P1-S WEEK 2

Academic Writing Spring 2023

HOW TO ORGANIZE AN ESSAY

 In this chapter you are going to learn how to organize your ideas to write an academic essay.
Read the example essay below and focus on the paragraphs one by one. Each paragraph of an
academic essay serves a purpose, and we are going to focus on them one by one.

CAUSES OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

Traffic and transportation are significant parts of modern life. Every day
thousands of vehicles are driven all around the world. However, traffic is not
Introduction
always safe for drivers and passengers due to road accidents. There are several
Paragraph
different causes of road accidents, but two stand out: careless driving and bad
conditions.

One major cause of traffic accidents is the carelessness of some drivers.

Firstly, some drivers are careless about the traffic rules. When people ignore the
rules, they may harm not only themselves but also others. For example, speeding,
not stopping at a red-light, not using indicators while taking a turn may give rise to
Body
traffic accidents. Secondly, drivers may be careless on the road due to distractions.
Paragraph 1
If drivers are talking on the phone, they cannot stay focused on the road, and this
may result in road accidents. Texting and going online while driving also distract
drivers dramatically. It is known that drivers who use their phones are one of the
main causes of accidents. To sum up, carelessness brings about road accidents.

Another significant reason for accidents is bad conditions. To begin with,

bad weather conditions lead to accidents. Even a very careful driver can have an
accident if the roads are slippery because of rain or ice. Furthermore, on a foggy

Body day or in heavy rain, it can be very hard to see the cars and the road around you.
Paragraph 2 Furthermore, accidents can also be a result of bad road conditions. Old roads with
a lot of potholes, roads that do not have enough street lights, or roads that lack
enough signs are all responsible for accidents around the world. In short, one
common factor that leads to traffic collisions is bad conditions.

All in all, careless driving and unfavorable conditions are the most
Conclusion
common causes of traffic accidents. For everyone’s safety in traffic, we should all
Paragraph
do our best to be calm and attentive on the roads.

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 PARTS OF AN ESSAY

PART 1: INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH

 An introduction paragraph consists of 3 or 4 sentences. These sentences move from general to

specific, and they give background information on the topic that you will be writing about. Your
introduction prepares the reader for your body paragraphs. For a well-organized and well-written
academic essay, the last sentence of an introduction paragraph MUST BE the THESIS STATEMENT. The
thesis statement is your direct answer to the essay question. We will work on thesis statements later.

 As the sentences in an introduction paragraph move from general to specific, you should start your
essay with a general idea and move towards your thesis statement. It is essential that your ideas follow
a logical development when moving from the first sentence to the thesis statement. In other words,
your ideas should be linked to one another and must clearly move towards the thesis statement.

If you do not know how to move from a general idea to more specific ones, there are some good
strategies that you might follow. Here are some of them:

A. Past to Present B. Definition C. Contrast

Strategy A. Past to Present

 Students who choose to make use of this strategy compare the past and the present to move from
a general idea to more specific ones. The difference between the past and the present gives the reader
background information about the main topic. Read the examples below.

Example 1. Essay Question: Why is social media so popular?

In the past, people used to communicate with each other by letters and telegraphs, and this
communication took a very long time. However, today they use the Internet to interact with each other.
For Internet users, social media is becoming more and more common in the world. There are several
reasons for the popularity of social media, but two stand out: entertainment and convenience.

Example 2. Essay Question: What are the causes of global pandemics?

In the past, people did not have sufficient medical knowledge and they did not have advanced
technology. In contrast, today we have vast medical information and countless opportunities. However,
doctors and scientists are still unable to stop pandemics sometimes. There are a number of factors
which give rise to global pandemics, two of which are lack of sanitation and genetic factors.

 In this strategy, you may make use of phrases such as:

In the past people used to …

A hundred years ago people did not have …
In the last decade …
Especially in the last three decades …
Recently, …

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Exercise 1. Let’s write some sentences together.

