Writing an Essay

Introduction-the introduction is the first paragraph of the essay and it includes an attention grabber, background information, and a thesis statement. It begins broadly and gets more specific.

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  • Attention Grabber- The very first sentence of the essay. It should be interesting and should make the reader want to keep reading.
  • Background Information-this gives the reader some basic information about the topic of the essay.
  • Thesis Statement-This is the most important part of an essay. It is the main idea of the essay. JOBS- justify discussion, has one main idea, be specific, and state an opinion.

Body Paragraphs- Traditionally, an essay has three main body paragraphs. Each body paragraph includes a topic sentence, an example, details, and a summary sentence.

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  • Topic Sentence-This sums p the main idea of the paragraph and connects back to the thesis statement.
  • Example-The example is the evidence that proves the thesis statement is true. It could be an observation, a personal experience, a fact/statistic or a quote. The best example should go in the last body paragraph.
  • Details/Elaboration-A writer must explain through details and elaboration how their examples prove their thesis statement is true. Multiple sentences long.
  • Summary/Transition Sentence-Sums up the paragraph and transitions into the next paragraph. Never end a paragraph with a quote.

Conclusion-This is the last paragraph of the essay. It never includes new information. Its purpose is to restate, summarize, and clinch.

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  • Restate-The first sentence of the conclusion restates the authors thesis.
  • Summarize-The next part of the conclusion is used to summarize the information included in the body paragraphs. This may mean restating the examples.
  • Clinch-A good essay always ends with a good last sentence. Never does it end with “….and that was my essay about …….”. Never end an essay with a quote.