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.