Read the examples below and try to come up with ideas to compare the past and the present from
different aspects to complete the sentences. Here are some points that you can make use of:

 education  field of medicine  celebrations

 communication  advertising  cities around the world
 transportation  social media  marriage
 environment  learning languages  technology

In the last century, people have started giving more importance to education.
In the past, people used to get married at an early age.
A hundred years ago, people did not have electricity in their houses.
Recently, commercials and ways of advertising have changed a lot.

Now it’s your turn!

1. In the last thirty years, ________________________________________________________________

2. 50 years ago, ________________________________________________________________________
3. Recently, ___________________________________________________________________________

Strategy B. Definition

 Students who choose to make use of this strategy start their essays by defining an important
word/term/idea regarding the main topic of their essay. This definition serves as a general idea and
gives the reader background information about the main topic. Read the examples below.

Example 1. Essay Question: Why is social media so popular?

Communication can be defined as an exchange of ideas between people. Today, the internet is
the most common way of communication for people. Among internet users, social media is becoming
more and more common every day. There are several reasons for the popularity of social media, but
two stand out: entertainment and convenience.

Example 2. Essay Question: What are the causes of global pandemics?

A pandemic is a serious disease, which affects a whole country or the whole globe. Even with
the latest technology and advanced medical knowledge, doctors and scientists are sometimes unable to
stop these situations. There are a number of factors which give rise to global pandemics, two of which
are lack of sanitation and genetic factors.

Exercise 2. Let’s write some sentences together. Complete the sentences below with definitions of the
key terms given.

1. What are the causes of emigration?

Emigration can be defined as _____________________________________________________________
Emigration is __________________________________________________________________________

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2. What are the causes of global warming?
Global warming can be defined as _________________________________________________________
Global warming is ______________________________________________________________________

3. What are the causes of insomnia?

Insomnia can be defined as ______________________________________________________________
Insomnia is ___________________________________________________________________________

Strategy C. Contrast

 Students who choose to make use of this strategy start their essays with a contrasting idea or with
an opposing point of view. The move from an opposing point of view to the thesis statement gives the
reader background information about the main topic. Read the examples below.

Example 1. Essay Question: Why is social media so popular?

The Internet, especially social media, has become a major part of people’s life. Some people are
even worried that we are all addicted to social media, and we will face serious negative circumstances in
the future due to our social media addiction. However, even though they are worried about these
things, they still keep using social media, and social media is getting more and more popular every day.
There are several reasons for the popularity of social media, but two stand out: entertainment and
convenience.

Example 2. Essay Question: What are the causes of global pandemics?

Health is the most important part of people’s life. A good life is impossible without good health,
and with the help of modern medicine, people are now healthier than ever before. However, they also
face many difficulties which threaten their health, and a global pandemic is one of these problems.
Global pandemics occur as a result of a variety of reasons, but two stand out: lack of sanitation and
genetic factors.

 How can we find contrasting ideas for our essays?

In a cause essay, after a very general statement about the topic, we can start writing about
some possible effects of the topic in question. Similarly, in an effect essay, we can first
mention a few causes and then move on to the effects. Also, if a topic focuses on the
positive aspects of something, we can start with the negative aspects.

These are only some strategies to make it easier for you to write an introduction paragraph.
They are some of the common strategies that writing students use all around the world.
However, they are not the only ways to write an introduction. You may use a combination
of these strategies or find your own way of introducing an idea. As long as your ideas move
from general to specific ending with a good thesis statement, your introduction paragraph
will be effective.

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Writing the Thesis Statement for Essays

 The thesis statement is the direct response to the essay question and the last sentence of the
introduction. The purpose of writing the thesis statement is to inform the reader about the ideas
(specific causes/ reasons) that you will write about in your essay. These ideas (causes/reasons) are often
called “subtopics”. Remember that a thesis statement may have two or three subtopics. In order to
write a thesis statement for your essays, first, you need to answer the essay question. In other words,
you have to find two or three causes/reasons for the essay question. Read the examples below.

