STRUCTURING A PROCESS ESSAY Like other essays, a process essay generally consists of three sections. “The introduction identifies the process and indicates why and under what circumstances itis performed. This section may Include information about ‘materials or preliminary preparations, or it may present an overview of the process, perhaps even listing its major stages. The paper's thesis is also usually stated in the introduction. Each paragraph in the body of the essay typically treats one major stage of the procedure. Each stage may group several steps, depending on the nature and complexity of the process. These steps are presented in chronological order, interrupted only for essential definitions, explana- tions, or cautions. Every step must be included and must appear in its oper place, Pe EN shost process essay may not need a formal covcluson, Wf an essay does have a conclusion, however, it will often briefly review the proce- dure's major stages. Such an ending is especially useful if the paper hes, outlined a particularly technical procedure that may seem complicated to general readers, The conclusion may also reinforce the thesis by summa- Fizing the results of the process or explaining its significance, Suppose you are taking a midterm examination in a course in child hood and adolescent behavior. One essay question calls for a process explanation: “Trace the stages that childiren go through in acquiring lan- ‘guage.” Aiter thinking about the question, you formulate the following thesis statement: “Although individual cases may differ, most children acquire language in a predictable series of stages.” You then plan your essay and develop an informal outline, which might Look like this: Introduction: ‘Thesis statement — Although individual cases may differ, most children acquire language in a predictable series of stages. First stage (two to Prelinguistic behavior, including “babbling” and twelve morths): appropriate responses to nonverbal cues Second stage Single words as commands or requests: infant (end of Bist year): catalogs his or her environment ‘Third stage Expressive jargon (flow of sounds that imitates (beginning of adult speech); real words along with jargon. second year) Fourth and final ‘Two-word phrases; longer strings; missing parts stage (middle of of speech. ssecond year to Deginning of third year Conclusion: Restatement of thesis or review of major stages of process ‘This essay, when completed, will show not only what the stages of the process are but also how thev relate to one another. In addition. it w support the thesis that children learn language through a well-defined.BB sruvevr warns: ocess ‘The following student essays, Joseph Miksitz’s set of instructions and Melany Hunt's explanation of how a process was conducted, were both ‘written in response to the same assignment: "Write an essay in which you sive instructions for a process that can change a person's appearance — or explain a process that changed your own appearance in some way.” Introduction ‘Thesis statement Overview of the process; getting started ‘Steps in process of upperbody workeat ‘Steps in process of lowerbody workout Punping Tron Studente of high echosl end college a cietied vith theie are often dis: ‘They see actore snd nodels on television end in magazines, and they vant to be thinner, acronger, of better locking. Sonetines chix quest for perfection gets young adults into rouble, leading thon to eating disorders or drug use. A healthier vay for young adults te improve their appearance is through a veight- training progeam, which can increase not only their strength but also their self-esteem. If you want te avoié injury, you should begin gradually. In the first week, you might Lift wedghts only tye days, concenteating on thigh agd calf muscles in the lover bedy and on triceps, biceps, chest, back, and shoulders in the upper body. For the next thi or four Luge hres days a week, adding more ‘each week, By the fourth week, you exezets will probably stare to fool etronger. Av this point, you cah begin « four-day 1ifting pro- ran, vbich many experte believe ie the most productive end shows the best results, on Monday end Thuraday, concentrate on your upper body, Begin with the bench press (eo work cheat muscles) and then move on to ‘the military pteaa (for the shoulders). After ‘that, work your back muscles with the let pull- down exercise on the Universal machine or eavy and Light dead lifts, Finally Concentrate on your arma, doing bicep curls, wich 20s ‘erieep extensions, and vrist curls (for the forearns). Te cool down, do e few sere of aicoups on Tuesday and Friday, focus on your Lower body with « 1eg workout, Start with the leg Pri ost strenuous exeredee, which 1s usuelly the (atways begin your workout with your exerciae thet vorks the largest muscles.) Next, Je Leg extensions to build the thigh ao « muscles in the front of your leg, and then nove fon to lag curls to etrengthen your henstring nuacle, After that, do calf raises to vork your calf muscles, When you are finished, be sure to stretch ell the major muscles to prevent 4 sngurds cightness‘Warnings and anced wedght-training pro reminders just Lifting weighta, During your weight training, you should eat four high-protein/high-carbohydrate m day. Lisiting fat and eating four ox five serv- 2 daily. You should also monitor your progress carefully, paying ings of truit and veger attention to your body's aches and paine and julting @ professional trainer when necas- sary--especially Af you think you may have injurag yourself. Conelusion Above all, don't let your weight-training repinen take over your Life, If you integrate Ae inte the reet of your Life. balancing exer- sa edse with school, work, and gocdal activi ‘g veight-teeining program can make you look and feel terrific. Points for Special Attention Iwrropucrion. The first paragraph of Joseph Miksitz’s essay in- ludes a thesis statement that presents the advantages of embarking on a {veight-tzaining program. Joseph begins with an overview of the image problems faced by young adults and then narrows his focus to present ‘Weight training as a possible solution to those problems Structure. After his introduction, Joseph includes a paragraph that presents guidelines for getting started. The third and fourth para- graphs enumerate the steps in each of the two processes he describes Epper and lower-body workouts. In his fifth paragraph, Joseph includes Tekinders and cautions so that his readers will get the most out of their Sxercise program while avoiding overexertion or injury. (The parentheti- fal sentence in paragraph 4 offers another helpful tip.) In his conclusion, Joseph advises readers to keep their exercise program in perspective and (echoing his thesis statement) reminds them of its benefits Ponrose anv Srvis, Because Joseph's readers should be abld to perform the process themselves, he wrote it asa set of instructions, There: Fore, he uses the second person ("you will probably start to feel stronger”) and prevent-tense verbo in the form of commands (“Begin with the bench ress”) ‘Transrions. To make his essay clear and easy to follow, Joseph ineludes transitions that indicate the order in which each step is to be per- formed ("After that,” “Next,” “Finally”) as well as specific time markers (’On Monday and Thursday.” “On Tuesday and Friday”) t0 distinguish the two related processes on which his essay focuses Focus on Revision Joseph is careful to name various parts ofthe body and to identify dif ferent exercises as well as the general objective of each, He has, however, mitted many other key details, as several students noted In their peer cri- tiques of his essay, For example, how much time should be spent on each coercise? What exactly isa bench press? Abicep curl? How are “light” and Heavy” defined? How many is “some” leg extensions or “a few sets” of