The 5 Paragraph Essay
Help on how to write one.
The Purpose of an Essay
• An essay states and supports an opinion
with evidence and explanation.
• Essays are generally used to persuade
others to agree with you.
Contents
• The first paragraph is the introductory
paragraph.
• The middle paragraphs are the body
paragraphs.
• The last paragraph is the concluding
paragraphs.
Body Paragraphs
• Each body paragraph states and explains
a main point you’re using to prove your
opinion.
• An opinion is stronger when it has more
supporting facts behind it.
Evidence
• When writing about a text, the strongest facts
and evidence is the actual text itself.
• From Beowulf quote the text in quotation
marks and put the line numbers at the end in
parenthesis.
• Example: “Cullen concludes, ‘Of all the things
that happened there / That's all I remember’
(11-12).
• Use back slashes to separate lines of poetry.
Introductory Paragraph
• The hook, your first sentence, is usually a
general statement about your topic:
• “Long ago, people told stories about heroes that…”
• Your second sentence should introduces your
topic.
• Your next few sentences should be your main
points reasoning for your opinion.
• The thesis, your opinion, is at the bottom.
Another Example
• My main theme for Romeo and Juliet is
that love overcomes hatred, but at a
price.
• So – what are my reasons for thinking
this?
• It’s time to brainstorm!
Brainstorming
• I ask myself, “What do I know about Romeo
and Juliet and more specifically love
overcoming hatred at a price in the play?
• Firstly, I think about Romeo and Juliet falling in
love. They find out that they’re from rival
families only after their love-struck first
connection.
• So, what should I do now?
Looking Back to the Text
• If I look back at the text I find out that Juliet
has a solution for her and Romeo’s problem.
She says, “Deny thy father and refuse thy
name.”
• So what does this mean?
• It means that to overcome hatred for an
enemy Capulet, Juliet, Romeo would need to
refuse (deny) his own identity as a Montegue.
• So what do we have now?
Possibly a Main Point
• I can now support my thesis with this point:
– Romeo and Juliet must pay the price of denying
their families and give up their rich familial
inheritances to embrace love and overcome
hatred.
• But now how do I get another point?
• Back to Brainstorming!
And what else?
• So now perhaps I think about the end of the
play when Romeo and Juliet are dead and
their parents make peace. This is probably the
ultimate reason because it comes at the
climax of the story.
• The line from the prologue, “Do with their
death bury their parents' strife” could be of
use here.
And More
• Another line at the end between Master
Capulet and Master Montegue says , “O
brother Montague, give me thy hand,”
indicating that they have truly “buried their
strife,” especially when they resolve to make
monuments to one another’s dead children.
• So where’s my main point here?
I could say…
• Even when hatred kills love, love pays the
price of death and still overcomes hatred.
An Introductory Paragraph
• Hook: Love and hatred have forever been at
odds with each other throughout time.
• Introducing the topic: In Shakespeare’s Romeo
and Juliet, the title characters fall in love
despite their parents hatred, proving that love
is stronger than even the hatred of a feud and
is willing to pay any price.
Points
• Point 1: Romeo and Juliet pay dearly by
denying their families and giving up their rich
familial inheritances to embrace their love for
one another.
• Point 2: Even when their families hatred forces
them to take their lives in the end, the price of
their death overcomes their families’ hatred
and brings peace.
Thesis: This proves that love can always
overcome hatred, even when the price is high.
Transitions
• Transitions indicate relationships
between the different parts of writing
like sentences and paragraphs.
• Sequential transitions (“firstly,”
“secondly,” and so forth) are the easiest
ones to use.
• If you’re becoming more accomplished as
an essay writer, you might want to try
some more complex transition words.
