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 withthe 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.
The only difference in concept between the topic sentence and the thesis is one of scope: The topic sentence unifies and controls the content of the paragraph, and the thesis does the same for the essay. Because the essay is longer and more complex than the typical paragraph, the thesis may suggest a broader scope and may more explicitly indicate the parts.
Special Paragraphs Within the Essay
Introducations
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:
- Direct statement of the thesis
- Background
- Definition of term
- Quotation
- Shocking statement
- Question and Definition
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 our 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 neccssary.
- Conclude with an anecdote related to the thesis.
- Conclude with a quotation related to the thesis.
- a summary when a summar 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
You can depend on the three stages of the writing process to help you write paragraphs and essays. In the first stage, you are encouraged to explore relevant ideas and perhaps generate a topic sentence or thesis. In the second stage, you move naturally to a precise statement of your topic sentence or thesis and to an organized plan for your support material. Finally, you do the actual writing, revising, and editing of your paragraph or essay. This process also allows for recursive movement: You can go back and forth as you rework your material.
Source:Brandon, Lee. Brandon, Kelly. Paragraphs and Essays with Integrated Readings, Tenth Edition. Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008
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