Body Paragraphs:
The “Skinny” on Body Paragraphs
1. Each body paragraph must focus on one topic, and that topic must support your claim. Since your claim is arguable, the topic sentence for each paragraph must also be arguable. Do NOT start a body paragraph with a quote!!!
2. Using textual evidence:
A. Do not overuse quotations. You should include the most critical part of the quotation into your own sentence structure, rather than allowing a quoted segment to stand by itself.
Ineffective: Richard Cory was very well-respected and polite. “He was a gentleman from sole to crown.” Also, he practiced good hygiene and was very handsome because he was “clean favored and imperially slim.”
Effective: Richard Cory was polite, “a gentleman from sole to crown.” Like a handsome king, he was “clean favored, and imperially slim.”
B. Never put two quotations back-to-back. Your own analysis should act as a transition between the two.
Ineffective: Richard Cory had everything going for him. “He was a gentleman from sole to crown.” “And he was rich—yes, richer than a king.”
Effective: Richard Cory had everything going for him. Not only was he a “gentleman from sole to crown,” but also he was “richer than a king.”
C. Include the quotation smoothly and comfortably into your sentence.
Ineffective: “Darkened by the gloomiest of trees” shows just how frightening the forest looked.
Effective: The forest, “darkened by the gloomiest of trees,” was a frightening place.
D. Avoid introducing quotations by mentioning the quotation.
Ineffective: In the following quotation Danforth exhibits his anger: “Do you deny every scrap and tittle of this?”
Effective: Danforth’s anger is clearly evident when he asks Abigail if she denies “every scrap and tittle of this.”
E. Avoid introducing quotations with the repetitive use of “He says,” or “The narrator states.”
F. Longer quotations (more than two lines of verse of four lines of prose) should be set off from your paragraph. Indent an extra inch on each side and single space.
3. Smoothing the transitions
A. Between paragraphs: Use transitional sentences to help your ideas flow from paragraph to paragraph. If in the previous paragraph you’ve been discussing Gov. Danforth’s hypocrisy, and you’re moving on to Parris’s hypocrisy, you might use a connecting idea such as, “Like Danforth, Parris is also a hypocrite.”
B. Within paragraphs: Use connectives or transitional words between ideas. Here is a list of common connectives:
In addition nevertheless furthermore on the other hand however then
Next first moreover therefore also although
Final Draft
1. Word process (preferred) or NEATLY write your essay on white paper in blue or black ink.
2. Double-space
3. Leave one-inch margins on the top, bottom and sides of each page.
4. Read your paper aloud to catch any awkward sentences or missing transitions.
5. Use the spell-check!!!
6. Include a title page
7. Make sure sources are accurately cited. Use the MLA imbedded citation format in which you put the page number in parentheses.
8. Submit to “” before the deadline and print your submission receipt.
Works Cited in this guide
Smith, Linda J. Education in the 21st Century [online], October 23, 2003.
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59. Draft and Revise a Research Paper
60.
61. "There are days when the result is so bad that no fewer than five revisions are
62. required. In contrast, when I'm greatly inspired, only four revisions are
63. needed."
64. — John Kenneth Galbraith
65.
66. 1. Try freewriting your first draft.
67.
68. a. Freewriting is a discovery process during which the
69. writer freely explores a topic. Let your creative juices
70. flow. In Writing without Teachers, Peter Elbow
71. asserts that "[a]lmost everybody interposes a massive
72. and complicated series of editings between the time
73. words start to be born into consciousness and when
74. they finally come off the end of the pencil or
75. typewriter [or word processor] onto the page" (5).
76.
77. b. Do not let your internal judge interfere with this
78. first draft. If you stop to check spelling, punctuation,
79. or grammar, you are allowing editing to disrupt the
80. flow of creative energy.
81.
82. c. When material you have researched comes easily
83. to mind, include it. Add a quick citation, one you can
84. come back to later to check for form, and get on with
85. your discovery.
