essay

ESSAY

Essay is a piece of writing that develops a topic into several paragraphs (i.e. introductory, body and concluding paragraph)
An essay has three main parts:
A. An introductory paragraph
B. Body paragraphs (at least one, but usually two or more paragraphs)
C. A concluding paragraph

A. An Introductory Paragraph
All writers (even professionals) complain that the most difficult part of writing is getting started. Getting started or writing an introduction can be easily done if you remember that an introduction has four purposes:
a. It introduces the topic of the essay.
b. It gives a general background of the topic.
c. It often indicates the overall “plan” of the essay.
d. It should arouse the reader’s interest in the topic.
In addition introductory has two important parts:
1. General statements
The first sentence in an introductory paragraph should be a very general comment about the subject. Its purpose is to attract the reader’s attention and to give background information on the topic. Each subsequent sentence should become more specific than the previous one and finally lead into the thesis statement.
In Summary, general statements:
- introduce the topic of the essay; and
- give background information on the topic.

2. A thesis statement
The thesis statement is the most important sentence in the introduction. It states the specific topic and lists the major subtopics that will be discussed in the body of the essay. Besides, it often indicates the method of organization such as chronological order or order of importance.
In conclusion, a thesis statement:
- states the main topic;
- lists the subdivisions of the topic;
- may indicate the method of organization of the entire paper; and
- is usually the last sentence in the introductory paragraph.

B. Body Paragraphs
The body consists of one or more paragraphs. Each paragraph develops a subdivision of your topic, so the number of paragraphs in the body will vary with the number of subdivisions. The paragraphs of the body are like the main supporting points of a paragraph. Furthermore, just as you can organize the ideas in a paragraphs by chronological order or by order of importance, you can organize the paragraphs in an essay in the same ways.
C. A Concluding Paragraph
The final paragraph is the conclusion, a very important part of the essay. In this paragraph you tell the reader that you have completed the essay. This is achieved by either writing a summary of the main points discussed in the body of the essay or by rewriting the thesis statement in different words. Then you add your final comments on the subject for thought. Since this is your last opportunity to make your point, you should write a strong, effective message that will be remembered.
To sum up, the concluding paragraph consists of:
- a summary of the main points, or
- a restatement of your thesis in different words, and
- your final comment on the subject.

The only additional element in an essay is the linking expressions between the paragraphs of the body. These are just like transitions within a paragraph. You use transitions within a paragraph to connect ideas between two sentences. Similarly, you use transitions between paragraphs to connect the ideas between them.
As you can see that writing an essay is essentially the same as writing a paragraph; an essay is just longer.

Essay Organization
Introduction
General Statements
Thesis Statement
Body
Logical and appropriate pattern of organization for the topic
Between-paragraph Transitions
Conclusion
Summary of the main points or paraphrase of the thesis, and
your final comments on the topic

Paragraph Organization
Topic Sentence for each paragraph
Supporting Sentences
Concrete Support
Unity
Coherence (transitional signals plus logical order)
Concluding Sentence (If necessary)