Writing Developed and Detailed Body Paragraphs
In Lesson 2, we said that your three body paragraphs support the main idea of your essay. In each body paragraph, you also have a main idea that needs to be supported. The development and details you provide in each body paragraph support each paragraph’s main idea.
In Lesson 2, we also talked about the importance of having a clear topic sentence for each of your body paragraphs. The topic sentence, which is typically near the beginning of your paragraph, serves as the thesis statement for the paragraph. Aside from a clear topic sentence, what else can you put in each body paragraph? The answer: sentences that provide supporting details for your paragraph’s main idea.
The diagram below illustrates the relationship between your essay’s main idea and thesis statement, your paragraphs’ main ideas and topic sentences, and the supporting details you provide in each paragraph.