Ahh, the body paragraph- the meat, the substance, the largest portion of an essay.  As beautifully articulated the introduction and conclusion is, the body paragraph makes up in concrete knowledge and information.  A body paragraph is in the middle section of an essay and usually exists to expand upon a part of the thesis statement.  There is always a topic sentence providing a hidden clue as to the purpose of the paragraph and usually in text/scholarly examples.  The following figure best represents the major themes of a body paragraph-

Isn’t that a delicious body paragraph?  Normally, they last around 6-10 sentences and follow a similar structure to the entire essay yet instead on a micro level.  As Patrick Dunley stated “In English the core building blocks of any intellectual or research argument are paragraphs.”

Rewrite using Dialogue Method

Body paragraphs are the most important part of the essay because they provide all the information and reasoning to prove the thesis statement.  Each body paragraphs expands upon a portion of the thesis through use of a topic sentence in the beginning of the essay, supporting details such as in text examples, colorful vocabulary and techniques, and a concluding sentence that transitions to the next body paragraph.  According to Fake Person #1, a professor at Fake studies, they argue that “Without body paragraphs, all that is left is an intro and conclusion, hardly an essay at all.  The body paragraph is what people remember, where people learn, and what delivers the essay’s purpose” (4).  Body paragraphs are the building blocks of the essay and as long as the structure is followed, are effective tools to further the writer’s agenda.

Signing off,

Delectable Danielle