1. An Overview of a Well-Structured Essay
Created by:
Darren Chiang-Schultheiss
English Department
Fullerton College

2. Before We Get Started... Guiding Principles: Structure Organization
Communication

3. (¶) Paragraphs Have a Structure: 3 Main Parts
Topic sentence
Must contain a subject and a claim (angle or opinion about the subject of the essay)
Central or controlling idea of the ¶
Focuses the paragraph on a single main idea
Limits what you can talk about in the ¶
Supporting sentences
Should develop the topic sentence with:
Details
Examples
Specifics
Concluding sentence
Should bring a sense of closure to the ¶

4. Essays Have a Structure: 3 Main Parts
Introductory paragraph
Multiple main body paragraphs
Conclusion paragraph

5. The Introductory Paragraph
The introductory paragraph should accomplish three tasks:
Hook the reader;
Establish the subject of the essay;
State the thesis in the form of a declarative sentence.

6. What Is a Thesis Statement?
It’s the most important element of the essay.
It’s the brain, the central nervous system of the essay.
There are different kinds of thesis statements, but we’ll deal with the declarative thesis first.

7. The Declarative Thesis Statement
Makes a claim or assertion about that subject
2 forms of a declarative thesis:
Generalized: Traveling can broaden one's outlook.
Mapped: Traveling can broaden one’s outlook on acceptable public behavior, on non-verbal communication, on personal space, and on differences in personal hygiene.

8. Multiple Main Body Paragraphs
The job of the main body is to:
Support
Prove
Explain
the thesis statement that was in the introductory ¶.
Each ¶ in the main body should be in charge of breaking the thesis statement down into smaller, more manageable parts.
Therefore each ¶ develops one sub-idea of the thesis.

9. The Conclusion Paragraph
The primary job of the conclusion ¶ is to let the reader know that you’re finished writing.
Bring the essay full circle to where you started the essay.

10. Summary endings Vs. conclusions
Summaries regurgitate information
Conclusions:
bring closure to the essay;
make final statements;
leave the reader with a powerful thought;
put the subject matter into a larger context;
call the reader to action

11. Paragraph and Essay Structures Are Similar
Topic Sentence
Developing Sentences
Conclusion Sentence
ESSAY
Introductory ¶ with thesis statement
Main Body ¶s
Conclusion ¶