The Basic Format of an Essay
The basic essay consists of five (5) well developed paragraphs. The main parts of an essay are the introduction, the body (where you develop your ideas), and the conclusion.
Paragraph I
Introduction: The first paragraph of the essay is the introduction. This paragraph contains an interesting statement or idea which gains the reader's attention. This paragraph should be three to four sentences, and the last sentence is the thesis statement.
Thesis Statement
Paragraphs II , III , and IV
Development (body): The body contains three paragraphs that clearly and adequately support the thesis of your paper. Each paragraph should develop supporting details for one specific idea of your thesis. The body paragraphs should be longer than the introduction paragraph, and all of the body paragraphs should be about the same length. The three paragraphs should be arranged in some logical sequence of order. Each body paragraph should be introduced with a topic sentence that clearly states what the paragraph is about, and it should contain a concluding sentence that adequately sums up the paragraph.
Paragraph V
Conclusion: The final paragraph of the essay is the concluding one. It should be relatively the same number of sentences as the introductory one, and it should sum up the essay and re-emphasize the thesis statement. Make sure not to introduce any new information in this paragraph.
Transitions
Transitions are words that connect ideas and paragraphs to make your work read smoothly. See Transitions.
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