How to write a 5 paragraph essay

How to write a 5 paragraph essay

How to Write a Solid Thesis Statement. How to write a 5 paragraph essay 5: Conclusion The last paragraph of a 5 paragraph essay — or any length should be a conclusion. Here you are taking your supporting arguments and briefly introducing them to the reader, without revealing too much information. The swarming of mosquitoes can literally drive annoyed campers indoors. PersuasiveArguntativeExpositoryNarrativeand Cause and Effect essays can all be written in this format. It helps to keep the rhythm of the text. This course guides beginning and intermediate writers through elements of how to write a personal essay, helping them identify values expressed in their stories and to bring readers into the experiences described.

Essay writing help: pros

A five-paragraph essay is a prose composition that follows a prescribed format of an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph, and is typically taught during primary English education and applied on standardized testing throughout schooling. Learning how to write a 5 paragraph essay write a high-quality five-paragraph essay is an essential skill for students in early English classes as it allows them to express certain ideas, claims, or concepts in an organized manner, complete with evidence that supports each of these notions. Later, though, students may decide to stray from the standard five-paragraph format and venture into writing an exploratory essay instead.

Still, teaching students to organize essays into the five-paragraph format is an easy way to introduce them to writing literary criticism, which will be tested time and again throughout their primary, secondary, and further education. The introduction is the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a few specific goals: capture the reader's interest, introduce the topic, and make a claim or express an opinion in a thesis statement. It's a good idea to start your essay with a hook fascinating statement to pique the reader's interest, though this can also be accomplished by using descriptive words, an anecdote, an intriguing question, or an interesting fact.

Students can practice with creative writing prompts to get some ideas for interesting ways to start an essay. The next few sentences should explain your first statement, and prepare the reader for your thesis statement, which is typically the last sentence in the introduction. Your thesis sentence should provide your specific assertion and convey a clear point of view, which is typically divided into three distinct arguments that support this assertation, which will each serve as central themes for the body paragraphs. The body of the essay will include three body paragraphs in a five-paragraph essay format, each limited to one main idea that supports your thesis. To correctly write each of these three body paragraphs, you should state your supporting idea, your topic sentence, then back it up with two or three sentences of evidence.

Use examples that validate the claim before concluding the paragraph and using transition words to lead to the paragraph that follows — meaning that all of your body paragraphs should follow the pattern of "statement, supporting ideas, transition statement. Words to use as you transition from one paragraph to another include: moreover, in fact, on the whole, furthermore, as a result, simply put, for this reason, similarly, likewise, it follows that, naturally, by comparison, surely, and yet. The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim from your thesis sentence. It should point out your main points, but should not repeat specific examples, and should, as always, leave a lasting impression on the reader.

The first sentence of the conclusion, how to write a 5 paragraph essay, therefore, should be used to restate the supporting claims argued in the body paragraphs as they relate to the thesis statement, then the next few sentences should be used to explain how the essay's main points can lead outward, perhaps to further thought on the topic. Ending the conclusion with a question, anecdote, or final pondering is a great way to leave a lasting impact. Once you complete the first draft of your essay, it's a good idea to re-visit the thesis statement in your first paragraph. Read your essay to see if it flows well, how to write a 5 paragraph essay, and you might find that the supporting paragraphs are strong, but they don't address the exact focus of your thesis.

Simply re-write your thesis sentence to fit your body and summary more exactly, and adjust the conclusion to wrap it all up nicely. Students can use the following steps to write a standard essay on any given topic. First, choose a topic, or ask your students to choose their topic, then allow them to form a basic five-paragraph by following these steps:. Once a student can master these 10 simple steps, how to write a 5 paragraph essay, writing a basic five-paragraph essay will be a piece of how to write a 5 paragraph essay, so long as the student does so correctly and includes enough supporting information in each paragraph that all relate to the same centralized main idea, the thesis of the essay.

