UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades Departamento de Lingüística English Language II: Written Discourse 2015

The Five-Paragraph-Essay

The five-paragraph-essay is a highly-structured form requiring an introduction

presenting the thesis statement, three body paragraphs, each of which presents an

idea to support the thesis together with supporting evidence and quotations, and a

conclusion, which restates the thesis and summarizes the supporting points. The use

of this format is controversial. Proponents argue that it teaches students how to

organize their thoughts clearly in writing; opponents characterize its structure as rigid

and repetitive. However, it offers useful tools for students who have begun to master

metalinguistic knowledge of texts in order to enhance their control over written works.

The five-paragraph-essay follows a defined format. The first paragraph

introduces us to the thesis of the essay and directs us to the three main supporting

subtopics. The second through fourth paragraphs are all similar in format. They

individually restate the subtopics, and are developed by giving supporting information.

The fifth and last paragraph restates the main thesis idea and reminds the reader of

the three main supporting ideas that were developed. All of these paragraphs are

important.

The introductory paragraph is the place in which the writer introduces the reader

to the topic. It is important to make this a clear and limited statement. This is where

the writer grabs the reader's attention. Because of its purpose, it is often the first

sentence of the paragraph. It is followed by three subtopics that develop the thesis.

Between this paragraph and all paragraphs of the essay, there needs to be some

kind of a transition word, phrase, or sentence.

Next, the body of the essay contains paragraphs two through four. They are all

similarly constructed. Their topic sentences are restatements, often in original form, of

the three supporting ideas presented in the first paragraph. The subtopic of each of

the body paragraphs is again supported by three or more supporting sentences.

These cement, in the reader's mind, the relevance and relationship of each of the

subtopics to the thesis statement.

Finally, the fifth paragraph is the summary paragraph. It is important to restate

the thesis and three supporting ideas in an original and powerful manner, as this is

the last chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information

presented. Because the purposes of the first and fifth paragraph are so similar, some

writers construct them at the same time. They will edit them, as necessary, as they do

with each and every part of the essay.

It is important to reiterate that each of the paragraphs is joined together by a

transition word, phrase or sentence. Transitions help the reader to follow the flow of

the logic and sequencing.

BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL BEGINNING WRITER

To become successful writers, students should follow some important steps. Just

attending the class is not enough. Novel writers need a good background in grammar

and vocabulary, skills in writing essays, and skills in editing to succeed in the writing

world. Learning to be a successful writer involves a lot of hard work.

First of all, it is important that students already have sufficient knowledge in

grammar and vocabulary. During the course, they should increase their vocabulary

and improve their grammar skills even more. The more vocabulary students know,

the better and easier the writing will be. Furthermore, it is also an advantage when

grammar skills are at a level that enables students to avoid comma splices, the wrong

verb tenses or forms, lack of punctuation, as well as lack of transition words. This

helps to earn a better final grade, as all those mistakes would decrease it. One

additional way to avoid mistakes is to follow the teacher's instructions —especially

when doing the homework. There may not be enough time in class to go into all the

details and to practice all the topics sufficiently. Without practice and revision of the

topics taught in class, there will probably be less improvement of vocabulary and

grammar skills.

The next step to becoming a successful writer is the ability to write essays. What

has to be considered? It is not just writing a nice story. There are certain rules that

have to be obeyed. Students should know that an essay consists of three main parts:

the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introduction needs to have a

thesis statement, one or more hooks, so it can help the reader to understand what the

main point is. The body can have several paragraphs, but each paragraph needs to

have one topic sentence, at least 5-8 sentences and a concluding sentence. The

body provides details to support the thesis statement. Then, the conclusion can be a

result, a recommendation or a prediction. When all these steps are completed, the

writer still has another job.

After writing an essay, students should also be able to edit their papers. Many

mistakes can be avoided if students look over their papers carefully after finishing the

writing. This should be done step by step by looking at the following: 1. sentence

boundaries, 2. verb tenses and verb forms, 3. nouns, articles, and numbers, 4. word

choices, word forms, and spelling, 5. one's own particular weakness, such as

prepositions in the case of the writer. Editing can be improved by doing homework.

This is a good way to reduce mistakes on the final exam.

As has been discussed above, writing is a very difficult process-especially for

non-native speakers. A writer must worry about many things. One must pay attention

to grammar and vocabulary. A writer should also pay attention to the process of

writing and edit his or her final draft. In conclusion, one should never say that writing

“comes naturally” to them; it is quite an endeavor for ESL students!

I. The Introduction Paragraph

In this first paragraph the writer must introduce the topic by making a thesis statement

(see below). The introduction should also hook the reader. This means that the

introduction should draw the reader in. It should make the reader want to read more

of the essay.

What is a thesis statement?

The thesis statement may be the most important sentence in an essay and appears

in the introduction paragraph. The thesis is like a preview that you see when you go

to the movies. If you read the thesis statement alone, you should be able to tell what

the entire essay will be about.

The thesis acts like a signpost for readers by telling them in what direction the essay

will go. It has two important functions:

1. Presenting the main idea of the essay.

2. Helping organize the essay.

Now, identify the thesis statement in the essay above.

Why do you need to have a thesis statement?

Having a thesis statement helps both the writer and reader. For the writer, the thesis

statement helps to organize and develop the ideas of the essay. For the reader, the

thesis provides a guide or map to the essay.

Steps to writing a thesis statement

1. State the main idea of the essay

2. Include information about the supporting details you will discuss.

3. Use specific language

The following features make a good thesis statement:

1. The thesis statement is a complete sentence.

2. If expressed, the writer's opinion is included in the thesis statement.

3. The thesis statement narrows down a broad topic into something more specific that

can be covered in a five-paragraph essay.

4. One main idea is expressed in the thesis statement.

5. A good thesis statement helps to organize the essay.

II. What are Body Paragraphs?

The second part of the essay is called the body. In a five-paragraph essay, the body

is made of 3 paragraphs. This is the main part of your essay. Like the supporting

detail sentences, these paragraphs provide the support to your introduction

paragraph and to your thesis statement. They fill the essay with details and

examples.

The body paragraphs should provide support to the introduction paragraph and to

the thesis statement. Body paragraphs fill the essay with details and examples.

Let's look at our sample essay again. In order to understand the body of the

essay, we first need to examine the introduction paragraph.

Identify the three items listed in the thesis statement above:

1) __________________________________________________________________

2) __________________________________________________________________

3) __________________________________________________________________

Since there are three items mentioned in the thesis statement there are three body

paragraphs. Each of the body paragraphs explains one of the three topics mentioned

in the thesis statement.

Now, identify key expressions in each of the body paragraphs that relate to the items

in the thesis statement.

III. What is the conclusion paragraph?

The third part of the essay is called the conclusion paragraph. It acts the same way

that a concluding sentence works. In this paragraph the writer should briefly restate

what they have written in the four previous paragraphs.

Now, let's look at our sample essay and characterize it.