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3 Paragraph Essay: Structure and Writing Guide

Updated 17 Apr 2024

Essay writing is a common challenge for students, often causing frustration and anxiety. Crafting a concise, impactful, and well-structured 3 paragraph essay can be particularly daunting. In this article, we address the common problems faced by students who struggle with this homework. We provide a clear structure, an example of a three paragraph essay, and valuable tips to help learners master this concise yet effective form of writing. Say goodbye to stress related to your education and hello to a straightforward path to success.

What is the essay structure? 

Before discovering how to write a 3 paragraph essay, we should understand what parts it includes. Like most academic papers, this writing piece adheres to the classic structure of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. However, unlike its 5 paragraph counterpart, each section consists of just one paragraph. This streamlined format makes a 3 paragraph essay an ideal choice for budding writers who are learning how to write my essay for me and those in the process of mastering English.

Also, this type of writing offers the added advantage of compelling writers to distill their supporting arguments into a single, impactful point. This exercise challenges authors to select the most persuasive argument capable of convincing readers. 

Once the preliminary work, such as brainstorming or outlining, is complete, students can seamlessly transition into the document composition process. While the steps remain consistent with other papers, this essay type distinguishes itself by offering a more concise body section, resulting in a more compact finished piece.

What does a 3 paragraph essay look like? For a better understanding, let’s see a suggested outline:

This well-structured 3 paragraph essay outline simplifies the writing process and ensures your ideas are presented in a logical and persuasive manner, leaving a lasting impact on your audience.

How to start a 3 paragraph essay? 

The introduction is a crucial element in any writing, acting as the gateway to the core message. Its primary role is to engage and inform the readers about the paper's essence. A well-structured introduction includes three key elements:

• Hook; 
• Explanation of the topic choice; 
• Thesis statement.

A hook is the initial grabber, a literary device designed to captivate the reader's attention and make them eager to explore the essay. Seasoned professionals often advise students interested in how to write a three paragraph essay to initiate their introductions with one of the following hook types:

• A captivating and thought-provoking question;
• A rhetorical question that stirs curiosity;
• A well-placed joke to infuse humor;
• A compelling quote that resonates with the essay's theme;
• A persuasive argument to set the tone;
• An attention-grabbing fact that sparks interest;
• A personal anecdote or real-life example to establish a connection with the reader.

Using these hooks enhances the appeal of your three paragraph essay, making it more engaging. When explaining your topic choice, provide a concise yet comprehensive elucidation, establishing a strong connection between the topic and its context. Your thesis statement embodies the core idea, guiding the reader through the paper and laying a robust foundation with clarity and conciseness. It should spotlight the central concept and supporting ideas while potentially incorporating an opposing viewpoint, remaining within 40 words.

Let’s see the following 3 paragraph essay example (introductory section).

Exercise is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle. It helps maintain physical fitness and contributes significantly to our mental well-being. Regular exercise offers a multitude of benefits, from improved cardiovascular health to reduced stress levels. In this essay, we will explore some of the key advantages of incorporating exercise into your daily routine.

The opening sentence grabs attention with a compelling fact, followed by a brief explanation of the topic's relevance, emphasizing the benefits of exercise for overall well-being. The final sentence outlines the essay's focus, preparing the reader for a discussion on exercise advantages.

How to write the body section? 

The issue at hand revolves around a constraint – the limited scope of this essay type. How many words is a 3 paragraph essay? This format is more restrictive compared to a 5 paragraph essay , which offers more room to expound upon a topic. Within three paragraphs, the space for providing background information and supporting evidence is inherently constrained. Consequently, it becomes essential for the thesis statement not to encompass an excessive range of topics. 

Let’s see our body paragraph example about the benefits of regular exercise to understand how it works.

Regular exercise significantly benefits both physical and mental health. Activities like jogging, swimming, and brisk walking improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen the heart, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Exercise aids in weight management and muscle toning and enhances the immune system, reducing susceptibility to illnesses. Moreover, exercise has a positive impact on mental well-being. It triggers the release of endorphins, which alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, fostering a positive mental state. It also improves cognitive function, enhancing focus and memory. Many find exercise a rejuvenating mental break from daily stress, promoting relaxation and revitalization.

The thesis statement is focused on the benefits of exercise, and the writer successfully explores this central theme. The paragraph starts by addressing the physical health benefits of exercise (cardiovascular fitness, heart health, and immunity). It seamlessly transitions to the mental health benefits of exercise, highlighting the release of endorphins and the positive effects on cognitive function. This clear organization and focus on a single theme make the text effective and easy to follow.

If one aims to address multiple aspects, it’s imperative to understand how to write a short essay and be particularly discerning in word selection. Each sentence must be concise and contribute to the thesis context. Furthermore, specific essay types entail distinct requirements:

• Descriptive: Rich vocabulary and stylistic devices express emotions.
• Narrative: Storytelling format, diverse vocabulary, varying sentence lengths.
• Expository: Focuses on defining concepts and formal language without embellishments.
• Argumentative: Requires precise language for presenting contrasting viewpoints.

How to write a worthy conclusion? 

The concluding section of any written work, be it a book or an article, holds a unique significance. It restates the thesis statement and demonstrates the text’s significance and value. It provides an opportunity for the writer to leave the reader with a thought that encourages discussion or leaves them with ideas to contemplate. It's a common belief that many people judge the quality of content based on its introduction and conclusion. While the introduction outlines the topic, the conclusion underscores its worth. Therefore, a conclusion should be just as attention-grabbing.

So, how to start the third paragraph of an essay, and how can one ensure the strength of a conclusion? Seasoned writers from our professional essay service usually employ one of five effective methods to achieve this.

• End with a question. 

Most films apply the concluding technique with questions like “And you?” This subtle technique engages the viewer in an internal dialogue, leaving them pondering the question long after the movie ends. Alternatively, a rhetorical question can convey the idea that not all situations have straightforward solutions.

• Incorporate a quotation. 

Across the globe, people utilize quotes to enrich their social media stories and blog posts. Well-chosen quotations can accentuate the central theme of a writing piece. When students choose a particularly impactful quote for their conclusion, it can leave a lasting impression. When using this method, it’s important to ensure proper referencing and include the sources in the bibliography section.

• Share a true-life tale. 

There's nothing more compelling than a real-life story that resonates with someone. These narratives carry even more weight when they involve familiar figures, such as prominent personalities or neighbors. 

• Inject humor with jokes. 

Amusing anecdotes have the power to bring smiles to readers' faces. What could be more satisfying than eliciting a gentle laugh from your audience as they finish reading?

• Craft a memorable statement. 

Have you ever wondered how a quote becomes famous? It often begins with someone uttering a clever phrase that resonates with others, leading to its widespread adoption in various speeches and presentations. Students also can coin powerful statements that others might reference in their work.

Let’s consider the following 3 paragraphs essay example where these techniques are implemented.

Example: In summary, the benefits of regular exercise are irrefutable. By engaging in physical activity, we fortify our physical health, reducing the risk of chronic diseases and fostering overall well-being. As the saying goes, “A healthy body is a guest chamber for the soul.” Exercise not only improves our physical fitness but also elevates our mental state, thanks to the release of those wonderful endorphins. So, let us remember the wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once said, “The first wealth is health.” Incorporating exercise into our daily routines is an investment in our bodies and minds, offering a holistic path to a happier and healthier life.

The conclusion smartly uses quotes to reinforce the message and connect with the reader. Both quotes are pertinent to exercise and its advantages. The first underscores the link between physical health and overall well-being, supporting the essay's argument. The second quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson relates wealth to health, highlighting the value of good health.

Final thoughts 

A 3 paragraph essay is a concise format that emphasizes clarity and effectiveness. It allows writers to focus on the essentials and compactly present their arguments. To make your text more impactful, consider the following advice:

• Prioritize clarity: Define your thesis and use clear language.
• Smooth transitions: Ensure seamless paragraph transitions.
• Stay focused: Stick to the main argument, omitting unnecessary details.
• Edit carefully: Review for errors and enhance readability.
• Engage your reader: Begin with a captivating introduction and end with a thought-provoking conclusion. 

