Moving from Paragraph to

Essay
Differences between essay & paragraph?

It’s simply a paper composed of several paragraphs.

In an essay subjects should be treated more fully

than they would be in a single-paragraph paper.

In an essay you start a paragraph by indenting, that

is adding space before the first sentence.
Differences between essay & paragraph?
Paragraph
Essay
An essay is like a BLT sandwich.

Introduction

B. P. #1 Body
paragraphs
B. P. #2

B. P. #3
Conclusion

 Introduction
Introductory
Thesis statement
Paragraph
Plan of development (points 1,2,3)
1st Supporting Topic sentence (point 1)
Paragraph Specific evidence

2nd Supporting Topic sentence (point 2)

Paragraph Specific evidence

3rd Supporting Topic sentence (point 3)

Paragraph Specific evidence

Concluding Summary
Paragraph Conclusion (final thought)

Introductory paragraph
Parts of an introduction paragraph

➢ Hook

➢ Background information

➢ Thesis statement

➢ Plan of development (optional)

Hooking the reader)
When you “hook” your reader, you get him or
her interested in your topic by opening with a
clever idea.

You can develop this hook in a few carefully

crafted sentences.
 Background information

Explain the hook and discuss the general topic

in some way

Explain why the topic is interesting or

important or how you became interested in it.
Popping the thesis

Once you have hooked your reader, it’s time

to “pop” your thesis, stating boldly and
clearly the main idea for your essay.

It is a good strategy to write your thesis in

one complete sentence; this will help you
focus your ideas and express them precisely.
Thesis Statement
It’s the main point of an essay.

It explains what the essay will be about and

expresses the writer’s position on the subject.

It may also give clues about how the essay will

develop or how it will be organized.

It’s usually expressed in a single sentence.

The plan of development

A preview of the major points that will support

your thesis statement, listed in the order in
which they will be presented.

In some cases the plan of development will be

omitted.
In the course of working my way through school, I have
taken many jobs I would rather forget. I have spent nine
hours a day lifting heavy automobile and truck batteries off
the end of an assembly belt. I have risked the loss of eyes
and fingers working a punch press in a textile factory. I have
served as a ward aide in a mental hospital, helping care for
brain-damaged men who would break into violent fits at
unexpected moments. But none of these jobs was as
dreadful as my job at the Crescent Falls Diner and Truck
Stop. The work was physically hard; the pay was poor; and,
most of all, the working conditions were dismal.
In the course of working my way through school, I have
taken many jobs I would rather forget. I have spent nine
hours a day lifting heavy automobile and truck batteries off
the end of an assembly belt. I have risked the loss of eyes
and fingers working a punch press in a textile factory. I have
served as a ward aide in a mental hospital, helping care for
brain-damaged men who would break into violent fits at
unexpected moments. But none of these jobs was as
dreadful as my job at the Crescent Falls Diner and Truck
Stop. The work was physically hard; the pay was poor; and,
most of all, the working conditions were dismal.
Supporting paragraphs
Supporting Paragraphs
Most essays have three supporting points,
developed in three separate paragraphs.

Others have two, four or more.

Each of the supporting paragraph should begin

with a topic sentence.
Each topic sentence should support the thesis
statement.
Supporting Paragraphs

Explain the topic sentence.

Support the topic sentence with evidence,

such as examples, facts, statistics, personal
experience, and definitions.

Use transitions to link the sentences.

First, the job made enormous demands on my

strength and energy. For ten hours, I waited on
tables, carried heavy trays of food and dirty dishes,
cleaned bathrooms, and unloaded heavy cartons
from delivery trucks. The trays weighed from twenty
to fifty pounds. The cartons of food and restaurant
supplies could weigh as much as 75 pounds, and I
sometimes unloaded full truck trailers by myself.
First, the job made enormous demands on my
strength and energy. For ten hours, I waited on
tables, carried heavy trays of food and dirty dishes,
cleaned bathrooms, and unloaded heavy cartons
from delivery trucks. The trays weighed from twenty
to fifty pounds. The cartons of food and restaurant
supplies could weigh as much as 75 pounds, and I
sometimes unloaded full truck trailers by myself.
Without Transitions

Most films are structured much like a short story. The film
begins with an opening scene that captures the audience’s
attention. The writers build up tension, preparing for the
climax of the story. They complicate the situation by
revealing other elements of the plot, perhaps by introducing
a surprise or additional characters. They introduce a
problem. It will be solved either for the betterment or to the
detriment of the characters and the situation. A resolution
brings the film to a close.
With Transitions
Most films are structured much like a short story.
The film begins with an opening scene that captures
the audience’s attention. Gradually, the writers build
up tension, preparing for the climax of the story.
Soon after the first scene, they complicate the
situation by revealing other elements of the plot,
perhaps by introducing a surprise or additional
characters. Next, they introduce a problem.
Eventually, the problem will be solved either for the
betterment or to the detriment of the characters and
the situation. Finally, a resolution brings the film to a
Concluding paragraph
Concluding Paragraph
It often summarizes the essay by briefly restating the
thesis and, at times, the main supporting points.

It brings the paper to a natural and graceful end,

sometimes leaving the reader with a final thought on
the subject.

By giving advice, making a prediction and

recommendation, asking though-provoking question,
suggesting consequences.
 I stayed on the job for five months, all the
while hating the difficulty of the work, the low
pay, and the conditions under which I worked.
By the time I quit, I was determined never to do
such degrading work again.
 I stayed on the job for five months, all the
while hating the difficulty of the work, the low
pay, and the conditions under which I worked.
By the time I quit, I was determined never to do
such degrading work again.