5 paragraph essay rules

Still, teaching students to organize essays into the five-paragraph format is an easy way to introduce them to writing literary criticism, which will be tested time and again throughout their primary, secondary, and further education. The introduction is the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a few specific goals: capture the reader's interest, introduce the topic, and make a claim or express an opinion in a thesis statement. Students can practice with creative writing prompts to get some ideas for interesting ways to start an essay. The next few sentences should explain your first statement, and prepare the reader for your thesis statement, which is typically the last sentence in the introduction.

The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay

Five paragraph essays are a common assignment throughout your school career, especially in high school and college. Luckily, five-paragraph essays are really easy to write if you know the expected format and give yourself the time you need to write it. To write your five paragraph essay, draft your introduction, develop three body paragraphs, write your conclusion, and revise and edit your essay. Then, use the next 3 paragraphs to explain 3 separate points that support your thesis.

For tips on how to revise your essay to improve the flow and formatting, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Facebook. No account yet? Create an account. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Article Edit. Learn why people trust wikiHow.

This article was co-authored by Alexander Peterman, MA. Alexander Peterman is a Private Tutor in Florida. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Explore this Article Drafting Your Introduction. Developing Three Body Paragraphs. Drafting Your Conclusion. Revising and Editing Your Essay. Essay Help. Show 2 more Show less Tips and Warnings. Related Articles.

Article Summary. Part 1 of Start with a hook. This sentence should be a generalized statement about your topic that gives the reader a basic idea about your paper's topic. Quotes, anecdotes, and quips all make great hooks for an essay. Include a sentence about your topic that provides more information.

Your second sentence should tell the reader more about your topic, while still remaining generalized. Provide necessary background information and define your topic.

For example, you could say something like this: While spring compares with birth, summer can symbolize maturity, with fall and winter showing a descent toward death. Write another sentence about your topic that leads to your thesis. Continue to provide background information, but start to narrow down toward your thesis.

The reader should begin to see the focus of your essay start to take shape. In an informative paper, mention the central idea and focus. As an example, you could narrow your topic like this: Writers often use nature metaphors in their work to show themes about life, such as the blossoming of youth.

Finish the introduction with your thesis. Your thesis should be the last sentence of your introduction, setting up the rest of your essay.

Your thesis should contain your stance, your supporting points, or the theme for your points. Each of your paragraphs will connect back to your thesis, so think of it as a road map for your paper. Each of the three examples provided in the thesis will become the topic of a body paragraph. For the example thesis, you would have body paragraphs about ripening berries, summer blossoming, and the blushing color of the fruit.

Part 2 of Arrange your points to sandwich your weakest. You should have three points, and you want your reader to view them as being strong. Starting off with your strongest point will show the reader that your stance is right, and ending with your second strongest point will create strong support for your thesis. This means that your weakest point needs to be in the middle. You should include three body paragraphs, one for each supporting point. Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence.

A topic sentence will state your point and connect it back to the thesis. This shows the reader why your point supports the idea s you presented in your thesis. The topic sentence will control the rest of your body paragraph, just like your thesis controls your essay.

Use a quote related to your thesis and analyze it in the body paragraph. If you use a topic sentence, put the quote next. Provide your evidence or examples. Depending on the type of essay that you are writing, you may pull evidence from a text or research that you did about your topic. If you use research, cite your sources in the appropriate format that your instructor specifies.

Add your own commentary. Your commentary is where you show your reader how your evidence or examples support your points and connect back to your topic sentence and thesis. Explain in your own words how your example or evidence proves your ideas, making your stance correct. However, commentary is essential to a successful essay. For example, provide one example, then provide the commentary.

Conclude your paragraph by linking back to your thesis. Show the reader how the points you expressed in this paragraph provide support. Part 3 of Restate your thesis. You should start your conclusion with the ideas you expressed in your thesis.

Instead, rewrite your thesis with the weight of your argument behind it. Your reader has now read all of your points and evidence, and your thesis should reflect this. If you're a beginning writer, it's okay to start your conclusion with "In conclusion. Summarize how your points supported your thesis. Include a review of how each body paragraph supported your thesis, reminding the reader of your arguments.

Avoid introducing new information. Providing new information in your thesis can result in lost points on your essay. This will cause your reader to walk away with questions instead of confidence in your ideas.

Tie up your essay with a concluding sentence. Your concluding sentence should leave the reader with a lasting impression of your topic. Use this statement to ensure that your reader keeps thinking about your essay after they have finished reading it. The following are great ideas for writing a good concluding sentence: [9] X Research source Include a call to action.