By following these tips, you can craft 3-paragraph essays that convey your thoughts effectively, convince your audience, and ensure accessibility for your readers. With practice, you'll master the art of concise and impactful essay writing.

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Written by Elizabeth Miller

Seasoned academic writer, nurturing students' writing skills. Expert in citation and plagiarism. Contributing to EduBirdie since 2019. Aspiring author and dedicated volunteer. You will never have to worry about plagiarism as I write essays 100% from scratch. Vast experience in English, History, Ethics, and more.

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How to Write a 3 Paragraph Essay: Outline and Examples

If you’re looking for a short 3-Paragraph Essay because you’re having trouble fitting all of your important information into three paragraphs, you might have found the right page. The next article explains How to Write a 3 Paragraph Essay , gives many examples, and explains how it is put together and what its goal is. The tried-and-true 3-paragraph essay may be the simplest way to organize an essay. Beginner writers may find the three-paragraph essay useful because it has the same framework as a longer essay without being as long. Advanced writers can learn how to write concisely by going to Researchwritings.com and reading about new writing methods.

3 Paragraph Essay

The 3-paragraph essay is just a study or interpretation of a piece of literature. It has an introduction, a body, and an end. It normally looks at its topic from a limited or personal point of view. Usually, these types of essays are used in schools.

In a three-paragraph essay, the opening explains what the essay is about and makes a case for why the reader should read it. In the body of the essay, the author talks about the topic and talks about its pros and cons. In a 3-paragraph essay, we had to start with a topic line and then back it up with one or two words. Also, we had to write a line evaluating this data in light of your case or topic sentence, and the last paragraph of our 3-paragraph essay had to go into more detail about its importance.

Essay Length

Usually, an essay with three paragraphs is a short piece of writing. Most of the time, these writings have between 500 and 750 words. These essays are written in a way that makes them fit the framework of an essay. They are between 300 and 600 words long. They have a beginning, a main part, and an end. The only way to tell these pieces apart is by their main body, which gives a thorough defense of the subject.

How to Write a 3-Paragraph Essay

If you want to compose a perfect three-paragraph essay, then the following principles must be followed: The steps are:

Plan ahead: think about how you will present your points. It is the process of choosing what to put in your essay. It makes points that are clear and make sense. So, a well-planned structure makes it easier for the reader to understand the points.

• Making a draft (write down all the ideas you have and start to explain them) Mind mapping is another name for this process. When an author writes, he or she puts his or her ideas into complete sentences and paragraphs.
• The first paragraph of the paper. The information in the body paragraph must be clear and connected to the topic. The body paragraph needs to talk about the topic’s points of view and how you feel about them.
• The end comes after the main part of the paragraph. The end of the essay should be short and give an overview of the whole thing. It could also have your thoughts about the subject.
• To revise (revise) , you have to read the line you just wrote carefully and look for mistakes you made while writing the essay.
• Editing: Write down all of the mistakes you made while writing the essay and fix them to make it better.

How to Structure a three Paragraph Essay

Introduction.

In the introduction, you must talk about the subject’s past and how people think about it now. Each opening paragraph must start with a theme sentence, also called a thesis statement. A thesis statement is one sentence that says what the paper is about and what the main point is. The second line builds on the first to explain more about the main point being made. The importance of your point needs to be brought out. In the third and final line, you should give a brief summary of the information you plan to present in the body and how you plan to present it. For example, if you were writing a 3-paragraph essay on global warming, the beginning might look like this:

Introduction Example Human activities have been damaging our ecosystem for centuries, and the result is global warming due to rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. It is impossible to turn a blind eye to global warming, and urgent action is required to combat the problem.

In the main part of the essay, the writer must describe the topic and talk about its pros and cons, as well as any consequences or effects. The number of sentences in the body of your essay should match the number of points you want to make. You should spend at least three lines on each of your points to show that you understand it well. The main body of a three-paragraph essay would look something like this:

Body Paragraphs Example Carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants in the earth’s atmosphere have increased due to human activities, including power plant emissions, transportation, and deforestation. Global warming, caused by greenhouse gases that trap solar radiation in the atmosphere, has the potential to alter the entire planet’s topography, uprooting communities, inundating entire nations, and wiping out countless species. Global warming has many direct effects, one of which is more extreme weather. The negative consequences of global warming on Earth’s ecosystems are numerous and will only increase. Cutting down additional trees should be prohibited, and afforestation should be promoted as the best way to protect the planet from further destruction. Get started by planting trees close to your home or place of work, then attend events and share the message about the value of tree planting with others.

In the third and last line of your essay, you should say what you think about what you’ve written. Start by putting the topic sentence in your own words. Summarize the main points, then ask the reader to think about them. In the end, the author must say what he thinks about the subject. As an example:

Conclusion Example As long as humans continue to release greenhouse gases, global warming will increase and cause further ecological devastation. Stopping global warming is crucial, and we all share responsibility for doing so. Get started by planting trees close to your home or place of work, then attend events and share the message about the value of tree planting with others. The damage can’t be undone, but it can be stopped from spreading.

Also Read: How to Write a 600 Word Essay

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Benefits of Visiting ResearchWritings

We know that in a three-paragraph essay, you have to explain your supporting points in just one paragraph. For young writers or students of the English language, visiting our website may be a good idea because it is easy and they can do it without any trouble or stress. Aside from that, its structure gives the reader the basic argument three times: first in the introduction, then in the main body, and finally in the conclusion. This helps new learners understand and learn because each point in the essay relates back to the first paragraph. By writing these kinds of essays, students can finally learn how to make and defend their own arguments, use evidence well, and improve their general writing skills.

3 Paragraph Essay Topics

Three-paragraph essays do not require any special topics, like research papers. We can write these kinds of essays on very basic and usual topics, including:

• Natural resources 
• The civil war.
• The child’s exploitation.
• The culture.
• Use of artificial technology
• The wonder of science.
• Solar power
• Natural disasters. 
• Solar system.
• Wildlife conservation.
• Your leader.
• Human rights.

Apart from this, there are many other topics, including climate change, music, the importance of reading, and many others, that we can use as our topic for writing a 3-paragraph essay.

3 Paragraph Essay Examples

A few examples of the best three-paragraph essays are:

Example #1 >> Artificial Intelligence: Its Pros and Cons

AI is becoming one of the areas that is growing the fastest in the world. It helps make our lives easier and gives us different chances that we can use for the good of all people, but we also know that everything made by people in this universe has both pros and cons. In the following article, the pros and cons of artificial intelligence are talked about.

Here are some of the good things about AI: It’s a big part of how people in our society live their lives. Aside from that, it lets you do more than one thing at once and makes it possible to do less work with the same tools. It also means getting things done without spending a lot of money, and we can use it all the time without stopping. Aside from the good things it does for welfare and society, it has a lot of bad effects that are not only bad for computers but also cause a lot of trouble for people. AI technologies aren’t making people any better, and they’re making them more lazy every day. Aside from this, being able to make a machine that can make people smarter is a big challenge, takes a lot to work on, and is also causing people to lose their jobs. It was all made by people, so it depends on the skills and abilities of different people. This is one of the biggest problems with this technology because it is not creative. It can only do what we want it to do or answer the questions we are tired of asking. Other than that, it is useless. Humans are losing their jobs because artificial technology methods are taking over.

Artificial intelligence is a change in technology that has more bad effects than good ones and could endanger the world. The rise of artificial intelligence makes sure that people are setting up traps that will lead to their own deaths. AI is giving us a lot of great chances, but if we don’t take care of it, it will be hard for us to stay alive, and it could even kill us.

Example #2: Exhibition

An exhibition is the display or presentation of works of art or items of interest to the public. It also focuses on the identification and interpretation of collective things. The exhibition was first introduced to the public in the 19 th century, but before the 19 th century, there had been different temporary exhibitions, especially the display of new arts in the major cities introduced to the public in the 19th century, but before the 19th century, there had been different temporary exhibitions, especially display of new arts in the major cities. The Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturing, and Commerce held the first modern public exhibition on April 21, 1760, in London. It was the first in a series of fine arts exhibitions held by the institution, later known as the Society of Arts. One of the most famous exhibitions was the Academie des Beaux-Arts of the Paris Salon, which was started in 1667 and opened to the public in 1737. The following essay is going to give a brief description of exhibitions.

Exhibition planning is an engaging process. They are usually the experiences of people; they provide communication of ideas, information, feelings, and values. Exhibitions usually occur within cultural, educational, or many other places, which include museums, art galleries, parks, libraries, or different exhibition centers. It is an integrative and multidisciplinary process that often combines architecture, interior design, graphic design, multimedia, lighting, audio, technology, and other disciplines to create a complex narrative around a topic In its most general sense, it is an organized presentation and display of selected items. There is no set method for planning an exhibition, although there are general guidelines that professionals follow. These guidelines include an estimate of how many organizational accommodations are possible. It is because exhibition proponents are strongly encouraged by the partners, and they must involve several co-organizers. It also includes publicizing the exhibition and informing people about it through advertisements or distributing notices.

Exhibitions usually provide platforms for your product. It is usually the advertisement of your product to the general public and the acknowledgment of the benefits of the product. It provides the opportunity for potential buyers to meet a wide range of sellers in a single location.

Example #3: Fashion

In the last few decades, fashion has become a worldwide phenomenon. Fashion has always been an important part of human life. Fashion styles have changed over the years. Because younger people care more about how they look on the outside, the fashion industry is driven by people who want to look and act like the outside world has changed.

When styles change, people wear new clothes and act in new ways. One way that the modern world is always changing is in the fashion business. The first step to looking chic is to know what’s in style. The modern sense of fashion gives people another way to show who they are. Styles can change from one season to the next or in reaction to a certain need. In the United States, fashion is the lifeblood of the glamorous world, and you could even say that the glamorous world inspires and guides fashion itself. Trends change every day because they are based on styles in the business world, which in turn depend on a glamorous world. Fashion has an effect on both physical society and how people talk to each other online. The ever-changing world of fashion gives us a nice break from our daily lives by giving us ideas for how to look good, be confident, and be in step with the times.

So, in conclusion, the young people of today are so affected by the glitzy fashion industry that it shows in every part of their appearance, including their clothes, hair, accessories, language, and attitude. The way we dress is an interesting part of our lives. It makes us feel good about ourselves and like we belong in the world. Fashion is a big part of what makes culture what it is today. Because of this, each of us learns something new. People’s attitudes, personalities, ways of dressing and acting, and even their hobbies and pleasures can all be seen as examples of fashion. 

Example #4: Pros And Cons Of Social Media

Social media has become very popular in recent years because it is easy to use and easy to get to. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are making it easier for people to connect with each other. Yes, thanks to social media, you can quickly connect with anyone, anywhere in the world, with just a tap of your finger. The kids of today are among the people who use social media the most.

There are a lot of good things about using social media. Most importantly, it is an excellent way to learn. Anyone can get to any and all information with just a few taps. Students can learn about a wide range of topics by using social media. This medium also lets people talk to each other in real time. You can watch a talk in the U.S. from where you are sitting in India. Also, as more people stop reading print media, they are getting their news from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. It gives you the most up-to-date news about the world around you. As a person learns more about world issues, they become more aware of them. It also helps you get closer to the people who are most important to you. With social media, it doesn’t matter how far away someone is. If you have friends or family in another country, it’s easy and quick to get in touch with them. Above all, it gives young singers who are just starting out a free, big stage to perform on. You can also find out about good job opportunities through social networking. Promoting a trademark is another good thing for businesses. Because of this, social media has become a central place for promoting, and it’s a great place to take photos with clients. Even though social media has clear benefits, it is often seen as a big threat to public safety. When people use social media without limits, bad things can happen. It is dangerous because technology breaks down barriers to dialogue that used to be impossible to get past. When kids share too much online, they make it easy for crooks and hackers to find them and hurt them. Because of this, cyberbullying happens, which can be very bad for anyone’s self-esteem. So, it’s important to keep an eye on the social media status updates that kids mostly make. Next, we’ll talk about things that teens like to do, like social networking. When a student spends more time on social media instead of reading, it hurts their grades. When people spend too much time on social media, they tend to push other people away. Its use spreads false information, which in turn poisons the thoughts of people who would otherwise be peaceful.

In a word, using social networking has both pros and cons. But in the end, it depends on the person. A lot of focus should be put on helping the youth of today find a good balance between doing well in school, being active, and using social media. Like any other drug, spending too much time on social media can lead to bad things. So, it’s up to us to find the right mix and work toward a happy life.

Example #5: Women’s Education

Education for women can be seen as a way to teach them things that will make them feel more valuable and worthy. This knowledge can be taught in a number of different ways. Women’s contributions to society can be seen in their jobs as wives, mothers, sisters, coworkers, nurses, and in many other ways. They are better organized and care more about what other people need. Mothers with more education have more chances to contribute to the progress and wealth of their country, and they can do this with the help of men. This essay will give a brief summary of how important women’s education is to the growth of a country.

A good education can help a community in many ways, such as by making people more employable, increasing their wages, and improving their social standing. It can also open up new opportunities for personal and professional growth. Women’s schooling is important for the progress of society as a whole. When it comes to money and making decisions about their health and careers, women with more schooling are more likely to be in charge of their own lives. Educating women will not only help them become financially independent, but it will also give them the skills they need to take care of their own homes. A mother with a good education knows what she needs to do and has the tools to raise good people. She gives birth to children who are driven and have goals. Getting women educated is very important if we want to stop the violence that still happens to them in many parts of the world. If a woman has a good education, she is much less likely to be sexually assaulted or abused in other ways. Women getting an education has helped get rid of problems like dowry and jobless. Education for women has a big effect on population growth because it gives women the power to make choices about their own health that affect their ability to have children. The rate of literacy in a country can be raised by making sure that as many children as possible have moms who have finished school. Muslims think that going to school is a moral duty. A verse in the Holy Quran and a hadith say that women, like men, should learn more and try to learn more. A mother who has gone to college will always be treated with respect, and other women will look up to her as an example.

The progress of society rests on women being able to go to school. As a way to fix the fact that we aren’t making any progress, it should get our attention on a personal, social, and national level. Governments, civil society groups, and individuals can work together to improve gender equality and remove barriers to higher education for women. If we invest in women’s education, we can make sure that everyone has a more prosperous and fair future.

Example # 6: Poverty

Poverty means that a family can’t provide for itself in terms of food, schooling, a place to live, and clothes. Poverty is shown by not having enough food, not having a place to live, not having good child care, living in a hostile area, and not having enough money for public institutions. The poverty barrier, also called the poverty line, is the very least amount of money a person needs to make in a country to be able to live. In this post, we’ll look at poverty and its effects around the world from a high level.

We say that a person, a family, or a whole community is poor when they don’t have enough money to meet their most basic wants. This means that it is hard to get even the most basic things, like food, clothes, a place to live, and medicine. Poverty keeps happening from one generation to the next. Some of the problems that can happen as a result are sickness, hunger, lying, and not having clean places to live. Poverty has many causes, such as rising prices of living, low wages, unemployment, and not getting enough money from social security. People living below the poverty line are also hurt by climate change, inequality or social injustice, not having enough schooling, not getting enough help from the government, and many other things. A rise in the poverty rate is linked to the number of people with mental sickness, chronic diseases, higher death rates, and a shorter life expectancy. Children make up most of the age group that is the poorest. Poverty needs to be stopped because it hurts human capital and slows down economic growth. There are effective ways to do this. Giving everyone the same rights is the first step to stopping unfairness. Getting people skills and jobs is another way to help them get out of poverty. Those who can’t support themselves and can’t read or write, so that we can give them money.

To sum up, then, what we mean when we say someone is poor is that they don’t have enough money to buy the things they need. A national problem like poverty can’t be fixed by just one person. Effective steps should be taken right away to solve the problem. For people, communities, countries, and economies to grow in a way that is long-lasting and all-encompassing, poverty must be eliminated. This is a requirement for growth in any of these areas.

Also Read: Romeo and Juliet Essay

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Example #7: Newspaper Reading

A newspaper is a weekly or daily written report on what’s going on in the world. It usually has a white or gray background and black writing. A good habit is to read the newspaper every day. It’s a great way to find out what’s going on in the world. We learn about current events from reliable source. Newspapers help us learn more about a lot of different things, from politics and culture to the economy and sports. We’ll talk quickly about why it’s important to read the news.

