We recently began a new journey with you guys, a three-part pilgrimage through the fascinating
realm of essay writing. The first episode, which you can view here focused on how to
create the perfect introduction. Today's episode, the second in the series, will help you craft
relevant and engaging body paragraphs to make your ideas come to life and shine through.
Quick recap
In the first video of this new series, we presented the topic (the coronavirus outbreak),
and learned a few basic principles for the creation of a gripping introduction for your
essay.
Let's build on what we've learned and create effective, logical and easy-to-read body paragraphs
Creating body paragraphs
Paragraphs are those neat grammar tools that
writers must use to turn a wall of text into a legible, readable, well-flowing, and live
piece of writing. Can you imagine a classic of world literature like Don Quixote written
without paragraphs?
Use body paragraphs to expand on the essay's premise
And of the key aspects of crafting body paragraphs is flow.
Now, just like a river, your words must flow logically (that is, downwards). From beginning
to end.
You start with an intro (review the first chapter of this
series, or previous videos we made about essay writing for you guys), then your body paragraphs,
and a conclusion. Follow that formula and you'll get it right every time.
The essay's paragraphs must respect a certain logic, then. An example, keeping the concordance
with the essay's chosen topic, the coronavirus outbreak.
Body paragraph 1
The current coronavirus outbreak originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, a large metropolis
with a population of around 11m people. The disease was first detected there on New Year's
Eve, 2019, and the original cases were linked to a so-called 'wet market', one of many where
farmers and others trade and sell live animals for a variety of purposes.
Body paragraph 2
The organism that causes the Covid-19 disease in humans is part of the Coronaviridae family,
a viral group that includes the pathogens involved in the SARS epidemic of 2003, and
even some forms of the common flu. Animals sold at wet markets are commonly slaughtered
at the time of purchase and given to the customer.
Now, both these paragraphs are perfectly written, from a grammatical point of view. Only, they
don't flow too logically, do they? Can you see why?
Consider making these changes:
Body paragraph 1
The current coronavirus outbreak originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, a large metropolis
with a population of around 11m people. The organism that causes the Covid-19 disease
in humans is part of the Coronaviridae family, a viral group that includes the pathogens
involved in the SARS epidemic of 2003, and even some forms of the common flu.
Body paragraph 2
The disease was first detected in Wuhan on New Year's Eve, 2019, and the original cases
were linked to a so-called 'wet market', one of many where farmers and others trade and
sell live animals for a variety of purposes. Animals sold at wet markets are commonly slaughtered
at the time of purchase and given to the customer.
Can you spot the difference? By grouping similarly themed sentences, the essay now makes better
sense, doesn't it? It doesn't go back and forth like the first two paragraphs, where
information about the virus type and wet markets was mixed. By reorganizing the structure,
our paragraphs now flow gently down...
..to a recap
Body paragraphs should:
Expand on the topic you're writing Flow naturally and logically, always downstream
to a conclusion Keep similarly-themed sentences together
And remember guys, here at Essaypro, we work for you. Check out our video library to learn
about writing movie reviews, article reviews, book reviews, and a whole lot more. Make sure
you subscribe to your YouTube channel, and press that bell button to be notified every
time we publish something new.
Conclusion
Paragraphs are invaluable and irreplaceable allies in your creative campaign. They form
the structure and layout of your essay, so treat paragraphs with the care and love they deserve.
And that's it. You are now ready to create coherent, logical, and effective body paragraphs.
In the third and last video of the current series, we’ll show you how to tie everything
together nicely and neatly with a good conclusion. We hope you enjoyed this video, and remember
to subscribe to our channel. Want better writing? Use Essaypro.