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Writing Tips: Structuring an Essay
Organizing Your Ideas
When writing your paper, you’ll want to organize your ideas and arguments so that they are logical and make sense to your reader. You will find that individual essays each call for their own organizational strategy, so you’ll have to use your judgement regarding the best way to order your information. Whatever organizational strategy you choose, always present necessary background information first, and be sure your paper reads clearly and logically. Use transition words that express the relationship between an idea and the one that came previously to reinforce the logical structure and relations in your essay.
Consider these organizational schemas and the point you are trying to make in your essay, and select one that fits your purpose and topic. Use that organizational strategy consistently throughout your paper. Your reader will expect your logical order to remain the same and will use this framework as a cue for how to interpret the information you provide.
Chronological order: The order that events happen.
Chronological order is usually only appropriate for narrative essays that describe an event. Most analytical essays, even historical essays, should follow an organizational schema that is based on qualities of the evidence and arguments you provide.
Order of importance: A logical order from either least to most important, or the opposite.
This requires that you put your information and ideas in a somewhat objective order of importance. Ordering your paper this way helps you to build up your argument. It is more common to provide the strongest, most important support last, to add final emphasis to your points.
Order of validity: An order based on the validity of the evidence and sources you provide.
Validity is a measure of how respectable, trustworthy, and strong a source is. Different forms of evidence also have different levels of validity. For instance, a story told to you by a friend is probably less valid than a newspaper account that takes many different people’s stories into consideration, because there is less proof that it is correct. Like order of importance, the most valid pieces of evidence are usually stated last — once the reader knows the best piece of evidence you have, why would they want to know what less valid sources have to say?
Deductive: An order from general to specific.
Deductive reasoning assumes that a general rule is true for all specific cases. To use deductive reasoning, start with a generality and prove that this general rule applies to your specific case. The danger of deductive reasoning is that you are supporting a very general statement with only a few specific cases — perhaps you have just chosen the ones that will prove the generality holds true. Be careful if you choose to order your paper this way, and make sure that your logic is sound.
Inductive: An order from specific to general. Inductive reasoning assumes that you can make generalities from a few specific instances of evidence.
It includes going from an explanation of parts to that of a whole and extrapolations and predictions, which make statements about things that are not yet known. To use inductive reasoning, start with your most specific points and build them up to prove your whole, general argument. However, you will still state your whole argument at the beginning of your paper in your thesis statement.
Comparative: An arrangement of evidence based on the similarities and differences of two separate things, theories, works, etc.
In a comparative essay, address both subjects at once. Focus on the aspects of each that you will compare; in a five-paragraph essay, consider these A, B, and C. Talk about feature A of your first and second subject in the same paragraph. In the next paragraph, discuss feature B of both. Do not discuss your first subject in detail, then switch over to your second subject and describe it in similar detail. Rather, address your subjects at the same time so the similarities and differences are apparent to the reader. Use transition words like on the other hand, In contrast, and similarly to emphasize the comparisons you make.
Beyond the Five Paragraph Essay
The five paragraph essay is only a way to begin, providing a simple structure so that one day you can move on to write more fluently and expansively. College essays in English tend to range in length from about four to twenty pages, and term papers and theses are often longer. These contain many body paragraphs presenting a number of different ideas in support of the thesis, as well as research and quotations incorporated into the text. However, they use the same structure and organizational strategies as the five-paragraph paper on a large scale. When you read papers and non-fiction books, observe how the authors arrange and organize information. Reading and writing are the best ways to improve your own writing abilities.
Building on the Five-Paragraph Structure
Once you understand the basic five-paragraph essay structure, writing longer essays will be a simple transition. Longer essays start with a similar structure but offer more development and more complex supporting ideas. They often require more research and incorporate more direct facts, quotations, and examples from your research. Or, they may require you do independent research, whether it is a science experiment or a survey, to gather your own data. In any case, the structure of the five-paragraph essay is a solid base from which to develop an essay of any length.
What is Different?
Just like the five-paragraph essay, a longer essay has three basic parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion. Each part will simply be comprised of more than one paragraph. That is, the body of your paper should be divided into several paragraphs, each one discussing a single subtopic or aspect of a subtopic. These paragraphs will be grouped and ordered by topic, then by subtopic within that topic, just like paragraphs and information in the five-paragraph essay. Depending on what you are writing, some of these body paragraphs may have specific information they are supposed to cover. For instance, in a science or social science paper, some of your body paragraphs will explain your methodology.