The newspaper is an important way for the people and the government to talk to each other. No matter how small, it all adds up to the whole. It helps us learn more and be better people. Reading the newspaper can help you find a better job. The newspaper tells us about business and job opportunities from different companies, so we can choose the best one. We can also advertise our goods and services in the newspaper with little work. By reading a newspaper, a person will improve their language and grammar the most. You can learn new words and improve your language by reading the newspaper. If someone reads newspapers often, they are likely to have a large and interesting language as well. They have more things in common with other people and can talk about most things more easily. Since you can read a newspaper alone, it keeps us from being bored and lonely. People don’t read newspapers as much as they used to because they can get all the news they need on their phones and computers. This is why newspaper reading is on the slide. Printing newspapers not only lose a lot of paper but is also an inefficient way to spread the news.

The newspaper is a good way to get news at home. Because they gather information and data from all over the world, they are very important to our everyday lives. It has news and opinion about the business world, politics, pop culture, sports, and economics. This practice will help you improve not only as a student but also as a speaker and writer. Because of this, everyone needs to make it a habit to read the newspaper every day.

Example #8: Child Explanation

Exploiting children is bad for them. When a kid or young person is exploited, they are “groomed” with things like gifts, drugs, money, status, and love. In return for doing something illegal, this is sometimes called “child criminal.” When a child abuser threatens to hurt them physically or uses other ways to scare them, the child may feel useless. They might give out a lot of money or valuable things like drugs and other things. In the next essay, the effects of exploiting children and possible answers to the problem are talked about.

There are many ways to take advantage of children. In a practice called “trafficking,” children are sometimes taken from their homes and used for sexual reasons. They can be moved to other parts of the country and hurt physically and sexually. All acts of violence or neglect against children that cause major physical or mental harm or put the child’s life in danger are included here. Bullying and cyberbullying, which usually happen at school, are two of the most common ways to take advantage of children. This also covers a lot of different kinds of abuse, like sexual attacks, domestic violence, and more. About one-fourth of American girls and one-thirteenth of American boys have been abused as children. When a kid is exploited, they are groomed, pressured, or forced to do something they don’t want to do for an adult’s benefit. One way we can help keep our kids safe is to learn about the signs of physical and sexual abuse for ourselves and for other people. Watch over your kids, teach them how to be safe, and give them good advice. These steps could make it much less likely that a child will be abused or neglected.

Abuse and neglect of children have effects on a lot more people than just the close family. To protect children from this danger, preventive steps and legal remedies need to be put in place.

Editing of a 3 Paragraphed Essay

For the editing of an essay, we had to take the following steps:

Checking the Structure

First of all, you have to check the overall structure of the essay to see if it has the proper structure. Checking structure means checking the introduction, main body, and conclusion of your essay.

Logical Sequence

Make sure that each and every paragraph that you have written has a clear main point that relates to the argument, and check that the paragraphs you have written are arranged in a logical sequence.

Explanation of the Points

Make sure that you have explained the points you used in your essay and try to use more appropriate sentences.

Revise Sentences

Check the words you use in your essay and try to make them simple and accurate.

Punctuation

Before submitting, you must check the grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes if any, because correct grammar use adds beauty to your writing skills.

Tips for Writing a Good Essay

Follow the following steps on How to write a 3 paragraph essay :

• For a good paragraph essay, we should begin our essay by describing the thesis statement to remind the reader of the purpose of our writing.
• Introduce the supporting data with the facts to back it up in the introduction.
• For a good essay, always try to write it in a logical flow and use transitional words to separate the paragraphs..
• A good 3-paragraph essay just requires us to condense our points into one body paragraph, and they just require a single supporting point before reaching the conclusion.
• Remember to add an in-text citation for every quote or piece of information.
• Apart from this, the other qualities needed for writing a good essay are focus, development, unity, coherence, and correctness.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The following article has tried to solve all the problems related to 3 paragraph essay. Above are mentioned all the details in easy words that can help you to compose a well-written short assignment for your class. Also, if you want a well-written essay to be composed by a professional, you can get in touch with our writers through the link Researchwritings.com .

We have a lot of professional writers who can help you with your homework and write a well-written, ideal perfect essay for your class based on your instructions and requirements.

We can write a 10/10 custom essay quickly!

❓ Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

For a good 3-paragraph essay, the writer should go for two references per paragraph. It is not compulsory to give references in the introduction and the conclusion, while in all the paragraphs (the main body), the writer should go for two references to make his essay worth reading.

If you double-space a three-paragraph essay, it usually takes two to three pages. We know that it depends on the size of the fonts, the width of the borders, and the space between the lines on a double-spaced page. So, it's usually around 750 words, or 250 words per page.

The average writer needs about 37 and a half minutes to type a three-paragraph essay where each paragraph is on its own page and about 1 hour and 30 minutes to write it by hand. But this time can go up to 3 hours or more if the content needs study, links, citations, or graphs, like in blog posts or high school essays.

Yes, a 500-word essay can be three paragraphs. Generally, a 500-word essay is around 2 pages long, double-spaced. That is why we can say that a 500-word essay can be a 3-paragraph essay.

A paragraph does not depend on lines. It depends on the number of sentences. A typical paragraph should be at least three sentences long.

Yes, a three-paragraph essay can be one page, but a good general rule is 2 to 3 paragraphs per page.

The structure of an essay means that it needs at least three parts. So, three parts aren't much and are just a normal amount for an essay to have.

Yes, an article with three paragraphs is short. A normal essay is made up of four or five paragraphs.

Yes. We can write a good essay with three paragraphs in two hours. Two hours may seem like a long time to write an essay, but this time can go up or down based on the number of citations, sources, and how complicated the topic is. 

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How to write a three-paragraph essay

Published March 31, 2021. Updated June 2, 2022.

Three-paragraph essay definition

A three-paragraph essay is an essay that consists of an introduction, a body paragraph, and a conclusion.

Overview of three-paragraph essay

The three-paragraph essay is very similar to the five-paragraph essay, which has three body paragraphs, but only gives you one body paragraph to support your ideas. The introduction should announce your topic, engage your reader, and present your argument or point of view. In persuasive writing, your thesis should be debatable, provable, specific, and clear. The body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph is about and then provides supporting material. The conclusion should reconnect the dots for your reader without simply restating your thesis in its original words.

Worried about your writing? Submit your paper for a Chegg Writing essay check , or for an Expert Check proofreading . Both can help you find and fix potential writing issues.

The three-paragraph structure

The basic format of the three-paragraph essay consists of an introduction, a body paragraph, and a conclusion. This layout is very similar to the five-paragraph essay, which has three body paragraphs, but only gives you one body paragraph to support your ideas. Choose your points wisely!

The introduction

The introduction needs to answer three questions:

What is this paper about?

Why should your reader care.

• What is your argument about that topic? Or, for descriptive or narrative essays, what is your point of view?

Your teacher may have given you the topic for this paper. If not, you may have to come up with a subject on your own. Pick a topic or focus that interests you and that you have strong opinions about.

If you were asked to write a paper about Tuck Everlasting, you might decide that you wanted to focus on the main character Winnie. But what about her character interests you? Perhaps it’s her decision not to drink the water that gives people eternal life.

Why does your topic matter? You need to give the reader a reason to keep going through the rest of the paper. Open your introduction with a hook, a question or a statement that provokes or intrigues the reader.

When we think of heroic deaths, we often imagine people dying in battle or sacrificing themselves for others. In Tuck Everlasting, Winnie Foster’s death looks very different. She dies from old age.

This hook works because it establishes familiar ground before introducing a twist. The reader wants to know how Winnie Foster’s less dramatic death relates to this idea of “heroic deaths.”

What is your argument?

Your introduction should end with your thesis statement, a sentence that sums up your argument about your topic. For persuasive writing, your thesis should be

• Debatable – you need to make an argument, not state a known fact
• Provable – you have good reasons or support for your argument
• Specific – your argument is focused on the topic at hand
• Clear – your statement is direct and understandable

An okay thesis for this paper on Tuck Everlasting might go like this:

Winnie’s decision not to drink the spring water is heroic.

A better one would be

Winnie’s decision not to drink the water does more than protect the spring’s secrets. She displays a quiet heroism when she chooses to participate in the natural cycle of life and in her community, contributing to the world instead of watching it go by.

This thesis doesn’t just call Winnie a hero. It explains what heroism is in the context of this paper. This paper isn’t interested in grand gestures. It’s interested in the “quiet heroism” of a life that embraces and benefits other people.

The body paragraph

Your body paragraph fleshes out your argument, giving evidence and explanations for why you are right. It should start with a topic sentence that outlines what will be covered.

Winnie’s life story looks very different from the Tucks’ story.

This paragraph will contrast these two journeys. As you write your paragraph, you need to present and explain evidence that supports your argument. Start that explanation from the very beginning, connecting everything back to the thesis. This paper’s next sentence should read

While the Tucks need to isolate themselves and endanger others when they do interact with people, Winnie’s choice to let herself age and die makes her part of the town’s story and progress.

The paragraph would go on to mention some relevant moments that illustrate the Tucks’ journey. It would contrast them with Winnie’s grave at the end of the book, which mentions her family, and with the way the town has progressed.

The conclusion

Your final paragraph should be a short conclusion that sums up your argument and reconnects the dots of your paper. Don’t just restate your thesis in the same words.

The conclusion to this paper might start with this sentence:

Winnie deserves Angus’s praise at the end of the novel because she pursued a life full of love, happiness, and community.

You would then write a couple more sentences on the theme, bringing the essay to a close.

How to write the three-paragraph essay

Follow these steps:

• Choose your topic and research or brainstorm about it.
• Come up with your thesis statement.
• Pick your supporting points with care. Remember that you only have one body paragraph. What do you absolutely need to address?
• Take a break (if you have the time to do so).
• Revise and edit.

Revising and editing

In order to write the strongest paper that you can, you need to revise your essay, improving content and structure. You also need to edit it, proofreading and rephrasing sentences to make them more powerful or clear.

Questions to ask yourself as you revise and edit:

• Does my introduction present my topic and engage the reader?
• Do I have a clear thesis that addresses the assignment?
• Do I support that thesis with strong evidence/details?
• Does my conclusion provide an effective summary of my points?
• Is my writing clear?
• Is everything formatted correctly and free of errors?

Before you turn in that paper, don’t forget to cite your sources in APA format , MLA format , or a style of your choice.

Key takeaways

• The three-paragraph essay consists of an introduction, a body paragraph, and a conclusion.
• Your introduction needs to announce your topic, engage your reader, and present your argument or point of view.
• In persuasive writing, your thesis should be debatable, provable, specific, and clear.
• Your body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph is about and then provides supporting material.
• Your conclusion should reconnect the dots for your reader without simply restating your thesis in its original words.

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Three-Paragraph Essay: Clarity in Brevity

Table of contents

• 1 Understanding the Three-Paragraph Essay
• 2 Break Down the Three-Paragraph Essay Structure 
• 3.1 Tips for Selecting a Suitable Topic for a Concise Essay 
• 3.2 Outlining 
• 3.3 Crafting a Clear and Concise Thesis Statement that Guides Your Essay
• 4.1 Crafting a Strong Hook to Engage the Reader
• 4.2 Crafting a Compelling and Relevant Title for Your Essay
• 4.3 Writing a Clear Thesis Statement
• 4.4 Write a Body Paragraph 
• 4.5 Conclusion Paragraph 
• 5 Writing Three Paragraph Essays Is Easy with PapersOwl 

Some students may think writing a three-paragraph essay will not be difficult. However, this misconception will be dispelled as soon as you get down to business. You must plan your essay, study the requirements for academic assignments, follow the structure, and remember to attract the reader’s interest. In this article, we will share nuances and tips regarding the milestones of a three-paragraph essay format.

• You will uncover the essentials of what constitutes a 3-paragraph essay and understand its primary purpose.
• We’ll delve into the basic components that form the structure of a 3-paragraph essay.
• Then, explore the initial steps necessary for beginning a 3-paragraph essay, setting a solid foundation for your writing.
• Finally, we conclude with effective strategies to captivate and maintain your reader’s attention right from the start of your essay.

First, let’s define what a three-paragraph essay is and why it is often used in the university curriculum.

Understanding the Three-Paragraph Essay

The three- and five-paragraph essay is considered the most versatile format for academic papers. Both types of essays imply the presence of three basic structural components: introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion paragraphs. The difference from a five paragraph essay lies in the number of body paragraphs. In a three-paragraph essay, you must condense your main ideas into only one paragraph of the body part. In contrast, the five-paragraph counterpart uses two sections more. 

So, what is the purpose of such a short paper? This task tests the student’s ability to fit a persuasive argument within a limited word length. Unlike writing a longer essay, in 3 paragraph essay format, you have to eliminate unnecessary phrases, remove supporting arguments, and reduce your thoughts to the very essence to fit in only three paragraphs. Such an informative essay is often used for summaries, opinions, and argumentative essays.

Break Down the Three-Paragraph Essay Structure 

The three-paragraph essay has a traditional style of structure consisting of three main parts: the introduction, the body paragraph, and the conclusion. Let’s review the principal elements of each structural component. 

A three-paragraph essay begins with an introduction. This paragraph provides background information to the reader, placing them in the context of the topic. Also, the introduction paragraph should interest the audience in further reading. Use a thesis statement to represent the main idea of the essay. 

The body paragraph consists of only one paragraph. In the second paragraph, you need to reveal the main point regarding the topic, condensing the essence into one paragraph. It should begin with a topic sentence . Make sure each idea is logically connected, representing harmonious integrity.

Most conclusion paragraphs directly relate to the idea presented in the introductory paragraph and reflect the opinion disclosed in the central part. So, it’s vital to restate the thesis from the introduction paragraph to maintain the logical flow of the thoughts. 

Pre-Writing and Planning

If you want to write an essay with deep meaning and the correct format successfully and easily, you need to carry out several preparatory steps. It’s crucial to make a preliminary plan you will rely on as you write a three-paragraph essay. The following guidelines will help you structure your thoughts and simplify the essay writing process.

Tips for Selecting a Suitable Topic for a Concise Essay 

The success of your essay largely depends on choosing the right topic. If you have the opportunity to choose a field yourself, then select a topic that interests you and lies within the area of your professionalism. Take time to brainstorm and pick a topic that does not require extensive discussion in the body parts . The main point of your essay should be relevant in a modern context and allow you to prove yourself as an expert.

Outlining 

It is easier to write an essay when you have a clear plan of action and a rough draft. The essay layout is an integral criterion for the work because the volume is very limited, and you still need to include all the necessary information. Before you start writing your paper, study a 3 paragraphs essay example and make a detailed three-paragraph essay outline for each part of the organizational structure. Using this strategy, you will save a lot of time and make sure not a single critical piece is missing. A three-paragraph essay outline will structure your thoughts into a well-organized action plan. 

Crafting a Clear and Concise Thesis Statement that Guides Your Essay

The thesis statement serves as a guide for those who will read your essay and you. Having the central message of your paper clearly stated is something you need to keep in mind throughout the entire writing process. This way, you won’t be able to stray too far from the topic. A good thesis statement should be short and convey the main message of your essay, connecting with the topic sentence of the second paragraph.

Writing the Three-Paragraph Essay

Now that you have completed all the preparatory steps, you can find out how to write a 3 paragraph essay. Experts of our writing service have compelled several key points that you should remember to write an essay worthy of the highest score. 

Crafting a Strong Hook to Engage the Reader

The reader’s attention must be earned. To get your audience interested in your essay, use a hook in your introduction paragraphs. It could be a surprising idea, a shocking statistic, an interesting quote, or any other technique that can grab attention. However, any information you mention must subsequently be disclosed in the essay. Otherwise, you will only disappoint the reader.

Crafting a Compelling and Relevant Title for Your Essay

No one will want to read an essay with a boring title. Conversely, a good title can attract a broader audience to read your 3 paragraph essay. Choose the most interesting idea from your paper and use it to create a title. You can study an example of a three paragraph essay to get a deeper understanding of a relevant topic.