Essay Question 1. What are the causes of global warming?

 greenhouse gases and deforestation
Essay Question 2. What are the reasons for emigration?
 wars and unemployment
Essay Question 3. What are the factors that lead to traffic accidents?
 carelessness and bad conditions
Essay Question 4. Why is social media so popular?
 due to being entertaining and convenient
Essay Question 5. What are the causes of global pandemics?
 lack of sanitation and genetic factors

 After you answer the essay question with two or three subtopics (causes/reasons), you may make
use of certain sentence structures to write a thesis statement for your introduction paragraph. Read the
examples below.

Thesis Statement 1. There are several important causes of global warming, two of which are
greenhouse gases and deforestation.

Thesis Statement 2. Emigration has a number of underlying reasons, but two stand out: wars and
unemployment.

Thesis Statement 3. A variety of factors may lead to traffic accidents; however, carelessness and bad
conditions are two of the most important ones.

Thesis Statement 4. There are numerous reasons why social media is so popular, but two stand out:
entertainment and convenience.

Thesis Statement 5. Global pandemics occur as a result of several factors, two of which are lack of
sanitation and genetics.

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 Exercise 3. Below are some cause essay questions. For each question, find two or three subtopics
(causes/reasons) and write a thesis statement. Make sure that you use different structures for each
question.

1. Why do some people prefer to spend their whole life in their hometown?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Each year, many teenagers run away from home. What are the main causes?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do some universities require students to take courses which are not related to their
department?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why is listening to the radio still popular?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Huge new shopping malls such as Forum Istanbul have been very successful. What are the reasons for
their popularity?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

PART 2: BODY PARAGRAPHS

In an academic essay, the body paragraphs give detailed information about the subtopics
(causes/reasons) mentioned in the thesis statement. Before you examine the table below, go back to
the first page of this chapter to read the body paragraphs of the example essay.

Causes of Traffic Accidents

carelessness bad conditions

(Body Paragraph 1) (Body Paragraph 2)

First supporting idea Second supporting idea First supporting idea Second supporting idea
Being careless about Being careless while Bad weather conditions Bad road conditions
traffic rules driving

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 In order to write a well-organized body paragraph, you may follow these steps:

Step 1. Start your body paragraph by introducing your first subtopic (reason/cause) from your thesis
statement with one sentence. This sentence is called a “topic sentence” in academic essays.

Step 2. Write one sentence to introduce your first supporting idea. You should include a transitional
signal, such as “firstly, first of all, to begin with” in this sentence.

Step 3. Write at least two sentences to give details, examples, further information, or explanation about
your first supporting idea. Remember that a well-written essay consists of well-supported ideas. Never
leave your ideas unsupported or unexplained.

Step 4. Write one sentence to introduce your second supporting idea. You should include a transitional
signal, such as “secondly, second of all, moreover, also” in this sentence.

Step 5. Write at least two sentences to give details, examples, further information, or explanation about
your second supporting idea. For an effective and well-written essay, all your ideas must be supported.

Step 6. (optional) At the end of each body paragraph, you may write one sentence to summarize the
paragraph. These sentences are called “concluding sentences” in academic writing. Typically, they
include transition words, such as “to sum up, in brief, all in all, in short, shortly, etc.”

 As you can see from the information above, a well-written body paragraph must contain about 7 or
8 sentences around ONE CONTROLLING IDEA. All the sentences must work together to give enough
detail and explanation about ONE SUBTOPIC (reason/cause).

 Let’s analyze the first body paragraph of the example essay according to the steps above.

BODY PARAGRAPH 1 – FIRST SUBTOPIC (CAUSE/REASON): CARELESSNESS

traffic accidents occur due to carelessness

First Supporting Idea: Second Supporting Idea:

being careless about traffic rules being careless while driving

Supporting Details: Supporting Details:

- ignoring or breaking the rules - distractions
- speeding - talking on the phone
- not stopping at a red-light - texting
- not using indicators while turning - going online while driving

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Exercise 4. Read and analyze the second body paragraph of the example essay and fill in the table.

BODY PARAGRAPH 2 – SECOND SUBTOPIC (CAUSE/REASON): ________________

traffic accidents happen as a result of ___________________

First Supporting Idea: Second Supporting Idea:

Supporting Details: Supporting Details:

Important Points about Body Paragraphs

1. A body paragraph ALWAYS starts with a TOPIC SENTENCE.

 Your topic sentence gives the reader the FIRST REASON / CAUSE that you want to talk about in
your essay. In this sample essay, “carelessness” is the first reason for traffic accidents and the topic
includes this idea.