How to Build on the Five-Paragraph Structure
As in a five-paragraph essay, start with your main topic and major subtopics and arguments. It is even more helpful to outline a longer essay, so you can see how to organize and group information when you start to write. Divide each subtopic into different aspects that you will discuss each in a separate paragraph.
Example: Five-paragraph essay’s rough outline
I. Thesis: Recycling is good because it saves trees, preserves energy, and unites
people in environmental causes.
A. Subtopic: Saves trees
1. Paper made from trees
2. Trees have benefits for the environment that will be lost if cut down
3. Consequences of cutting down forests are dangerous
B. Subtopic: Preserves energy …
In a five-paragraph essay, each subtopic is one paragraph. The first subtopic here has 3 supporting details.
Example: Longer essay’s rough outline
I. Thesis: Recycling is good because it saves trees, preserves energy, and unites people in environmental causes.
A. Subtopic: Saves trees
1. Paper made from trees
a. Paper can be made from recycled paper
b. Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees (Smith, p. 20)
2. Trees have benefits for the environm ent that will be lost if cut down
a. Forests are important to ecosystem
b. Trees create oxygen to clean the air
3. Consequences of cutting down forests are dangerous
a. Loss of habitat and natural growth
b. Bad cycle of ruining ecosystem
c. Can’t grow naturally
B. Subtopic: Preserves energy …
In a longer essay, each subtopic is several paragraphs. Each paragraph will focus on one aspect of a subtopic. There may be many aspects, each further broken down into subaspects, depending on the length of the paper.
How to Write a Longer Essay
Longer essays do not need to be intimidating if you have given yourself enough time to prewrite, research, and organize before starting. Follow the steps of the writing process to gather and arrange your thoughts:
- Brainstorm to generate threads and potential subtopics.
- Do research to support your points and fill in facts.
- Outline your ideas and research so that your writing is broken down into sections and your ideas are already organized.
- Use paragraphs to group and arrange information. Help with paragraphing
- Approach each major section as a mini-essay, and write it just as you would the body of a five-paragraph paper. Breaking up your essay into organized sections and paragraphs should make it more manageable.
Elements of a Five-Paragraph Essay
When you write a five-paragraph essay, you organize your ideas into a structure. As the name reveals, such essays always contain five paragraphs, with each playing a specific role in building a thesis and argument.
The first paragraph is the introduction, which always contains your thesis statement, the three paragraphs in the middle are called the body, and the fifth and final paragraph is called the conclusion.
Introduction
The introduction gives an overview of the issues you will discuss in the essay, presenting context and background so that the reader will understand what she is about to read.
- Start with an interesting statement that will catch your readers’ attention.
- Provide relevant background information that will help your readers understand the topic of your essay.
- Define key terms that you will use in your essay.
- Build up context by providing basic facts and information about your particular topic.
- Write your thesis statement at the end of your introduction.
Thesis statement
Your thesis statement states the main point of your essay. The thesis must be a controversial statement about your topic that you will support in the body of the essay.
- State the subject or topic of your paper.
- If you are writing about a specific book, work, theory, or person, write out the entire name in your thesis statement.
- Include the major supporting arguments or subtopics (three in a five-paragraph essay) that you will discuss, in the order that you will discuss them.
- Use strong, descriptive language to make your thesis concise but powerful.
- Avoid wording like I think and I will show. These words do not add to your thesis and can be edited out, so that you make direct statements about your topic.
- Revise your thesis to make it smooth and strong. Also revise it as you write, in case your writing takes you away from the original subtopics you state in it.
Body
The body of a five-paragraph essay consists of three paragraphs, each developing one of the subtopics or arguments stated in your thesis. Each paragraph should include at least one piece of evidence, either fact, quotation, example, or anecdote, to support the main point in the paragraph. More help with paragraphing
In each paragraph:
- Begin with a topic sentence that states the subtopic or argument you will discuss in the paragraph.
- Make sure the topic sentence relates directly to the thesis statement.
- Provide more explanation of the main point of the paragraph in one or two sentences.
- Introduce the fact, quotation, or piece of evidence that you are using to support your subtopic. Tell how it relates to the main topic of your paragraph and your overall point, your thesis statement.
- State your piece of evidence or argument. Cite its source properly, using a recommended citation style such as MLA or APA.
