The Basics of Effective Essay Writing
As you get older you'll be required to write essays. And the older you get the more complex and demanding the essays may become. An essay is a written composition where you express a specific idea and then support it with facts, statements, analysis and explanations. The basic format for an essay is known as the five paragraph essay.
As its name denotes, a five paragraphy essay contains five paragraphs. However, the essay itself consists of three sections: an introduction, a body and a conconclusion.
Introduction
As its name implies, the introduction is the first paragraph of the essay. It introduces the reader to idea that the essay will address. It is also intended to capture the readers attention and interest with a statement. The first sentence of the introduction paragraph should be as captivating and interesting as possible. The following sentences should clarify your opening statement. Conclude the introduction paragraph with a thesis statement. A thesis statement states or outlines what you intend to prove in your essay. A good thesis statement should be clear, concise, specific, and takes a position.
Body
The body of the essay consists of three paragraphs. Each paragraph will address one main idea that supports the thesis statement. The first paragraph of the body should put forth your strongest argument to support your thesis. Start the paragraph out by stating the supporting idea. Then follow up with additional sentences that contain supporting evidence or examples. The concluding sentence should sum up what you've discussed in the paragraph.
The second body paragraph will follow the same format as the first body paragraph. This paragraph should put forth your second strongest argument supportint your thesis statement. Likewise, the third body paragraph, like the first and second, will contain your third strongest argument supporting your thesis statement. The last sentence of the third paragraph should sum up what you've discussed in the paragraph and indicate to the reader that the paragraph contains the final supporting argument.
Conclusion
The final paragraph of the five paragraph essay provides the conclusion. This paragraph should should restate your thesis statement using slighly different wording than employed in your introduction. The paragraph should summarize the three arguments presented in the body of the essay. The last sentence in the conclusion paragraph should communicate that your essay has come to and end. Your concluding paragraph should communicate to the reader that you're confident that you've proven the idea as set forth in your thesis statement.
Having the ability to write effective essays will become increasingly important as you progress through high school and into college. If you'll internalize the format presented above you'll develop the ability to write clear and compelling essays.
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