Paragraph to Essay

Paragraph to essay
 An essay is a piece of writing several
paragraphs long
 Writing an essay is no more difficult than
writing a paragraph except that an essay is
longer
 If you can write a paragraph, you can write an
essay
Parts of essay
 Introduction (introductory paragraph)
 Body
 Conclusion (concluding paragraph)
Parts of essay
Introduction
 General statements
 Introduce the general topic of the essay
 Capture the reader’s interest
 Thesis statement
 States the specific topic
 May list subtopics or subdivisions of the main topic or subtopics
 May indicate the pattern of organization of the essay
 Is normally the last sentence of the introductry paragraph
Models of introduction
 Funnel introduction (page 60)

It begins with one or two very general sentences about the topic. Each
subsequent sentence becomes increasingly focused on the topic until the
last sentence shich states very specifically shat the essay will be about.
 Attention getting introduction (page 61)
 Dramatic, interesting, or funny story
 Surprising statistics or facts
 Historical background

See page 62 for introductory paragraph practice

More about thesis statement
 See page 63 and 64 for more about thesis
statement and the practice
Body
 Consists of one or more paragraphs
 Each paragraph develops a subdivision of the
topic, so the number of paragraphs in the
body will vary with the number of
subdivisions or subtopics
Body paragraph
 Should be organized according to some sort of pattern, such as chronological

order or comparison/contrast.

 A basic pattern for essays is logical division of ideas: you divide your topic

into subtopics and then discuss each subtopics in a separate paragraph.

 Logical divison is an appropriate pattern for explaining causes,reasons, types,

kinds, qualities, methods, advantages and disadvantages, as these typical

college exam questions ask you to do.

 Thesis statement for logical division of ideas: see page 65

 Practice for thesis statement for logical division of ideas: see page 66B, 67.

 Transition signals for logical division of ideas: See page 68

Transition signals between paragraph
 Linking paragraph with transitions help the reader see how
the subtopics are related.
 Link one paragraph to the next by adding a transition to the
topic sentence of the second paragraph.
 The transition may be single word, phrase, or dependent
clause that repeats or summarizes the main idea in the
preceding paragraph.
 See page 69 for the example.
 See page 297-299 for transition signals
Conclusion
 Like the concluding sentence in a paragraph, it is a summary or review
of main points discussed in the body.
 It signals the end of the essay. To do so, begin your conclusion with a
transition signal. See page 299.
 It remains your reader of your main points. You can:
 Summarize your subtopics
 Paraphrase your thesis
 It leaves your reader with your final thoughts on the topic. This is your
opportunity to convey a strong, effective message that your reader will
remember.