Paragraph and Essay Forms

Throughout college and beyond, you will write paragraphs and essays. Each of these has a basic structure.

Paragraph Structure

A paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to make a point. A good paragraph has three necessary parts — the topic sentence, the body, and the concluding sentence. Each part serves a specific purpose.

PARAGRAPH PART PURPOSE OF THE PARAGRAPH PART
1. The topic sentence states the main point. The topic sentence is often either the first or last sentence of a paragraph.
2. The body supports (shows, explains, or proves) the main point. It usually contains three to six support sentences, which present facts and details that develop the main point.
3. The concluding sentence reminds readers of the main point and often makes an observation.

Essay Structure

Essays vary in length. A short essay may consist of four or five paragraphs, totaling three hundred to six hundred words. A long essay is six paragraphs or more, depending on what the essay needs to accomplish — persuading someone to do something, using research to make a point, explaining a complex concept, or explaining an idea or experience.

An essay has three necessary parts — an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

ESSAY PART PURPOSE OF THE ESSAY PART
1. The introduction states the main point, or thesis, generally in a single strong statement. The introduction may be a single paragraph or multiple paragraphs.
2. The body supports (shows, explains, or proves) the main point. The body of an essay generally has at least three support paragraphs. Each support paragraph begins with a topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and continues with facts and details that develop the main point.
3. The conclusion reminds readers of the main point. It may summarize and reinforce the support in the body paragraphs, or it may make an observation based on that support. Whether it is a single paragraph or more, the conclusion should relate back to the main point of the essay.

The parts of an essay correspond to the parts of a paragraph. The thesis of an essay is like the topic sentence of a paragraph. The support paragraphs in the body of an essay are like the support sentences of a paragraph. And the conclusion of an essay is like the concluding sentence of a paragraph. “Paragraph vs. Essay Forms” shows how paragraphs and essays are related.