Summary

An essay is a discussion of a subject organized in a series of paragraphs. The content of an essay is more complex than a paragraph and its structure contains three distinct parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introduction attracts the reader’s attention, stating the essay’s point in a thesis statement, and generally includes a plan of development that helps the reader to understand what will follow in the body.

The body breaks the thesis statement into smaller ideas, giving details, explanations, and examples to support the topic of each body paragraph. The conclusion ties all the ideas together and ends the paper.

Student writers should use the writing process (see chapter 2) to develop the introduction, body, and conclusion of an essay. Outlining can also be a valuable tool in developing a complete and well-written essay.