Lecture 11: From Paragraph to Essay ELS - Writing Lecture 11: From Paragraph to Essay 1

Schedule Today The essay: The three parts of an essay The introductory paragraph Body Paragraphs The concluding paragraph

From Paragraph to Essay

Essay? An essay is a piece of writing several paragraphs long It is about 1 topic just as a paragraph is, but because the topic of an essay is too complex to discuss in one paragraph, we divide it into several paragraphs: 1 for each major point. Then, we have to tie the paragraphs together by adding an introduction and a conclusion Writing the essay is no more difficult than writing a paragraph except that an essay is longer The principles of organization are basically the same, so if you can write a good paragraph, you can write a good essay.

1) The three parts of an essay Introduction: introductory paragraph Body: at least one, but usually two or more paragraphs Conclusion: Concluding paragraph The chart in the following slide shows how the parts of a paragraph correspond to the parts of an essay.

A. Introduction An essay introduction consists of two parts: a few general statements to attract your reader’s attention thesis statement to state the main idea of the essay. A thesis statement: names the specific topic and gives the reader a general idea of the contents of the essay

B. The body Consists of one or more paragraphs Each paragraph develops a subdivision of the topic The number of topics will vary with the number of subdivisions or subtopics

C. The conclusion Like the concluding sentence in a paragraph, it is a summary or review of the main points discussed in the body An essay also has: UNITY and COHERENCE: transition signals and the repetition of key nouns link the paragraphs into a cohesive whole

Model of the essay structure Study the model about the influence of Native Americans on modern U.S. culture and notice its structure: Where is the introductory paragraph? Where is the thesis statement? What is the topic sentence of each of the body paragraphs?

The details Now let’s examine each part of the essay in more detail, starting with the INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

The introductory paragraph An introductory paragraph has two parts The general statements: Introduce the general topic of the essay Capture the reader’s interest The thesis statement: States the specific topic. May list subtopics or subdivisions of the main topic or subtopics. Indicates the pattern of organization in the essay Is normally the last sentence in the introductory paragraph

General statement vs. thesis statement Analyze the model structure in your handout: The general statement introduce the topic broadly The thesis statement is specific + introduces the subtopics

The introductory paragraph: Funnel introduction The introductory paragraph is a funnel introduction (shaped like a funnel, or like an upside-down triangle): General statements Thesis statement

Other type of Introductory paragraph: attention-getting paragraph dramatic, interesting or funny story Surprising statistics or facts Historical background See handout exercise 2

Practice introductory paragraphs Exercise 3 in your handouts: Step 1. Read each of the following sets of sentences. When put in the correct order they will form introductory paragraphs. Step 2. Write each paragraph beginning with the most general statement first. Then add each sentence in the correct order until the introduction becomes more specific. Write the thesis statement last. Step 3. Identify the type of introduction (funnel, dramatic/interest/funny story, surprising statistics or historical facts)

Practice thesis statements The thesis statement is the most important sentence in the introduction. It states the specific topic of the essay. More than often the thesis statement lists the subtopics that will be discussed in the body The thesis statement indicates as such the pattern of organization that the essay will follow. See handout exercise 4

The details Now let’s examine each part of the essay in more detail, following with the BODY PARAGRAPHS

The Body Paragraphs The body paragraphs in an essay are like the supporting sentences in a paragraph. They are the place to develop your topic and prove your points. You should organize the body paragraphs according to some pattern, reflecting a logical division of ideas Basic pattern: YOU DIVIDE YOUR TOPIC INTO SUBTOPICS, AND THEN DISCUSS EACH TOPIC SEPARATELY IN A SINGLE PARAGRAPH (1 main idea per paragraph in the body)

The body paragraphs: three keys Here are three keys to organizing a logical division of ideas: Divide your topic into subtopics and then discuss each subtopic in a separate paragraph Write a thesis statement that indicates logical division in your introductory sentence Use transitions between paragraphs to guide your reader from one subtopic to the next See handout exercise 5

Writing exercise: thesis statement The most important sentence in your entire essay, so you have to write it with meticulous care and thought: Write a thesis statement for each of the following topics for a logical division of ideas. For items 1-3, suggestions for subtopics are given in parentheses which you do not have to use if you have your own ideas.

Transition signals for logical divisions of ideas

More next week on the body and conclusion 