Essay Writing with HCO - Writing your Body Paragraphs

• Structure your essay so that each one of the points in your introduction is analyzed in the same order throughout your essay

• Analyze each one of these points thoroughly before proceeding to the next. Do not mix your points together as it will create a confusing essay for the reader.

• Each paragraph needs to have a clear introductory sentence

• Just like the opening sentence of your introduction, the opening sentence of each one of your other paragraphs should clearly state what the main focus of that paragraph is.

• Once you establish the focus of the paragraph stay on that topic. Do not bring in information that is not directly relevant to that point

• Make sure that the content of each paragraph is focused, and to the point. Do not get off topic.

• Conclude your paragraphs with a sentence that summarizes the content and idea that you just analyzed, and provides some form of link to the next paragraph and idea.

You may have a point in your introduction that has to be broken up into 2 or 3 sub-points. This is fine. When you arrive to that part in your essay you may want to write a short paragraph that explains to the reader that your main point is going to be broken up. Provide a rationale for the reader explaining why this is necessary.

For example, you might want to write an essay about how the Nazi Party grew in popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. One of your points may be the various economic problems in Germany at the time that allowed the Nazis to grow in popularity. This is a large point, however, and may be broken up into several smaller points:

• The impact of reparation payments Germany had to make under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
• How the German government borrowed large sums of money in the 1920s to prop up its economy
• The impact of the Great Depression that started in 1929

Of you tried to cover each of these points in one paragraph it would be a very long, and unwieldy piece of writing. It is better to treat each point in a separate paragraph. They are all tied together by one common point:

Here are two examples of short paragraphs. The first is well structured.

In 1919, most Germans felt that the terms of the Versailles Treaty were harsh. In particular, they believed that the reparations and war-guilt clauses of the Treaty were unjust. When Hitler rose to power fourteen years later, he appealed to this sense of injustice to increase his popularity with the German population.

This short paragraph maintains its focus on one topic: German feelings about the Treaty of Versailles. It doesn't stray from this point.

This is an example of a poorly structured short paragraph:

In 1919, most Germans felt that the terms of the Versailles Treaty were harsh. The French hoped to weaken German war making capacity by forcing it to pay heavy war reparations. Hitler appealed to the German people to support his program of denouncing the Treaty.

The second paragraph is not well structured because the second sentence does not fit into the opening sentence which established the focus of the paragraph: German feelings regarding the Treaty of Versailles.