Writing a Clear Thesis Statement

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the thesis statement. As we mentioned earlier, this sentence should convey the main idea of your essay in a couple of words. The thesis statement needs to be brief and informative. Do not give any extra background information; your further text is based on it.

Write a Body Paragraph 

Your body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence describing the main message of the passage. Furthermore, present your central argument and provide strong evidence and supporting points. This will ensure that your academic essay is informative and logical. Remember that your thoughts must be structured and connected with transition words. Moreover, the body paragraph should also contain a comprehensive process analysis of the topic, ending with a strong transition sentence. 

Conclusion Paragraph 

Your entire essay should form a harmonious element. That’s why it’s necessary to restate the thesis, paraphrasing the main ideas presented in the introduction paragraph to develop a thesis statement in the final paragraph. Its primary purpose is to summarize the key points described in the body paragraph. To provide a logical conclusion to your essay, give a final thought or call to action for the reader in the final paragraph.

Writing Three Paragraph Essays Is Easy with PapersOwl 

Writing a 3-paragraph essay is not difficult if you have an idea of the basic requirements and features of this format. We have shared with you the key factors you should remember when writing a three-part essay. By strictly following the structure, completing all the preparatory steps, and relying on the outline, you will be able to easily organize your introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion and get a high grade.

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How to Prepare a 3 Paragraph Essay (Comprehensive Guide)

If you are wondering how to write a 3 paragraph essay, you’re in the right place. How you have structured your paper matters especially how you have presented your arguments. 

So how do you write a 3 Paragraph essay? To craft a 3 paragraph essay, begin with an introduction to present your topic. In the following paragraph, elucidate your central idea. Finally, in the third paragraph, conclude by summarizing your key points.

This article aims to let you understand how to write a 3 paragraph. In the end, you’ll be able to write an essay that will impress your professor. 

How to write a 3 paragraph essay

• Write an introduction.  The introduction should hook the reader’s attention and introduce your topic. It should also state your thesis statement, which is the main point of your essay.
• Write body paragraphs.  The body paragraphs should develop your thesis statement and provide evidence to support it. Each body paragraph should focus on a different main point.
• Write a conclusion. In the conclusion, you should sum up the key ideas in your essay and repeat your main point. You should also leave the reader with something to ponder.

Pro Tip: In a 3-paragraph essay, stick to one clear idea per paragraph. Start with an introduction, explain your point in the second paragraph, and in the third, wrap it up by repeating your main idea. 

Be ready to learn more. learn how to make each paragraph strong by providing examples and reasons. You’ll soon write a compelling 3 paragraph essay. Keep reading.

How to Start a 3 Paragraph Essay to Win the Reader’s Attention

Here are some tips on how to start a 3 paragraph essay and win the reader’s attention:

1. Use a strong hook.

A hook is a captivating start in writing, designed to grab attention instantly. It could be a question, a surprising fact, or a vivid scene. 

Its role is vital—it draws readers in, eager to read more. Like a tasty appetizer, a hook entices, making them curious about the whole “meal” of your writing, setting the tone for the journey ahead.

Below are different ways of writing a strong hook.:

• Asking a question
• Making a surprising statement
• Telling a story
• Using a quote
• Stating a statistic

2. Provide background information.

Background information in an essay provides context and basics about the topic. It’s like the foundation of a building, giving readers a clear understanding. 

It’s essential as it sets the stage, helping readers unfamiliar with the topic to follow along. As you introduce characters before telling a story, background info primes readers, making your essay more understandable and engaging.

3. State your thesis statement.

The thesis statement is the main idea of your essay. It should be clear, concise, and arguable.

Here is an example of a strong introduction paragraph for a 3 paragraph essay about the importance of education:

Hook : Did you know the average person spends about 13 years in school? That’s a lot of time to invest in something, so ensuring that education is worth it is essential.

Background information : Education remains vital for life’s triumph. It aids mental growth, the acquisition of novel expertise, and the fostering of a comprehensive character. Furthermore, it readies us for employment, enabling access to quality job opportunities.

Thesis statement : In this essay, I will argue that education is the key to a successful and fulfilling life .

This introduction paragraph is effective because it uses a strong hook, provides background information, and states the thesis statement clearly and concisely.

The introduction paragraph’s extent will differ based on the essay’s length. Nevertheless, in the context of a 3 paragraph essay, the introduction must span at most 50-80 words.

How to Create a Stunning Body of a 3 Paragraph Essay

Constructing an impressive body for your 3 paragraph essay requires a strategic approach tailored to the content you’re presenting: Descriptive, Narrative, Argumentative, and Expository.

Descriptive Paragraph

This segment transports readers into your subject. Engage their senses using intricate details and vivid adjectives. 

If discussing a place, for instance, elaborate on its sights, sounds, scents, and textures. 

Descriptive language paints a clear mental picture, making your essay immersive and relatable.

Narrative Paragraph:

Here, you tell a captivating story to convey your message. Introduce characters, set up events, and establish a plot. 

This narrative approach makes your essay more relatable and memorable, as readers connect emotionally with the story.

Argumentative Paragraph

In this section, you aim to present a clear viewpoint supported by substantial evidence. Start by stating your claim or thesis. 

Follow up with factual information, logical reasoning, and examples substantiating your stance. 

This approach encourages critical thinking and helps persuade readers to your perspective.

Expository Paragraph

The expository style involves explaining a concept or idea in-depth. Begin by defining the subject matter. 

Provide examples to illustrate your points and delve into an insightful analysis. This approach equips readers with a deeper understanding of the topic and fosters intellectual engagement.

By skillfully transitioning between these paragraphs, you create a cohesive and coherent body that guides readers through a well-rounded exploration of your topic. 

The varying approaches keep readers engaged as they encounter diverse angles and forms of information delivery.

What Is Special about the Conclusion of a 3 Paragraph Essay?

The conclusion of a 3 paragraph essay is unique in its role. It’s your final chance to make an impact. Here, you sum up the main ideas briefly, reinforcing your message. 

What makes it unique is its brevity—it’s short but powerful. This conclusion neatly wraps up your thoughts, leaving a solid impression. 

Its concise nature ensures your essay’s essence sticks with readers, prompting them to think and feel satisfied with its end.

Here’s a table elaborating on the five methods for creating a strong conclusion in a 3 paragraph essay:

Employing one of these methods elevates your conclusion, leaving a lasting impression on readers and effectively wrapping up your essay.

Facing challenges with your 3 paragraph essay? Our service is here to assist you. If you need help completing your essay, please reach out. We’re ready to support you every step of the way. Place your order here .

What Things Might Help a Student Improve a 3 Paragraph Essay?

Clarity of Purpose : Define a clear thesis. Know your main point, guiding the entire essay. This ensures focused content.

Precise Language : Employ clear, concise wording. Avoid unnecessary jargon or redundancy to maintain reader engagement.

Effective Hooks : Begin with a captivating hook, such as a question or intriguing fact. It grabs attention and sets the tone.

Structured Body: Organize paragraphs logically. Each should present a distinct idea seamlessly connected to the thesis.

Supportive Evidence : Back claims with credible evidence—facts, data, or examples. This lends credibility to your arguments.

Varied Sentence Structure : Mix sentence lengths and styles for a dynamic flow. Short sentences add impact, while longer ones provide depth.

Transitions: Use transitional phrases to link paragraphs smoothly. This maintains coherence and guides readers through your ideas.

Concise Conclusion : Summarize key points, reinforcing your thesis. Opt for a method like a thought-provoking question or a call to action.

Proofreading: Edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. A polished essay demonstrates professionalism.

Peer Review: Seek feedback from peers or mentors. Others’ insights can provide valuable perspectives.

Revision: Revisit and revise your essay. Refining content strengthens the essay’s overall impact.

Consistency : Ensure consistent tone and style throughout the essay. This promotes a cohesive reading experience.

Where to search for catchy facts?

Finding catchy facts to enhance your writing can be an exciting journey. Here are several places you can explore:

Books and Encyclopedias : Look for reputable books and encyclopedias related to your topic. They contain well-researched and exciting facts.

Online Databases : Utilize academic databases like JSTOR, PubMed, or Google Scholar for reliable and cited information.

News Outlets : News websites, magazines, and newspapers present intriguing and current facts on various subjects.

