UNDERSTANDING AN ESSAY. Many people today have heard and even written many essays, but a large percentage of those people may not be aware of whether what they wrote was an essay, they just wrote.so what is an essay? This short essay will give an understanding of what is an essay and what it must contain. An essay can be defined as an opinion piece or just a piece of writing which is intended to methodically analyse and evaluate a topic or an issue. Generally, an essay is aimed at analysing the information and facts of the topic under study or the topical issue and then gives a standpoint on the matter. In other words, an essay is a prose writing that must present analysed information to the reader and show the standpoint of the writer. This is to say that an essay must show the writers understanding of the issue by critically providing the facts already known and then analyse them to convince the reader to side with the writer or understand the writers view point. Generally, a good essay is composed of five paragraphs. Each paragraph introduces a new idea. A good scholar should understand how to develop a five paragraph essay because it is the most recommended especially in literature and in articles for it presents the ideas in a clear and straight forward manner. Normally, an essay consists of three main parts namely, the introduction, body, and then the conclusion.
The introduction consists of one paragraph. This paragraph introduces the reader to the topic and outlines what the reader will learn from the essay. In the introduction, a hook is important to grab the reader’s attention and is usually the first sentence. At the end of the introduction a transitional sentence is helpful so that the essay flows seamlessly from one paragraph to the next. As important as having a hook is to grab attention, the thesis statement is the most important aspect of the introductory paragraph. The thesis is the concise wording of what will be discussed in the body of the paragraph. It should include three main points that correspond to the three body paragraphs that follow the introduction.

The body of the essay consists of three paragraphs that correspond to the three main points made in the thesis statement. Each paragraph will go into more detail on one point and explain why this point supports your opinion or topic. The body paragraphs should contain examples drawn from facts and evidence. They should also contain an explanation of the facts and evidence. The end of each body paragraph needs to contain a conclusion statement that helps prove the thesis. The body is vital to the structure of the essay because it solidifies what was stated in the thesis. Once the body has been developed, a proper conclusion can be made from the introduction and body paragraphs.

The conclusion takes the information presented in the body of the essay and ties it back to the thesis statement. In the conclusion, the thesis statement will be restated and the body paragraphs summarized to show how the conclusion came about. The conclusion is vital to the structure of the essay because it summarizes in a concise manner what the author was presenting in the essay and signals the essay has come to an end.

The introduction, body, and conclusion are all important to a five-paragraph essay because each section provides both structure that makes the essay flow from one paragraph to the next and important information that backs up the author’s thesis statement. The introduction introduces the topic and sets the tone, the body explains the topic using three main points, and the conclusion summarizes the essay and signals the end. The five-paragraph essay is an easy way to clearly explain a topic.