Body paragraphs should all work to support your thesis by explaining why or how your thesis is true. There are three types of sentences in each body paragraph: topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences. Show
Topic sentencesA topic sentence states the focus of the paragraph. The rest of the body paragraph will give evidence and explanations that show why or how your topic sentence is true. A topic sentence is very similar to a thesis. The thesis is the main idea of the essay; a topic sentence is the main idea of a body paragraph. Many of the same characteristics apply to topic sentences that apply to theses. The biggest differences will be the location of the sentence and the scope of the ideas. An effective topic sentence—
1 Exercise: Analyze a topic sentence.Read the example body paragraph below to complete this exercise on a piece of paper. Prompt: Why is exercise important? Thesis: Exercise is essential because it improves overall physical and mental health. Because it makes your body healthier, exercise is extremely important. One of the physical benefits of exercise is having stronger muscles. The only way to make your muscles stronger is to use them, and exercises like crunches, squats, lunges, push-ups, and weight-lifting are good examples of exercises that strengthen your muscles. Another benefit of exercise is that it lowers your heart rate. A slow heart rate can show that our hearts are working more efficiently and they don’t have to pump as many times in a minute to get blood to our organs. Related to our heart beating more efficiently, our blood pressure decreases. These are just some of the incredible health benefits of exercise. Find the topic sentence. Use the following criteria to evaluate the topic sentence.
2 Exercise: Identify topic sentences.Each group of sentences has three supporting sentences and one topic sentence. The topic sentence must be broad enough to include all of the supporting sentences. In each group of sentences, choose which sentence is the topic sentence. Write the letter of the topic sentence on the line given. Group 1: Topic sentence: _________
Group 2: Topic sentence: _________
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3 Exercise: Write topic sentencesRead each paragraph. On a piece of paper, write a topic sentence on the line at the beginning of the paragraph. 1._______ The first difference is that you have more privacy in a private room than in a shared room. You can go to your room to have a private phone call or Skype with your family and you are not bothered by other people. When you share your room, it can be hard to find private time when you can do things alone. Another difference is that it is lonelier in a private room than in a shared room. When you share your room with a roommate, you have someone that you can talk to. Frequently when you have a private room, you are alone more often. These two housing options are very different. 2. _______ People like to eat chocolate because it has many delicious flavors. For example, there are mint chocolates, milk chocolates, dark chocolates, white chocolates, chocolates with honey, and chocolates with nuts. Another reason people like to eat chocolate is because it reduces stress, which can help people to relax and feel better. The last reason people like to eat chocolate is because it can be cooked in many different ways. You can eat chocolate candies, mix chocolate with warm milk to drink, or prepare a chocolate dessert. These reasons are some of the reasons that people like to eat chocolate. 3. _______ A respectful roommate does not leave the main areas of the apartment messy after they use them. For example, they wash their dishes instead of leaving dirty pots and pans on the stove. They also don’t borrow things from other roommates without asking to use them first. In addition to respecting everyone’s need for space and their possessions, the ideal roommate is respectful of his or her roommate’s schedule. For example, if one roommate is asleep and the other roommates needs to study, the ideal roommate goes to the kitchen or living room instead of waking up the sleeping roommate. These simple gestures of respect make a roommate an excellent person to share an apartment with. Supporting sentencesYour body paragraph needs to explain why or how your topic sentence is true. The sentences that support your topic sentence are called supporting sentences. You can have many types of supporting sentences. Supporting sentences can give examples, explanations, details, descriptions, facts, reasons, etc.
4 Exercise: Identify good supporting sentences.Read the topic sentence. Then circle which sentences would be good supporting sentences. Topic Sentence: Eating pancakes for breakfast saves time and money.
Concluding sentencesYour final statement should conclude your paragraph logically. Concluding sentences can restate the main idea of your paragraph, state an opinion, make a prediction, give advice, etc. New ideas should not be presented in your concluding sentence.
5 Exercise: Identify good concluding sentences.Read the topic sentence. Then circle which sentences would be good concluding sentences. Topic Sentence: A shared room offers students a more social experience.
Exercise: Write concluding sentences.On a piece of paper, write a concluding sentence at the end of each paragraph. 1. New York is a culturally diverse city. This culture is continually broadened because people immigrate from all over the world bringing different religions, food, and languages with them. This city has people that speak over 30 languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Untu, Russian, and Polish. There are also more than 20 major religions represented by citizens of New York. These citizens brought more than their language and religion with them, however. They also brought traditional foods from their countries. _______ 2. Technology helps people learn things in today’s world. This educational technology includes various websites, apps, programs, and many more things. Popular websites that are used for education include YouTube, TED, Canvas, and CrashCourse. Similarly, there are a variety of educational apps. These apps help users learn languages, history, math, and other practical skills. Computer programs are yet another way to use technology as a way to help people learn. Programs like PowerPoint are frequently used in classrooms as a means to deliver visual support to a lecture or presentation. This visual support aids learning and retention. _______ Which of the following is one of the ways to effectively lead and improve meeting productivity?Tips for leading a meeting. Set goals before the meeting.. Create an agenda.. Invite the right people.. Present the agenda and goals.. Take notes.. Give your full attention.. Get other people involved.. Shut down other devices.. Which of the following is a benefit when managers recognize and bridge cultural differences in the workplace quizlet?Which of the following is a benefit when managers recognize and bridge cultural differences in the workplace? a better understanding of diverse, fragmented markets.
During what part of the writing process does the writer ensure the accuracy of the information?Revising, editing and proofreading. This is the stage in the writing process where you make sure that your text is coherent and written accurately.
Which of the following delivers criticism with no guidance to stimulate improvement?destructive feedback delivers criticism with no guidance for improvement.
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