“I always did well on essay tests “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 Body Paragraph 1 _____________ Body Paragraph 2 Body Paragraph 3 Introduction _____________ 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 sub- topics. 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 A specific example 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 bare-knees 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. Body Paragraph 1 Introduction Conclusion Body Paragraph 2 Body Paragraph 3

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 General statements and information about the topic Thesis statement- lists the main ideas in the essay 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 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion Look back and ask yourself, why did I say what I said? What is important about my point? Is there an overall theme?

References Hogue, A. & Oshima, A. (1991). Writing Academic English. New York: Addison Wesley Publishing Company. Presentation adapted from one developed by Ruth Luman: Modesto Junior College. This project incorporates portions of copyrighted works. These items are included under the fair use exemption of the U.S. Copyright Law and have been prepared according to the educational fair use guidelines. They are restricted from further use.