Paragraph Structure
Paragraphs follow a specific structure. An Essay Outline for each body paragraph should now look like this:
- Point 1 (plus first Support)
- Support 1
- Details (citation)
- Analysis
- Support 2
- Details (citation)
- Analysis
- Support 1
Notice that there is a three-sentence pattern for each Support that is used, making a total of 6 sentences for each paragraph. Most paragraphs required more information, so there will more likely be 7 or 8 sentences in each paragraph by the time you are finished. Look at the example broken down with the Outline.
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
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The sun is the main source of heat and energy for the earth, so it is not surprising that solar activity is one natural cause of global warming. |
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This relationship can be seen historically during what was called the "Little Ice Age", which took place from around 1650 to 1850, and saw a drop in solar activity, resulting in a severe drop in temperatures across Europe (NASA, n.d.). |
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This clearly demonstrates that temperatures on Earth will rise and fall in direct correlation with the amount of energy that the sun puts out. |
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Despite this obvious relationship, in recent years , solar activity has actually decreased even though global temperatures have continued to increase. |
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According to Page (2010), this can be explained by the fact that although overall solar activity has decreased, the shorter wavelengths of light emitted have actually increased, and it is these wavelengths that are responsible for the direct warming of the earth's surface. |
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Regardless of the lower emissions, it still holds true that the amount of energy from the sun directly affects the temperature on Earth and the sun is, therefore, a major natural factor in the causes of global warming. |
Exercise
Read the (very) simple paragraph from a larger essay and then answer the questions in Exercise 1. Then, do Exercise 2.
In addition to having different hobbies, Chris and Brad also prefer different types of food, especially fruit. According to Smith (2010), Chris enjoys eating apples whereas Brad would rather have oranges. Chris likes the crunchy texture of apples and believes that oranges are far too messy to peel while Brad doesn’t mind an orange’s texture and sees apples as being far too tart. Besides preferring different fruit, Chris and Brad also put food on their plates in different ways. Chris tends to mix his food together into one pile, yet Brad will never let the various items touch each other at all (Jones, 2007). When the food is mixed, Brad finds the flavours rather unpleasant; in contrast, Chris doesn’t mind the mix and actually appreciates the new tastes it creates.
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