Essay Structure (Part I)

Parts of an Essay

Body

The Introduction:
• The introduction guides your reader into the essay by grabbing
attention and introducing the topic.
Body Paragraphs:
• The body of the essay supports the main idea(s) mentioned in the
thesis. Each idea is developed in one or more paragraphs.
The Conclusion:
• The conclusion summarizes the main ideas of the essay and leaves
the reader with a final thought and a sense of closure.
Activity no. 1:
Put the scrambled essay in order (In groups of three or four).
 The Introduction
 The introductory paragraph, or introduction, is the first paragraph
of an essay. It has two functions: (1) It attracts the reader's interest,
and (2) it introduces the topic of the essay.
 The introduction has two parts: several general statements and one
thesis statement. The general statements give the reader
background information about the topic of the essay. They should
lead your reader gradually from a very general idea of your topic to
a very specific idea.
 The first general statement in the introduction just introduces the
topic. Like the lens of a camera moving in for a close-up picture,
each sentence that follows becomes more and more focused on a
specific topic.
 The thesis statement is normally the last sentence in an
introductory paragraph. It has two purposes:
1. It states the specific topic of the essay.
2. It may list the subtopics of the main topic.

Activity no. 2:
In the following introductory paragraphs, the sentences are in scrambled
order. Re-order them and write the number of each sentence in the
boxes below:

1. (1) Therefore, workaholics' lifestyles can affect their families, social

lives, and health. (2) Because they work so many hours, workaholics
may not spend enough time in leisure activities. (3) Nowadays, many
men and women work in law, accounting, real estate, and business.
(4) These people are serious about becoming successful, so they
work long hours during the week and even on weekends. (5) People
who work long hours are called "workaholics."
2. (1) Therefore, anyone who wants to drive must carry a driver's
license. (2) It is divided into four steps: studying the traffic laws,
taking the written test, learning to drive, and taking the driving
test. (3) Getting a driver's license is a complicated process. (4)
Driving a car is a necessity in today's busy society, and it is also a
special privilege.

3. (1) During this period, children separate themselves from their

parents and become independent. (2) Teenagers express their
separateness most vividly in their choice of clothes, hairstyles,
music, and vocabulary. (3) The teenage years between childhood
and adulthood are a period of growth and separation.
 Introductory Paragraph: Hook Strategies
A good introductory paragraph is between 4-7 sentences in length,
begins with a hook strategy (quote,
unusual fact/statistic, thoughtful, relevant questions, or a personal
story), and ends with a clear thesis
statement. 'ot only should your hook serve to immediately grab the
readers’ interest, but it should be a
natural lead-in to your thesis, and a meaningful opportunity for the
reader to relate to the topic of your
essay.
The following are four hook strategies for you to practice. First
consider which issue/prompt you are focusing
on for your essay. Then identify the major ideas or themes presented
by your issue and apply those to each
strategy:
1. The personal anecdote/story:

Note: Yes, it would be natural to use “I” for this strategy, but there are
ways to do this effectively
without using personal pronouns.
2. Ask three thought provoking, universal questions (NOT the
question/questions posed in essay prompt):
Note: Avoid the implied “you” when presenting these questions to the
reader. Do you plan to answer
these questions? When? At the end of your hook or will you revisit
and answer in your conclusion?
3. Quotation, song lyric, or short poem:
Note: This does not necessarily mean a quote from the text. In fact, I
recommend you save textual
evidence for your body paragraphs. Can you think of a famous quote
that relates to your topic? How?
4. Unusual, bizarre, or interesting fact or statistic:
Note: Again, the fact or statistic would have to relate to the topic
you’re discussing. Could be a modern day
fact or statistic or perhaps an interesting fact from Shakespeare’s
time?
 Sample Introductory Paragraphs
Here are sample introductory paragraphs that involve these hook
strategies.
1. The personal anecdote/story:
Example (Topic: George Washington):
It seemed that all they did was drive, and each time they stopped it was
to visit another site. That morning in Washington D.C. was different. They
stepped out of their hotel and walked four or five blocks. Suddenly, she
was amazed by all that surrounded her: the Capitol building off in the
distance, the White House to my left, a vast field of grass and two ponds
reflecting a towering white monument. “What’s that?” she asked her dad,
and he responded, “That’s the monument of George Washington.” Her
mind started to wonder, “A monument, a city named in his honor? This
must be someone who made a difference.” Through his courage,
leadership, and patriotism, George Washington was able to accomplish so
much.
2. Ask questions:
Example (Topic: Agribusiness is devouring the small farmer):
Is it true that bigger is always better? Could it be that society’s
insatiable desire for more is in many ways giving people less? Once
society has accepted the premise that more choice is better, is it possible
to reverse that trend? For small, local, family-owned businesses, more
and bigger has been anything but better.
3. Quotation:
Example (Topic: Women in politics)
“There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard”
(Hillary Rodham Clinton). A democracy is a system of government that
places the power in the hands of the people. If individuals in a given society
are not granted equal access and representation, then that government
cannot claim to be a true democracy. The lack of female voices in the
Unites States Government creates an imbalance of power based on
gender. Despite the smaller percentage of women currently involved in
high level government positions, pioneers like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi,
and Condoleeza Rice are leading the way towards gender equality in
politics.

4. Unusual or shocking fact:

Example (Topic: Choosing a lifelong career)

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, could spend one million dollars per
day, every day, seven days a week and would not run out of money until
he was 311 years old! Most would agree that he has reached a point of
financial security. In fact, it would be almost impossible to figure out how
one could spend one million dollars per day. For most Americans, finding
an occupation that is satisfying, earning enough money to live comfortably,
and figuring out a realistic blend between work and leisure are three
essential factors in beginning one’s career.

Suggested Thesis Statement Patterns

For a Cause and Effect Essay
1. For many social reasons, some people watch too much TV, which
has many serious effects on their physiology.

2. The changes in our weather patterns could certainly be due to a

number of factors, in particular, the heavy pollution, which puts
people’s life at high risk.

3. Some endangered birds are falling prey to human threats, causing

a worldwide environmental damage.

4. The main cause of drought is simple: a lack of precipitation in the

form of rainfall, however, it can be difficult to measure its long-term
effects on people.

5. Pollution from cars, factories and power stations causes acid rain
which dissolves whatever surface it falls on resulting in many
harmful environmental effects.

6. Average temperatures around the world are gradually rising as a

result to human unplanned activities, and animals are the ones who
pay for it.

7. Many people keep working extra hours mainly for financial reasons,
although they know that this leads to many social problems.

8. Teenagers spend many hours on computers for social reasons,

unaware / overlooking that this may cause many physiological
problems.