The Formal Five-Paragraph
Essay
Mrs. K Prescott
The purpose of most expository
writing is to communicate ideas
or answer questions.
Expository Writing
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Gives information about a topic
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Explains ideas
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Answers questions
Five-Paragraph Format
1.
Introduction including thesis statement
as the final sentence
2.
First subtopic supporting thesis
3.
Second subtopic supporting thesis
4.
Third subtopic supporting thesis
5.
Conclusion including a restatement of
your thesis
Introduction
The introduction should be composed
of three parts:
1.
Statement of Situation
2.
Theme
3.
Thesis
Statement of Situation

A sentence (or a few) that establishes the
topic of the paper. It should be limited in
scope. (A brief summary of your topic)
Examples:
 In Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea,
Santiago stoically fights an unwinnable battle
against nature.
 The film Gattaca depicts a world in which
citizens have the opportunity to give birth to
genetically engineered children in order to
ensure their success in a society that favors
human perfection.
Theme

The author’s main idea; a universal truth
developed by the author.
Examples:
 Hemingway illustrates how man can be
destroyed, but he can never be defeated.
 Playing off Huxley’s warning in Brave New
World, Gattaca cautions against the possible
results of creating a society driven by
technological advancement.
Thesis
The main, controlling idea of the essay.
 Subject + verb + opinion + three subtopics to support your opinion.
Examples:
 Through Santiago, the marlin, and the
sharks, Hemingway creates symbols that
reinforce his theme that man can never be
defeated.
 The world of Gattaca exemplifies a
dehumanizing and immoral society through
the promotion of human genetic
modification, social isolation, and a belief
system founded on the principle of
predestination.

Introduction Example 1
In Hemingway’s The Old Man and the
Sea, Santiago stoically fights an unwinnable
battle against nature. Hemingway illustrates
how man can be destroyed, but he can never
be defeated. Through Santiago, the marlin,
and the sharks, Hemingway creates symbols
that reinforce his theme that man can never
be defeated.
*** Notice the repetition of “can never be
defeated” – this would need to be
addressed during the editing process.
Introduction Example 2
The film Gattaca depicts a world in which
citizens have the opportunity to give birth to
genetically engineered children in order to
ensure their success in a society that favors
human perfection. Playing off Huxley’s
warning in Brave New World, Gattaca
cautions against the possible results of
creating a society driven by technological
advancement. The world of Gattaca
exemplifies a dehumanizing and immoral
society through the promotion of human
genetic modification, social isolation, and a
belief system founded on the principle of
predestination.
Body Paragraphs
Use Correct Paragraph Form
Each paragraph should include:
Topic Sentence
 Three Examples
 Conclusion

No paragraph should be less
than five sentences.
Body Paragraphs
The body paragraphs should each
develop one main idea (one of
the three sub-topics in your
thesis statement)
Restate each subtopic as the topic
sentence for each of the next
three paragraphs.
Topic Sentence
 The
main idea of the paragraph.
It should state the topic of the
paragraph and explain how the
sub-topic proves or reinforces
your thesis statement.
Concrete Detail
Within your body paragraphs, you must
provide concrete details. Depending on
the topic of your essay, you could use:
 Direct quotes from the source (state the
speaker of the line before the quote)
 Current events
 Specific references to movies, T.V.
shows, novels or plays to support your
ideas.
Commentary

Commentary explains how the quotes,
examples, and concrete details support
or reinforce your thesis statement.
Choose specific words, images,
symbols, etc. to focus your commentary
on – and explain how and why the
details/examples/quotes are significant
Coherence

Commentary must clearly explain how
your concrete details support your
thesis
Paragraph 2 Format
Topic Sentence (Restates Example
#1 from the Introduction)
3 Example Sentences (Prove your
Topic Sentence)
Concluding Sentence (Explain how
your example reinforces your thesis)
And so on for paragraphs 3 and 4
Transitions


Use transitions to move from one idea
(paragraph) to the next.
Moreover, however, although, in addition,
furthermore, unlike, etc.
Example of a smooth transition:
If one paragraph in an essay on agriculture
ends with the idea that the use of horses
declines where there are tropical diseases,
the next paragraph needs to start with
something like “Disease is not the only disincentive to tropical agriculture…”
Conclusion

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Restate your thesis or main idea in different
words.
Explain how your sub-topics prove the thesis.
Closing sentence.
Avoid ‘In conclusion…” or “To conclude…”
Never add anything new to the conclusion
Format




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Introduction
First Subtopic
Second Subtopic
Third Subtopic
Conclusion
There you have it!
Expository writing isn’t
that difficult when you
have a plan. To make it
even easier you may
want to use a graphic
organizer like the
following to organize
your thoughts.
Five-Paragraph Essay
Organizer
Example 2
Name _____________________
Example 1
Main Example 2
Main Idea
Example 1
Example 2
Main Example 1
Example 3
Example 1
Example 2
Main Example 2
Example 3
Example 3
Writing Tips
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Be Specific – avoid ‘things’ , ‘stuff’ , ‘like’
Avoid beginning sentences with: It, This, But, And,
That,
All verbs should be present tense – be consistent
Avoid first person pronouns: I, we, us, me, our
Avoid second period pronouns: you
Avoid abbreviations (etc., e.g., &)
Avoid beginning sentences with ‘they’ unless it is
perfectly clear who you are talking about.
Eliminate as many ‘this’ ‘that’ ‘it’ ‘they’ words as
possible
Spell out numbers in your text
Never use contractions (can’t, don’t, doesn’t)
Watch out for subject-verb agreement.
Never use slang – kinda, wanna, tadaa, duh
Use a Thesaurus – avoid dead, tired words – use
intelligent, specific, and purposeful words
Presentation Requirements
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1 inch margins
Double-spaced – the WHOLE way through
Typed – 12 point font – Times New Roman
Indent each new paragraph
First page – MLA format
Works Cited Page – if needed – MLA format
Add a title AFTER the essay is written (let the
title emerge from the content)
Spelling and Grammar checks
Peer Conferencing
Read it aloud to someone else and make
sure they agree the essay does what you
want it to do
These guidelines and
organizational strategies for the
formal five-paragraph essay should
help you in your essay writing.
Once you are able to successfully
implement these strategies and
write an organized and purposeful
essay, you will learn how to diverge
from these expectations, write
longer essays, and be creative.
Six Traits of Writing
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Content/Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions