BASIC ESSAY FORMAT

REVIEW
BASIC STRUCTURE: HAMBURGER
BASIC STRUCTURE: KEYHOLE
 INTRODUCTION

THE INTRODUCTION OF YOUR ESSAY SHOULD HAVE THREE MAIN

GOALS:

• TO GENERATE INTEREST (IN A FORMAL WAY)

• TO SUMMARIZE YOUR MAIN TOPIC AND/OR THE WORK YOU ARE
ANALYSING
• TO STATE YOUR CLAIM/ARGUMENT AND TELL THE READER WHAT TO
EXPECT (THESIS)
INTRO (CONTINUED)

SOME OF THE BEST WAYS TO INTRODUCE YOUR TOPIC ARE TO USE

A SHOCKING STATISTIC, FACT, OR A QUOTATION AS A HOOK. IF
YOU USE A QUOTATION, IT MUST BE PART OF YOUR OWN
SENTENCE (INTEGRATED GRAMMATICALLY).
• EX. THIS YEAR IN NORTH AMERICA, GUNS WILL KILL MORE
PEOPLE THAN CANCER AND CAR ACCIDENTS COMBINED.
• EX. 2013 SAW YET ANOTHER DISASTROUS CELEBRITY IDENTITY
CRISIS AS MILEY CYRUS ATTEMPTED TO REINVENT HERSELF
FROM GOOD GIRL “HANNAH MONTANA” INTO THE TERRIFYING,
TWERKING PARTY GIRL MILEY.
 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

• YOUR INTRO SHOULD GIVE GENERAL INFORMATION (BUT NOT

TOO GENERAL!) ABOUT YOUR TOPIC AND GIVE SOME CONTEXT
FOR THE IDEAS YOU ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON
• YOUR INTRO SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR THESIS STATEMENT THAT
WILL ACT AS A ROAD-MAP FOR YOUR READER (AND FOR YOU!)
• EACH PARAGRAPH SHOULD RELATE TO THE THESIS
• A PARAGRAPH NEEDS AT LEAST 3 SENTENCES TO BE
COMPLETE!
Common Intro Problems When responding
to a Text:

Too much summary of the author’s points (too

much focus on the author’s argument, more than
2 or 3 sentences) or drifting off topic

 Weak thesis statement that doesn’t list 3-4

specific points along with main argument
THESIS STATEMENT

• A THESIS IS AN ARGUMENT OR CLAIM THAT YOU ARE TRYING

TO JUSTIFY USING SPECIFIC REASONS OR EVIDENCE.
• E.G. IF TRYING TO PROVE THAT AN AUTHOR USES SEVERAL
RHETORICAL DEVICES, YOUR THESIS SHOULD LIST THE THREE
OR FOUR LITERARY DEVICES THAT YOU WILL BE DISCUSSING.
INTRO REQUIREMENTS
1) SIGNAL PHRASE & AUTHOR’S THESIS (IF
APPLICABLE) E.G. SUE JONES ARGUES IN “THE
WRONG WAY TO MAKE BREAD” THAT…
2) BRIEF SUMMARY OF AUTHOR’S
ARGUMENTS (IF APPLICABLE) (2-3
SENTENCES MAX.)
3) TRANSITION E.G. JONES’S ARGUMENT
SUCCEEDS BECAUSE.. OR HOWEVER, JONES’S
ARGUMENT ONLY PARTIALLY SUCCEEDS
BECAUSE…
4) THREE OR FOUR POINT THESIS
STATEMENT CONTAINING OVERALL
ARGUMENT AND POINTS, IN ORDER
DISCUSSED IN ESSAY. E.G. …BECAUSE OF HER
SAMPLE ONE
IN THE ARTICLE, “STOP INFANTILIZING
STUDENTS,” AUTHOR WITOLD ZOMBROWSKI
ARGUES THAT PARENTS AND TEACHERS TREAT
COLLEGE STUDENTS LIKE INFANTS; AS A RESULT,
HE SAYS, “STUDENTS DON’T TAKE ANY
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN LIVES.”
ZOMBROWSKI BELIEVES THAT TEACHERS SHOULD
STOP PAMPERING STUDENTS WITH ONLINE NOTES
AND IN-CLASS REMINDERS IN ORDER TO
“PROMOTE AN ADULT OUTLOOK.” ZOMBROWSKI’S
ARGUMENT IS ONLY PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL,
HOWEVER, IN ITS USE OF TWO RHETORICAL
APPEALS, A NARRATIVE MODE, A CASUAL STYLE,
AND A CONDESCENDING TONE.
 BODY PARAGRAPHS

