Instructions for a Five-Paragraph Essay

NOTE:

I can make no guarantees as to what kinds of grades will be given for papers that use the process presented here; this is the usual standard form for 5-paragraph essays, but your instructor may want something different. Please consult your instructor if you are not sure. You may print these instructions directly from this page,or copy and paste.

Instructions for Writing a Standard 5-Paragraph Essay

1. Pick a specific, narrow topic/main idea

2. Think of three questions to ask about the topic

3. Use the answers to the three questions to write a single sentence about the topic; the sentence should include all three answers in its construction. This sentence is your Thesis Statement.

4. Write a short introductory paragraph telling the reader everything that you are going to talk about in your essay. Put the thesis statement at the end of the paragraph.

5. Now, treating the three questions that you came up with earlier as subtopics, write at least one paragraph about each subtopic. Try to make the first sentence of each paragraph refer to the last sentence of the preceding paragraph (or vice versa)

6. Finally, write a concluding paragraph. Reapeat all of the main points of each of the subtopics, but restrict each main point to three sentences or less. Finally, write a concluding sentence, ending with a thought that encompasses the entire main idea of the paper.

Grammaticus Links

The Basics

• Parts of Speech
• Parts of Sentences
• Types of Sentences

On To More Complex Things

• Paragraphs
• The Essay
• A Helpful Form
• The Research Paper
• The Literary Analysis Paper
• Creative Writing

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