How to Write a Five-Paragraph Essay
Teachers frequently assign English composition students a five-paragraph essay to help them develop their critical-thinking skills and show them how to write in an organized manner. College students will find the basic format useful to them throughout their academic careers. When composing an essay in this style, always remember to tell the reader the idea you're planning to convey, then the supporting evidence and finally a summation of why the concept is important.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- An introductory paragraph
- An attention getter (aka grabber or hook)
- Three supporting body paragraphs
- A concluding paragraph
- A topic sentence for each paragraph
- Evidence to support your three main points
- Transitions
Instructions
-
-
1
Begin your introductory paragraph with an attention getter (sometimes called a hook or a grabber). This may take the form of a startling statement or an interesting quote. Then provide your reader with a brief background of the subject that you are going to write about. Finally, your introductory paragraph should end with a thesis statement. The thesis statement briefly states the three main points that you wish to make within the body paragraphs of your paper.
-
2
Assemble the supporting evidence for your thesis sentence for the body of the essay. Each body paragraph will begin with a topic sentence of its own discussing one of the three points listed within the thesis statement. This sentence should be followed by several fact-based details that will support the argument of this particular point. Finally, each body paragraph should have a conclusion sentence that wraps up the paragraph and transitions into the following paragraph.
-
-
3
Hammer home your main point in the conclusion. The final paragraph begins with a restatement of your thesis. In this paragraph, you may discuss any conclusions that you have reached based on the evidence you have presented within your body paragraphs. You should summarize what has been discussed in the body paragraphs, concluding with a statement of why the reader should agree with your position on this topic.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Research a credible database to obtain scholarly articles that will provide fact-based evidence to support your argument.
Avoid making an emotional argument and focus on the facts.
Be sure to cite your sources properly to avoid plagiarism.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
