5 paragraph essay
When you begin to write your essay for a standardized test, you must first decide what type of essay you are being asked to write. There are many different types of essays, including narrative, expository, argumentative, persuasive, comparative, literary, and so on. The type of essay will determine your topic and thesis. Essays for standardized tests are typically either persuasive, in which you will answer a question, or literary, in which you will write about something you read.
For standardized tests, students usually have to write a five paragraph essay, which should be 500 to 800 words long and include an introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.
The First Paragraph: The Introduction
The first paragraph of an essay should introduce the reader to the essay topic. It should create interest in the essay. outline the writer's main ideas. and suggest how these ideas will be presented within the body of the essay. The introduction consists of three main elements: a hook, building sentences, and a thesis statement.
1. Hook The first sentence (or sentences) of an essay should catch the reader's attention. It introduces the topic of the essay in an interesting way.
2. Building sentences After the hook, the following sentences should provide background information to give readers some context about the topic. They should "build" towards the thesis statement.
3. Thesis statement The thesis statement comes at the end of the introduction. It is the most important sentence in the entire essay because it presents the essay topic and the writer's position on that topic. It also indicates the main ideas that will be discussed in the body paragraphs.
Let's take an example
Many students find essay writing difficult and frustrating. They know what they want to say, but when it comes to expressing themselves through the essay medium, they encounter problems. Not only do they have to address the complexities of their topic, but they also have to follow the conventions of the formal academic essay. the task seems daunting. broken down into its basic components, however, essay writing is not so difficult. in fact, by addressing three key elements, every student can write an effective essay. These three elements are focus, organization, and clarity.
⇢this sample of an introductory essay is perfect, it respects all the standards of the introduction, for example;
1. Hook The first sentence (or sentences) of an essay should catch the reader's attention. It introduces the topic of the essay in an interesting way.
2. Building sentences After the hook, the following sentences should provide background information to give readers some context about the topic. They should "build" towards the thesis statement.
3. Thesis statement The thesis statement comes at the end of the introduction. It is the most important sentence in the entire essay because it presents the essay topic and the writer's position on that topic. It also indicates the main ideas that will be discussed in the body paragraphs.
Let's take an example
Many students find essay writing difficult and frustrating. They know what they want to say, but when it comes to expressing themselves through the essay medium, they encounter problems. Not only do they have to address the complexities of their topic, but they also have to follow the conventions of the formal academic essay. the task seems daunting. broken down into its basic components, however, essay writing is not so difficult. in fact, by addressing three key elements, every student can write an effective essay. These three elements are focus, organization, and clarity.
⇢this sample of an introductory essay is perfect, it respects all the standards of the introduction, for example;
- Sets the tone and grabs the reader’s attention. (Tip: Often the best way to start an essay is with a curious quote, short anecdote or challenging question)
- Introduces the basic ideas of the essay
- Provides the thesis statement (which is just 1 sentence but gives the topic, focus, and 3 main points to build from)
⇒in fact, by addressing three key elements, every student can write an effective essay. These three elements are focus, organization, and clarity.
⚠️Note; each essay has a special form of introduction, generally, all of them start with general idea reaching the main idea '' thesis statement''.
one of my techniques to give my thesis statement the smoothness is through using Parallelism. This method adds balance and rhythm to sentences, giving ideas a smoother flow and thus persuasiveness, because of the repetition it employs. For example, “Alice ran into the room, into the garden, and into our hearts.” We see the repetition of a phrase that not only gives the sentence a balance, but rhythm and flow as well. This repetition can also occur in similarly structured clauses, such as, “Whenever you need me, wherever you need me, I will be there for you.”
The Second, Third and Fourth Paragraphs: Supporting Details
The body of an essay consists of three paragraphs. Each body paragraph explains in detail one of the main ideas expressed In the thesis statement There are three parts to a body paragraph: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and the concluding sentence.
1. Topic sentence The first sentence of a body paragraph expresses the topic of the Paragraph and provides a controlling idea about the topic. All information in the paragraph supports the controlling idea.
2. Supporting sentences explain and develop the topic sentence. They present logical thoughts, evidence, and explanations in support of the controlling idea.
3- Concluding sentence. The paragraph may end with a concluding thought on the paragraph topic. It may also show a transition to the next topic.
1. Topic sentence The first sentence of a body paragraph expresses the topic of the Paragraph and provides a controlling idea about the topic. All information in the paragraph supports the controlling idea.
2. Supporting sentences explain and develop the topic sentence. They present logical thoughts, evidence, and explanations in support of the controlling idea.
3- Concluding sentence. The paragraph may end with a concluding thought on the paragraph topic. It may also show a transition to the next topic.
let's take an example
the thesis statement of our previous introduction answers the question'' how to write an effective essay? ⇒in fact, by addressing three key elements, every student can write an effective essay. These three elements are focus, organization, and clarity.
So, in order to write an effective essay, you should apply these three elements; focus, organization, and clarity.
these three elements will be the body of the essay
- the first paragraph should answer the question; how focus element can help to write an effective essay?
- the second paragraph should answer the question; how organization element can help to write an effective essay?
- the third paragraph should answer the question; how clarity element can help to write an effective essay?
⚠️NOTE; treat each supporting detail as a paragraph, it should have a topic sentence, at least three supporting ideas, and concluding sentence '' you can remove a concluding sentence from the paragraph, but you should give a signal that the paragraph finished.
The Fifth Paragraph: The Conclusion
The concluding paragraph ends the essay by reviewing the main ideas from each body paragraph and leaving the reader with a final thought. The conclusion consists of three elements: a restated thesis, a summary of main ideas, and a final thought.
1. Restated thesis At the start of the conclusion, the thesis is restated in words different from those in the introduction.
2. Summary of main ideas The main ideas from each of the body paragraphs are summarized as a reminder to the reader.
3. Final thought The writer ends the essay by presenting a final thought on the topic - for example, by stating an opinion, a solution, or a prediction. The final thought should leave a strong impression and encourage the reader to think further about the topic.
1. Restated thesis At the start of the conclusion, the thesis is restated in words different from those in the introduction.
2. Summary of main ideas The main ideas from each of the body paragraphs are summarized as a reminder to the reader.
3. Final thought The writer ends the essay by presenting a final thought on the topic - for example, by stating an opinion, a solution, or a prediction. The final thought should leave a strong impression and encourage the reader to think further about the topic.
⇏let's take an example
Clearly then, focus, organization, and clarity are the three key elements of a successful essay. Of course, the content must also be sound and the essay must appropriately meet the requirements of the assignment brief, but this is not enough to gain the highest grades. Student essay writers must, therefore, work at developing strong thesis statements, planning the structure of their essays, but by addressing the three key elements of focus, organization, and clarity, every student can succeed.
all in all, all of these steps are just the rules should follow to write effectively, but it needs practice, practice, and practice. It is like an instruction from a doctor, you should follow the recipe and take your medicine continuously.
If you want to share your essay on this website, just send it to me on my Gmail account hurryuptng@gmail.com
