1. Body Paragraphs The largest portion of an essay. Typically three paragraphs, but can be two.

2. Body paragraphs should each have

3. Topic Sentence (main idea)

4. Supporting Sentences

5. Example of a body paragraph Students who learn how to write well will earn better grades in most classes.  This is true because most instructors assign a variety of written assignments, and depending on the class, these written assignments often encompass a large percentage of a student’s final grade.  For instance, all college students seeking a degree will be required to take a composition class.  In this class alone, students will write five different essays.  Furthermore, other classes, such as history, psychology, nursing, etc., also require students to write multiple essays.  According to John Doe, a Professor of English at Aims Community College, the average undergraduate student will write twenty-five different essays while seeking a bachelor’s degree.  This number increases dramatically for students who go on to seek a graduate degree(s).  Because all students, regardless of major, will be required to compose a large number of essays, it is important that they learn how to write well.

6. Remember, the more evidence that is provided in a body paragraph, the better.  The key is to make a claim (topic sentence), support it with specific detail (give examples and provide specific information), and then conclude the paragraph by reinforcing the original claim (final sentence). 

7. Transitions

8. Example of Transitions Without Transitions: Students who write academic essays need to provide effective transitions.  Transitions allow writers to connect the main ideas that are present in an essay.  Using conjunctive adverbs and other introductory elements allow a writer to connect one sentence to the next.  The use of these words will make the writing more fluent and less choppy.  Many students fail to use effective transitions, and the essay comes across as disconnected.  Writers should always be aware of the need to connect both sentences and paragraphs together. With Transitions: Students who write academic essays need to provide effective transitions.  It is the use of these transitions that allow writers to connect the main ideas that are present in an essay.  For example, by using conjunctive adverbs and other introductory elements, a writer can easily connect one sentence to the next.  Moreover, the use of these words will make the writing more fluent and less choppy.  Unfortunately, students often fail to use effective transitions, and, as a result, the essay comes across as disconnected.  To avoid this, writers should always be aware of the need to connect both sentences and paragraphs together, and they should strive to find creative ways to do so. 

9. The following is a categorized list of transitional words that can be used, depending on the type of transition that is needed: