How to write a five-paragraph essay! Writing an Essay How to write a five-paragraph essay!

What is an essay? An essay builds on many of the skills you have already mastered in learning to write a paragraph. An essay is simply longer! Like a paragraph, an essay makes and supports one main point. However, the subject of an essay is too complex to be developed in a few sentences. To support fully the main point of an essay, several paragraphs are needed.

A typical essay contains five paragraphs, but many other types of essays are longer or shorter. All essays will follow a similar pattern of organization.

Pre-Writing Read the question or essay topic several times. Use a dictionary if you don’t understand any words in the topic. Brainstorm Group information into three general ideas Consider your audience Use general ideas to form a thesis statement

Parts of an Essay What are the major components of an essay?

Parts of an Essay An essay has three main parts: INTRODUCTION BODY CONCLUSION Introduction – provides some background information on the subject and states the main point in a thesis statement. Body- several supporting paragraphs that develop the main idea. Conclusion – restatement of thesis and summary of main points.

Introduction Catches the reader’s interest with a hook Sets the tone and gives background information Presents the thesis statement Body Paragraphs (at least 3) State the main points Provide support (at least 2 per paragraph) for the thesis statement Conclusion Reinforces the main idea Leaves the reader with a final impression and a sense of completeness

1. The Introduction What is the function of the introduction?

The Introduction The function of the introduction is: To capture the reader’s interest To provide background information To state the thesis. To preview your main points

There are no rules for writing an introduction, several techniques have been proven successful. This is often called an Interest Creating Device (I.C.D.), or a hook.

A. Move from general to specific Opens with a general statement on the subject that establishes its importance and then leads the reader to the more specific thesis statement. B. Use an anecdote Relates an interesting story that will get the reader interested in the subject. C. Use a quotation An easy way to introduce your topic. Use an interesting quote or a proverb.

E. Present facts and statistics D. Ask a question Asking one or more questions at the beginning of an essay is a good way to engage readers in the topic right away. They will want to read on in order to find the answer. E. Present facts and statistics Presenting some interesting facts or statistics on your subject establishes credibility.

An introductory paragraph should: Include your THESIS STATEMENT Grab your readers’ attention

Thesis statement States the main idea of your paper/essay Usually a single sentence (although it can be 2 or 3)

A thesis statement should: Tell the subject of your paper/essay Show your point of view on the subject Be a statement that can be supported with evidence

A thesis statement should not: Simply be a statement of fact Ex: “Mount Everest is popular with mountain climbers.” Be stated as an announcement Ex: “In this paper, I will show that…” Be an opinion that cannot be supported with FACTS Ex: “Mountain climbing is the greatest sport.”

Examples of good thesis statements “Many climbers have perished on Mount Everest as a result of poor planning, lack of experience, and bad weather.” “Different climbing routes on a mountain require different kinds of climbing skills.” “To prepare for a trip up Mount Everest, climbers need money, training, and experienced guides.”

Grabbing readers’ attention Your introductory paragraph should make your readers want to continue reading!!

Attention grabbing techniques Open with a lively description Ex: “Harrison Bergeron was an awe-striking man. He was seven feet tall with handsome features and extraordinary strength. He was smarter than any other human being had ever been.” Begin with an interesting or startling fact Ex: “Every year in the Danish town of Silkeborg, thousands of visitors file past the face of a murder victim. No one will ever know his name. It is enough to know that 2000 years ago he was a man, no different than you or me.” Ask a question Ex: “What would it would be like if everyone in the world was exactly the same?” State a strong opinion Ex: “ People should never judge others based on things they cannot control.”

Preview upcoming main points Your introductory paragraph should also introduce your main points that support your thesis statement. But you will be going into greater detail regarding these points in the body paragraphs of the essay.

2. The Body What is the body of an essay?

How to Write Strong Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of an essay SHOULD: Focus on a single idea Each paragraph should have a strong TOPIC SENTENCE that develops the idea stated in the thesis statement

Support the THESIS STATEMENT Just as the body of a paragraph should support its topic sentence, the body of an essay should support the thesis statement

Reflect a logical pattern of organization Paragraphs should be clearly organized Sequential Order (in order of events that happen) Cause-and-Effect Order Comparison/Contrast Order

One main Idea in Each Body Paragraph Each body paragraph should be focusing on one main idea. But there should be at least two specific examples or details that support that main idea. Each example/detail should be analyzed.

The Body Each body must begin with a topic sentence that controls the idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence must directly support your thesis statement.

The Body Consists of several paragraphs that develop and support the thesis. Each body paragraph develops one point from the thesis statement. These paragraphs all begin with a topic sentence that is supported with specific details, facts, summaries, examples, explanations or quotations! The body paragraphs of an essay should be arranged in the order that was stated in the thesis statement.

When To Start a New Paragraph The end of your introduction A new idea or set of facts A change in emphasis or mood A change in time or setting The conclusion of your essay

3. The Conclusion What purpose does the conclusion serve? Why is it important?

How to Write a Conclusion paragraph

A Conclusion paragraph should: Wrap up the ideas you have developed Follow logically from the rest of your essay Leave the reader with something to think about

A Conclusion Paragraph should NOT: Introduce completely brand new facts, ideas, or arguments. Change point of view (Do not use the pronoun “I”, as in “I think…”) Simply repeat the introduction verbatim (word for word)

Techniques for Concluding: Review and Summarize the main points Restate the Central Idea in a new way, reflecting the deeper understanding you have developed in your essay Make a Generalization about the information you have presented Ex: “Prejudice exists everywhere.”

Make a Prediction based on your understanding of the topic Ex: “It will be a long time before the world sees true equality among all races.” End with a Quotation possibly from someone discussed in the essay End with a Question that leaves the reader with something to think about Ex: “What would you do in you were in Kino’s position?”

The Conclusion The final paragraph of your essay. Purpose: to summarize without using the same words the main points you have made in your essay. In the first sentence of your conclusion, you should restate the thesis using different words. Just like with the introduction, there are several ways to write a conclusion.

A. Summarize your main points Simply restate main points in your essay but using different words. Re-assert your thesis. Show that you have proved what you said you were going to prove! B. Ask a question Writers often want to leave their readers realizing there is a problem that needs to be solved, or an issue that needs to be resolved. A question is a good way of getting the reader’s attention and having them think of what can be done. C. Suggest a solution, offer a recommendation, or make a prediction Depending on the topic of your essay, the conclusion might be a good place for you to suggest a solution to a problem that you have discussed, or to make a recommendation or a prediction. D. Final thought – “so what?” A final idea of thought that indicates the significance of your topic or argument – the “so what?” factor.

Writing Conclusions Signals that introduce a summary or a conclusion: therefore consequently thus to summarize in brief to conclude in summary last of all finally in conclusion in short

Writing Your Outline How to write an outline to an essay

Your Outline Introduction A: Introductory statements – bulleted ideas okay. B: Thesis Statement Eg. School uniforms should be banned because they are costly, ugly, and uncomfortable.

Body Paragraph #1 Topic Sentence #1 (School uniforms should be banned because they are costly.) A: Supporting details (P. E. E.) B: Supporting details (P. E. E.)

Body Paragraph #2 Topic sentence #2 (Furthermore, students should not have to wear school uniforms because they are ugly.) A: Supporting details (P. E. E.) B: Supporting details (P. E. E.)

Body Paragraph #3 Topic Sentence #3 (Lastly, school uniforms should be forbidden as they are often extremely uncomfortable.) A: Supporting details (P. E. E.) B: Supporting details (P. E. E.)

Conclusion A: Restate thesis in a new way. For practice, let’s rewrite the school uniform thesis statement. e.g. Sum up findings/opinions Any concluding statements

Post Writing Re-read your essay EDIT, edit, edit

Troubleshooting Keep your verb tense consistent. Use specific details Do not over-generalize (always, never, etc.). When using the word “This” always consider to what it is specifically referring. Example: This represents that… vs. This metaphor represents that…

More Troubleshooting Indent your paragraphs Do not put any additional spaces between paragraphs AVOID using contractions such as: don’t, didn’t, shouldn’t. Instead use: do not, should not, did not. Do not use slang or colloquialisms: these are expressions used in everyday informal talk Do not say in your introduction, “In this essay, I am going to tell you about…” Let your essay speak for itself.

Even More Troubleshooting Avoid the use of “you” and use “one” instead. Do not use 2nd person pronouns, unless you are directly quoting from a source. Watch for run-on sentences Watch for fragments Remember a complete sentence has 3 components : a subject, a predicate, and it expresses a complete thought or idea.