Government Websites: Official government websites provide data, statistics, and reports that are valuable sources of information.

Research Reports : Reports from reputable research institutions and organizations offer unique insights and data.

Educational Websites: Websites of universities, educational institutions, and research centers provide valuable facts and statistics.

Specialized Websites : Depending on your topic, specialized websites dedicated to that subject contain valuable facts and information.

Documentaries and TV Shows : Educational programs provide well-presented facts on various topics.

Interview Experts: If possible, directly interview experts in the field. Their insights offer fresh perspectives and unique facts.

Social Media: Follow credible accounts on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, where experts share insightful and catchy facts.

Podcasts : Listen to podcasts related to your topic. They provide you with exciting information and lesser-known facts.

Fact-checking Websites: Websites like Snopes and FactCheck.org can help verify the accuracy of facts.

Remember to verify the credibility of your sources to ensure the accuracy of the facts you’re using in your writing.

How to Improve the Quality of a 3 paragraph Essay.

Enhancing a 3 paragraph essay involves strategic refinement. Start with a clear thesis and compelling hook for reader engagement. 

Focus each paragraph on a well-supported idea, employing examples, evidence, or anecdotes. 

Employ transitions for seamless flow and maintain concise, varied language. Cite credible sources to bolster claims. 

Proofread for errors and seek peer feedback for insights. Eliminate repetition and ensure a consistent tone. 

Conclude with a strong summary or impactful question. Multiple revisions polish your essay, refining content and style. 

You elevate your essay’s quality by addressing each aspect meticulously, making it a powerful communication tool.

How to Proofread Before Handing in your 3 paragraph essay.

Proofreading a 3 paragraph essay before submission ensures it’s polished and error-free. Here’s a detailed process:

1. Review Structure

Check if your essay has a clear introduction, three distinct paragraphs, and a concise conclusion. Ensure each paragraph aligns with the thesis.

2. Grammar and Spelling:

Carefully read your essay, focusing on grammar and spelling errors. Use spell check tools, but also manually review for context-related mistakes.

3. Punctuation:

Verify proper use of commas, periods, colons, and other punctuation marks. Ensure consistency in punctuation style.

4. Word Choice:

Evaluate your word choice for accuracy and appropriateness. Replace vague or repetitive words with precise alternatives.

5. Sentence Structure:

Check for sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and awkward phrasing. Vary sentence length and structure for better flow.

6. Transitions:

Ensure smooth transitions between paragraphs. Use transition words to guide readers through your essay’s progression.

7. Thesis Alignment:

Confirm that each paragraph supports your thesis and stays on-topic. Eliminate irrelevant content.

8. Citations and References:

Ensure proper citation formatting (APA, MLA, etc.) if you’ve used sources. Cross-check references with in-text citations.

9. Consistency

Maintain consistency in writing style, tone, verb tense, and formatting throughout the essay.

10. Read Aloud

Reading aloud helps catch awkward phrasing and errors that your eyes might overlook.

11. Fresh Eyes:

Take a break between writing and proofreading. Returning with fresh eyes enhances your ability to spot mistakes.

12. Peer Review:

Have someone else read your essay from a different perspective. They can identify errors you might miss.

13. Grammar Tools:

Use grammar and spell-check tools, but don’t rely solely on them. Manually review suggested changes. Use grammarly.com

14. Formatting:

Check margins, font size, line spacing, and other formatting elements to ensure adherence to guidelines.

15. Final Read-Through

Before submission, conduct a final read-through to ensure all changes are accurate and the essay reads smoothly.

By meticulously following these steps, your 3 paragraph essay will be refined, error-free, and ready to make a strong impression on your audience.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, mastering the art of crafting a professional 3 paragraph essay requires careful attention to detail and a strategic approach. 

You effectively convey your ideas by focusing on a captivating introduction, a well-structured body, and a succinct yet impactful conclusion. 

The key lies in clarity, coherence, and concise expression. With practice and dedication, you navigate the realm of 3 paragraph essays, delivering content that engages, informs, and leaves a lasting impression on your readers. 

Posted on 13th October 2017

Writing a Three-Paragraph Essay

By Elise Barbeau

Sally Baggett holds a master’s in literature. She enjoys inspiring students, cooking with her family, and helping others achieve their dreams.

Just like there is more than one way to skin a cat (or so they say), there is more than one way to write an essay. One is not required to produce a perfectly formatted five-paragraph essay every time one composes a piece of writing. There is another type of essay you can write that may just be simpler than the traditional style: the three-paragraph essay. This type of essay might be beneficial for beginning writers as it offers the organizational structure of a longer essay without requiring the length. It also offers a challenge to more advanced writers to condense their points.

The Parts of the Essay and Its Benefits

As with most essays, the three-paragraph essay has three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Yet with this type of essay–unlike its five-paragraph counterpart–each one of these sections has only one paragraph. The three-paragraph essay, therefore, might be ideal for young writers or those who are currently mastering the English language.

Another benefit to the three-paragraph essay could be that it requires you to condense your supporting points into just one, which can be a good exercise. If you had to choose only one point to convince a reader to agree with you, what would it be?

After performing some light prewriting, such as brainstorming or writing an outline, students can move right into composing the essay. While this process is similar across the board for writing academic papers, the three-paragraph essay is unique in that the body will take up less space in the finished product.

An outline for this essay might look like this :

• Background Points
• Thesis Statement
• Supporting fact 1
• Supporting fact 2
• Transition Sentence
• Re-statement of Thesis
• Summary of Main Point
• Challenge to the Reader

Paragraph One: Introduction

As with most formal essays, the three-paragraph essay begins with an introduction paragraph. Such paragraphs must, obviously, introduce the reader to your idea and, in most cases, convince the reader that this essay is worth reading. To craft a strong introduction, be sure to open with a solid hook. You want to draw in readers so they are compelled to engage with your writing.

A hook can be something compelling such as a question, a powerful quote, or an interesting fact. Introduction paragraphs also usually contain background information that assists the reader in understanding your topic, perhaps defining it or explaining an important part. Finally, you want to include a thesis statement. Even though your essay only has three paragraphs, there still needs to be a purpose to the writing.

You could structure your introduction paragraph according to this outline :

• Hook: Is there no solution for dumping waste in the ocean?
• Explain why trash is dumped in the ocean
• Statistics about dumping trash in the ocean
• Thesis Statement: Dumping waste in the ocean is a problem because it spells disaster for the ecosystem, leading to problems on land.

This structure is not mandatory, though it might be useful in the long run for organizing your thoughts.

Paragraph Two: Body

The second paragraph, as we have discussed, is the one and only body paragraph. This paragraph bears the burden of communicating support for the thesis statement all on its own. As such, it may take more than one rough draft to get this paragraph to communicate everything you want it to.

Your body paragraph needs to underscore the thesis statement. Create a topic sentence for this body paragraph that communicates this and also transitions from the introduction into the body. For example, your body paragraph topic sentence based on the outline above could be:

One of those problems might play itself out as food scarcity where humans live.

This topic sentence reiterates the thesis and moves the reader into a body paragraph that contains a supporting point: that damage to the ocean’s ecosystem could lead to food scarcity. Within the body paragraph, you can quote different sources that support this point.

Again, this paragraph does not have room to contain everything that a full five-paragraph essay might. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fit in some strong evidence to convince your reader to see your perspective, such as is accomplished through quotes and analysis. Don’t forget to end with a strong transition sentence to move the reader seamlessly into the conclusion.

Paragraph Three: Conclusion

The final paragraph in an essay is usually the conclusion. The three-paragraph essay is no exception. In this essay, the conclusion can be just as long as the other two paragraphs, and it can drive home the point made in the thesis statement and body paragraph. As with most conclusion paragraphs, this paragraph ought to restate the thesis in different words. It should then summarize what was stated in the body paragraph before challenging the reader in some way, whether in thought or action.

Editing Before Turning It In

One thing to be sure of in this type of essay (as in any other) is to polish it. Make it flow well. In other words, revise it!

Before beginning the revision process, take a break from your writing so that you can look at it with fresh eyes. Once you start revising, hunt not only for grammar and punctuation errors but for ways to make the writing flow better. Take a look at the sentences at the beginning and end of each paragraph. Do these sentences contain transition words? Do these paragraphs link to each other? Transition words or phrases like “Likewise,” “In spite of,” or “In addition to” can ensure that your paragraphs are coherent. There are also other services that will automatically proofread you paper.

