Parts of an Essay

Essays, like sandwiches or burgers, are divided into different parts. These parts are the:

• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

The Introduction

The introduction opens the essay. It is a short paragraph – usually about THREE sentences. In an argument essay, it usually describes or summarizes both sides of the present situation and says what you are going to do in your essay. Read more about Introductions here.

The Body

The Body is the main part of the essay. In an argument essay, it is divided into two or three paragraphs, giving your opinion and reasons.
Each paragraph in the body is between FIVE and SEVEN sentences long. Read more about the Body of the essay here.

Conclusion

The Conclusion is the end of the essay. It is a short paragraph – about THREE sentences. It often has the same idea as the Introduction, only in different words.
Some people think of the essay as a sandwich. The Introduction and Conclusion are the bread, and the Body is the filling in the center. If the introduction looks good, people will carry on to the body. Hopefully, the conclusion will leave them with a nice taste in their mouth…

The Introduction

One easy way to write the introduction for an argument or opinion essay is to write THREE sentences:

• two about the topic
• one thesis sentence

You can write either Situation or Opinion introductions. There’s not much difference between them.

• Situation Introductions
• Opinion Introductions

Situation Introductions

Write two sentences to describe the two sides of the present situation. The third sentence – the Thesis sentence – will describe what you are going do in your essay.

• Sentence 1: One side of the present situation
• Sentence 2: The other side of the present situation
• Sentence 3: Thesis: What you are going to do in your essay

Who should take care of our old people?

Sentence 1	In my country, most old people live happily with their children
Sentence 2	Increasingly, however, many families cannot take care of their parents
Sentence 3 (Thesis)	This essay will describe some of the problems involved with taking care of old people, and discuss who should be responsible.

Does Aid to Poor Countries Work?

Sentence 1	For the last fifty years, poor countries have been receiving huge sums of money from rich donor countries.
Sentence 2	Some of this money has improved lives, while much of it has disappeared or made no difference.
Sentence 3 (Thesis)	In this essay, I will discuss some arguments for and against foreign aid.

Should dangerous sports be banned?

Sentence 1	Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in sports such as boxing or motor-racing.
Sentence 2	Because of this, many people are opposed to such sports, and want them to be stopped or controlled.
Sentence 3 (Thesis)	This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against banning dangerous sports.

Opinion Introductions

In this kind you give two opposite opinions in the first two sentences. The third sentence says what you are going to do.

Does space exploration benefit mankind? (1)

Sentence For	Many people are excited about space exploration.
Sentence Against	However, others feel it is a massive waste of money
Sentence 3 (Thesis)	This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against space exploration.

Does space exploration benefit mankind? (2)

Sentence For	Space, for many people, really is the final frontier. They are excited by the exploration and potential of space.
Sentence Against	However, not everyone agrees that this money is well-spent. Many people feel that we should solve problems here on earth before beginning our journey to space
Sentence 3 (Thesis)	This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against space exploration.

Do Athletes Deserve Their High Salaries?

Sentence 1	Everyday, we read about new record contracts and salaries earned by sportsmen and women. Some people do not agree with these huge payments
Sentence 2	Others believe that our sports heroes deserve every penny.
Sentence 3 (Thesis)	This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against the high salaries of athletes.

As well as situation or opinion introductions, you can use the following variations:

• Past and Present: One sentence about the situation in the past, one about the situation today.
• Here and Elsewhere: One sentence about the situation in one place, one sentence about the situation or problem in another place.
• You and Other People: One sentence about what most people do or think, one sentence about what you believe, or do, or feel.

Finally, if you are having problem thinking about an introduction, leave some space (enough for three or four sentences) and write or type it later – AFTER you write the body or conclusion.

The Thesis Sentence

A thesis statement is a sentence (or two) that states what you are going to do in your essay. It is a kind of asignpost – something that tells you where to go- or a map that shows the reader what direction your essay will take. It usually comes at the end of the Introduction.

In this essay, I will outline the arguments for and against sex education in schools.

In this essay, I will examine some reasons for the growth of the tourism industry.

You can also leave out “I.”

This essay looks at ideas in favour of and against early marriage.

This essay will discuss the benefits of having universal free health care.

Signpost your essay

Sometimes the reader can tell how many parts or which paragraphs will follow the thesis statement.

I am going to analyse the effects of drugs on the individual, the family, and society.

In an essay with the thesis statement above, there will clearly be three parts – one on the effects of drugs on the individual, one part with the effects on the family, and another with the effects on society.

Be Strong

Sometimes you don’t need a “will” or “going to”. Your thesis statement is so strong that it is clear what your opinion is.

Beating children brutalizes parents, damages the parent-child relationship, and is completely unnecessary.

In an essay with the thesis statement above, there will clearly be three parts – one on the effects of corporal punishment on parents, one part with the effects relationship, and another which claims that beating is not needed.

Thesis sentence vocabulary

analyze, look at, examine, discuss, outline, consider, describe, focus on, decide

Examples:

This essay will examine the reasons for the high divorce rate in our society.

I will outline some of my objections to arranged marriages.

In this essay I will focus on three problems caused by corruption.

I will discuss whether large families are better than smaller ones.

This essay will consider the benefits of space exploration for the economy, for scientific development, and for the future of humanity.

The Body: 2

What makes a body look good? Paragraphs, that’s the answer! If your paragraph is in good shape, your body will look good and feel good.
Here’s what you need to have in a body paragraph.

• Topic Sentence
• Argument or Reason 1
• Example, Explanation, or supporting detail
• Argument or Reason 2
• Example, Explanation, or supporting detail
• Argument or Reason 3 (Three is a magic number. Always aim to have 3 ideas.)
• Example, Explanation, or supporting detail
• Paragraph summary (optional)

Let’s look at an example.
Is Education Being Devalued?

Topic Sentence	People have several arguments against the need for degrees.
Argument or Reason 1	They say that having so many graduates devalues a degree.
Example, Explanation, or supporting detail	People lose respect for the degree holder.
Argument or Reason 2	It is also claimed that education has become a rat race,…
Example, Explanation, or supporting detail	…since graduates have to compete for jobs even after years of studying.
Argument or Reason 3	Another point is that studying for such a long time leads to learners becoming inflexible.
Example, Explanation, or supporting detail	By that I mean that they know a lot about one narrow subject, but are unable to apply their skills.
Even more supporting details…	Employers, on the other hand, prefer more flexible and adaptable workers.

People have several arguments against the need for degrees. They say that having so many graduates devalues a degree. People lose respect for the degree holder. It is also claimed that education has become a rat race, since graduates have to compete for jobs even after years of studying. Another point is that studying for such a long time leads to learners becoming inflexible. By that I mean that they know a lot about one narrow subject, but are unable to apply their skills. Employers, on the other hand, prefer more flexible and adaptable workers.

The Conclusion

The conclusion is the end of the essay. It is the last part of the essay and it is the part that the reader may remember most. It should be clear and avoid confusing the reader.
The reader expects the conclusion to do some or all of the following

• rephrase the question
• summarize the main ideas
• give your opinion, if you haven’t given it already
• look to the future (say what will happen if the situation continues or changes)

The reader DOES NOT expect new information in the conclusion. Never add a new idea just because you have thought of it at the end!
You must do all of this in just three or four sentences!

Vocabulary is Important

The conclusion is very similar to the introduction. However, you should avoid repeating the same words. This is why a few minutes spent at the start of the exam writing down synonyms (words with the same meaning) and related words is very helpful.
After all, if you only have a 250-word essay but use the same word 10 times, this will not show the examiner what you know.

Wrapping Paper

Another way to look at the Introduction and the Conclusion is to think about gift wrapping paper. Your intro and conclusion wrap around your essay like a piece of bright paper “wraps” a present. They are not the main part of the essay, but they do make your essay look good.
Your conclusion ‘wraps’ up the essay. We don’t put something valuable, like money or gold, hidden in the wrapping paper, so don’t put new information or important ideas in the conclusion.

Comma Splices

A common error in writing is to use commas to join sentences. For example, all of these are wrong:

1. Every morning, I wake up early, do the morning exercise in the garden.
2. It is a personal choice, it depends on the individual.
3. Everybody likes John, he’s a nice guy.
4. We need to find new drugs to fight disease, some diseases are resisting our current drugs.
5. I stink, I need to take a shower.

Use a full stop

We need to fix these sentences. The easiest way is to use a full stop (period).

1. Every morning, I wake up early. I do my morning exercise in the garden.
2. It is a personal choice. It depends on the individual.
3. Everybody likes John. He’s a nice guy.
4. We need to find new drugs to fight disease. Some diseases are resisting our current drugs.
5. I stink. I need to take a shower.

Join with “so, and, because”

Another way to to join the two parts with coordinating words such as “and,” “so,” or “because.” You might need to rewrite the sentence a little.

1. Every morning, I wake up early and do my morning exercise in the garden.
2. Everybody likes John because he’s a nice guy.
3. We need to find new drugs to fight disease because many diseases are becoming resistant to our current drugs.
4. I need to take a shower because I stink

Use colons or semicolons

Another way to to join the two parts is to use colons (:) or semicolons (;)

• It is a personal choice: it depends on the individual.