What is Standard Essay Structure?

Brad Hutchinson

Standard essay structure is a specific essay form that has a clear introduction, body and conclusion. Even though the structure can have more than five paragraphs, it is often called a five-paragraph essay. Each main piece of support needs its own body paragraph.

What is standard essay structure?

There are three main types of essays:1. Narrative essays—essays that tell a story2. Persuasive or argumentative essays—essays

that attempt to convince the audience to believe, think or do something

3. Expository essays—essays that define, explain, or analyze.

Types of Essays

Many essays use techniques or structures from two or all three of the main types of essays.

 The basic structure of all essays has three

sections: the introduction, the body and the conclusion

Types of Essays

The introduction serves two main functions:1. To engage the reader—catch the reader’s interest2. To introduce the main idea

Introduction

There are six main ways to engage your audience:1. Ask a question (the weakest of the methods)2. Tell an anecdote3. Provide a relevant quotation4. Share some dialogue5. Reveal a startling or unusual fact6. Paint a vivid description (use sensory detail)

Introduction

There are five main ways to introduce your main idea:

1. State the problem2. Present the information you are

going to compare/contrast3. Give background for your story4. State your thesis5. Introduce the idea/object/process person/place that you are going to describe

Introduction

In the body, the writer presents at least three paragraphs. Each paragraph has a main supporting idea that directly relates to the thesis, main idea or topic of the paper as presented in the introduction. For these main supporting ideas, the writer supplies additional details explanations and proof related to the supporting main ideas.

Body

Goal—the body serves one or more of the following purposes:

1. Tell your story in a narrative essay2. Compare and contrast your information in

an expository essay3. Describe your idea/object/process/person/

place in an expository essay4. Prove your point or thesis in an

argumentative essay5. Explain your solution to a problem in an

argumentative essay

Body

Use a specific order or orders in the body of an essay:

1. Spatial order—order based on location—use for descriptions

2. Chronological order—order based on time—use for events in a narrative essay

Body

3. Logical order—order based on ways of thinking—use for cause/effect, problem/solution, main idea/support in argumentative and expository essays

4. Order of Importance—order based on most important information to least important/ least important to most important—use in argumentative and expository essays

Body

The goal of the conclusion is to signal to the audience that the piece is complete

Conclusion

There are nine basic ways to write a conclusion:

1. Restate (put in new words) the main idea— show chain of main ideas

2. Make a rebuttal3. Ask an additional question that extends

your main idea4. Make a call to action

Conclusion

5. Make a suggestion6. Make a prediction7. Explain the importance of the information

in the piece8. In a narrative, end with the last event9. Extend the specific to the general and/or

universal

Conclusion

Remember, this is not exhaustive. If you can figure out a way to organize or present your piece that grows out of the information itself, use that.

However!