Understanding the parts of the essay

Understanding the Parts of the Essay         Daniel Enrique Villavicencio Sanchez    

An essay, no matter what pattern of development you use, should have a beginning, middle, and an end-that is, an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

First, the introduction is the opening of our essay, usually one paragraph and rarely more than two, introduces your subject, engages your reader’s interest, and often states our thesis. But in so short a space, there is obviously no room for an in depth discussion or even a summary of our topic. We can introduce an essay and engage the reader’s interest in the following ways: 1) we can give some background information and then move directly to our thesis. This approach works well when we know that the audience is already interested in our topic and that there is no reason not to come directly to the point. 2) We can introduce an essay with a definition of a relevant term or concept. This technique is especially useful for research papers or examinations where the meaning of a specific term is crucial. 3) We can also begin the essay with an anecdote or story that leads into or prepares for our thesis. 4) We can begin with a question. 5) We can also begin with a quotation and if it is well chosen, it can interest our audience in reading further. No matter which method we select, the introduction should be consistent in tone and approach with the rest of our essay.

Next, the body paragraphs are the middle section, or body, of our essay; it supports and expands our thesis. The body paragraphs present the detail that will convince our audience that our thesis is reasonable. To do their job, body paragraphs should be unified: this happens when every sentence directly relates to the main idea of a paragraph. Sometimes the main idea of a paragraph is stated in a topic sentence. The body paragraphs should be coherent; it is coherent if it is composed of sentences that are smoothly and logically connected to one another. Coherence can be achieved through key words, the use of pronouns to refer back to key nouns in previous sentences and using transitional expressions to show chronological sequence (then, next, after that). Also body paragraphs should be well developed; a paragraph is well developed if it contains the examples, facts and discussions readers need to understand the main idea.

Finally the conclusion is extremely important because readers remember best what they read last. Always end the essay in a way that reinforces our thesis and our purpose. Like the introduction, the conclusion should be brief. Conclusions can be as challenging to construct as introductions. Here are the several ways to conclude an essay: 1) we can conclude our essay by simply reviewing our main idea points and restating our thesis. 2) We can end a discussion of a problem by recommending a course of action. 3) We can conclude with a prediction, but we have to be careful cause our prediction is supported by the points we have made in the essay. 4) And finally we can end it with a quotation, if selected carefully it can add weight to an already strong essay.

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