- Explain the significance of this piece of evidence toward your main point. What does it say about your topic? How does it support your perspectives?
- Conclude each paragraph with a sentence that sums up the point of the paragraph. Use concluding sentences to transition into the next paragraph, “bridging” ideas between paragraphs. More help with transitions
Conclusion
Concluding paragraphs restate the thesis in different words, while also summing up the main points discussed in the body of the essay.
- Restate your thesis in different words, wrapping up the main points of your essay. Do not use phrases like in conclusion or to conclude.
- State each point that you make in the essay, and provide a summary of how it relates to your thesis.
- Wrap up your conclusion with a compelling sentence that sums up your perspectives on the topic.
- Stick to the information you have already presented in your essay. Conclusions are not the place to add surprise twists or finally show the reader what you are talking about — if you find you want to do this, revise your thesis and body paragraphs to include this information.
- Do not mention universal morals or make sweeping statements about the world or mankind.
See a Model: Five-Paragraph Essay Structure
Example of a Five-Paragraph Essay
Saving trees and the environment has never been so easy — or important. (Item 1) Modern services and processing make recycling simple for the person at home. Rather than throwing away paper, plastic, and aluminum goods, people can simply drop all of their “recyclables” in a bin and have it picked up. (Item 2) It takes what would be garbage — usually used paper, glass, aluminum cans, and plastic — and turns it into something new, avoiding waste and other problems. (Item 3) Some have argued that recycling isn’t worth the effort, saying that its costs are greater than its benefits. But a look into paper recycling tells us that there is a lot of merit in it. (Item 4) It is especially important today, when trees are dwindling and the oxygen they produce is needed more than ever to combat pollution. We should continue to recycle because it prevents the devastation and depletion of forests, saves energy, and unites people in the effort to save the environment. (Item 5)
Recycling helps prevent the devastation and depletion of forests. (Item 6) Unless paper is made from other recycled paper, it is made directly from tree products. The demand for paper in today’s world is so high that there is a lot of stress from deforestation. When we cut down trees to make paper and other materials, we create a deforested area that can never return to its natural state, and the benefits of forested areas are lost. (Item 7) Meanwhile, (Item 8) recycling one ton of paper can save 17 trees (Item 9) (Smith, 20). (Item 10) Instead of cutting down new trees to make paper which will just be thrown away, we can use discarded paper that would have gone into a landfill and save those trees. Preserving our forests has many benefits for the environment which are important to preserving our whole environment. (Item 11)
Body paragraph II: How recycling saves energy (Item 12)
Body paragraph III: How recycling unites people in the effort to save the environment (Item 13)
In conclusion, recycling is an important activity that helps with the preservation of our environment in many ways. (Item 14) Recycling saves trees, preserving the many benefits we get from forests. It conserves energy resources and allows the environment to renew itself without stripping away at it. And recycling helps us all feel as if we are working towards a clear and important goal — preserving the forests, resources, and whole environment for generations to come. Recycling serves a great purpose and will continue to help save our environment and world if we remain dedicated to it. (Item 15) While some may argue that the costs of recycling are greater than the benefits, the costs of not recycling are not ones we want to face. (Item 16)
Feature of a Five-Paragraph Essay
Item 1. Use an interesting or provocative statement to begin your essay and capture your reader’s interest.
Item 2. Introduce your topic. Provide context so your reader can relate to your topic.
Item 3. Define key terms that you use in your essay in the introduction. Here, the topic itself — recycling — is explained, so that the essay can discuss more specific details and arguments about it, and the reader will know what is being discussed.
Item 4. Near the end of the introduction, close in on the direction your essay will take. This perspectives essay sets up a controversy about recycling.
Item 5. State the thesis at the end of the introduction. The thesis statement offers an assertive, clear summary of the main points in the essay. It should be a “road map” for readers, so they know what arguments will be made in what order.
Item 6. Start every body paragraph with a topic sentence that sums up the subtopic that paragraph will address. Every topic sentence should relate back to the thesis statement.
Item 7. Focus on one idea in each paragraph. Develop it through fact, example, and supporting detail. Explain how each example relates to the topic of the paragraph, stated in the topic sentence.
Item 8. Use transition words to build the logical flow of your paragraph. Tell the relationships between statements and ideas through transition words.
Item 9. This is the main fact in this paragraph. The sentences leading up to it explain its importance to the topic sentence and overall thesis of the paper.
