How-to: Write an Essay

Some people may think,“ A five-paragraph essay — that’s a lot,” but it’s actually not that bad. Students may not always know how to approach writing an essay and as a result, they will start stressing over it. Chances are you are reading this article and are feeling the same exact way. So, let’s discuss the outline of an essay. A five paragraph essay consists of an introduction, three supporting details, and a conclusion.

To start off, an introduction is used to open up on what your essay is going to be about. The main idea of writing an intro is to draw your reader in and make them want to keep reading your essay. One piece of writing you should add in your introduction is a thesis statement. A thesis statement tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. A thesis statement lays out what specific details and topics you are going to be exploring. Another piece of writing your essay should include is a hook. A hook is a short piece of writing that grabs the reader’s attention. Then you’re ready to explain your topic more in detail in your body paragraphs.

Body paragraphs are extra information that helps you understand the main idea of your essay. A tip to use while writing your body paragraphs is to be as detailed and specific as possible. One thing you shouldn’t do while writing your body paragraphs is to add information that doesn’t follow the topic of the paragraph. One piece of writing to include in your body paragraphs is a topic sentence. A topic sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph. Another piece of writing you should add in your body paragraph is evidence to support your discussion. You set up what you’re exploring in your thesis statement, but why do you think your claim is right? If you say in your introduction that the author uses juxtaposition to show two characters are different, how do you know? What makes you believe this is true? This is where you defend your claim, in a sense. One last piece of writing you should add in the body paragraphs is a concluding sentence. A concluding sentence sums up what your paragraph was about.  Lastly, your essay should consist of a conclusion.

The conclusion wraps up your essay; it shows how you have proved your thesis statement. One thing you shouldn’t put in your conclusion is new ideas. A conclusion is a restatement of your thesis, just in a different way. It should leave the reader assured on the topic.

To conclude, writing an essay is pretty simple. All you need to put in your writing is an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. If you are having a hard time thinking of what to write just take a break and come back to it later. You got this!