
t least 50 words minimum!
ou must do three things . . .
introduce topic
state position
provide reasons

9. Body Paragraphs
Paragraphs 101

10. Paragraphs – Long and Short
ach paragraph should make one point, and every sentence in it
should relate to that one point.
• Usually the paragraph begins by stating the point and then goes on to
explain it and make it specific.
ndent the first line of the paragraph

11. Paragraphs – Long and Short
reak up Long Paragraphs
• Find a natural point for division, such as:
• A new subject or idea
• A turning point in a story
• The start of an example
• A change in location or time
xpand short paragraphs
• To many short paragraphs can make your thought seem fragmented.

12. Paragraphs – Long and Short
xpand short paragraphs
• Combine
• Join two paragraphs on the same point
• Include examples in the same paragraph as the point they illustrate.
• Develop
• Give examples or reasons to support your point
• Cite facts, statistics, or evidence to support your point
• Relate an incident or event that supports your point.
• Explain any important general terms
• Quote authorities to back up what you say.

13. Paragraphs – Long and Short
• Omit
• If you can’t expand, develop, or combine get rid of it.
heck For Continuity
• Link your paragraphs together with transitions; taking words or ideas
from one paragraph and using them at the beginning of the next one.

14. Conclusion
Introduction
Body paragraph #1
Body paragraph #2
Body paragraph #3

16. Support reason 1
Support reason 2
Support reason 3
Topic
sentence
Conclusion
Topic sentence
Support sentence 1
Proof sentence 1
Support sentence 2
Proof sentence 2
Support sentence 3
Proof sentence 3
Concluding
sentence
The McParagraph
logic:
The McParagraph
sentences:

17. Topic Sentences
opic sentences state the main idea of the paragraph.
he rest of the paragraph must expand on, describe, or prove what
the topic sentence states in some way.
good topic sentence make a point and suggests the logical
structure of the rest of the paragraph.

18. Which are good topic sentences?
exas has 267,000 square miles.
exas is so big that you can find many things to do.
here are several ways of accurately telling how old fossils are.
he animal dies and sinks to the sea floor.

19. topic sentence is the first sentence in your body paragraph.
support sentence gives a reason in support of the paragraph’s
topic sentence.
proof sentence proves a support sentence by providing a detail
or quotation from a source.
conclusion (one sentence) refers back to the topic, provides a
logical closing, and may provide a transition to the next body
paragraph.

20. What makes each sentence in the
following body paragraph what it is: a
topic, support, proof, or concluding
sentence?

21. The political success of Lincoln‘s speech - the last speech in a
series sponsored by the Young Men’s Central Republican Union
of New York that winter (Holtzer, 1999) - had something to do
with timing and luck. A sizable number of Republican leaders
were worried that the front-running candidate, New York Senator
William Henry Seward, was perceived by the Northern electorate
as too close to the unpopular abolitionist movement (Holtzer,
1999). According to Holtzer (1999),“Lincoln’s best ally in the
winter of 1860 was his lack of association with the abolitionists in
the mind of New Yorkers,”. Republicans were worried also that
Seward has little appeal in the West (Illinois, Ohio, etc.) (Burris
2002). Burris (2002) asserts that “Indiana and Illinois Republicans
perceived Seward as an Eastern liberal”. Lincoln also benefited
from the political machinations of the speech series’s sponsors.
The Young Republicans planned the speech series ostensibly to
introduce alternative candidates to Seward, but the real
motivation of the group's leader, James A. Briggs, was to damage
Seward enough to promote his favorite alternative, Ohio governor
Salmon P. Chase (Holtzer, 1999). The Republican party’s soul-
searching and the secret motivations of the series sponsors gave
Lincoln the opening he needed.
Topic
Support
Proof
Support
Proof
Support
Proof

23. Conclusions
Paragraphs 101

24. The conclusion paragraph in an essay of
literary analysis functions as follows:
t finishes off the essay and tells the reader where the writer has
brought them.
t restates the thesis and contains echoes of the introduction and
body paragraphs without listing the points covered in the essay.
t creates a broader implication of the ideas discussed and answers
the questions: so what? Or why do we care?

25. Anatomy of the Conclusion:
he conclusion begins with a restatement of the thesis, not a
repetition, and gradually widens toward a final , broad
statement of implication.
orrows from the body paragraphs, without being flatly
repetitive or listing points already covered.
reates echoes of the introduction and body paragraphs to
reinforce analysis/ ideas.
oves outward with a statement that relates the thesis to a
broader implication so the reader can see the analytical focus

26. Strategies for Composing Conclusions:
trike a note of hope or despair.
ive a symbolic or powerful detail/fact.
reate an analogy that relates your topic to a larger implication.
ive an especially compelling example.
se a meaningful quotation. (If you used a meaningful quotation in
your introduction, refer back to this quote and tie it in with your
overall analysis.)

27. ecommend a course of action without being “preachy.”
cho the language and approach of the introduction.
eference and make meaning of the title of the work you are
analyzing.

28. Consider the following checklist when
writing a conclusion:
void first-person point of view, abstract/vague language, poor
diction, and slang.
void simply repeating the thesis and/or listing the main points.
on’t conclude more than you reasonably can from the evidence
you have presented.
cho the language and ideas from your introduction and body
paragraphs.

29. xpand on the implications of your analysis: So what? Why do
we care about these ideas? What’s so important about what
you’ve developed in your paper? Are there any other
applications for your ideas?
void any attempts at humor, cuteness, or sarcasm.
he conclusion need not be longer than four to six sentences,
as with the introduction, but must be adequately developed.
nclude the title(s) and author(s) once more.

30. Sample Conclusions:
valuate the strengths and weaknesses of the sample conclusions
to follow.
dentify possible references to the thesis statements, introduction,
and body paragraphs.
dentify broader implications.
dentify and evaluate other strategies used.

31. Sample 1:
Both great works of epic literature from historical India
and Japan certainly provide fascinating insights into the
study of the idealization of women and wives. We can see
how the different social conventions of each time and place
have a defined impact on women’s roles within the
institution of marriage. In reflecting on the societal
expectations of a wife as represented in classical world
literature we can gain new insights into women’s roles within
marriage in a contemporary world. Future generations will
look to our contemporary literature as a depiction of our
society’s expectations and values of women not only as
wives, but as single and independent women, as well.

32. Sample 2:
Edna’s character transforms from sleeping through life
by meeting expectations to a great awakening, in which her
thoughts and actions are consistent with each other. Edna’s
struggle between her inner desires and her outward
conformity is one in which her best solution was to satisfy no
roles and expectations, including her own. Her character is so
memorable because the reader can empathize with Edna’s
internal conflict to both conform and defy. She is
unforgettable because she does what each of us has wanted
to do; her character resonates with the universal human
condition of defying and abandoning societal expectations
and impositions.

33. Sample 3:
The culmination of Stephen Dedalus’ linguistic and
artistic development in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist
as a Young Man in indicated at the end of the novel when his
story is no longer dependent on a narrator, but is told by
Stephen himself through his journal. The journal entries are
projected forth in the unfiltered language of the artist. He
completes his linguistic journey, coming full circle from a
child who merely perceives others’ language to the artist,
who creates his own. The language implicit (cont.)

35. Paragraphs 101