5 essay format
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.
Basic Essay Structure: The Five-Paragraph Essay
The Five point also known as five paragraph essay is simply that—an, essay which completes its goal defending its thesis in five points. It is one of the easiest essays to utilize, though quite difficult to master, and so appears often in timed writing assignments.
An essay may serve any of several functions—from conveying a general thought to elucidating on a particular topic—however, it should always move the reader in some way, particularly in persuasive essays.
Start the introductory paragraph off broad. Be creative here. Get the reader interested. Different essays will require different sorts of introductory paragraphs, but most of the time, have a general statement, list your key points, then your thesis statement. Your thesis will almost always comes at the end of your introductory paragraph, and some people will tell you that it always should.
In general, one may visualize a basic introductory paragraph as an upside down triangle, moving from the most general topic the inverted base , to the pointed thesis at the bottom. Make good arguments.
Don't make bad arguments. Make attractive arguments. There are two routes to persuasion - the direct and peripheral route. The direct route uses concrete ideas.
That is: X is true because of A, B, and C. A, B, and C should be logical and convincing. You should cite your sources. The peripheral route relies on cues outside of one's conscious awareness to make an argument. The peripheral route relies on emotion to get the point across. Psychology has done research that shows attractive people have an easier time persuading others of their viewpoints, so make your essay attractive. Make your final product look professional, and make your writing to the point and verbose, but do not be overly wordy.
Other perspectives talk of logos, pathos, and ethos with respect to arguing your position. Logos is the logical aspects to an argument. Pathos the term for an argument based on emotion. Ethos is an argument based on trust. You want to establish trust with your reader. You want to make logical arguments that make sense, and you want to make the person reading your argument feel a certain way. For example, an argument based on logic would be, we should abolish the death penalty because it will save money and lives.
An argument based on ethos would be: I'm an expert on the death penalty, I have a PhD. An argument based on pathos would be, we should have the death penalty because of the evil acts people have committed, or my husband was brutally murdered and wouldn't you want justice for someone if they murdered your spouse?
Use good logic, establish trust, and make your arguments feel good and look pretty. Also, write more succinctly and cleanly than the preceding three paragraphs. Don't use apostrophes, or the words: good, or pretty. In your concluding paragraph, start specific and end broad.
Use the first sentence to reiterate your thesis in some way. Next you could summarize your arguments using different wording. Vary the depth of what you write depending on the length of the essay. For a long essay you could be more specific and flowery, for a short essay, be to the point.
Maybe you could add a little something to bolster or reinforce your arguments, but don't bring up material that diverges too radically from what you just wrote. If you do, you run the risk of confusing the reader, or seeming too diffuse in your writing. After this, you could write about the broad implications of what you just wrote about. Finally you could cap it off by quite briefly reiterating your argument and making a general statement or quote that will make your reader think and then you are done.
From Wikibooks, open books for an open world. Category : Book:How to Write an Essay. Namespaces Book Discussion. Views Read Edit View history. Policies and guidelines Contact us. This page was last edited on 18 January , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Prepare for standardized tests by mastering essay writing. The five paragraph essay is the most common structure for writing essays. A classic format for compositions is the five-paragraph essay. It is not the only format for writing an essay, of course, but it is a useful model for you to keep in mind.
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. If writing is like exercise, the 5-paragraph essay is more Ab Belt than sit-up. They cannot hope to develop unless and until we first undo the damage done. Not really.
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.
Introduction: states what the essay will be about. Three-Pronged Thesis: points 1, 2, and 3 are listed in order of appearance.
Alternatives to the 5 Paragraph Essay
A classic format for compositions is the five-paragraph essay. It is not the only format for writing an essay, of course, but it is a useful model for you to keep in mind, especially as you begin to develop your composition skills. It is used here with his permission. 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 first paragraph of the body should contain the strongest argument, most significant example, cleverest illustration, or an obvious beginning point.
Kill the 5-Paragraph Essay
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 79, lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Already registered? Log in here for access. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Log in or Sign up. Let's see. There are five senses, five fingers, five great lakes, 5-star restaurants - heck, five golden rings!
Its sturdy structure provides students with a safe and organized way to express their thoughts.
We bet that many of you have faced this form of academic written assignment at some point in your life and studies. Where is it used?
The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay
The Five point also known as five paragraph essay is simply that—an, essay which completes its goal defending its thesis in five points. It is one of the easiest essays to utilize, though quite difficult to master, and so appears often in timed writing assignments. An essay may serve any of several functions—from conveying a general thought to elucidating on a particular topic—however, it should always move the reader in some way, particularly in persuasive essays. Start the introductory paragraph off broad. Be creative here. Get the reader interested. Different essays will require different sorts of introductory paragraphs, but most of the time, have a general statement, list your key points, then your thesis statement. Your thesis will almost always comes at the end of your introductory paragraph, and some people will tell you that it always should. In general, one may visualize a basic introductory paragraph as an upside down triangle, moving from the most general topic the inverted base , to the pointed thesis at the bottom. Make good arguments.
Five-paragraph essay
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. To correctly write each of these three body paragraphs, you should state your supporting idea, your topic sentence, then back it up with two or three sentences of evidence. Words to use as you transition from one paragraph to another include: moreover, in fact, on the whole, furthermore, as a result, simply put, for this reason, similarly, likewise, it follows that, naturally, by comparison, surely, and yet. The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim from your thesis sentence. It should point out your main points, but should not repeat specific examples, and should, as always, leave a lasting impression on the reader.