86.
87. 2. Subsequent drafts focus on writing a paper that flows
88. smoothly, supports fully, and speaks clearly and
89. interestingly.
90.
91. a. Create a smooth flow of words, ideas and
92. paragraphs.
93.
94. 1) Rearrange paragraphs for a logical progression
95. of information.
96.
97. 2) Transition is essential if you want your reader
98. to follow you smoothly from introduction to
99. conclusion.
100.
101. a) Transitional words and phrases are
102. the tiny stitches that provide coherence
103. within your paper. External transition:
104. Words and phrases that are added to a
105. sentence as overt signs of transition are
106. obvious and effective, but should not be
107. overused, as they may draw attention to
108. themselves and away from ideas. Examples
109. of external transition are "however,"
110. "then," "next," "therefore." "first,"
111. "moreover,' and "on the other hand."
112. Internal transition is more subtle. Key
113. words in the introduction become golden
114. threads when they appear in the paper's
115. body and conclusion. When the writer
116. hears a key word repeated too often,
117. however, she/he replaces it with a
118. synonym or a pronoun. Below are examples
119. of internal transition.
120.
121. No longer interested in the fate of Sethe
122. and her children, Baby Suggs, Holy
123. withdraws to her bed and waits for Death.
124. Chattel slavery has finally broken her
125. spirit. Her only request is for patches of
126. color. Grown weary of a world dominated
127. by gray, she longs for a bit of lavender
128. or yellow. For Denver, however, there is
129. no escape. Lonely and afraid, she must
130. survive without the grandmother who
131. has been her only comfort.
132.
133. b) Transitional sentences create a flow
134. from paragraph to paragraph. They include
135. individual words, phrases, or clauses that
136. refer to previous ideas and that point
137. ahead to new ones. They are usually
138. placed at the end or at the beginning of a
139. paragraph. Below are examples of
140. transitional sentences. A sentence that
141. creates a transition from the sample
142. introduction to the first paragraph of the
143. paper:
144.
145. Before exploring the effects of slavery
146. on the women of Sweet Home and 124,
147. / one must first consider the effects of
148. slavery upon black women in general.
149.
150. The first underlined clause points
151. back to the thesis, which, was the
152. last sentence in the introduction.
153. The second underlined clause points
154. ahead to the body of the paper,
155. which will begin by summarizing the
156. effects of slavery on black women.
157.
158. A sentence that creates transition from a
159. discussion of the fate of Baby Suggs to an
160. exploration of the conflicts in Sethe's life:
161.
162. Baby Suggs falters when she sees the
163. scars on Sethe's back; for her they
164. symbolize the horrors of slavery inflicted
165. on one more generation of black women.
166.
167. The use of Baby Suggs' name points the
168. reader back to the preceding section of
169. the paper and connects it to the next
170. section, one that will explore Sethe's life
171. as a slave at Sweet Home.
172.
173. c) A transitional paragraph is designed
174. to conduct your reader from one part of
175. the paper to another. It may be only a few
176. sentences long.
177.
178. b. Each paragraph of the body of the paper should
179. contain adequate support for its one governing idea.
180.
181. c. Speak clearly.
182.
183. 1) Tone: The paper's tone, whether formal,
184. ironic, or humorous, should be appropriate for
185. the audience and the subject.
186.
187. 2) Voice: Keep you language honest. Your
188. paper should sound like you. Understand,
189. paraphrase, absorb, and express in your own
190. words the information you have researched.
191. Avoid phony language.
192.
193. 3) Sentence formation: When you polish your
194. sentences, read them aloud for word choice and
195. word placement. Be concise. According to
196. Wallace Stevens, an American poet, "Life is the
197. elimination of what is dead." So is good writing.
198. Strunk and White in The Elements of Style
199. advise the writer to "omit needless words" (23).
200. First, however, you must recognize them.
201.
202. d. Keep yourself and your reader interested.
203.
