Swimming Through an Essay

Essential Parts of an Essay

• Paragraphs

• Thesis

• Transitional Words and Sentences

• Revising and Editing Processes

Paragraphs• Usually five with exception of

compare/contrast

• Introduction, three supporting, and concluding

• Consist of four to five sentences

Thesis• Placed as the last sentence in the first

paragraph

• Clearly plans out the supporting paragraphs by stating in ONE sentence what the purpose of your essay will be

• Sums up the entire essay in one sentence

Examples of a Thesis1. Should circuses be allowed to keep wild animals?• Wild animals such as elephants and lions, although

entertaining to watch, do not belong in circuses because the training methods for these animals are cruel, the animals are too unpredictable, and they are not performing natural behaviors.

2. Argue for or against Gary Becker’s immigration policy.• The immigration policy of auctioning visas is not a good

idea because it makes the U.S. look like a greedy country, would allow terrorists and smugglers easy access to our country, and would limit the diversity of the U.S.

Transitional Words and Sentences• Help your essay move smoothly from one paragraph to

another• Effectively organize an essay• Identify the start of particular types of paragraphs

First, second, third, lastly, to begin, however, finally, although- all of these are transitional words

Revising and Editing Processes• Not always given time needed for these

processes• Clean up papers of simple yet overlooked

mistakes• Change the length of the paper• Revising= looking at content• Editing= looking at grammar

Revising Tips• Go back and reread the essay question to

make sure it was FULLY addressed and answered

• Remove sentences that have little or nothing to do with the essay

• Check verb tense• Look for “I,” “always,” and “never” since these

are red flag words

Editing Tips• Read the paper out loud!

• Read the paper backwards to check for misspellings.

• Know your homonyms.

• Know how to use grammar check on the computer.

• Know your grammar.