Writing a Multiparagraph
Essay
This is how a multi-paragraph essay
should look.
Introduction
Paragraph
1st Body Paragraph
2nd Body Paragraph
3rd Body Paragraph
Conclusion
Paragraph
Introduction Paragraph

Your intro should start general
and then get more specific.

Use an attention grabber (a
question, a strong image, etc.)
1.

Talk about the general
2.
themes or topics in a way that
anyone can relate to.
3.
4.
Thesis

Your thesis statement should
be the final sentence in your
introduction and should
contain a debatable opinion.
Thesis Statement

Perhaps the single most important
sentence in your essay

THE TOPIC + YOUR OPINION = THESIS

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 novel Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, the main
character is a boy named Cole Matthews.

In the novel Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole
Matthews is forever changed during his stay on an
isolated Alaskan Island.

In the novel 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, the main character in the novel
Spirit Bear by author Ben Mikaelsen, experiences a
rebirth due to his experiences on a remote Alaskan
Island.
YOUR THESIS
This is the format you will use for your
paper’s thesis. Plug in the info for your
paper into the blanks:
In George Orwell’s novel Animal
Farm, the character ______________
allegorically represents the Russian
figure/organization ______________
because ______________________
_____________________________.
Body Paragraph #1 - #3






Should begin with a topic
sentence that supports your
thesis
This sentence sets the topic
for this entire paragraph
It should contain concrete
details which illustrate or
support your topic sentence
Those concrete details
should be followed by
commentary sentences which
explain their importance
Commentary sentences
should be original ideas or
thoughts
Good commentaries go
beyond the obvious
#1
#2
#3
This is what your body
paragraph should look like.








Topic sentence
Concrete Detail #1
Commentary 1
Concrete Detail #2
Commentary 2
Concrete Detail #3
Commentary 3
Concluding Sentence
More about Body Paragraphs

The Topic sentence of each paragraph
should be a commentary type sentence
expressing an opinion which supports your
thesis

It should not be just a concrete detail

A good conclusion should wrap up what
was learned or pointed out in the entire
paragraph

Think of this sentence as a summary of
your paragraph.
Using Transition Words in
your body paragraphs

It is important to use transition
words when you switch between
concrete details

They can also be used between
commentary sentences that do not
build on one another

Or they can help to transition
between one paragraph and the
next
How to properly use transitions

Use a transition when joining two commentary
sentences that do not build on one another.
Example:
When Holmes first meets Dr. Mortimer he says, “I
observe from your forefinger that you make your
own cigarettes” (Doyle 9). Holmes has the ability
to notice details that most people overlook, and
this is a skill he is most proud of. Additionally,
these observational skill assists him in solving
difficult mysteries.


Use a transition between one “chunk” in your
paragraph and another.
Conclusion Paragraphs
• Conclusion should wrap up the essay
• It should move from specific to general
• It should leave the reader with
something to ponder or think about
• It should not just be a
1. Restate the thesis
2.
complete restatement
of the intro.
3.
4.
Restating the Thesis

The first sentence in your conclusion
should restate the thesis statement of your
essay

Restate means, using fresh new words,
remind the reader the point/opinion of
your essay

Try to think of an overall universal moral
or message that you can talk about to
round out your conclusion
Example of a Good Conclusion
Thesis: In the novel 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.
Conclusion #1: Due to his experiences on the
Alaskan island, Cole is completely transformed
and becomes reborn as a truly compassionate
and caring human being. He would not have been
able to make these miraculous changes had he
never visited the island. Cole changed because
he worked hard to overcome his past and the hard
life he had before coming to the island. We learn
that to change you must work hard.