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| A literary composition that expresses a certain idea, claim, or concept and backs it up with supporting statements. It will follow a logical pattern, to include an introductory paragraph, a body, and a conclusion. |
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| The first paragraph. It introduces the paper's thesis. Three other common techniques are giving factual information, using an anecdote, or citing a quotation. |
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It introduces an essay’s thesis or a paragraph. It unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences; and it advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it. |
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| Statement of purpose -- does not use "I" or "my," even though the idea present in your thesis statement is your own, use third person for a stronger, more confident approach. It should be a single sentence. |
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| Paragraphs, each limited to one main idea, that support your thesis. You should state your idea, then back it up with two or three sentences of evidence or examples. |
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| Supports your thesis statement. You can use one or more of the following: 1. reasons 2. examples 3. a story/incident to illustrate the idea 4. statistics 5. descriptive details. |
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| Transitions connect your sentences/paragraphs to one another. It's not effective to simply jump from one idea to the next; you need to use the end of one paragraph and/or the beginning of the next to show the relationship between the ideas. Between each paragraph and the one that follows, you need a transition. It can be built in to the topic sentence of the next paragraph, or it can be the concluding sentence of the first. It can even be a little of both. To express the relationship between the two paragraphs, think about words and phrases that compare and contrast. |
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| Concludes the paragraph either by restating the main idea presented in the topic sentence (though using different words), or it provides a final comment about that main idea. |
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| The final paragraph. It is a summary of the main parts of the essay. It does not raise any new points. Some techniques to use are emphasizing the result of the ideas in the essay, offering a solution, predicting a situation that will result from the idea, or making a recommendation concerning the material presented in the essay. |
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