The Writing Centre @ ACADIA

How to Build an Effective Essay

© Professor Stephen Ahern

Introduction  Who am I?  professor in the Department of English  coordinator of the Writing Centre (writingcentre.acadiau.ca)

 Topic of today's lecture  how an essay must be structured to be successful  how to write effective paragraphs

(why? they are the building blocks of any long piece of writing)

The Essay: An Overview Title Introductory ¶

} a few sentences introducing the essay's topic } thesis statement (asserts essay's overall claim)

Body ¶

} topic sentence (presents an idea that supports thesis) } develops reasoning, and gives evidence (i.e. examples, data)

Body ¶

} topic sentence (presents an idea that supports thesis) } develops reasoning, and gives evidence (i.e. examples, data)

Body ¶

} topic sentence (presents an idea that supports thesis) } develops reasoning, and gives evidence (i.e. examples, data)

Concluding ¶

} sum ups (reiterates overall claim -- no new information)

The thesis statement  Provides a clear statement of your position on a topic (answers the question: what will this paper try to prove?)

 Provides an argument that is contentious  Narrows the argument, by providing a sense of the subtopics you will cover (answers one of these questions):  What? or How? – this leads to exposition/description  Why? – this leads to analysis

Constructing a thesis statement  Using laptops in the university classroom is /is not a good idea because _________, ___________, and __________.  Capital punishment is justified / is not justified because it is ________, _________, and __________.  Global warming has been caused by many human practices. The most damaging practices have been __________________, _________________, and ________________________________.

The introductory paragraph Standard formula is to:  start with a statement of the topic in broad terms. So, for an essay on capital punishment, start with: For many years, capital punishment has been an issue that has polarized American public opinion.

 then, provide a concise overview of the topic, especially of the debate or debates you have decided to engage in: Capital punishment has continued to be a hot-button issue in the United States, with proponents insisting it is a necessary curb on violent crime, and opponents insisting it is misguided for many reasons.

The introductory paragraph  finally, present a clear thesis that summarizes your overall argument, and indicates the main reasons you will explore in support of that overall argument. Clearly, capital punishment is wrong, because it is expensive, ineffective, and immoral.

Now you have learned how to assemble a "funnel-shaped" introduction, which is the standard model for writing an academic essay. Let's see it again, this time with the three components put all together:

The introductory paragraph

For many years, capital punishment has been an issue that has polarized American public opinion. Capital punishment has continued to be a hotbutton issue in the United States, with proponents insisting it is a necessary curb on violent crime, and opponents insisting it is misguided for many reasons. Clearly, capital punishment is wrong, because it is expensive, ineffective, and immoral.

The body paragraph  Must have a topic sentence  indicates the topic to be discussed in the ¶  asserts an idea that supports your overall argument (e.g. "Capital punishment is never justified")

 sample topic sentence: "Another reason that capital punishment is never justified is that it does not deter future crime."  so, it brings us back to your main argument; it does not just state a fact, or a detail  must come at the beginning of the ¶ - why? it tells the reader right away what the topic of the whole ¶ will be

The body paragraph (¶)  Must have a topic sentence  must provide a transition from the last ¶ to the current one "Another reason that capital punishment is wrong is that it does not deter future crime."  the transition can be a single word, or a phrase (from 2 to several words)

 why is this important? to ensure COHERENCE – otherwise, the reader gets lost – can't follow why there's been a shift and now she's being asked to read something new  here's a handy list of transitions to have with you…

The body paragraph List of Handy Transitions Addition signals: first of all, for one thing, second, the third reason, also, next, another, and, in addition, moreover, furthermore, finally, last of all Time signals: first, then, next, after, as, before, while, meanwhile, now, during, finally Space signals: next to, across, on the opposites side, to the left, to the right, in front, in back, above, below, behind, nearby Change-of-direction signals: but, however, yet, in contrast, otherwise, still, on the contrary, on the other hand Illustration signals: for example, for instance, specifically, as an illustration, once, such as Conclusion signals: last of all, finally; therefore, consequently, thus, then, as a result, in conclusion

The body paragraph  The rest of the paragraph tries to prove the idea asserted in the topic sentence  

Usually, a topic sentence will be followed by some discussion of reasons why it makes sense Then, some specific evidence is provided – depending on the topic and subject (History? Biology?) could be examples, data, eyewitness accounts, etc.

 Using R E N N S to check that you've used specific, concrete details  Reasons  Examples  Names  Numbers  Senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

The body paragraph  The rest of the paragraph tries to prove the idea asserted in the topic sentence 



so, we always need the "r" in R E N N S – this is where you assert your reasons, and, encaging with your evidence, develop analysis that really "gets into" and proves that your hypothesis/argument is credible which other elements you use of R E N N S depends on what kind of evidence that you find best proves the idea asserted in the topic sentence

(Note: the ¶ must be UNIFIED to work properly: every single bit of the paragraph must be relevant to the topic introduced by the first sentence – if not, it's irrelevant and therefore a distraction – it makes the writer seem sloppy)

The Essay: An Overview Title Introductory ¶

} a few sentences introducing the essay's topic } thesis statement (asserts essay's overall claim)

Body ¶

} topic sentence (presents an idea that supports thesis) } develops reasoning, and gives evidence (i.e. examples, data)

Body ¶

} topic sentence (presents an idea that supports thesis) } develops reasoning, and gives evidence (i.e. examples, data)

Body ¶

} topic sentence (presents an idea that supports thesis) } develops reasoning, and gives evidence (i.e. examples, data)

Concluding ¶

} sum ups (reiterates overall claim -- no new information)