The paragraph is one of the key building blocks of any paper, including the standard 5 paragraph essay. Before you learn how to write a 7 paragraph essay or understand the structure of a 5 paragraph essay, you must understand the basic fundamentals of writing a good paragraph.
The Anatomy of a The Perfect Paragraph
Let’s say you are working on a 5 paragraph argumentative essay. Your final 5 paragraphs essay will consist of an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Let’s take a look at each paragraph type and what it should contain.
The Introductory Paragraph
This is the first in the 5 paragraph structure. It should contain the following elements:
- A two to three sentence hook that captures the reader’s attention. It can be a startling fact, a quote, or brief story.
- An introduction of the argument, topic, or problem.
- The thesis statement that will be defended in the essay.
The Body Paragraph
Do essays have to be 5 paragraphs? They don’t. However, for the sake of this example we’ll say that there are a total of three body paragraphs. Their elements are as follows:
A clear topic sentence that illustrates the point or argument being made in that paragraph. This can be divided into two sentences if need be.
- Detail sentences providing evidence or other support of the topic sentence.
- Note: While there is a paragraph restriction in five and seven paragraph essays, it is okay to divide a single argument into multiple paragraphs if that is grammatically, contextually, and mechanically appropriate.
The Concluding Paragraph
The last paragraph in your essay is where you bring all of your arguments together, and explain in brief how the totality of them proves your thesis statement to be correct. It should not be a retelling of your body paragraphs. These best UK essay writing services may provide some great examples of concluding paragraphs.
- Short sentences using appropriately simple words.
- Three or four sentences describing how each argument fits with the other.
- A statement connecting the into paragraph to the conclusion.
- A final summation.
Tips For Writing Great Paragraphs
Here are some tips for ensuring that each paragraph you write is as strong as possible:
- Use clear and concise language.
- Be sure you can identify the topic sentence in each paragraph.
- Avoid slang or jargon.
- Find a great 5 paragraph college essay example.
- Replace adverbs with verbs that are more powerful and detailed.
- Short sentences are often more impactful than long or compounded sentences.
- Try to transition smoothly from one paragraph to another.
- Remember that there should be a one to one relationship between each paragraph or paragraph grouping and the point or argument you are making.
- Poor grammar and spelling has a negative effect on every paragraph.
- Think about sequencing within paragraphs, not just within your essay as a whole.
Conclusion
Learning to write a great paragraph is a learned skill. It’s not something that comes naturally to many people. Ideally, if you apply the advice here, you will make your writing even more effective and powerful by focusing on improving this very important skill.
