Module 2: Section 3

Organization in an Essay

Just as a paragraph has topic sentences, supporting details and a concluding/transition sentence, essays also have organizational structures with beginnings, middles and ends.

tv View the Parts of an Essay tutorial to learn more.

While the five paragraph essay structure is a simple and clear way to organize an essay, it’s not the only method for organizing your ideas.

tv View the Essay Types tutorial to learn more.

Beginning, Middle, and End

Have you ever seen a TV show or movie that depicts a lawyer giving their opening or closing argument? In their opening statement, the attorney tries to gain the interest and trust of the jury. The main idea of the case--the presumed guilt or innocence of the person on trial--is made clear. The jury gets a brief idea of how the attorney will present his or her evidence. This is similar to the purpose of a good introductory paragraph: to introduce the main idea of the essay (the thesis).

The closing paragraph of an essay is like the lawyer’s closing statement at a trial: you want to make a strong statement that wraps up your main ideas. A good attorney plans a conclusion that will hit as hard as possible, and a writer should try to do the same thing with a concluding paragraph.

Writing effective introductions and conclusions

There is no “magic rule” for writing an effective introduction and conclusion. Certain types of writing do have guidelines or requirements, which could include a specific number of body paragraphs, for example. All essays should have a clear main idea located somewhere in the opening paragraph. While you may have some flexibility in how you organize an essay, here are some ideas that can help you create an interesting opening or closing paragraph:

  • Powerful quotations work well in both introductions and conclusions.
  • Vivid pictures of emotional scenes work very well at getting the reader's attention.
  • The thesis is usually stated near the end of the introduction, but it does not have to be. It can be anywhere in the paragraph. Sometimes you can grab your reader's attention by presenting a problem or asking a question.