How to write your 5 Paragraph Essay

1Howtowriteyour5ParagraphEssay2Whatareyougoingtowriteabout?YourFirstAssignment:AnAutobiography3Thisisnotacreativewritingassignment-itisintendedtointroduceyoutoastructuredmethodofwritingthatusessourcematerial,(facts,statistics,andquotes)tosupportyourideas.4Thereare7Typesofsentencesfoundinanessay:•Attentiongrabber.•Moodortonesetter.•ThesisStatement.•Topicsentence.•Concretedetail.•Comment.•Conclusion.5IntheIntroductoryParagraph:1.Attentiongrabber.2.Setthemoodortone.(whatisyourattitude)3.Thesissentence.6Attentiongrabber.Thefirstsentenceshouldbeageneralstatementdesignedtograbthereader’sattention.Herearetwoexamples:78Mylifeisverycomplicated.9Thesecondsentencesetsthemoodortoneforthepaper.•Thissentencetellsthereaderwhatyourattitudeisaboutthetopic.10SettingthemoodortoneThesearesomeofthetypesofemotionsthatyoucanexpress:•Enthusiasm•Cheerfulness•Conservatism•Boredom•Anger•Fear•Grief•Apathy11Ihavealwaysbeenafraidwhenmysituationchanges.12Therehavebeenalotofexcitingeventsinmylife.13DevelopaThesisStatement•Athesisisthemainideaorpointofyourpaper.•Itisthelastsentenceofyourintroductoryparagraph.14AttributesofaThesisStatement•Itisargumentativeorcontroversial.•Itisthecontrollingforcefortherestofthepaper.Thenextparagraphsmustrelatetothisstatement.•Thethesisstatementisspecific.•Thethesisstatementisnotafact.•Thethesisstatementisnotaquestion.•Thethesisstatementisnotanannouncement.15Mysixthbirthday,jr.highgraduation,andthefirstweekinhighschoolchangedmyperceptionoftheworld.16Irememberthethoughtslike:howIwenttoschool,whatIdidatchurchandthedayIcametoAmerica17Combine:•Attentiongrabber•Moodortonesetter•ThesisStatementToformyourintroductoryparagraph.18AnIntroductoryparagraph:WhenIwasyoungIalwaysthoughttheworldrevolvedaroundme.Ihavealwaysbeenafraidwhenmysituationchanges.Mysixthbirthday,jr.highandmyfirstweekofhighschoolchangedmyperceptionoftheworld.19AnotherIntroduction:Mylifeisverycomplicated.Therehavebeenalotofexcitingeventsinmylife.Irememberthoughtslike:howIwenttoschool,whatIdidatchurch,andthedayIcametoAmerica.20Youwillwritethreebodyparagraphs.BodyparagraphsstartwithTopicsentences.21•Atopicsentencetellsthereaderwhatyouaretalkingaboutintheparagraph.•Itmustberelatedtothethesisstatement.•Unlessyouaremakingacomparison,itmustbeinagreementwiththemoodortoneintheintroduction.22TopicsentencesarefollowedbyConcreteDetails.Concretedetailsare:1.Facts:“Thereareanequalnumberoffreshmanboysandgirlsinthisschool.”232.Statistics:“Thereare547boysinthefreshmanclass.”243.Quotes:Mr.Thomassaid,“ThisisthemostintelligentgroupoffreshmanEnglishstudentsthatIhaveeverseen.”25ImportantnoteQuotesareboth:Thethingsthatapersonsaysinastory:•Don'ttalkrot,Whitney,saidRainsford.You'reabig-gamehunter,notaphilosopher.Whocareshowajaguarfeels?AND26Forourpurposeaquoteisalso:•Informationthatyoutakefromasource,thatagreeswiththemoodortoneofyourpaper,andisprooforevidencethatsupportsyourthesisandtopicsentences.Forexample…..27Thisisaquotethatsupportsadescriptionofacharactershearingability:Anabruptsoundstartledhim.Offtotherightheheardit,andhisears,expertinsuchmatters,couldnotbemistaken.Againheheardthesound,andagain.Somewhere,offintheblackness,someonehadfiredagunthreetimes.28Tousethisinformationinyourpaperyouputthe“quotemarks”aroundtheinformation,andadd(authorslastnameandpagenumber).“Offtotherightheheardit,andhisears,expertinsuchmatters,couldnotbemistaken”(Connellp.3).29Comments•Writingcommentarymeansgivingyouropinion,interpretation,analysis,personalreactions,feelings,orreflectionsaboutthetopic.•BUT….30•Yourcommentsmusttellthereaderwhy,orhow,theevidencethatyoupresentedasaconcretedetail,supportsyourtopicsentence,thesisstatement,andisinagreementwiththemoodortoneofyourpaper.31Commentarymaystartlikethis:•Thiseventeffected……•Forexample……•Asanillustration…..•Inaddition……•BecauseofRainsford’sexcellenthearingability……•Thisleadsto……•Whenthisoccurred……•Furthermore……(morephraseslater)32ConcludingSentenceTheconcludingsentencesofyourbodyparagraphsshouldeither:•Summarizetheimportanceoftheinformationintheparagraph,or•Usethatinformationasatransitiontothenexttopic.33Wordsandphrasesthatworkforcommentsandconcludingsentences:•Ifyouwanttocontinueanidea:Additionally,again,also,besides,equallyimportant,further,furthermore,inaddition,finally.•Ifyouwanttoshowatimerelationship(chronologicalorprocess):Afterward,atthispoint,eventually,finally,meanwhile,next,presently,previously.34Ifyouareusingcomparativeadvantage:•Tomakeacomparison:Also,basically,inthesamemanner(fashion),like,likewise,similarly,too.•Tocontrast:Although,andyet,but,conversely,eventhough,however,onthecontrary,ontheotherhand,nevertheless,still.35•Ifyouareshowingcauseandeffect:Asaresult,consequently,forthisreason,moreover,therefore,thus,so.•Ifyouareshowingaspatialrelationship:Inthis(orother)location,atthesametimein(anotherlocation),thiseventalsooccurred.•Ifyouaredoingananalysis:Thispiece(part,event,situation),thisrelatesto,withoutthispart.36•Toemphasizeapoint:Again,asamatteroffact,asaresult,indeed,infact.•InyourConcludingSentence,tosummarize:Forthemostpart