How To Write An Essay: Structure
TLDRIn this informative video, Ariel discusses the crucial role of essay structure, debunking the myth of the five-paragraph essay for university-level writing. She emphasizes the importance of a strong introduction with a clear thesis statement, cohesive body paragraphs with topic sentences, evidence, and concluding statements, and a conclusion that answers 'so what?'. Ariel also highlights the necessity of understanding citation styles and the use of transition sentences for a coherent argument. Sponsored by Squarespace, the video offers practical advice for crafting well-structured essays that effectively convey ideas.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ The importance of essay structure is emphasized as it provides a solid framework for impactful content.
- 📝 The five-paragraph essay is too short for university level but offers a starting point with its inverted triangle structure.
- 📍 The introduction should start broad and narrow down to the thesis statement, ideally placed at the end.
- 📚 Body paragraphs should develop and prove the argument, with each paragraph being cohesive and full.
- 📜 The paragraph structure should include a topic sentence, evidence, explanation, and a concluding statement that ties back to the thesis.
- 🚫 Avoid disjointed or inconclusive paragraphs; each should be a well-structured entity.
- 🔚 The conclusion should broaden back out from the specifics, answering the 'so what' question and showing the essay's significance.
- 📖 Before writing, confirm the required citation style with the professor or teaching assistant to understand the essay's format.
- 🔗 Topic sentences are crucial for essay clarity, allowing readers to follow the thought process easily.
- 🔄 Transition sentences and phrases link arguments together, preventing the essay from feeling like a collection of random ideas.
- 📌 All content in the essay should relate back to the thesis statement, which serves as the essay's anchor and compass.
Q & A
What is the main focus of Ariel's series on writing an essay?
-The main focus of Ariel's series is to provide guidance on the structure of an essay, emphasizing the importance of a well-organized framework to make the content impactful and effective.
Why is structure considered important in essay writing according to the video?
-Structure is important because it provides a framework that ensures the essay's ideas are presented in a clear, logical, and impactful manner, making them more effective for the reader.
What is the five-paragraph essay, and how does it relate to the structure discussed in the video?
-The five-paragraph essay is a commonly taught structure in North American high schools, consisting of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The video suggests that while this structure is too simplistic for university essays, it offers a useful starting point, particularly the inverted triangle approach to narrowing down to a thesis statement.
Where should the thesis statement be placed in an essay according to the video?
-The thesis statement should ideally be placed at the end of the introduction for maximum effectiveness and clarity.
What is the purpose of body paragraphs in an essay?
-The purpose of body paragraphs is to develop and prove the argument presented in the thesis statement. Each paragraph should be cohesive and provide evidence to support the points made.
How should a paragraph be structured within an essay?
-A paragraph should start with a topic sentence, followed by evidence to support the point, an explanation of the evidence, and a concluding statement that links back to the thesis statement, ensuring the paragraph is a cohesive unit.
What common problems can occur with the body of an essay, and how can they be avoided?
-Common problems include paragraphs that don't make sense, are inconclusive, or dangle. To avoid these, each paragraph should be treated as a carefully structured body of its own, ensuring clarity and cohesion.
What is the role of the conclusion in an essay?
-The conclusion's role is to broaden back out from the specifics, answer the 'so what now' question, and explain why the essay's argument matters, providing a final impact on the reader.
Why is it important to confirm the citation method before starting an essay?
-Confirming the citation method is crucial because it impacts the way the essay is written, including the use of footnotes, the construction of a bibliography or works cited, and the overall presentation of the essay.
What are the three key things to keep in mind when structuring an essay according to the video?
-The three key things are: 1) Using topic sentences for clarity, 2) Employing transition sentences and phrases to link arguments together, and 3) Ensuring everything in the essay links back to the thesis statement, which serves as the essay's anchor.
How does Squarespace relate to the video content, and what is offered through their sponsorship?
-Squarespace is the sponsor of the series, and they offer an all-in-one platform for building websites with beautiful templates and 24/7 customer support. Viewers can get a free trial and 10% off their first purchase using the link provided in the video.
Outlines
📝 The Importance of Essay Structure
In this paragraph, Ariel introduces the video series on essay writing, emphasizing the importance of structure in making the essay's content impactful. She discusses the limitations of the five-paragraph essay taught in high schools and suggests adopting the top inverted triangle approach, starting with broader ideas and narrowing down to a thesis statement. The paragraph also covers the significance of cohesive body paragraphs that develop and prove the argument, including the need for topic sentences, evidence, and concluding statements that link back to the thesis. Additionally, Ariel touches on the conclusion's role in summarizing the essay's importance and the necessity of understanding the required citation method before starting to write.
🌐 Squarespace Sponsorship and Writing Tips
The second paragraph focuses on the sponsorship of the video series by Squarespace, a platform for building websites with beautiful templates and 24/7 customer support. Ariel provides a promotional offer for viewers to try Squarespace with a discount. She also invites viewers to share their current essay topics and encourages them to watch other videos in the series that cover thesis statements, citations, evidence, and additional writing tips. The paragraph concludes with a note of thanks to Squarespace and a prompt for viewer engagement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Structure
💡Essay
💡Introduction
💡Thesis Statement
💡Body Paragraphs
💡Topic Sentence
💡Evidence
💡Conclusion
💡Citation
💡Squarespace
💡Transition Sentences
Highlights
The importance of essay structure in making ideas impactful and effective.
The five-paragraph essay is too short and reductive for university essay writing.
Using the top inverted triangle structure starting with a broad idea and narrowing down to a thesis statement.
The thesis statement should ideally be placed at the end of the introduction.
The body paragraphs should develop and prove the argument, not limited to just three paragraphs.
Each body paragraph should be cohesive, starting with a topic sentence, followed by evidence, and concluding with a statement linking back to the thesis.
Avoid paragraphs that are inconclusive or don't make sense in the body of an essay.
The conclusion should start from the specifics of the thesis and broaden out, answering the 'so what' question.
The significance of the argument in the conclusion should be clear, explaining why the essay is important.
Understanding the citation method required (e.g., MLA, Chicago, APA) before starting to write the essay.
The impact of citation method on the structure and appearance of the essay.
The importance of topic sentences for clarity and guiding the reader through the essay.
Using transition sentences and phrases to link arguments together and avoid a disjointed essay.
Ensuring everything in the essay links back to the thesis statement, which is the anchor of the essay.
Squarespace's sponsorship of the series and its platform for building websites.
Squarespace's features like beautiful templates, all-in-one platform, and 24/7 customer support.
The offer for a free trial and 10% off the first purchase at Squarespace.com/Ariel.
Encouragement to check out other videos in the series on thesis statements, citations, evidence, and tips.
Transcripts
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