Essay Structure
- 1. Five-paragraph ESSAYS { Structure
- 2. When you take the GED, you will receive a prompt to answer in an essay. The prompt will be about a general topic, and you will be asked to give an opinion or an explanation of something. To do this, you will need to use details that come from your personal observations and experiences. An example of a prompt: What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years? In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.
- 3. Another example of a prompt: Why is learning English important to you? In your essay, explain why learning English is important to you. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.
- 4. The basic school essay is composed of 5 paragraphs: I. Introduction II. Body Paragraph 1 III.Body Paragraph 2 IV.Body Paragraph 3 V. Conclusion
- 5. 1.Introduction The introduction should: • grab the reader’s attention so he/she wants to read more. • provide necessary background information. • identify your main idea (answer the prompt). • preview what will come in your body paragraphs. You will identify your main idea and preview the body paragraphs in a thesis statement. A thesis statement summarizes the main idea of your essay and supplies a little information about your supporting points.
- 6. What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years? In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay. Let’s say your goal is to find a better job than the one you have now. The prompt asks you how you plan to achieve it. Your plans to get a better job include: 1) finishing school, 2) preparing a resume, and 3) searching for jobs. Your thesis statement might be: It is my goal in the next few years to get a better job by finishing school, preparing a resume, and searching for jobs. *OR* A major goal I would like to accomplish in the next few years is getting a better job. My plan to do this is to finish school, prepare a resume, and then search for jobs.
- 7. Your turn!! What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years? In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay. I. Write down one goal you have. II. Think about 3 things you can do to achieve it. 1. ____________ 2. _____________ 3. ___________ III. Now, put those together in a thesis statement. (1 or 2 sentences) IV. The teacher will come by and check your work.
- 8. Back to the introduction: After you have a thesis statement, you can work on an introduction. Remember, the thesis statement identifies your main idea and previews what will come in your body paragraphs. You will put it at the END of the introduction. Before that, you need to: • grab the reader’s attention so he/she wants to read more. • provide necessary background information. Let’s look at an example of an introduction:
- 9. Making goals for myself The writer introduces the topic of the essay and and working toward them keeps provides a bit of me on my toes and makes my life background information interesting. There are many goals to make the essay more interesting. that I would like to achieve throughout my life. I have begun working toward many of them by looking into going back to school and thinking about what I’d like to do for a career. One major goal The thesis statement I would like to accomplish in the starts here. We see one goal the writer wants to next few years is getting a better accomplish and 3 ways job. My plan to get a better job is in which he/she plans to to finish school, prepare a achieve it. resume, and then search for jobs."
- 10. Another Introduction Many people speak The writer introduces the topic of the essay and English around the world, and it provides a bit of is a universal language. People background information who were born in the United to make the essay more interesting. States are lucky, because they grew up speaking English every day. I wasn’t so lucky, but now I am taking classes to improve my English. Learning English is The thesis statement starts here. We see the important for me so that I can reasons why learning earn more money, help my family, English is important for and meet new people. the writer.
- 11. 2. Body Paragraph One The first body paragraph should discuss the first point in your thesis statement. Let’s look at the last thesis statement again: Learning English is important for me so that I can earn more money, help my family, and meet new people. In this case, Body Paragraph One should explain how learning English will give the writer the possibility to earn more money.
- 12. If I learn English, I can Transition to 1st point in thesis statement make more money. Right now, my job is to clean homes and offices. It’s a hard job, and I don’t make much money. But it’s hard for me to get another job. My English still needs some improvements, and when I go to This explains how learning English can help interviews, it’s hard for me to the writer make more speak to the people. When they money. see that I don’t speak good English, they immediately think I can’t do the job. If I learn English, I will be able to get a better job and thus make more money.
- 13. 3. Body Paragraph Two The second body paragraph should discuss the second point in your thesis statement. Thesis statement: Learning English is important for me so that I can earn more money, help my family, and meet new people. In this case, Body Paragraph Two should explain how learning English will allow the writer to help his/her family.
- 14. Another reason learning English is Transition to 2nd point important for me is so that I can help my in thesis statement family. My husband doesn’t speak English. Example of how it will help family and details It’s my responsibility to speak when we go to Another example and restaurants, stores, or the doctor. Also, I need details to understand letters and notices that arrive at our house. Sometimes they are very important, and if I can’t understand them, we can have some problems. I also need to know English to help my daughter. She is in Another example and elementary school now, and I want to help details her with her homework when she has problems. Also, I need to speak to her teacher, and I want to volunteer at her school. If I can’t speak English, life in the USA is much more difficult for my family.
- 15. 4. Body Paragraph Three The third body paragraph should discuss the third point in your thesis statement. Thesis statement: Learning English is important for me so that I can earn more money, help my family, and meet new people. In this case, Body Paragraph Three should explain how learning English will help the writer meet new people.
- 16. Finally, I really want to learn more Transition to 3rd point English so that I can meet new people. I’m a in thesis statement sociable person, and I like to talk to Explanation of everyone. The problem is that right now I problem can only speak to people that speak Spanish. I’m too shy when I must speak English. It is OK to speak to Spanish speakers, but I also want to talk to other people, especially Details Americans. I think if I meet new people, it will help me learn more about the culture here and also learn more English. For example, my cousin has a friend from Georgia. They do lots of fun activities together, and my cousin is learning a lot about American culture and seems happier here than he did before. I think meeting new people is important, but now I sometimes feel isolated or lonely.
- 17. 5. Conclusion The conclusion paragraph ties everything together from your essay and restates your thesis statement with different words. When I lived in my country, I Connects to the rest didn’t understand how important English of the essay could be. I only realized it when I came to the United States. Learning English is a Restates the thesis necessity for me now, and I hope that statement, using when I speak English better, I will be able different words to make more money, assist my family more, and make new friends.
- 18. Let’s compare the thesis statement with the statement in the conclusion: Learning English is Learning English is a important for me so that I necessity for me now, can earn more money, help and I hope that when I my family, and meet new speak English better, I people. will be able to make more money, assist my family more, and make new friends. They say the same thing, but the words are slightly different. Don’t repeat the thesis statement 100%.