English 9 (B)

Body Paragraphs: Using Evidence from the Text to Support Your Thesis

As stated in the last assignment, each of your three body paragraphs should follow this basic format:

• Topic Sentence (TS) with Transition
• Supporting idea(s)
• Set-up for quotation or "Lead-in Sentence" (LS)
• Quotation: evidence from the play
• Analysis of quotation or "Follow-up Sentence(s)" (FS)
• repeat LS-Quote-FS steps for any additional evidence
• Closing Line (CL)

You have developed your three topic sentences. Next you want work on finding evidence in the play -- at least one quotation per body paragraph -- that supports that topic sentence (and the thesis behind it). Quotations are the powerhouses of your essay, the “smoking gun” of your trial. But your reader should not be knocked down with them.

Leading into Quotations

You always want to lead in to a quote, and follow it up afterwards. Lead-in sentences (LS, or quote set-up), which introduce the quote, tell the following:

• who the speaker is and to whom she is speaking (if applicable);
• when and where the scene takes place in the storyline
• what is going on in the scene

A lead-in sentence is a complete sentence (sometimes even two sentences), not part of a sentence that finishes with the quote.

Following-up on Quotations
After you have presented your quote (more on the format later), write a follow-up sentence (or several!). These “FSes” do one or more of the following:

• draws a conclusion
• interprets
• paraphrases (put in your own words)
• summarizes
• states the importance of the quote/analyzes the quote’s “point of significance” to the thesis

The last item is usually the best to do, as it displays higher level critical thinking skills. AVOID the words, “This quote” or “This quote shows….” Instead, if you can think of nothing else, write “Shakespeare shows…” or “Romeo/Juliet/whoever means that” or even “This passage establishes the fact that….” This is because quotes don’t dance around & show anything! Authors & characters do.


Here is an example body paragraph which gives you an example of a strong body paragraph. Remember the student's thesis given earlier? "While Macbeth's greed and ambition are necessary conditions which contribute to his acts of tyranny, it is his increasing fear which makes him desperate and thus leads to his most tyrannical and power-hungry deeds." The following paragraph supports that thesis. I will insert, after each sentence the words or abbreviation from the list at the top of this page: