3.4 COMPOSITION: Basic Essay Structure

The magic of threes

Before you start writing, it’s important to picture the final product. What will it look like? What shape does it have? What is its structure? Whether you’re writing a simple descriptive essay or a complicated academic research paper, the structure is basically the same: introduction, body, conclusion. Yes, there are variations within each of these parts, but most academic writing shares these same three parts. In fact, three is a magic number in writing. Take a look at this chart, and you’ll see:

Did you also notice how a complete paragraph mirrors a complete essay?

Watch this video to learn more:

Practice

Now practice with this exercise; it is not graded, and you may repeat it as many times as you wish:

Video from Smrt English. “Basic Essay Structure.” YouTube, 15 Nov. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P4fzbzwwAg. Accessed 29 Dec. 2021.