4. Introduction Body one Body two Body three Conclusion 75 words, 4 to 7 sentences 100 words, 7 to 10 sentences 100 words, 7 to 10 sentences 100 words, 7 to 10 sentences 75 words, 4 to 6 sentences ESSAY FORMAT
This is an important slide and you should spend more than a couple of minutes viewing it. If you will notice, the five rectangles represent the five paragraphs of the essay. All your essays will have five paragraphs. Also, you will notice that the body paragraphs are longer than the introductory paragraph or the body paragraph. This is because this is where you actually explain the content of your essay.
To write a good paragraph you must include the above mentioned parts to your paragraph. Many students want to begin explaining their reasons in the first paragraph, but this is a mistake. What you want to do is give the reader an idea your position and your reasons. You will explain your reasons in the body paragraphs. Slow down. Don’t get ahead of yourself in this paragraph.
Here is an example of an introductory paragraph. The sentence in blue is the lead-in sentence. If you will notice, this sentence simply brings up the topic of smoking. You do not state your position in the first sentence. The sentences in black are transition sentences that will lead you to the sentence in red, the thesis sentence. The thesis sentence is the most important sentence of your essay. It provides a map for your essay. This sentence has two parts: position and reasons. If you do not have a solid thesis sentence, chances are you will not pass this part of the test. The thesis sentence is the first thing that the reader will look for in your essay so make it a good one.
The body paragraphs are the most difficult to write because you have to actually come up with your own examples and illustrations. The best thing is to think before you write. If you begin writing before actually thinking, you will either tend to repeat yourself or go off topic which will only get you in trouble. So take some time and think, brainstorm or outline you body paragraphs.
Notice that the first and last sentence of the paragraph basically say the same thing. In the middle sentences you give more information on your topic sentence. Some students like to tell short stories, and if you can think of a story to illustrate your point this could be a good idea. But there is one danger in using stories to get your point across: your story may take more words to tell than you anticipated which could be a problem. So if you do tell a story, keep it short.
These transition phrases are easy to remember because they all begin with the letter F. When you walk into the testing center, the less you have to remember the better off you are.