• A PARAGRAPH IS A SERIES OF RELATED SENTENCES THAT

DEVELOPS ONE MAJOR IDEA.
• THIS IDEA IS SUPPORTED BY EXAMPLES, ILLUSTRATIONS,
EXPLANATIONS, FACTS, AND OPINIONS.
• THINK OF A PARAGRAPH AS A MINI ESSAY THAT CONTAINS A
TOPIC SENTENCE, SUPPORTING INFORMATION AND A
CONCLUSION.
TOPIC SENTENCES

• THE TOPIC SENTENCE (LIKE THE THESIS) CONTAINS THE

CONTROLLING IDEA OF THE PARAGRAPH.
• IT IS THE FIRST SENTENCE OF YOUR PARAGRAPH!
• THE SUPPORTING SENTENCES ARE MORE DETAILED AND
INFORMATIVE.
• THE TOPIC SENTENCE INTRODUCES THE MAIN IDEA, BUT THE
SUPPORTING SENTENCES EXPLAIN IT THROUGH EVIDENCE:
FACTS, DEFINITIONS, REASONS, EXAMPLES, OR ILLUSTRATIONS.
PARAGRAPH VISUAL ORGANIZER
DEVELOPING YOUR BODY PARAGRAPHS

• IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE GENERAL STATEMENTS AND

ASSUME THAT YOUR READER WILL ACCEPT THEM.
• ALWAYS ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY
STATEMENT: “HOW DO I KNOW THIS? CAN I PROVE THAT IT’S
TRUE?”
• THE EXAMPLES YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED OR HIGHLIGHTED WHILE
READING WILL HELP YOU SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENTS AND
PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF WHAT YOU SAY (QUOTATIONS).
• BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE.
INTEGRATING QUOTATIONS PROPERLY

• ROMEO DALLAIRE (2003) WRITES, “I HAVE YEARNED TO RETURN

TO RWANDA AND DISAPPEAR INTO THE BLUE-GREEN HILLS
WITH MY GHOSTS” (P. 467).
• DALLAIRE (2003) SPEAKS OF HIS JOURNEY THROUGH RWANDA
AS A NIGHTMARE FOR WHICH HE FEELS HE IS AT FAULT. “AS
COMMANDER OF THE UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN RWANDA,”
DALLAIRE BEGINS, “I COULD NOT HELP BUT FEEL DEEPLY
RESPONSIBLE” (P. 464).
INTEGRATING QUOTATIONS (CONT’D)

• EVEN NINE YEARS AFTER LEAVING RWANDA, DALLAIRE (2003)

REVEALS THAT “THE SOUNDS, SMELLS AND COLOURS COME
FLOODING BACK IN DIGITAL CLARITY” (P. 467).

• NOTE: IN EACH OF THESE EXAMPLES, THE QUOTATIONS ARE

PART OF YOUR ARGUMENT; THEY ARE NOT JUST DROPPED INTO
THE ESSAY AND MADE TO STAND ALONE!
CONCLUSION

YOUR CONCLUSION HAS TWO FUNCTIONS:

• IT SUMMARIZES & REINFORCES THE MAIN POINTS OF YOUR
PAPER
• IT ENDS WITH AN APPROPRIATE MEMORABLE STATEMENT

NOTE: A STRONG CONCLUSION WILL LEAVE YOUR READER

THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE SAID AFTER THEY HAVE
FINISHED READING!