Other Transition Words
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
In Comparison In Contrast
Addition
Time
furthermore
moreover
too
also
in the second place
again
in addition
even more
next
further
last, lastly
finally
besides
and, or, nor
first
second, secondly, etc.
yet
while
in the same way
and yet
immediately
by the same token
nevertheless
never, after
similarly
nonetheless
later, earlier
in like manner
after all
always, when
likewise
but
soon, whenever in similar fashion
however
meanwhile
Effect
though
sometimes
therefore
otherwise
in the meantime
consequently
on the contrary
during, afterwards
accordingly
in contrast
now, until now
thus
notwithstanding
next
hence
on the other hand
following, once
as a result
at the same time
then
Illustration
at length
to illustrate, to demonstrate
simultaneously
specifically, for instance
so far, this time
as an illustration, e.g., (for example)
subsequently
for example
More Example
Point A: Romeo and Juliet pay dearly when they deny
their families, giving up family wealth, to embrace their
love for one another.
Proof: Romeo and Juliet are largely defined by their
families’ wealth and prestige in Verona and are never
portrayed doing work. Their elevated positions are
furthermore secured by the more formal metered lines
Shakespeare gives them to speak.
Quotation: And yet Juliet in the balcony scene says,
“deny thy father and refuse thy name” (lines x-y).
• Explanation: Despite the Friar’s hope that their
marriage will bring the families peaceably
together, it is just as likely that it will cause the
families to outcast them. Without family money
and support, Romeo and Juliet may be forced to
take jobs they would otherwise think beneath
them. Have they considered this possibility, or are
the fated pair just acting rashly? Their infatuation
does seem overpowering, but perhaps that only
means that they have considered the possibility
and have decided to take the risk.
Concluding Sentence: Despite this slight
ambiguity, Romeo and Juliet, who pay the
ultimate price, probably are willing to give up
wealth to be with one another.
Common
Grammar Mistakes
Created by Melissa Cline
JCTC English Instructor
Colloquialisms/Cliches
• Do not use colloquialisms in formal writing. Colloquialisms
can be defined as words, slang, or phrases often said in
everyday speech, but that are not appropriate for academic
writing.
• Examples: ain’t, gonna, “It’s raining cats and dogs,” etc.
• Cliches: Tired, overused sayings and expressions.
• Example: “His eyelids were as heavy as lead.” “I was hanging
by a thread.” “I am cool as a cucumber.”
Faulty Parallelism
• Readers expect items in a series to
appear in parallel grammatical form.
When one or more of the items, violate
readers’ expectations, a sentence will be
needlessly awkward.
– Abused children commonly exhibit one or
more of the following symptoms:
withdrawal, rebelliousness, restlessness,
and they are depressed.
– After assuring us that he was sober, Sam
drove down the middle of the road, ran one
red light, and two stop signs.
Wordiness
• For all intents and purposes, the reason Mr.
Henderson arrived late for work was due to
the fact that he stopped at very many traffic
lights that were red in colour. (31 words)
• Corrected: Mr. Henderson arrived late for
work because he stopped at many red
lights. (13 words)
Subject/Verb Agreement
• The subject of a sentence must agree with the
verb of the sentence.
• They must agree in two ways: in number:
singular vs. plural in person: first, second, or
third person
– Each of Sylvia Plath’s “bee poems” use the theme
of beekeeping to express aspects of the human
condition
– The characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
lives in a world that has been turned upsidedown.
Indicating Possession
• Possessive nouns indicate ownership, as in
Tim’s hat or the lawyer’s desk.
• When to add apostrophe s
– If the noun does not end in s, add ’s
– If the noun is singular and ends in s, add ’s
– If the noun is plural and ends in s, add only an
apostrophe.
• Avoid common misuses of the apostrophe
with nouns that are not possessive
– Some outpatient’s are given special parking
permits.
Run-on Sentences
• Run-on sentences join two or more complete
sentences with no punctuation.
– Michaela loves to draw horses she is a talented
artist.
– The night was cold we forgot to bring our coats.
It’s for its and they’re, their, there confusion.
It’s versus its
•
•
•
•
Download the HTA, along with it's readme file.
Download the HTA, along with its readme file.
The laptop is overheating and its making that funny noise again.
The laptop is overheating and it's making that funny noise again.
They're, their, there
• The managers are in they're weekly planning meeting.
• The managers are in their weekly planning meeting.
• The techs have to check there cell phones at the door, and their not happy
about it.