Writing a
Multi-paragraph
Essay
F
This is how a multi-paragraph essay
should look.
Introduction
Paragraph
1st Body Paragraph
2nd Body Paragraph
Additional Body Paragraph(s)
Etc. if necessary
Conclusion
Paragraph
Introduction Paragraph
•
•
•
•
•
Your intro should start general
and then get more specific.
Talk about the general themes or
topics of the book in a way that
anyone can relate to.
If you are talking about a work of
literature, you should not mention
the name of the work or any
details about it until your thesis
statement.
Your thesis statement should be
the final sentence in your
introduction and should contain a
debatable opinion; however, you
can break it into 2 sentences, if
necessary, to make your point.
An introductory paragraph is not a
lengthy paragraph; normally 2 – 4
sentences long.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Thesis
Look at this introduction. Is it general or
specific at the start?
The fiction Touching Spirit Bear is about a boy named
Cole who gets in trouble with the law. The reason he
gets in so much trouble is that he has had a hard life.
When his father is not beating him, his parents are
totally neglecting him. Due to this abuse and neglect
Cole is extremely angry and violent. Because of all
this he is eventually sent away to an Alaskan island as
a punishment for what he has done. In the ficiton
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikealsen, Cole
Matthews goes through a reincarnation of sorts
and becomes a completely different person once
his experience on the island is over.
List your introduction based on Cole and
re-write it connecting to EVERYONE
Cole:
1.Cole encounters situations
that cause anger.
2.He does not know how to
manage it and resorts to
violence.
3.He is able to change and
become a better person.
Connecting with your
audience (everyone):
1. Everyone encounters
situations that can cause
anger.
2. Some are able to control
their anger, yet others can
not and resort to violence.
3. However, it is possible for
one to change to become
a better person.
Now, let’s see how it looks all together
Everyone encounters situations that can
cause anger. Some are able to control their
anger, yet others can not and resort to
violence. However, it is possible for one to
change for the better.
Super! All you need is your thesis statement
and you’re introduction is done!
Thesis Statement
• Perhaps the single most important sentence in
your essay
• Gives you permission to talk about ideas and
issues
• This sets the topic for your entire essay
• It should be general enough to allow you to
discuss all the issues you want to cover in your
essay
• It should be a debatable opinion using powerful
words and strong language
Which Thesis Statements follow the
guidelines for good thesis statements?
• In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, the
main character is a boy named Cole Matthews.
• In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen,
Cole Matthews is forever changed during his stay on an
isolated Alaskan Island.
• In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, the
main character is an angry young man named Cole
Matthews who gets sent to an Alaskan island for
savagely beating another boy.
• Cole Matthews, an angry juvenile delinquent whose
anger resorts to violence, experiences a transformation
due to his experiences on a remote Alaskan Island in the
fiction Touching Spirit Bear by author Ben Mikaelsen.
Here are some additional examples to guide you.
Remember, you can arrange the wording any way
as long as you have all the elements required…
• In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen
portrays how Cole Matthews who handles matters with
violence makes a positive transformation during his
banishment on a remote Alaskan island.
• In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen,
Cole Matthews is an angry juvenile delinquent who uses
violence to resolve his problems. He is banished to a
remote island in Alaska where he makes a
transformation to become a better person.
• In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen,
Cole Matthew, a destructive juvenile delinquent, changes
his outlook towards life and transforms into a better
person.
Here are some suggestions on
word usage for Cole before
• anger results in violence 
• anger – irritation, fury, rage, resentment,
irritation, infuriated, enraged, incensed
• violence – aggression, hostility, brutality,
belligerence, enmity
All you have to do to find a variation of
words is highlight the word and press
Shift-F7
Here are some suggestions on
word usage with Cole after
• transform – change, alter, convert
• new beginning – new start, resurrection, rebirth,
second chance, fresh start, renaissance,
awakening/reawakening,
• through his experience –events he goes
through, obstacles he encounters, altercations,
conflicts he endures, struggles he goes through,
battles