2. One body paragraph can talk about ONLY ONE CAUSE.

 In the sample essay, “carelessness” is the first cause, which means the first paragraph must focus
on the idea of “being careful or careless in traffic”. For instance, this paragraph cannot talk about
weather, engine problems, or old cars, etc. It can only give examples or give information about the idea
of being careful/careless behind the wheel. Anything else would be irrelevant and off-topic.

3. Each body paragraph in an essay NEEDS TWO SUPPORTING IDEAS.

 The supporting ideas work together to make your essay stronger and better. While writing an
essay, you must do your best to find two supporting ideas for each CAUSE/REASON that you will write
about in your essay.

4. Supporting ideas NEED SUPPORTING DETAILS.

 For each supporting idea in an essay, you must come up with further explanations, examples,
details, etc. Supporting details are very important for a successful and well-written essay. Ideas that are
not supported with further discussion or details cannot receive high marks.

5. Concluding sentences are OPTIONAL at the end of body paragraphs in an essay.

 However, if you want to write a concluding sentence, DO NOT forget to include transitional signals
such as “all in all, in short, in brief, to summarize, to conclude, in conclusion”.

6. Do not forget to make use of CONNECTORS, LINKING WORDS, and TRANSITION SIGNALS.
 Sentences in a well-organized essay follow one another in a logical manner. The greatest help to
the “flow of ideas” in an essay are the connectors, linking words, and transition signals.

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 PART 3: CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH

 Conclusion paragraph is the last paragraph of an academic essay, and it summarizes the ideas which
are presented throughout the essay. Typically, a conclusion paragraph consists of two sentences; a
concluding sentence and a final comment. Let’s learn more about these sentences.

Concluding sentence: This sentence is the first sentence of your conclusion paragraph. It summarizes
the points you have made in your essay by restating your thesis statement. In other words, a concluding
sentence is the rewritten version of the thesis statement of an essay. For a well-organized essay, your
concluding sentence MUST start with a transition signal. Here are some that you may use in the future:
 To summarize  Briefly
 In summary  All in all
 In short  In conclusion
 In brief  To conclude

Final comment: Your final comment in an essay can be a piece of advice, a warning, a prediction, or any
statement that maintains your position in your essay. In other words, the final comment is a sentence
that presents your point of view regarding a certain topic.

How to Write a Concluding Sentence

Step 1. Choose one of the transition signals from the list above.
Step 2. Rewrite your thesis statement using the sentence structures that you have learnt so far. Try to
change the original sentence structure as much as possible without changing the meaning of the
sentence.
Step 3. Combine the transition signal and the restated version of your thesis statement to make one
sentence.

 Let’s rewrite some thesis statements to turn them into concluding sentences.

Thesis Statement 1. There are several important causes of global warming, two of which are
greenhouse gases and deforestation.
Concluding Sentence 1. To summarize, greenhouse gases and deforestation are two of the underlying
factors which bring about global warming.

Thesis Statement 2. There are numerous reasons why social media is so popular, but two stand out:
entertainment and convenience.
Concluding Sentence 1. All in all, social media not only provides entertainment but also makes life easier
for people; therefore, it is so popular around the globe.

Thesis Statement 3. There are numerous reasons why social media is so popular, but two stand out:
entertainment and convenience.
Concluding Sentence 3. All in all, social media not only provides entertainment but also makes life easier
for people; therefore, it is so popular around the globe.

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Exercise 5. Below are some cause essay questions for which you have already written thesis
statements in Exercise 3. Read your thesis statements for the questions and write one concluding
sentence for each of them.

1. Why do some people prefer to spend their whole life in their hometown?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Each year, many teenagers run away from home. What are the main causes?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do some universities require students to take courses which are not related to their
department?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why is listening to the radio still popular?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Huge new shopping malls such as Forum Istanbul have been very successful. What are the reasons for
their popularity?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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