Note: An essay can be structured in many ways. The five paragraph essay is the most basic essay structure.
Because the required length for your essays in this course is 500 words, the five paragraph model best suits
your writing objectives. However, do not allow these guidelines to limit your writing; if you wish to write
more than three body paragraphs to illustrate your paper’s thesis, then do so. The guidelines that follow can
be applied to all the essays you write for this course. Your essays should vary in type (i.e. descriptive;
comparison/contrast; argumentative), and not so much in structure.
THE FIVE PARAGRAPH (500 word) ESSAY OUTLINED
TITLE: The title should reflect the main idea of the essay. The title should be concise and interesting.
PARAGRAPH 1: Introduction
The essay’s introduction should consist of a minimum of five sentences. The introductory paragraph
should begin with a general statement that reflects the essay’s topic. The paragraph will likely include
transitional sentences or background information sentences that will then lead the reader into the writer’s
purpose – the thesis statement. The thesis statement is what the writer will prove throughout his/her essay in
the body paragraphs. The thesis should include a plan of development; it should consist of the writer’s
position on the paper topic and the three points the writer will describe in the essay’s body to prove his/her
position (Thesis example: The hiking trip was a disaster because (1) it rained the whole time, (2) we lost our
camping equipment, (3) and our guide broke his leg.)
BODY PARAGRAPHS 2,3,& 4:
Each of the body paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence. If the writer has used the three point
thesis model, writing each body paragraph’s topic sentence should be easy. The first body paragraph’s topic
sentence, for example, should reflect the first point in the thesis statement (refer to the above thesis example
– i.e. The torrential rains ruined the trip.). It then becomes the writer’s task to develop and support the point
– these are your body paragraph’s supporting sentences. Once the writer effectively illustrates the first point,
he/she will then proceed to the second point and follow the same guidelines for paragraph development
(point two will introduce body paragraph two, and point three will introduce paragraph three).
PARAGRAPH 5: The Conclusion
In this paragraph, the writer’s task is to “complete” the essay. The function of the conclusion is to
provide closure for the reader. The writer will remind the reader of his/her thesis by reviewing the points
made in the essay’s body (Note: be careful not to restate the point’s exactly). To close the last paragraph, the
writer may include his/her final perspective on the essay’s topic.
DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY INFORMATION
Descriptive writing portrays people, places, things, moments and ideas with enough vivid
detail to help the reader create a mental picture of what is being written about.
Description creates impressions through sensory details (touch, taste, sight, smell, sound)
and imagery. Refer to pages 124-127 of your course textbook under the title, “The
Language of Description,” for word usage instruction. Page 173 of your book lists
“Strategies for Writing Description” as well. Also refer to the “Description Checklist” on
pages 178 and 179 of your text before you submit your work.
Things to Consider as You Write Your Descriptive Essay
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Think of an instance that you want to describe. Why is this particular instance
important?
What were you doing?
What other things were happening around you? Is there anything specific that
stands out in your mind?
What sights, smells, sounds, and tastes were in the air?
Did the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes remind you of anything?
What were you feeling at that time?
What do you want the reader to feel after reading the paper?
What types of words and images can convey this feeling?
Can you think of another situation that was similar to the one you are writing
about? How can it help explain what you are writing about?
Is there enough detail in your essay to create a mental image for the reader?
Conventions of Descriptive Essays Illustrated by Sample Paragraphs
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Appealing-to-the-Senses Description: Let the reader see, smell, hear, taste,
and feel what you write in your essay.
The thick, burnt scent of roasted coffee tickled the tip of my nose just seconds
before the old, faithful alarm blasted red a distorted top-forty through its tiny top
speaker. Wiping away the grit of last night's sleep, the starch white sunlight
blinded me momentarily as I slung my arm like an elephant trunk along the top of
the alarm, searching for the snooze button. While stretching hands and feet to the
four posts of my bed, my eyes opened after several watery blinks. I crawled out of
the comforter, edging awkwardly like a butterfly from a cocoon, swinging my
legs over the side of the bed. The dusty pebbles on the chilled, wood floor sent
ripples spiraling from my ankles to the nape of my neck when my feet hit the
floor. Grabbing the apricot, terri-cloth robe, recently bathed in fabric softener and
October wind, I knotted it tightly at my waist like a prestigious coat of armor and
headed downstairs to battle the morning.
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Spatial-Order Description: Show the reader where things are located from
your perspective.
Billy Ray's Pawn Shop and Lawn Mower Repair looked like a burial ground for
country auction rejects. The blazing, red, diesel fuel tanks beamed in front of the
station, looking like cheap lipstick against the pallid, wrinkled texture of the
parking lot sand. The yard, not much larger than the end zone at General G.
Patton High School on the north end of town, was framed with a rusted metallic
hedge of lawn mowers, banana seat bicycles, and corroded oil drums. It wasn't a
calico frame of rusted parts, but rather an orchestra of unwanted machinery that
Billy Ray had arranged into sections. The yellow-tanked mowers rested silently at
the right of the diesel fuel. Once red, now faded orange, mowers stood at attention
to the left. The bikes rested sporadically throughout the lot. In the middle of it all
was the office, a faded, steel roof supported by cheap two-by-fours and zebra
paneling. Billy Ray was at home, usually, five blocks east of town on Kennel
Road.
Principles, Conventions, and Strategies for Descriptive Writing
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A descriptive essay can be objective or subjective, thus giving the author a
wide choice of tone and diction. For instance, an objective description of one's
dog would mention such facts as height, weight, coloring and so forth. A
subjective description would include the above details, but would also stress
the author's feeling toward the dog, as well as its personality and habits.
The purpose of a purely descriptive essay is to involve the reader enough so he
or she can actually visualize the things being described; therefore, it is
important to use specific and concrete details.
The descriptive essay relies on concrete, sensory details to communicate its
point. Remember, we have five senses, not one or two.
Description very often relies on emotion to convey its point. Because of this,
verbs, adverbs, and adjectives convey more to the reader than do nouns. Select
an emotion and try to describe it. It might be more difficult to get started, but
it can be worthwhile.
Try moving your reader through space and time chronologically. For instance,
you might want to describe a train ride from start to destination, or a stream
from its source to the point at which it joins the river.
Use a then-and-now approach to show decay, change, or improvement. The
house where you grew up might now be a rambling shack. The variations on
this strategy are endless.
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