Where no fiveparagraph essay has gone before DBU University Writing Center by Mark J Boone edited by UWC staff Lisa Crawford Lead Editor Table of Contents Review of the Five Paragraph ID: 133326
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Slide1
Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay
Where no five-paragraph essay has gone before!
(© DBU University Writing Center)
by Mark J. Boone; edited by UWC
staff: Lisa Crawford
, Lead EditorSlide2
Table of Contents
Review of the Five Paragraph
Essay………...……………………………...slides 3-5
Go Beyond the Five-Paragraph
Essay………………………………………..slides 6-7
Break the Letter of the Law; Obey the
Spirit……….……………………………...slides 8-10Slide3
The five-paragraph essay is ...
The
five-paragraph essay
has a very rigid structure.
There is a
thesis statement
that presents a
contention
, or argument, with three reasons
why the reader should consider agreeing with the contention.
Each body paragraph deals with
one
of those three reasons.
The thesis statement
usually
appears at the end of the introductory paragraph.
Each body paragraph has a
topic sentence
.
Topic sentences present the contention dealt with in that paragraph and sums up the coming paragraph.
The topic sentence is like a mini-thesis statement for the paragraph, but it also
relates
back to the thesis statement.Slide4
When not to use it ...
The five-paragraph essay is usually inappropriate for some writing assignments, such as:
Composing poetry
Free writing
Composing fiction
Journaling
Writing lettersSlide5
What it gives us ...
The five-paragraph essay has advantages both for its writer and its readers ...
Unity
. Because the thesis statement and the paper talk about the same thing, the paper is always getting its point across and
never changes topics
.
Clarity
. Because the topic sentences summarize a section of the paper and connect that section back to the thesis, the readers are constantly being reminded how the details
fit
into the general idea of the paper.
Organization
. Both the writer and the reader know how each part of the paper falls into the paper’s overall structure.
The five-paragraph essay is
brief
and
concise
.Slide6
Go beyond the five-paragraph essay ...
The five-paragraph essay basically exists so that it can be
transcended
.
Writers are not supposed to
ignore
the rules of the five-paragraph essay for their entire writing career, but they should not always be governed by its
elementary
principles
.
Especially as one moves into papers that are a little bit longer than just five short paragraphs, the rules of the five-paragraph essay will have to be
bent
a little bit ...Slide7
The first rules to go ...
The first rule to stop following is the one about
the number of paragraphs
.
For instance, there might be a need to spend two paragraphs on one of the three points, or the introduction might consist of two short paragraphs.
The next rule that does not retain its importance is the one about
three main points
.
Just
two
reasons to support the thesis are not usually enough, but
four or more reasons
are often useful.
A guideline that does not need to be followed is that the thesis statement occurs at the
end
of your first paragraph.
It could occur in the middle or even at the beginning; it could even be in a different paragraph--just as long as it is still
clear
which is the thesis statement.Slide8
Break the letter of the law; obey the spirit ...
But even in leaving behind the legalistic rigidity of the five-paragraph essay, one should still follow its
general
rules
.
It is recommend that several of the
general
rules
of the five-paragraph essay be followed in extended research projects of
at least 8 pages
.Slide9
Break the Letter of the Law; Obey the Spirit ...
The thesis statement still introduces the main points of the paper.
In some longer papers the “thesis statement” may take up one or two whole paragraphs and may or may not appear at the end of the introductory section of your paper.
The thesis will still introduce the main points of the paper and give the reader a feel for what comes next
.
Another rule writers should
keep
is a modified version of the rule about
topic sentences
.
Instead of having a sentence at the beginning of each main point, simply make an effort to always explicitly connect the main point of your paper back to your thesis statement.Slide10
Break the Letter of the Law; Obey the Spirit ...
Following these rules help to keep the paper
organized
and
clear
.
There will be
fewer
things that are
not
very important to the topic.
There will also be
more
things that actually
support
the thesis.
Communication
is enhanced. Readers know what is going on in the paper.