5 Paragraph Essay
Understanding the Five-paragraph Essay
There are many different types of essays - argumentative, descriptive, persuasive, narrative, compare/contrast, and more. The five paragraph essay, on the other hand, is not an essay type. Instead, it is an essay writing format (not to be confused with citation style such as MLA or APA) that consists of one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. This essay format is often referred to as a one-three-one essay, or a 'hamburger' essay. If you are a college freshman or high school student who is just beginning to write essays, chances are most of your first essays will be in this format. However, even though it is designed for the beginning writer, this essay format can be more complicated than it appears. Because the writer only has three main ideas that s/he can use to get a point across, these ideas must be selected carefully. In addition to this, paragraph sequencing is also an important factor to consider. Fortunately, with a little bit of effort, it is possible to produce a satisfactory five paragraph essay.
Writing the Introductory Paragraph
There are a few things you want to accomplish in the introductory paragraph. First, you want to grab the reader’s attention. You can do this by starting off with a brief anecdote, making an intriguing or humorous statement, or introducing a surprising fact or statistic. Once you have done this, you want to introduce the topic and provide the reader with some relevant, cursory information. This is where you might describe a problem, controversial issue, or an event. Finally, you will introduce your thesis statement. This statement is what you will support in the three body statements.
Writing the Body Paragraphs
Because you only have three paragraphs in which to support your thesis, you must select your main supporting ideas carefully. It is usually a good idea to do some brainstorming and list all of the facts that you believe support your thesis statement. Then, after these facts are on paper, read through them and select the three that stand out as being the most important. These will become your three main ideas for your body paragraphs. The next step is deciding in which order these will be presented to the reader. There are many options for you to decide from. If you are writing about an event, you may wish to use a sequential order. Another option you may use is to start with the least compelling argument and end with the most compelling argument. Just remember to make sure that you have one identifiable main idea sentence in each paragraph, along with several supporting sentences.
Writing the Conclusion
It is very important to end with a strong conclusion. Remind the reader of your thesis, and why the evidence supports it. Don't rehash what is in the body paragraphs. Instead, synthesize that information for the reader and lead them to the conclusion that you want them to have. When writing your conclusion, avoid using the phrase 'in conclusion' or other similar terms. The readers should be able to tell that you are wrapping the essay up without you stating it explicitly.
Getting Help
Writing essays can be a difficult thing to master. Many students find themselves needing help as they get started. Some students find success in hiring tutors or using the school's writing lab. Other students utilize an essay writing service that has the topic-specific experts to produce scholarly essays. By getting these essays, the student is able to save his/her grade and, as well, have models as they work to improve their own essay writing skills.