204. 1) First, deliver on your promises. Be sure the
205. body of your paper fulfills the promise of the
206. introduction.
207.
208. 2) Avoid the obvious. Offer new insights. Reveal
209. the unexpected.
210.
211. 3) Craft your conclusion as carefully as you
212. have your introduction. Conclusions are not
213. merely the repetition of your thesis. The
214. conclusion of a research paper is a synthesis of
215. the information presented in the body. Your
216. research has led you to conclusions and opinions
217. that have helped you understand your thesis
218. more deeply and more clearly. Lift your reader to
219. the full level of understanding that you have
220. achieved.
221.
222. 3. Revision means "to look again."
223.
224. a. Find a peer reader to read your paper with
225. you present. Or, visit your college or
226. university's writing lab. Guide your reader's
227. responses by asking specific questions. Are you
228. unsure of the logical order of your paragraphs?
229. Do you want to know whether you have
230. supported all opinions adequately? Are you
231. concerned about punctuation or grammar? Ask
232. that these issues be addressed. You are in
233. charge.
234.
235. b. Here are some techniques that may prove
236. helpful when you are revising alone or with a
237. reader.
238.
239. 1) When you edit for spelling errors read
240. the sentences backwards. This procedure
241. will help you look closely at individual
242. words.
243.
244. 2) Always read your paper aloud. Hearing
245. your own words puts them in a new light.
246. Listen to the flow of ideas and of
247. language. Decide whether or not the voice
248. sounds honest and the tone is appropriate
249. to the purpose of the paper and to your
250. audience.
251.
252. 3) Listen for awkward or lumpy wording.
253. Find the one right word, Eliminate needless
254. words. Combine sentences.
255.
256. 4) Avoid passive voice. "Beloved was
257. buried without a name." is less energetic
258. than "Sethe buried her baby without a
259. name."
260.
261. 5) Be ruthless. If an idea doesn't serve
262. your thesis, banish it, even if it's one of
263. your favorite bits of prose.
264.
265. 6) In the margins, write the major topic of
266. each paragraph. By outlining after you
267. have written the paper, you are once
268. again evaluating your paper's organization.
269.
270. 4. Ask your professor for guidelines on the paper's
271. final form or refer to The MLA Handbook (pp.
272. 264-65). Some general guidelines:
273.
274. a. Use paper that is 8 1/2" by 11".
275.
276. b. Double-space.
277.
278. c. On the first page, in the left margin, 1" from
279. the top, type
280.
281.
282. Your name
283. Your professor or instructor's name
284. The course name and number
285. The date of submission
286.
287. d. On every subsequent page type your last
288. name and the page number in the right margin
289. 1/2" from the top.
290.
291. e. Create 1" margins on the top, bottom and
292. sides of the page.
293.
294.
295.
296. Works Cited in this Guide
297.
298. Barnet, Sylvan, and Hugo Bedau. Critical Thinking, Reading, and
299. Writing: A Brief Guide to Argument. Boston: Bedford, 1993.
300.
301. Brent, Doug. Reading as Rhetorical Invention:
302. Knowledge,Persuasion and the Teaching of Research-Based
303. Writing. Urbana: NCTE, 1992.
304.
305. Elbow, Peter. Writing without Teachers. New York: Oxford
306. University Press, 1973.
307.
308. Gibladi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
309. 4th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995.
310.
311. Klauser, Henriette Anne. Writing on Both Sides of the Brain:
312. Breakthrough Techniques for People Who Write. Philadelphia:
313. Harper, 1986.
314.
315. Rico, Gabriele Lusser, Writing the Natural Way: Using Right Brain
316. Techniques to Release Your Expressive Powers. Los Angeles:
317. Houghton, 1983.
318.
319. Sorenson, Sharon. The Research Paper: A Contemporary
320. Approach. New York: AMSCO, 1994.
321.
322. Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 3rd
323. ed. New York: MacMillan, 1979.
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