The Elements of an Excellent Essay

Some reminders for you as you begin composing your

persuasive essay.

Before you begin…

• ASK YOURSELF:• What is my purpose? (persuasion)• What tone do I want to convey?• Who is my audience?

** Keep these questions in mind as you write – always!

Don’t forget to use:

• FORMAL LANGUAGE!• No Contractions!• No “I”

*** Also use your persuasive strategies throughout. Rhetorical Questions, repetition, parallelism.

TITLE

• Conveys the main point of the essay in 10 words or fewer.

• A creative way to attract the reader’s attention and interest.

• Capitalization rules always apply!.

• Do NOT simply state the subject!

The Introduction

• Captures the reader’s attention.• Can give background information on

the topic. • Enhance the paragraph with an

interesting example, surprising statistic, or other “hook.”

• Include the thesis statement. Thesis statement MUST be the last sentence in your introduction.

Thesis Statement

• States the main idea of the essay. It is a road map for your paper. It sets the expectation for your piece.

• It is specific, but restricted, and should be unified.

• More general than the supporting material.

• May mention the main point of each of the body paragraphs.

Thesis continued…

• It is usually one sentence long and found within the introduction.

• It must be an arguable point.

Any student who would like me to read a draft of their introduction with thesis statement may submit one to me by Wednesday morning. After that, you’re on your own…

Body Paragraph 1

• Begin with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph and relates it to the thesis statement.

• Use transitions within paragraph.• Fill with well-organized examples,

quotations, comparisons, analogies, and/or anecdotes.

• End with a transition statement.

Body Paragraph 2

• Begin with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph and relates it to the thesis statement.

• Use transitions within paragraph.• Fill with well-organized examples,

quotations, comparisons, analogies, and/or anecdotes.

• End with a transition statement.

Body Paragraph 3

• Begin with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph and relates it to the thesis statement.

• Use transitions within paragraph.• Fill with well-organized examples,

quotations, comparisons, analogies, and/or anecdotes.

• End with a transition statement.

Conclusion

• “Echo” the thesis statement without simply repeating it.

• May pose a question for future thought or suggest a course of action.

• Include a detail or example from the introduction to “tie up” the essay (loop)

• End with a strong image or a bit of wit. Leave a lasting impression!

MLA FORMAT• 12 point font• Times New Roman• Double-spaced

• *** You received a handout on this information along with how to appropriately cite sources.

• MINIMUM of 3 in-text citations. Each source must be used one time.