Essay Writing
Structure of Essay
An essay has three basic parts:
1. Introduction
2. Three body paragraphs
3. Conclusion
• Each part is a separate paragraph(s).
• The first sentence of each paragraph is
indented.
1. Introduction
• The first paragraph is the introduction of the
essay.
• Introduction to an essay must have a hook,
background information, and a thesis
statement.
• Introduction contains the thesis of the essay,
which states what the entire essay is about.
a. Hook:
A hook is a statement that begins the
introduction. It includes one or two interesting
sentences that engage the readers’ attention
and stimulate their curiosity.
Example:
• We all dream about our wedding celebration,
but when it happens, we do not know what
to expect.
2. Background Information:
Background information in most cases follows
the hook. It contains a general statement or
statements that give a broader picture of the
subject matter to be discussed.
Example: (context)
• I met my husband on a student trip to Delhi.
After four years of letter writing and visiting,
we finally announced our engagement and
planned for the event.
3. Thesis Statement:
• A thesis statement usually comes at the end of
the introduction.
• It contains the topic and controlling idea for
the whole essay.
• The topic is the theme or subject matter of
the essay.
• The controlling idea defines the purpose of
the essay and sets its direction.
topic
controlling idea
• My wedding day was the most thrilling day of
my life.
We all dream about our wedding
celebration, but when it happens, we do
not know what to expect. I met my
husband on a student trip to Delhi. After
four years of letter writing and visiting,
we finally announced our engagement
and planned for the event. My wedding
day was the most thrilling day of my life.
One of the Best Moments of My Life
• It was a sunny day in the summer of 1998
when my family moved out of the city to the
suburbs. I did not like leaving because I
would lose my friends and the places where I
have had so much fun. It was vey sad for me
to see my friends standing in front of the old
house as we said our last goodbyes. Little did
I know that this move would turn out to be
one of the best moments of my life.
Read the introduction to an essay and then
answer the questions below:
1. Circle and label the hook.
2. Underline the background information.
3. Underline the thesis statement.
4. Write the topic of the thesis statement.
_______________________________
5. Write the controlling idea of the thesis
statement.
_______________________________
2. The Body
• The body paragraphs develop the idea
presented in the introduction.
• Each body paragraph has a topic sentence and
details that support the thesis in the
introduction.
• The topic sentence of a body paragraph also
states what that body paragraph is about.
• The topic sentence clearly states the
content of each paragraph.
• It supports and expands on an aspect of
the topic and controlling idea of the
thesis statement.
• The topic sentence is often the first
sentence of a body paragraph.
• All supporting details in a body paragraph
must clearly relate to each other.
• Supporting details can be description,
definitions, examples, anecdotes, statistics, or
questions.
• Quotations may be from a published work or
from a personal interview.
• The concluding sentence may either bring the
idea of the paragraph to a close or suggest the
content of the next paragraph.
3. Conclusion
• Last paragraph of the essay is the conclusion.
• It brings the essay to a close.
• The conclusion is usually three to four sentences
in length.
• It restates the thesis of the introduction in
different words.
• This restatement connects the conclusion to the
introduction.
• It may give an advice or a warning.
• It may make a prediction or ask a question.
• It can provide new insights and discoveries
that the writer has gained through writing the
essay.
Sample Conclusion
Academic writing requires critical thinking
skills, an understanding of the topic, high level
vocabulary, and correct grammar. Having
these skills is empowering since it has made
me a better communicator and student. I have
come a long way since I started college, and I
am now proud of the writing that I produce.
Read the conclusion of “Becoming an Academic
Writer” and then answer the questions.
1. How many sentences appear in the
conclusion?
2. Underline the sentence in the conclusion
that restates the thesis in the introduction.
3. The conclusion ends with:
a. Some advice
b. A prediction
c. A warning
d. An insight
Essay elaboration
Analytical essays can be elaborated with:
• Examples
• Statistics
• Questions
• Definitions
• Quotations, and
• Anecdotes
Unity
• Effective writing must have unity. Unity
occurs when all the ideas in a paragraph or
an essay support each other.
Unity within a Paragraph:
• A paragraph has unity when all the sentences
support the topic sentence, the main idea of
the paragraph. Without unity, the paragraph
loses focus.
• The topic sentence should focus on ONE topic
and controlling idea.
Unity within an Essay:
• An essay has unity when all the body
paragraphs contain a topic sentence and
supporting sentences that reinforce the thesis
of the essay.
• Without unity, the essay loses focus and goes
off the topic.
Example:
Thesis Statement:
My wedding day was the most thrilling day of
my life.
• TS1: Having my friends and family together at
my wedding was an amazing experience.
• TS2: The band we hired played music that the
guests loved, and we danced for hours.
• TS3: The preparations for the wedding were
exhausting.
Coherence
• Coherence in a paragraph means that all
the ideas fit together in a logical flow.
• The relationship between ideas is clear,
and one idea connects logically to the
next.
• Coherence can be achieved by using
transition words, logical order,
pronouns, and parallel forms.
Examples
• She likes to read novels. However, she does
not enjoy biographies.
• I enjoy writing my journal. However, I do not
like writing letters.
• His first novel was not a success; however, his
second work became a bestseller.
Ordering Ideas for Coherence
One way to achieve coherence in an essay is to
arrange ideas in a local order, such as
chronological order or order of importance.
Chronological order:
• In the beginning, next, then, first, second, or
finally
Order of importance:
• The most/least important thing, the next
priority thing/ third priority/ final goal….
Using Pronoun Reference for Coherence
A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun.
I, you, he, it, this, that, those, and these….etc.
Pronouns can be used to create coherence in an
essay.
Pronouns can also replace whole phrases or
ideas.
Example:
• I left my expensive dictionary in the library. I
do not know how I did that.
Using Parallel Forms for Coherence
Another strategy to achieve coherence is by
using a parallel forms. This means that all
items in a list have to be in the same
grammatical form.
Example:
• She cooked dinner, set the table, and
arranged the flowers.