Chapter 6 Writing the Essay

The Essay Defined in Relation to the Developmental Paragraph

The main parts of the developmental paragraph are the topic sentence (subject and treatment), support (evidence and reasoning), and, often, a concluding sentence. Now let us use that framework to define the essay: The essay is a group of paragraphs, each with the function of supporting a controlling idea called the thesis. These are the main parts of the essay:

• Introduction: presents the thesis, which states the controlling idea - much like the topic sentence for a paragraph but on a larger scale.
• Development: introduces evidence and reasoning - the support.
• Transition: point out division of the essay (seldom used in the short essay).
• Conclusion: provides an appropriate ending - often a restatement of a reflection on the thesis.

Special Paragraphs Within the Essay

Introductions
A good introductory paragraph does many things. It attracts the reader's interest, states or points toward the thesis, and moves the reader smoothly into the body paragraphs, the developmental paragraphs. Here are some introductory methods:

• A direct statement of the thesis
• Background
• Definition of term(s)
• Quotation(s)
• A shocking statement
• Question(s)
• A combination of two or more methods on this list
  

Conclusions

Your concluding paragraph should give the reader the feeling that you have said all you want to say about your subject. Like introductory paragraphs, concluding paragraphs are of various types. Here are some effective ways of concluding a paper:

• Conclude with a final paragraph or sentence that is a logical part of the body of the paper; that is, one that functions as part of the support.
• Conclude with a restatement of the thesis in slightly different words, perhaps pointing out its significance or making applications.
• Conclude with a review of the main points of the discussion--a kind of summary. This is appropriate only if the complexity of the essay makes a summary necessary.
• Conclude with an anecdote related to the thesis.
• Conclude with a quotation related to the thesis.

There are also many ineffective ways of concluding an essay. Do not conclude with the following:

• A summary when a summary is unnecessary
• A complaint about the assignment or an apology about the quality of the work
• An afterthought – that is, something you forgot to discuss in the body of the essay
• A tagged conclusion – that is, a sentence beginning with such phrases as In conclusion, To conclude, I would like to conclude this discussion, or Last but not least
• A conclusion that raises additional problems that should have been settled during the discussion

The conclusion is an integral part of the essay and is often a reflection of the introduction. If you have trouble with the conclusion, reread your introduction. Then work for a roundness or completeness in the whole paper.

Source: Brandon, L. & Brandon, K. (2008). Paragraphs & Essays with Integrated Readings. Houghton Mifflin Company.