Essay Structure

What is an Essay?
The main purpose of any essay is to
discuss, persuade, describe, explain,
interpret or analyze a particular topic.

Essay Structure
An essay has three main parts:
An introduction (introductory paragraph)
A body (at least one, but usually more
paragraphs)
A conclusion (concluding paragraph)

Essay Structure (2)

INTRODUCTION
General statements
Thesis statement
BODY
A Topic sentence
1 support
2 support
3 support
(Concluding sentence)
B Topic sentence
1 support
2 support
3 support
(Concluding sentence)
CONCLUSION
Restatement or summary of the main
points; final comment

The Introduction
An introductory paragraph has 2 parts:
General statement

Introduce the general topic of the essay.

Capture the readers interest.

Thesis statement

States the specific topic.

May list subtopics or subdivisions.
May indicate the pattern of organization.
Is normally the last sentence in the introductory
paragraph.

Body Paragraphs
The body paragraphs are used to:
Develop your topic.
Prove your points.
The body paragraph should have:
Some sort of pattern (chronological order or
comparison/contrast, or a combination of
both)
A logical division of ideas (division into
subtopics and discussion of these subtopics in
separate paragraphs)

The Conclusion
The conclusion is the final paragraph
in an essay. It has three purposes:

It signals the end of the essay.

It reminds the reader of your main points. You
can do this in two ways:
Summarize your subtopics.
Paraphrase your thesis.

It leaves the reader with your final thoughts

on the topic.

Essay Outlining
A formal outline has a system such as the
following:
Roman numerals I,II, and III for the major
sections of an essay (introduction, body,
conclusion)
Capital letters A,B,C and so on label the body
paragraphs.
Numerals 1,2,3 and so on number the subpoints
in each paragraph.
Small letters a,b,c label specific supporting
details.

ESSAY

Essay Outlining (2)

I INTRODUCTION
General statements
Thesis statement
II BODY
A To pic sentence
1 support
a supporting details
b supporting details
2 support
3 support
(Concluding sentence)
B To pic sentence
1 support
2 support
3 support
(Concluding sentence)
C Topic sentence
1 support
2 support
3 support
(Concluding sentence)
III CONCLUSION
Restatement or summary of the main points; final comment

Questions?
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