INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAYProf. Mara Luna

ENGL 3103

To be used with the book:

Refining Composition Skills, 6th edition by Regina L. Smalley

WHAT IS AN ESSAY?

• Is a group of paragraphs that develops one central idea.

• There are three parts to an essay, each with a designated function:1. Introduction – usually one paragraph that introduces the topic to be discussed and

the central idea – or thesis statement – of the essay.

2. Developmental Paragraphs – develop various aspects of the topic and central idea. They may discuss causes, effects, reasons, examples, processes, classifications, or points of comparison and contrast. They may also describe or narrate.

3. Conclusion – concludes the thought(s) developed in the essay. It is the closing word on the topic.

• The number of paragraphs in an essay depends entirely on the complexity of the topic.

• For most purposes, the essays written for 1st year college courses contain from 4-6 paragraphs (1 for introduction, 2-4 for development, 1 for conclusion).

THE THESIS STATEMENT

• The thesis statement is similar to the topic sentence in that it contains an expression of an attitude, opinion, or idea about a topic; unlike the topic sentence, however, the thesis statement is broader and expresses the controlling idea for the entire essay.

• In fact, each of the developmental paragraphs should have a topic sentence and controlling idea that echoes or relates to the controlling idea in the thesis statement.

THE THESIS STATEMENT

Points to remember:

• The thesis statement should express a complete thought; therefore it should be expressed in a complete sentence.

• Does not simply announce the topic the essay will develop. It expresses an opinion, attitude, or idea.

• Express an opinion in your thesis statement, not just a fact. It is a statement that someone could agree or disagree with.

• Focus on only one idea toward one topic. If a thesis statement contains two or more ideas, the essay runs the risk of lacking unity and coherence.

THE INTRODUCTION

• The thesis statement is the main statement for the entire essay. There is no rule of where it should be placed, although it should be placed in the introductory paragraph. After all, the thesis is the statement that the developmental paragraphs are going to explore.

• It is usually a good idea to place the thesis statement at or near the end of the introductory paragraph.

• Because the introduction is the first paragraph the reader reads, it is often the first paragraph the student plans and can therefore be the most difficult.

• Some writers choose to write the thesis first and then return to write the introduction after drafting the rest of the essay.

THE INTRODUCTION

Should:

• introduce the topic.

• indicate generally how the topic is going to be developed.

• include or at least imply the thesis statement.

• be inviting, it should be interesting enough to make the reader want to continue reading.

THE FUNNEL APPROACH

• There are many techniques to can use when writing an introduction. The most common is the funnel approach.

• It is called this because the ideas progress from the general to the specific.

• The approach is to open with a general statement about the topic and then to work toward the more specific thesis statement at or near the end of the introduction.

Traveling to a foreign

country

learning new customs

strange customs

THE DEVELOPMENTAL PARAGRAPHS

• Range in number from two to four in the typical student essay.

• They are the heart of the essay.

• Their function is to explain, illustrate, discuss, or prove the thesis statement.

THE DEVELOPMENTAL PARAGRAPHS

• In each one, discuss one aspect of the main topic.

• The controlling idea should echo the thesis statement.

• Ensure that they have coherence and unity. The train of thought at the end of one paragraph should be picked up at the beginning of the next paragraph; this can be achieve through the use of transitions.

BREAKING DOWN A TOPIC

• Once you have decided on your thesis, you need to break it down logically into topics for your paragraphs.

• There are several principles for logically breaking down your thesis. You can break it into topics according to causes, effects (benefits, advantages, disadvantages, results), steps in a process, types (kinds, categories, classes), examples, points of comparison and contrast, and reasons.

• One way to break down your thesis logically into topics is to turn your thesis statement into a question, keeping in mind what your topic and central idea are. The answers to this question might help you come up with possible topics for your developmental paragraphs; they can also help you determine a strategy for organizing your essay.

DRAFTING THE BODY OF THE ESSAY

• Once you have planned your thesis statement and the supporting topic sentences, you are ready to draft the body of the essay.

• Use the paragraph writing techniques from Unit I to support each topic sentence with specific details, examples, illustrations, or anecdotes.

THE CONCLUSION

• Just as the introductory paragraph functions to introduce the topic and the central idea, the concluding paragraph wraps up the discussion, bringing the development to a logical end.

• If the developmental paragraphs have done their job –that is, developed the thesis – then the conclusion should follow logically.

• What it is said in the conclusion depends entirely on what was developed on the essay.

THE CONCLUSION

• Basic principles:

• Can restate the main points (subtopics) discussed. This restatement should be brief since you have already discussed them at length.

• Can restate the thesis in different words. The restatement of the thesis is really a reassertion of its importance or validity.

• Should not bring up a new topic.

COMPOSITION SKILLS - OUTLINING

• One way to ensure that your essay will be well-organized and that each of the development paragraphs discuss the thesis statement is to outline the essay.

• An outline is the skeleton of the essay; it is the structure around which the details and explanations are organized.

• There are many ways to write outlines for essays.

• Technically, in an outline, if there is a 1, there must be a 2, and if there is an A, there must be a B. When you are asked to write outlines for formal papers, you should follow this rule.

• For most, essay-planning purposes, an outline can be informal.

• See suggestion for an outline form on the next slide.

COMPOSITION SKILLS - OUTLININGThesis Statement: Write the thesis statement in a complete sentence.

I. Write the topic sentence for the first developmental paragraph.

A. First supporting point – a detail or idea that the paragraph will discuss

1. First detail about A

2. If appropriate, second detail about A

B. If you have another supporting point, mention it here.

II. Write the topic sentence for the second developmental paragraph.

A. Support

1. Detail (if necessary)

B. Support

III. Write the next topic sentence.

A. Support

B. Support

Conclusion