a vast pool
In any job where you devise a plan, you will need to support the steps that you lay out. This is an area in
which you would incorporate primary support into your writing. Choosing only the most specific and
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relevant information to expand upon the steps will ensure that your plan appears well-thought-out and
precise.
Tip
You can consult a vast pool of resources to gather support for your stance. Citing relevant information
from reliable sources ensures that your reader will take you seriously and consider your assertions. Use
any of the following sources for your essay: newspapers or news organization websites, magazines,
encyclopedias, and scholarly journals, which are periodicals that address topics in a specialized field.
Choose Supporting Topic Sentences
Each body paragraph contains a topic sentence that states one aspect of your thesis and then expands
upon it. Like the thesis statement, each topic sentence should be specific and supported by concrete
details, facts, or explanations.
Each body paragraph should comprise the following elements.
topic sentence + supporting details (examples, reasons, or arguments)
As you read in Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?”, topic sentences indicate the location
and main points of the basic arguments of your essay. These sentences are vital to writing your body
paragraphs because they always refer back to and support your thesis statement. Topic sentences are
linked to the ideas you have introduced in your thesis, thus reminding readers what your essay is about. A
paragraph without a clearly identified topic sentence may be unclear and scattered, just like an essay
without a thesis statement.
Tip
Unless your teacher instructs otherwise, you should include at least three body paragraphs in your essay.
A five-paragraph essay, including the introduction and conclusion, is commonly the standard for exams
and essay assignments.
Consider the following the thesis statement:
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The following topic sentence is a primary support point for the thesis. The topic sentence states exactly
what the controlling idea of the paragraph is. Later, you will see the writer immediately provide support
for the sentence.
E X E R C I S E 3
In Note 9.19 “Exercise 2”, you chose three of your most convincing points to support the thesis statement
you selected from the list. Take each point and incorporate it into a topic sentence for each body
paragraph.
Supporting point 1: ____________________________________________
Topic sentence: ____________________________________________
Supporting point 2: ____________________________________________
Topic sentence: ____________________________________________
Supporting point 3: ____________________________________________
Topic sentence: ____________________________________________
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Collaboration