Essay Architect Definitions

Title The name of your essay Should capture your audience’s interest

Introduction The first paragraph of an essay Includes grabber, focus statement and thesis statement

Grabber The first sentence of an essay Should grab the reader’s attention Can be a question, exclamation or powerful statement

Focus Statement The topic or subject of your essay in complete sentence form Must be written in the form of a statement

Thesis Statement Your opinion on the topic Must be written in the form of a statement

Thesis Support A brief phrase that supports your thesis Used in the planning stages Eventually become topic sentences for body paragraphs

Topic Sentence Thesis support in sentence form The first sentence of a body paragraph Introduces the focus of the body paragraph

Body Paragraph A paragraph of support for the thesis Must have topic sentence and details or examples

Details Facts, statistics, sensory details, incidents, and examples that support the topic sentence of the body paragraph

Conclusion The last paragraph of an essay Includes a modified thesis and a challenge to the reader

Modified Focus A restated focus statement in the concluding paragraph Should remind readers of the original topic

Modified Thesis A restated thesis statement Should remind readers of your opinion on the topic

Challenge A question, quotation, vivid image, warning or suggestion to the reader Leaves the reader thinking about your essay

Bridge A transition word, phrase, or sentence connecting paragraphs Designed to help essay flow smoothly

Audience The reader(s) of your essay

Formality Determined by the audience, the level by which you choose your words for an essay

Tone The “attitude” of the essay Word choice and word arrangement determine the tone

Purpose The reason you are writing your essay To express yourself, to inform your readers, to entertain or to describe

Organization The order in which your paragraphs and/or details are arranged

Flow The efficiency of an essay Good flow means that the essay is easy to read and paragraphs and ideas are well-connected