“I always did well on essay
tests. Just put everything
you know on there, maybe
you’ll hit it. And then you get
the paper back from the
teacher and she’s written just
one word across the top of
the page, “vague.” I thought
“vague” was kind of vague.
I’d write underneath it
“unclear,” and send it back.
She’d return it to me,
“ambiguous.” I’d send it
back to her, “cloudy.” We’re
still corresponding to this day
… “hazy” … “muddy”…”
Jerry Seinfeld (Sein Language,
Bantam Books: 1993)
Organizing an
Academic Essay
Conclusion
Introduction
Body
Paragraphs
© 2001 by Ruth Luman
References
Introduction
What is an essay ?
An essay is a piece of writing that usually has five or more
paragraphs. An essay is written about one topic that has
several main points. The main points are introduced in an
introductory paragraph and supported in body
paragraphs. The conclusion is the last paragraph.
Essay
Introduction
_____________
Body Paragraph 1
_____________
Body Paragraph 2
_____________
Body Paragraph 3
_____________
Conclusion
_____________
Parts of an Essay
An Introduction
An introductory paragraph is the first paragraph in an
essay. It contains two parts.
General Statements:

Hook/Lead grabs the reader’s attention

General info about the topic or the subject

If you’re writing about a novel: title and author of
book, and a brief plot summary
A Thesis Statement: one sentence that tells your
reader the main points of your topic and states the
overall “plan” of your essay.
Example
An Introduction
General Statements
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is the story of a young
girl, Lily Owen, who searches for the truth about her mother’s death
which she thinks she might have caused. Along the way she learns a
great deal about herself and about her friend Rosaleen because they
run away from home and travel to Tiburon, South Carolina where Lily
finally uncovers the truth about her mother’s death. Lily faces many
conflicts on her quest, some internal and others external, and by the
end of the novel, she has changed because of the conflicts and
challenges she faced.
Thesis Statement
Example
An Introduction
General Statements
If you can’t think of a good intro, write the essay and come back later
to add the introduction. When you do this, try to hook the reader’s
interest.
Lily faces many conflicts on her quest, some internal and
others external, and by the end of the novel, she has changed
because of the conflicts and challenges she faced.
Thesis Statement
Parts of an Essay
Body Paragraphs
The body consists of one or more paragraphs following the
introduction. Each paragraph supports the main idea of
your essay by breaking it down into smaller ideas or subtopics. Each body paragraph consists of a topic sentence
and several supporting sentences. A conclusion sentence
draws the paragraph together.
Introduction
Body
Paragraph 1
Body
Paragraph 2
Body
Paragraph 3
Body Paragraphs…
Remember, every body paragraph should only
cover one main idea each. Follow your road
map…discuss each idea in the same order you
present them with in the introduction…
Introduction
Body
Paragraph 1
Example
Body Paragraph
Topic Sentence
The biggest conflict that Lily faced in her quest for the truth was with her
father, T. ray. T. ray was mean to Lily and often used harsh punishments
when he was annoyed with her. Sometimes she was punished even if she
hadn’t done anything wrong. For example, T. Ray makes Lily kneel bareknees on grits on a wood floor just because she…(Now use at least one
specific example to support your idea)
•A specific example
•IMPORTANT!!!—Explain the example—SHOW the reader that
example is appropriate by telling how it supports the main idea of the
paragraph.
•If possible, set up a transition to the next main idea or the next
supporting example
Supporting Sentences
Concluding Sentence
Parts of an Essay
Conclusion
The conclusion paragraph is the last paragraph in the essay. It
completes the essay by summarizing or highlighting the most
important ideas. The conclusion can also include an opinion, a
prediction, or a solution to a problem.
Introduction
Body Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 2
Body Paragraph 3
Conclusion
Example
Conclusion
Don’t state the
obvious!
Summary of Main Ideas
“In conclusion, Lily Owen faces her internal and external conflicts with
courage. Because of her courage to overcome trouble, she changes and
matures. She also learns that sometimes problems and conflicts make us
stronger and better if we let them. If she had given up when faced with
trouble, she might never have learned this, so we can learn from her story
too. The lesson is that we should never give up no matter how difficult life
gets because we will change and grow.
Why this is important
Overview of an Essay
Introduction
Body Paragraphs
Support the main
ideas of the thesis
statement
Begin with topic
sentences
Always include and
explain your
examples…show
why they are
relevant to your
main point.
Body
Paragraph 1
Body
Paragraph 2
General statements
and information
about the topic
Thesis statementlists the main ideas
in the essay
Conclusion
Body
Paragraph 3
Look back and ask
yourself, why did I
say what I said?
What is important
about my point? Is
there an overall
theme?