1. ESSAY WRITING
Attention Center of Tampa Bay
Jennifer Connell-Wandstrat
Director of Education

2. STRUCTURE OF AN ESSAY
 Every essay has to have a beginning, middle and
an end.
 The introduction with a HOOK and a thesis
sentence.
 The Body of the essay.
 The conclusion with the CLINCHER.

3. THE INTRODUCTION
This part of the essay HOOKS the reader. It also tells
what the essay is going to be about. The thesis
sentence works best at the end of this paragraph.

4. INTRODUCTION
 HOOK  Thesis
 A dramatic opener.  One or two sentences that
state the idea of the essay.
 Look up into the night sky and  The Universe is a vast place
count the stars. that we will always wonder
about.
 Many Spanish explorers
 “Land Ho!” landed on the shores of the
New World looking for Gold,
Guts, and Glory.
 “The British are coming!”  The 2nd Amendment
guarantees citizens of the right
to bear arms.

5. THESIS SENTENCE
 Usually appears at the end of the Introduction
Paragraph.
 Should set up the format or sequence for the rest of
the paragraph.
 Clearly express what the essay is about.
 It should be a discussible point.

6. AN EXAMPLE INTRODUCTION
The historical ride of Paul Revere wasn’t staged in
order to start a revolution but to keep the Colonists’
store of guns safe. The guns were being stored at
Lexington and Concord and the British were on the way
there. As a gun owner I believe all citizens should have
the right to own a gun, should be regulated in the buying
of a gun, and should know their rights before they
purchase a firearm.

7. BODY OF THE ESSAY
 This contains the evidence.
 There can be 3 paragraphs or 100.
 Each paragraph follows the basic paragraph format;
 Topic Sentence- should be one of the points made in the thesis
sentence.
 Detail sentences- include examples
 Conclusion/Transitional sentence-wraps up this part and
moves your reader to the next part.

8. CONCLUSION
 Summary- One or two sentences which restate the
thesis in a fresh new way.
 The clincher is a final thought which should create a
lasting impression on the reader.