The five-paragraph essay is merely a starting point for students hoping to express their ideas in academic writing; there are some other forms and styles of writing that students should use to express their vocabulary how to write a 5 paragraph essay the written form. According to Tory Young's "Studying English Literature: A Practical Guide":. Students should instead be asked to write other forms, such as journal entries, blog posts, reviews of goods or services, multi-paragraph research papers, and freeform expository writing around a central theme. Although five-paragraph essays are the golden rule when writing for standardized tests, experimentation with expression should be encouraged throughout primary schooling to bolster students' abilities to utilize the English language fully.

Share Flipboard Email. An Introduction to Essay Writing. Introduction Choosing a Topic. Writing an Introduction. How to How to write a 5 paragraph essay an Essay Writing a Great First Paragraph Strong Thesis Statements Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentences Check Your Knowledge: How to Support a Topic Sentence. Structuring and Outlining. How to Write a 5-Paragraph Essay Create an Outline Using a Venn Diagram Use Text Boxes to Outline and Organize Check Your Knowledge: Create a Simple Outline. Types of Essays. How to Write a Narrative Essay How to Write an Argumentative Essay How to Write an Expository Essay How to Write a Personal Narrative How to Write an Opinion Essay How to Write a Profile. Editing and Improving.

Making Paragraphs Flow With Smooth Transitions Replace These Overused, Tired Words An Essay Revision Checklist. By Grace Fleming Grace Fleming. Grace Fleming, M. Learn about our Editorial Process. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Fleming, how to write a 5 paragraph essay, Grace. The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay. copy citation. Write an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence for an Essay. How to Write a Solid Thesis Statement. Thesis: Definition and Examples in Composition. How to Develop and Organize a Classification Essay. How to Teach Topic Sentences Using Models. How To Write a Top-Scoring ACT Essay for the Enhanced Writing Test. Examples of Great Introductory Paragraphs. Classification Paragraph, Essay, Speech, or Character Study: 50 Topics. Writers on Writing: The Art of Paragraphing.

How to Write a Great Essay for the TOEFL or TOEIC. How to Write an Outstanding College Application Essay, how to write a 5 paragraph essay.

essay about high school

After revising your work, ask a friend or teacher for feedback on the overall argument and structure of the paper. Now that you know how to write a word essay, here are some tips to make the process a little easier. By following these tips, you can write your essay quickly and easily;. Don't try to write about a topic that is too broad or complex. Instead, choose something that you are familiar with and that you can easily research. Once you have chosen a topic, start writing the body of the essay first. This will help you to develop a strong argument and provide a good outline for the essay.

Choosing a title can be difficult, but it's important that you choose one before writing your essay. Try choosing an attention-grabbing title from which you can logically develop an interesting, informative, and engaging essay. Shakespeare's "To be or not to be" may not be a cliché, but it takes up valuable words in your word essay - so try to avoid them! Once you have finished writing your essay, edit it carefully to ensure that there are no spelling or grammar errors. Also, check to see that your argument is clear and well-developed. Although it's tempting to use a thesaurus to find fancy words, it's best to use them sparingly.

The goal of a word essay is to be clear and concise, not to use flowery language for the sake of it. Reading your essay out loud can help you to catch errors and awkward phrasing. It can also help you to make sure that your argument makes sense from beginning to end. Sometimes, you might be unsure about how to approach your essay or where to start. In these situations, it can help to take a break from the writing for a few minutes and come back to it later with fresh eyes. It may seem a lot but, actually, it is not much. A word essay hardly takes more than 4 pages, which is not much. How to Write an Essay.

How to Title an Essay. How to Start an Essay. Thesis Statement. Thesis Statement Examples. What is a Topic Sentence. Transition Words For Essays. How To Write A Conclusion. How to Make an Essay Longer. Types of Sentences. Essay Writing Tips. Writing Conventions. Writing a Word Essay - Easy Guide. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback.

In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed , times. Five paragraph essays are a common assignment throughout your school career, especially in high school and college. Luckily, five-paragraph essays are really easy to write if you know the expected format and give yourself the time you need to write it. To write your five paragraph essay, draft your introduction, develop three body paragraphs, write your conclusion, and revise and edit your essay.

Then, use the next 3 paragraphs to explain 3 separate points that support your thesis. For tips on how to revise your essay to improve the flow and formatting, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. wikiHow Account. No account yet? Create an account. Community Dashboard Write an Article Request a New Article More Ideas Edit this Article. Courses New Tech Help Pro New Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In. Home Random Browse Articles Courses New About wikiHow Easy Ways to Help Approve Questions Fix Spelling Quiz App More Things to Try We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy.

Cookie Settings. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Education and Communications College University and Postgraduate Academic Writing Essays How to Write a Five Paragraph Essay. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Essay Help. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Jake Adams and Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA Last Updated: November 12, References Approved. Part 1. Start with a hook. This sentence should be a generalized statement about your topic that gives the reader a basic idea about your paper's topic.

Quotes, anecdotes, and quips all make great hooks for an essay. Include a sentence about your topic that provides more information. Your second sentence should tell the reader more about your topic, while still remaining generalized. Provide necessary background information and define your topic. For example, you could say something like this: While spring compares with birth, summer can symbolize maturity, with fall and winter showing a descent toward death. Write another sentence about your topic that leads to your thesis. Continue to provide background information, but start to narrow down toward your thesis. The reader should begin to see the focus of your essay start to take shape. In an informative paper, mention the central idea and focus.

As an example, you could narrow your topic like this: Writers often use nature metaphors in their work to show themes about life, such as the blossoming of youth. Finish the introduction with your thesis. Your thesis should be the last sentence of your introduction, setting up the rest of your essay. Your thesis should contain your stance, your supporting points, or the theme for your points. Each of your paragraphs will connect back to your thesis, so think of it as a road map for your paper. Each of the three examples provided in the thesis will become the topic of a body paragraph. For the example thesis, you would have body paragraphs about ripening berries, summer blossoming, and the blushing color of the fruit.

Part 2. Arrange your points to sandwich your weakest. You should have three points, and you want your reader to view them as being strong. The thesis statement is usually only one sentence and is made up of the topic, focus, and three main points of the essay. Each body paragraph should start with a transition — either a word or phrase, like First , or Another important point is. Then, the first sentence should continue with your topic sentence. The topic sentence tells your reader what the paragraph is about, like a smaller-level thesis statement. The rest of the paragraph will be made of supporting sentences.

These sentences, at least four of them, will explain your topic sentence to your reader. Be sure that each sentence in the paragraph directly addresses both your topic sentence and your thesis statement. If you have a point to make that is not directly connected to the topic sentence, it does not belong in the paragraph. You might write a different paragraph on that other point, but you may not stick it into any old paragraph just because you thought of it at that point. You can't stick a red towel into a load of white laundry without causing damage to the rest of the clothes, and you can't stick a point that' off-topic into a paragraph without doing damage to the rest of the essay.

Keep your laundry and your paragraph points separate! The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay. This paragraph brings the essay to a close, reminds the reader of the basic ideas from the essay, and restates the thesis statement. The conclusion should not contain new ideas, as it is the summation of the content of the essay. The restatement of the thesis is a simpler form that the one originally presented in the introduction. An outline is often used to demonstrate the content of most five-paragraph essays:.

Before we finish, it is important to remember that the format of the five-paragraph essay is the foundation of nearly every other essay you'll write. When you get ready to write longer papers, remember that the job of the introduction and conclusion are just the same as they are in the five-paragraph essay. Also, when you write longer papers, change your idea of support from three body paragraphs to three or two or four body sections, with as many paragraphs as necessary in each section just as you had as many sentences you needed in each body paragraph. Below is an example of a 5-paragraph essay. Notice how the essay follows the outline. Each year, thousands of people throughout the United States choose to spend their vacations camping in the great outdoors.

Depending on an individual's sense of adventure, there are various types of camping to choose from, including log cabin camping, recreational vehicle camping, and tent camping. Of these, tent camping involves "roughing it" the most, and with proper planning the experience can be gratifying. Even with the best planning, however, tent camping can be an extremely frustrating experience due to uncontrolled factors such as bad weather, wildlife encounters, and equipment failures. Nothing can dampen the excited anticipation of camping more than a dark, rainy day. Even the most adventurous campers can lose some of their enthusiasm on the drive to the campsite if the skies are dreary and damp.

After reaching their destination, campers must then "set up camp" in the downpour.