Item 10. Cite sources where facts and quotes are found using the appropriate style. This is an MLA style citation.
Item 11. Close each paragraph with a concluding statement that wraps up the ideas in the paragraph. The concluding statement should be similar to the topic sentence. Use the concluding statement to transition into the next paragraph, showing how they follow from one another.
Item 12. Address a new subtopic, or aspect of your topic, in each consecutive body paragraph. Follow the order you map out in your thesis statement.
Item 13. Address a new subtopic, or aspect of your topic, in each consecutive body paragraph. Follow the order you map out in your thesis statement.
Item 14. Sum up main points and reiterate the thesis using different words in your conclusion. Avoid statements like “In conclusion.”
Item 15. Restate the main points in your essay.
Item 16. Close with a powerful statement of your perspective on the topic. However, do not make grand statements about humanity or mankind. Stick to your topic and the information you have provided to conclude your essay.
Revision Tips: Five-Paragraph Essay Structure
Focus/Purpose
Does each paragraph support your thesis?
- Develop in each paragraph a separate argument in support of your thesis statement.
- Make sure each paragraph discusses one aspect of the topic and thesis only.
- Check that each topic sentence relates to and supports your thesis statement. When you compare these sentences, is it clear how they are related?
Are each of your paragraphs developed around a single point?
- Make sure each topic sentence states only one main idea.
- Check that every piece of evidence that you include clearly relates to the main idea in your topic sentence.
- Remove any material that does not relate to the point stated in the topic sentence. Move it to another paragraph or omit it altogether.
Development/Elaboration
Does your introduction grab your reader’s interest and set a context for your topic?
- Orient your reader to your topic and thesis.
- Find an interesting idea to attract your readers’ attention.
- Give background information and necessary definitions in your introduction.
- Present your thesis statement at the end of your introduction.
Does your thesis statement make a strong, analytical point about your topic?
- State your overall point in the essay in your thesis statement.
- Include your major subarguments or supporting points in the order which you present them in your paper.
- Use powerful, descriptive words in your thesis statement. If you are discussing a particular topic, book or work, or theory, name it in your thesis statement.
- Make your thesis statement somewhat controversial. It must be something you can argue and support.
Does each body paragraph in your essay support your thesis?
- Use paragraphs to organize facts and ideas into subtopics.
- Include at least one paragraph for each subargument or supporting point in your thesis statement.
- Develop a separate argument that supports your main point in each paragraph.
- Make sure that each body paragraph relates directly to your topic and thesis statement. Check by testing your topic sentences against your thesis: is the connection between the two clear?
Does your conclusion wrap up the main points of your essay clearly and compellingly?
- Restate your thesis in different words.
- Summarize the main points of your essay and how they relate to your thesis.
- Refrain from raising a new point of discussion in the conclusion.
- Omit any statements offering universal truths or morals that are not addressed in the body of the essay.
Organization
Do you introduce the main point of each paragraph at its beginning?
- State the main idea of each paragraph in its first sentence (topic sentence).
- Indicate what you will address in the paragraph in a meaningful, general statement about the subtopic.
- Make sure your topic sentence captures the subject matter of the whole paragraph.
- Be clear and direct in your topic sentences.
Are each of your paragraphs organized around a main point with supporting detail?
- Present the main idea of each paragraph in a topic sentence and stick to that idea throughout the paragraph.
- Introduce each fact, example, quotation, or piece of evidence by showing how it relates to the topic sentence.
- Provide the fact, example, quotation, or evidence that supports the main idea.
- Arrange evidence and arguments using a consistent logical scheme, such as order of importance or chronology.
- Discuss the significance of the evidence given in each paragraph.
Language/Style
Is your language correct and appropriate for your audience?
- Define technical terms and key words that are important to understanding your essay the first time they are used.
- Write out abbreviations the first time they are used. Note the abbreviated form in parentheses after the written-out version.
- Look up and verify the meaning of any words you’re unsure of.
- Make sure the ideas in each sentence flow logically from the previous one.
- Omit slang or casual language.
- Check your grammar thoroughly.
Do you effectively show logical connections among ideas and move your writing forward?
- Use transition words to make connections across paragraphs and to show the relationships between ideas expressed in sentences.
- Use the same or similar words in your thesis statement and throughout your paragraphs to enhance continuity and create connections. While variety is good, too much variety can make your writing seem unfocused and inconsistent.