WRITING AN ESSAY

Lesson 1: Introductory and

Concluding paragraphs
THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
1. General statement
2. Thesis statement
THE BODY
Each body paragraph must contain:
 A topic sentence for the idea
 Supporting for the ideas (facts, examples,
personal experience …)
 Concluding sentence if necessary
CONCLUSION
1. Restatement of your thesis
2. Final comments to end your essay
Introduce the The hamburger is an American
topic cultural icon that is known all over the
world. Eating meat, especially beef, is an
integral part of daily life for a majority
of people in the United State. The
consumption of large quantities of meat
Background
is a major contributing factor toward a
information
great many deaths in this country,
including the unnecessarily high number
of deaths from heart-related problems.
Though it has caught on slowly in this
Thesis culture, vegetarianism is a way of life
statement that can help improve not only the
quality of people's lives but also their
longevity
Introduce the Dudley Erskine Devlin’s essay
topic “Addictions in America.” makes three
main points. First, Devlin demonstrates
Background that many in the US have problems
information with substance abuse; they are addicted
to tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. He
believes that there are only two
possible solutions to the problem of
addiction: complete deregulation or
“zero tolerance.” While I agree that
Thesis some Americans have addiction
statement
problems, I disagree with Devlin’s
proposed solutions.
Introduce the In recent years, it has been
topic observed that in those societies where
women work outside their homes in
Background the company of men, there exist many
information serious social problems. Many studies
have been conducted worldwide
concerning the advantages and
disadvantages of having women working
outside their homes. The basic for each
study was the following question: Is it
Thesis helpful or harmful to women and to
statement
their society to have women work
outside their homes?
 THE INTRODUCTORY
PARAGRAPH
General 1. General statement: Defining
the general topic and its
background information
2.Thesis statement:
+ Narrow down the topic to the
thesis statement
+ State what you are going to do
Specific in the body by listing the
subdivisions of the topic
 PRACTICE: Write an introductory
paragraph for each of the following
topics
1. Ordinary citizens should not be allowed to
own handguns
2. People under the age of eighteen should not
be allowed to marry
3. Smoking in public places should be prohibited
Summary of Numerous scientific studies have
the main shown the benefits of vegetarianism for
point people in general, and I know firsthand
how my life has improved since I
decided to give up meat entirely.
Though it was difficult at first, I have
General never regretted my decision to become
feeling
a vegetarian. I feel better, and my
friends tell me that I look better than
ever before. More and more people are
becoming aware of the risks associated
with meat consumption. If you become
vegetarian, your life will improve, too.
Summary of Instead of Devlin's ideas of
the main deregulation or "zero tolerance", I think
point Instead of Devlin’s ideas of deregulation
or “zero tolerance, that the answer is
education. We have already seen the
attitude towards cigarette smoking
grow less and less tolerant as more
people learn about the dangers of
smoking. If, for instance, the US spent
Solution the money we now spend to control
the influx of illegal drugs into this
country on the education that begins
with very young children, we could
curb the desire for young Americans to
experiment with drugs
Summary of In brief, having women work
the main outside the home is morally wrong
point
from a religious point of view. It is
also a form of social injustice, for the
consequences of having women in
the work force cause great social
problems. Finally, the long-term
Prediction effects of allowing women to work
outside their homes Will be a change
in the character of women, Which
Will eventually destroy societies and
indeed Whole nations.
 THE CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH
Specific 1. Summary of the main point
or restatement of your
thesis
2. Final comments: evaluate,
make recommendation,
General prediction…
 PRACTICE: Write a concluding paragraph
for each of the following topics
1. Ordinary citizens should not be allowed to
own handguns
2. People under the age of eighteen should not
be allowed to marry
3. Smoking in public places should be prohibited