10.4: Writing Skills- From Paragraph to Essay

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In this unit, we will start to look at longer pieces of writing. Now that you have mastered paragraph writing, it is a relatively easy matter to use paragraphs to build clear, convincing essays. One of the most common essays in college is the five-paragraph essay.

What Does a Good Five-Paragraph Essay Look Like?

Look at this example:

How to Live to Be 100

In April, 2017, Ellen “Dolly” Gibb celebrated her 112th birthday, making her officially Canada’s oldest person. Born in Winnipeg in 1905, Dolly attributes her longevity to genetics and a healthy lifestyle: good food, little alcohol, no smoking, and plenty of walking. Can anyone live to be 112? While genetics play a role in determining how long a person will live, a lot depends on lifestyle. Your chances of celebrating your 100th birthday and beyond depend largely on three things: diet, exercise, and mental health.

First, it is important to eat sensibly. This means plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish, lean meats, and healthy fats. A good dinner, for example, might be salmon, vegetables, and a small potato. Or you could choose a slice of meat and a salad. For dessert, fresh fruit is always a good choice. On the other hand, people whose diets consist of processed food, such as microwaveable meals and packaged food are likely to find that they are not getting the nutrients they need. One good technique to make sure you get the vitamins your body needs is to make sure you eat something from every colour of the rainbow each day. You could, for example, eat a tomato (red), a few grapes (purple), a scrambled egg (yellow), and some broccoli (green). Eating a diet of fast food meals can be harmful to your health.

Second, the importance of regular exercise cannot be overemphasized. If you have a job that requires you to be active, that is ideal. However, many people have sedentary lifestyles; they need to work hard to ensure they get enough exercise. Some people say that they cannot exercise because they are too busy. Others claim that they cannot afford to join a gym. In truth, these people are just looking for an excuse. It is not necessary to buy the latest fitness equipment or join the trendiest gym to achieve a high level of physical fitness. Simple activities like walking are just as good. Walking has been shown to reduce rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; it is also good for respiratory issues. All you need is 30 minutes per day and a pair of comfortable shoes. It could make a big difference in your life. Other activities that are beneficial to health are team sports, such as soccer and softball, and solitary activities like yoga.

Finally, physical health is not enough; mental health is just as necessary. People whose lives are full of resentment and anger at other people are harbouring so many negative emotions that health is compromised. Similarly, toxic relationships are detrimental to health and longevity. Anyone who is being bullied or belittled by another person needs to take steps to sever the relationship and work towards rebuilding self-esteem. This is especially true in cases of physical or verbal abuse. For some people, religion or other forms of spiritual engagement provide emotional support in times of difficulty and help them to make sense of the world. Other people have no such beliefs, but they surround themselves with family members or friends who love and nurture them. So, if you want to live a long and healthy life, it is crucial to get rid of the emotional baggage you are carrying around and to surround yourself with love and positivity.

In conclusion, there is no guarantee of living a long, healthy life. However, there are steps that everyone can take to make the best of the years they have left. Three of the best things you can do are eat sensibly, exercise, and pay attention to your mental wellbeing. If you do those things, you are well on your way to a happy and healthy life.

What makes this a good essay?

It is all about the same subject—ways to live a long and healthy life.
All ideas flow in a logical order, from the introduction to the conclusion.
There is plenty of detail to back up the writer’s initial statement that there are things you can do to maximize your chances of reaching old age.

How Should I Organize My Essay?

Think back to Unit 2. In that unit, you learned that a good paragraph can be compared to a hamburger. The top of the hamburger bun is the topic sentence; the main part of the hamburger is the supporting sentences; and the bottom of the bun is the concluding sentence.

A five-paragraph essay is exactly the same:

The top of the bun is the introduction (paragraph 1). It needs to look good, so that your readers will want to continue. The introduction usually contains a thesis statement. This is a one-sentence statement of what you want to say in your essay. Everything in your essay is governed by this thesis statement. You could say that it is the most important sentence in your essay.
The main part of the hamburger is the body of your essay (paragraphs 2, 3, and 4). This is where you will find the “meaty” part of the essay: details, statistics, examples, and so on. Every piece of information is chosen because it supports the thesis statement.
The bottom of the bun is your conclusion (paragraph 5). As with the concluding sentence in a paragraph, the purpose of the conclusion is to sum up what you have said, and to give some form of advice, prediction, or call to action.

Sections of the Paragraph: Helpful Tips

Introduction

Make it clear to the reader what your essay is about.
Start with something that “grabs” the reader, such as a shocking statistic or story.
Give any necessary background and suggest why this topic is important.
Give a strong thesis statement: what do you want to say about the topic?

DON’T

Make it too long. The introduction should be no more than 15−20% of your essay.
Say, “This essay is about …” What do you want to say about it?

Body paragraphs

Make sure each paragraph supports the main idea (thesis statement) of the essay.
Include only one main idea in each paragraph.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.
Include plenty of evidence: facts, details, examples, stories, numbers, and any other information that improves your argument.
Introduce different paragraphs with words like First, Next, In addition, Moreover, Finally.

DON’T

Include paragraphs that have no connection to your thesis statement.
Have more than one main idea in each paragraph.
Make “sweeping statements” (generalizations). Do not make an extreme statement without giving details to support it.

Conclusion

Summarize your key points.
Make recommendations, suggestions, and/or predictions. What should happen next?
Start with a phrase like In conclusion, … or To conclude, … or To sum up, …

DON’T

Make it too long. Aim for no more than 15% of your essay.
Introduce a lot of new information here.
Forget the conclusion! It needs to be there to signal the end of your essay.

You Try It!

Look again at the essay called How to Live to Be 100. Make an outline of the essay by completing the table below.

TITLE
INTRODUCTION
How does the writer grab the reader’s attention?
Question being asked in the essay
Thesis statement
BODY
Body Paragraph 1
Topic sentence
Supporting details
Body Paragraph 2
Topic sentence
Supporting details
Body Paragraph 3
Topic sentence
Supporting details
CONCLUSION
Summary of main points
Recommendation, suggestion, or prediction

In Bring It Together: Writing Task you will write a five-paragraph essay on the topic of heath. Use what you have learned in this section to help you.