Provide a warning about what could happen if your stance is ignored. Include a quote. Make a universal statement about life. Part 4 of Use spell check. Spell check can easily save you lost points for misspellings. This should be your first step in editing your essay because you can have your word processor do your spell check and then take the provided suggestions.

Always reread your sentence to make sure that the word processor is suggesting the right word. Proofread your essay. Take a break from working on your paper. Then reread your essay looking for misspelled words, grammar errors, or typos. Look for errors that your spell checker missed. If you can, ask someone else to proofread your paper. They will usually spot errors that you overlooked. Revise your essay to improve the flow. As you reread your essay, make sure that your ideas flow well.

Prepare for standardized tests by mastering essay writing. The five paragraph essay is the most common structure for writing essays. Remember, the five-paragraph model can be expanded to include more body paragraphs that probe more deeply into your subject. Check with your instructor to.

As you progress through school, you'll be required to write essays. And the farther along in school you get, the more complex and demanding the essays will become. It's important that you learn early on how to write effective essays that communicate clearly and accomplish specific objectives.

That just about everyone reading this is well-familiar with the 5-paragraph essay is a testament to why it needs to be retired, and by retired, I mean killed dead, double-tap zombie-style, lest it rise again. The 5-paragraph essay is indeed a genre, but one that is entirely uncoupled from anything resembling meaningful work when it comes to developing a fully mature writing process.

The 5-paragraph essay is the most common academic task a student may face. Because the majority of these examinations restrict the student in time, you should be ready for the writing section.

Five-paragraph essay

Introduction: Introductory Paragraph See, first, Writing Introductory Paragraphs for different ways of getting your reader involved in your essay. The introductory paragraph should also include the thesis statement, a kind of mini-outline for the paper: it tells the reader what the essay is about. The last sentence of this paragraph must also contain a transitional "hook" which moves the reader to the first paragraph of the body of the paper. The first paragraph of the body should contain the strongest argument, most significant example, cleverest illustration, or an obvious beginning point. The first sentence of this paragraph should include the "reverse hook" which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the introductory paragraph.

Five Paragraph Essay: How to Write a Good Essay in 6 Steps

The five-paragraph essay is a format of essay having five paragraphs : one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs with support and development, and one concluding paragraph. Because of this structure, it is also known as a hamburger essay , one three one , or a three-tier essay. The five-paragraph essay is a form of essay having five paragraphs :. The introduction serves to inform the reader of the basic premises, and then to state the author's thesis , or central idea. A thesis can also be used to point out the subject of each body paragraph. When a thesis essay is applied to this format, the first paragraph typically consists of a narrative hook , followed by a sentence that introduces the general theme, then another sentence narrowing the focus of the one previous. If the author is using this format for a text-based thesis, then a sentence quoting the text, supporting the essay-writer's claim, would typically go here, along with the name of the text and the name of the author. Example: "In the book Night , Elie Wiesel says After this, the author narrows the discussion of the topic by stating or identifying a problem. Often, an organizational sentence is used here to describe the layout of the paper.

Introduction: states what the essay will be about.

Five paragraph essays are a common assignment throughout your school career, especially in high school and college. Luckily, five-paragraph essays are really easy to write if you know the expected format and give yourself the time you need to write it.

The Basics of Effective Essay Writing

When your aim is to give a clear answer to the exact question in your paper, then 5 paragraph essay is the best option. Students often get such task in college and university, because professors can easily check their skills in a topic. Such writing format looks very simple because it includes several parts and only pages. No matter its size such a task requires even more efforts than a traditional essay. The point is you have to work hard on the exact sentence because each one is under the spotlight. Besides, according to its small length, the author must create a proper structure and make a lot of edits. Sometimes editing requires much more time than writing. The format of the 5 paragraph essay is simple for the first sight. It includes traditional parts of academic papers: engaging introduction, full body, and interesting conclusion. If you know several tips about making 5 paragraph essay, you will be much more successful in this task. So use these pieces of advice, execute each step, and your paper will be awesome. This is how you should write a five-paragraph essay:.

Kill the 5-Paragraph Essay

When it comes to writing essays in college, we all need a place to start. Think of the five-paragraph essay as just that. Some students may find this to be a simple process, while others may spend a greater amount of time understanding this basic building block of college writing. Whatever the case, use the following guidelines to strengthen your knowledge of this preliminary essay format. Five-paragraph essays are incredibly useful in two situations — when writers are just starting out and when a writing assignment is timed.