Body Paragraphs Recipe for Success!

Topic Sentence State the “prong” from your thesis statement on which you will be focusing and tie it to your first main idea. i.e. Combine Roman Numeral + Letter

Transition to Supporting Detail Introduce your first supporting detail/example (#1) and state how it relates to the main idea (stated in your topic sentence)

Explanation of Example/Detail Explain how the supporting detail/example relates to the point of your paper.

First Quote Chose a quotation and either imbed or paraphrase it into the paragraph Need a lead-in for the quote, linking it to your first supporting detail/example

Embedding Quotes When using quotes, it is important to incorporate, or “blend” them into your own words within a sentence Do NOT put quotes alone in a sentence. Instead, introduce them in a way that they are part of your own sentence, or lead out of them with your own analysis.

Examples Full Quote: “I will love the light for it shows me the way. Yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” Og Mandino Blended: Even though times may be difficult, it is important to be positive and “love the light for it shows me the way [while] endur[ing] the darkness because it shows me the stars” (Mandino).

Quote Formatting Rules Brackets [ ] are used to show that words have been added or changed. Do this when quotes do not flow with your sentence. Ellipsis (…) are used when you would like to omit words from a quotation. Notice the entire quote was not used in the example— the quote began mid-sentence As long as you maintain the integrity of the quote (convey the same meaning ), you can use whatever part(s) you would like to fit your purpose.

Other Examples While Holden insists that he and Jane are close friends and is desperate for a friend to talk to, when Stradlater suggests that he go down and talk to Jane, Holden replies “I’m not in the mood right now…You have to be in the mood for those things” (Salinger 33). Holden intentionally alienates Sally because he immaturely believes that everyone who is becoming an adult is phony in some sort of way. Therefore, Holden “may go out with Sally, but he does not harbor any hope that she will cast off her phoniness” (Mitchell).

Analysis of the Quote Explain the meaning of the quote and how the quote relates to the main point of the paragraph.

Critical Quote If applicable, imbed a critical quotation that relates to/analyzes the supporting detail/example you are currently discussing

Move On to the Next Detail Repeat process for each supporting detail/example in the paragraph Make sure all claims are supported Some details/examples may be more prolific than others (for example, you may have more to say about Holden’s thoughts on Allie than his thoughts on James Castle), which means you may need more than 1 quotation for these details

Concluding Idea Connect ideas in paragraph back to thesis How do all of these things prove your main argument? Always bring it back to your thesis