How to Write an Essay: Body Paragraphs (with Worksheet)

- [Instructor] This

video is part two of four on how to write an essay step by step. Now, let's talk about how

to write body paragraphs beginning with the topic sentence, followed by detail sentences, and finally, the conclusion sentence. After our introduction paragraph, we have three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph begins

with a topic sentence. The topic sentence tells one reason from your thesis statement. After the topic sentence, you have detail sentences that

explain your topic sentence with facts, reasons, or examples. And the last sentence

in your body paragraph is called the conclusion sentence. This sentence reminds us of the topic sentence of that paragraph. As you write your body paragraphs, keep in mind that your

main goal is to prove that the thesis statement

main idea is true or correct. This goal is very, very helpful to you because it helps you decide or know what to write in your body paragraphs. Let's look at some examples. So, here we have the thesis statement we've already written with

reasons one, two, and three. Let's focus on reason one. "It is easy." Do you see where "It is easy" is repeated after the

introduction paragraph? "Walking is easy" is repeated

in the topic sentence of body paragraph one. And what about reason two

that the best type of exercise is walking because it's convenient? Do you see where reason two

is repeated in the essay after the introduction paragraph? Reason two becomes the topic

sentence of body paragraph two, "Walking is convenient." And reason three is repeated as the topic sentence

of body paragraph three, "Walking is often done outside." Then we have our conclusion paragraph, which we'll talk about in a few minutes. So, let's look more closely

at body paragraph one. So, body paragraph one

begins with a topic sentence that tells reason one

from the thesis statement, "Walking is easy." Then, we have our detail

sentences that do two things, they explain the topic

sentence of this paragraph, which is the same as reason

one, "Walking is easy," and they use reason one to prove that the thesis

statement main idea, "The best type of exercise

is walking," is true. "When exercise is too

difficult, people stop doing it. "However, when exercise is simple "people often enjoy it

and continue to do it. "Also, easy activities

cause fewer injuries "and less pain than strenuous activities." So, you see how these detail sentences all explain that walking is easy and also why that makes walking

the best type of exercise and better than more

difficult types of exercises. So, they prove that our

thesis statement idea is true. The last sentence in body paragraph one is the conclusion sentence, and this sentence reminds us of the topic sentence of the paragraph, "Walking is great exercise "because it is simple and pleasant to do." Do you see how this

sentence is a little similar to the topic sentence, "Walking is easy,"? But remember, in an essay, you can never write the same sentence exactly the same two times. You have to change the words a little bit. So now, let's look more

closely at body paragraph two. Body paragraph two begins

with a topic sentence that tells reason number two

from the thesis statement, "Walking is convenient." After this, the detail sentences

explain the topic sentence which is also reason two,

"Walking is convenient," and they use reason two to prove that the thesis

statement main idea is true, that the best type of exercise is walking. "A person can walk anywhere, "in the city, country, or mountains. "Many other forms of exercise "require special equipment or locations. "For example, swimming requires a pool. "Lifting weights requires

barbells and benches." So, do you see how these detail sentences explain our topic sentence

that walking is convenient, and they also use this reason to prove that the thesis statement

main idea is true, that the best type of exercise is walking since walking is more convenient than other types of exercises, like lifting weights and swimming. The last sentence in body paragraph two is our conclusion sentence. This sentence reminds us of the topic sentence of this paragraph. "Walking can be done anytime and anywhere "without special preparation." Do you see how the

meaning of this sentence is a little similar to the meaning of the topic sentence,

"Walking is convenient"? Remember, we don't want

to repeat any sentences in our essay exactly the same. We want each sentence to

be a little different. Now, let's look more closely

at body paragraph number three. Like the other body paragraphs, body paragraph three begins

with a topic sentence. This topic sentence tells reason three from the thesis statement,

"Walking is often done outside." Then, we have the detail sentences. They do two things, they explain the topic sentence,

which is also recent three, that walking is often done outside, and they use reason number three to prove that the thesis

statement main idea is true, that the best type of exercise is walking rather than other types of exercises. "During exercise, the

body produces chemicals "called endorphins and serotonin, "which calm stress and

make people feel happy. "Scientists found "that people who spend

time outdoors in nature "feel happier than people who do not." Do you see how these detail sentences explain our topic sentence that walking is often done outside, and telling why both exercise and being outside are important? They also prove that our thesis

statement main idea is true by using that reason, walking

is the best type of exercise because it's done outside,

unlike many other exercises. The last sentence in body paragraph three is a conclusion sentence. This sentence reminds us

of the topic sentence. "Walking outside helps

mental and physical health." Do you see how that sentence is similar to "Walking is often done outside"? Again, we don't wanna repeat

the topic sentence exactly. We want a conclusion sentence

that reminds us of it. We have finished with part

two on body paragraphs, and next is part three, how to write the conclusion

paragraph of an essay.