If you’re an AP® Lang student learning how to write a synthesis essay, you might be wondering how do you write a synthesis paragraph. The body paragraphs are arguably the most important part of a synthesis essay because that is where you can earn up to 4 of the possible 6 points on the rubric. So, let’s learn how to write a synthesis paragraph effectively.
Planning Your Paragraph
Your body paragraphs need to prove your thesis. Each body paragraph will have it’s own main idea, and it is important to make sure your paragraphs are in a logical order.
How many body paragraphs for a synthesis essay?
For most AP® Lang essays, students write 2 or 3 body paragraphs because of the time constraints. Think about quality instead of quantity. If you can only develop 2 body paragraphs, that’s okay. In fact, two strong body paragraphs is arguably better than three mediocre paragraphs.
The Body Paragraph Formula
So how do you write a synthesis body paragraph? Well, a strong body paragraph will have a topic sentence, layers of evidence and commentary, and a concluding sentence. Here’s a general breakdown:
- Topic sentence (claim that establishes the main idea)
- Specific evidence with a citation
- Commentary x2
- Transition
- Specific evidence with a citation
- Commentary x2
- Concluding sentence
For a synthesis body paragraph, aim for more evidence than commentary. Too much evidence can make your synthesis essay seem like a summary.
Remember that a synthesis essay is an argument with sources, so you don’t want to oversaturate your argument with evidence. You need your own analysis. That’s why the commentary is so important.
Topic Sentences for Synthesis Paragraphs
As with other types of writing, the topic sentence of a synthesis paragraph should help lead into or establish the main idea or claim of the paragraph. Since you only have 40 minutes to write an AP® Lang essay on the exam, you want to be sure each paragraph has a clear main idea that directly proves the thesis.
Here are some sentence frames for the topic sentence of your first synthesis body paragraph. Using these sentence frames is not required, but sometimes sentence frames help students articulate their ideas more quickly and clearly.
- Since (counterargument); however, …
- Given that…, it is only logical to…
- When considering X, one must recognize…/one would be remiss not to acknowledge…
- Considering that value of X, …
- Considering…, society should…
When transitioning to your second or third body paragraph, connect your ideas to strengthen your line of reasoning. Smoothly moving from the previous main idea to the new main idea creates a more pleasant experience for your reader.
Here are some possible sentence frames for your second or third synthesis body paragraph:
- Having already established that…
- In addition to X, …
- X is not just limited to Main Idea 1, however; it is also significant in Main Idea 2.
Selecting Evidence
Now that you have written your topic sentence, the next component of your synthesis paragraph is evidence.
For synthesis essays, evidence can be a direct quote or paraphrase. When selecting direct quotes, keep them short (approximately 2-8 words.)
As you are annotating the sources, look for facts, statistics, expert testimony, or real-world examples, as these often make for more logical evidence.
Citing Evidence in a Synthesis Essay
For a synthesis essay, you need to cite three different sources. Make sure to include a parenthetical citation at the end of your sentence like you would in MLA or APA format.
For more information about how to cite sources in a synthesis essay, check out this blog post here or this video here.
Developing Commentary for Synthesis Paragraphs
Evidence must be followed by commentary. Why? Because commentary explains the significance of the evidence. Think of commentary as the “why,” “how,” and “so what.”
Since commentary is your analysis, you want to be sure to have more commentary than evidence. While it can be difficult to develop your commentary, try to make sure your commentary isn’t repetitive or merely summarizing your evidence, as this type of limited or simplistic commentary will result in a lower score.
How do you write a synthesis paragraph with commentary? Here are a few tips.
- Include some of the following verbs: conveys, demonstrates, emphasizes, highlights, illustrates, reveals, and underscores
- Ask yourself why the evidence matters? Why is the issue significant? Think about who is helped or harmed and why the issue matters to society in the present and future.
Concluding Sentences
The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph. Use this sentence to “wrap up” the paragraph by tying back to the main idea/thesis. Don’t try to preview the next main idea in a concluding sentence. Remember that the topic sentence helps create this transition.
Even though it is called a concluding sentence, don’t write “in conclusion.” You can, however, use transition phrases such as “therefore,” “thus,” and “as such.”
The concluding sentence might seem trivial or redundant, but it can be a great way to remind your reader of your argument.
Synthesis Paragraph Examples
In order to fully answer the question how do you write a synthesis paragraph, let’s look at a sample.
The paragraphs below are a draft. See if you can identify the different components of the paragraphs.
Synthesis Body Paragraph 1
Given that the harm people experience due to Daylight Saving greatly outweighs the benefits associated with it, Daylight Saving should no longer play a role in society. Many parents dread Daylight Saving because it completely disrupts sleep and play schedules. At the same time, Daylight Saving creates long periods of darkness that cause danger in the winter and fall. Dark winter mornings are dangerous to children traveling to school, especially by themselves (Source A). Teen drivers, already drowsy, drive to school in the dark mornings observed during Daylight Saving. Because of this, they are more likely to be in car accidents that harm themselves and others. Also, young children walking to school or bus stops face the danger of people not seeing them and being hit. Though not all of these accidents are fatal, they cause lifelong emotional and physical trauma, which results in generations of children that fear driving, an essential life skill, because of negative experiences in their childhoods. Saving a little bit of energy is not worth endangering citizens. In addition causing an increase in accidents when clocks are adjusted, Daylight Saving also disrupts people’s circadian rhythms, thereby increasing chances of heart attacks and accidents (Source E). Yet, in other scenarios, if doctors knew that a situation would increase a patient’s likelihood of having a heart attack, they would recommend preventative measures. In this scenario, though, the best preventative measure is to stop Daylight Saving. Therefore, if the concept of “spring forward” and “fall back” unnecessarily adversely impacts citizens’ health, the responsible response would be to abandon the practice, especially when Daylight Saving has little to no current benefits.
Synthesis Body Paragraph 2
Though Daylight Saving’s harm to individuals is generally overlooked in order to preserve energy, studies show that the energy saved does not outweigh the energy consumption increase caused by Daylight Saving in the fall. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, American electricity usage is “reduced by about one percent during each day that Daylight Savings time is in effect” (Source B). Yes, Daylight Saving has a minor impact on environmental preservation, but the major impact made by the shift is far greater. According to Matthew J. Kotchen and Laura E. Grant, authors of a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, in the fall “DST appears to increase consumption between 2 and 4 percent” (Source F). Heating and cooling necessities take the place of the demand for lighting in households. In reality, it actually has a greater negative impact than a positive one. Not only does the period cause energy usage increase but also it increases “social costs due to increased pollution emissions rang[ing] from $1.7 to $5.5 million per year” (Source F). This statistic illustrates that the common ideology that Daylight Saving promotes energy conservation remains outdated. Plus, more efficient methods to conserve energy, such as conscious consumption of energy and utilizing clean, renewable energy sources, exist. By eliminating Daylight Saving, the social and environmental costs associated with it would decrease considerably, if not altogether.
Need tips for creating a line of reasoning in your synthesis essay? Check out this video here.