If you used any sources (i.e. websites, books, videos, etc.) to help support your points and write your paper, you need to cite them! Most teachers will ask you to create a bibliography in MLA format . Others may have you one in APA format , or create references in Chicago style. Ask your teacher for guidance on what citation style they prefer.

Final Thoughts

Don’t forget that you aren’t limited to using this type of essay for just persuasion. You can also use it to relate a narrative tale, using the three parts as the beginning, middle, and end of a story. You can use this to craft an informative essay. See if other types of essays–such as a process analysis or an evaluation–will fit inside the three-paragraph essay format.

In many ways, the three-paragraph essay is similar to the five-paragraph essay. They both make a solid point using an introduction, body, and conclusion. This simpler essay only requires that you condense your points into one body paragraph, perhaps only one supporting point, before reaching a conclusion. Again, this can make a good exercise for beginning English writers, but can also make a challenge for a more advanced writer to select their strongest supporting points.

3 Paragraph Essay: How to Write a 3 Paragraph Essay

There are many types of essays you will come across while in school. All of them require a specific number of words and paragraphs, depending on your tutor’s specifications.

Although not very common, you will sometimes get assigned a 3 paragraph essay. They help sharpen writing skills for students who don’t have prior essay writing experience.

If you are out there wondering how to write a 3 paragraph essay, worry no more because the following article will explicitly guide you on the process. You will also learn about the number of words expected and the format. Read on for a detailed review.

How to Write a 3 Paragraph Essay

Writing a 3 paragraph essay is pretty straightforward if you have the necessary skill set. You have adequate knowledge about the various writing formats (APA, Chicago, MLA, or Harvard), good grammar, and appropriate research techniques. Endeavor to make the meaning clear and understandable such that the presentation is logical.

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Remember that you only have three paragraphs to explain your point of view. Your sentences should, therefore, be precise and to the point. Provide facts, explain ideas, give directions and define words to ensure the reader understands your logic without struggle.

A typical 3-paragraph essay should have;

• An introduction
• A conclusion

Let us cover each section in detail;

1. Introduction

Your first paragraph should feature the introduction. Start by writing your topic. For example, How to “Write a 3 Paragraph Essay”. After the title, the first sentence of the introductory paragraph should incorporate a topic sentence (thesis statement). It is a sentence that outlines the title and your point of view or argument.

Also see: Should you capitalize the title of your essay? 

The second sentence then provides extra information that supports the topic sentence. It should help explain why your argument is relevant. The third and final sentence should outline the points you will incorporate in your body and should be in the order of presentation.

The second paragraph is the body of your essay. Here you will be explaining your points further. The first sentence of your body (number 4 overall) should outline your first point. You can also add two or three sentences to support your argument.

The number of sentences in your body should get determined by the number of points you plan to incorporate in your essay. For example, if you have three points, each should have at least three sentences because you will have to provide proof to support each.

3. Conclusion

The third and final paragraph is the conclusion of your essay. Start by restating the topic sentence using different words. Outline the main points, and finish by prompting the reader to reflect on your topic. You can conclude with a call to action or by phrasing a question.

4. The Final Touches

After writing your essay, polish it by;

• Reviewing the whole essay
• Ensuring the sentence flow is smooth
• Adding transitional phrases that join your ideas and thoughts
• Listing down your sources of information
• Checking for punctuation, spelling errors, grammar, and capitalization.

How Long Is A 3 Paragraph Essay?

A typical 3 paragraph essay should have around 250 words. However, this figure varies because the number of words in each sentence varies. Each paragraph should have between 100-200 words and each sentence 15-20 words.

Since you will be writing only three paragraphs, avoid using filler words because they will significantly increase the total number of words. To make the essay readable, you can incorporate subheadings to help the reader follow your thoughts.

Aim to keep your sentences and paragraphs short as it helps captivate the attention of the reader. Too long sentences and sections may be boring, and the reader may skip crucial points.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 3 strong argumentative essay examples, analyzed.

General Education

Need to defend your opinion on an issue? Argumentative essays are one of the most popular types of essays you’ll write in school. They combine persuasive arguments with fact-based research, and, when done well, can be powerful tools for making someone agree with your point of view. If you’re struggling to write an argumentative essay or just want to learn more about them, seeing examples can be a big help.

After giving an overview of this type of essay, we provide three argumentative essay examples. After each essay, we explain in-depth how the essay was structured, what worked, and where the essay could be improved. We end with tips for making your own argumentative essay as strong as possible.

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is an essay that uses evidence and facts to support the claim it’s making. Its purpose is to persuade the reader to agree with the argument being made.

A good argumentative essay will use facts and evidence to support the argument, rather than just the author’s thoughts and opinions. For example, say you wanted to write an argumentative essay stating that Charleston, SC is a great destination for families. You couldn’t just say that it’s a great place because you took your family there and enjoyed it. For it to be an argumentative essay, you need to have facts and data to support your argument, such as the number of child-friendly attractions in Charleston, special deals you can get with kids, and surveys of people who visited Charleston as a family and enjoyed it. The first argument is based entirely on feelings, whereas the second is based on evidence that can be proven.

The standard five paragraph format is common, but not required, for argumentative essays. These essays typically follow one of two formats: the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model.

• The Toulmin model is the most common. It begins with an introduction, follows with a thesis/claim, and gives data and evidence to support that claim. This style of essay also includes rebuttals of counterarguments.
• The Rogerian model analyzes two sides of an argument and reaches a conclusion after weighing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

3 Good Argumentative Essay Examples + Analysis

Below are three examples of argumentative essays, written by yours truly in my school days, as well as analysis of what each did well and where it could be improved.

Argumentative Essay Example 1

Proponents of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it from wherever they are. They could also access more materials because libraries won’t have to buy physical copies of books; they can simply rent out as many digital copies as they need.

However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 20-30% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at a screen has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision, dizziness, dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain, at much higher instances than reading print does. People who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of more serious health issues such as fibromyalgia, shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and muscle strain. I know that whenever I read from my e-reader for too long, my eyes begin to feel tired and my neck hurts. We should not add to these problems by giving people, especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.

Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space, giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. One neighborhood found that, after a local library instituted community events such as play times for toddlers and parents, job fairs for teenagers, and meeting spaces for senior citizens, over a third of residents reported feeling more connected to their community. Similarly, a Pew survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

The author begins by giving an overview of the counter-argument, then the thesis appears as the first sentence in the third paragraph. The essay then spends the rest of the paper dismantling the counter argument and showing why readers should believe the other side.

What this essay does well:

• Although it’s a bit unusual to have the thesis appear fairly far into the essay, it works because, once the thesis is stated, the rest of the essay focuses on supporting it since the counter-argument has already been discussed earlier in the paper.
• This essay includes numerous facts and cites studies to support its case. By having specific data to rely on, the author’s argument is stronger and readers will be more inclined to agree with it.
• For every argument the other side makes, the author makes sure to refute it and follow up with why her opinion is the stronger one. In order to make a strong argument, it’s important to dismantle the other side, which this essay does this by making the author's view appear stronger.
• This is a shorter paper, and if it needed to be expanded to meet length requirements, it could include more examples and go more into depth with them, such as by explaining specific cases where people benefited from local libraries.
• Additionally, while the paper uses lots of data, the author also mentions their own experience with using tablets. This should be removed since argumentative essays focus on facts and data to support an argument, not the author’s own opinion or experiences. Replacing that with more data on health issues associated with screen time would strengthen the essay.
• Some of the points made aren't completely accurate , particularly the one about digital books being cheaper. It actually often costs a library more money to rent out numerous digital copies of a book compared to buying a single physical copy. Make sure in your own essay you thoroughly research each of the points and rebuttals you make, otherwise you'll look like you don't know the issue that well.

Argumentative Essay Example 2

There are multiple drugs available to treat malaria, and many of them work well and save lives, but malaria eradication programs that focus too much on them and not enough on prevention haven’t seen long-term success in Sub-Saharan Africa. A major program to combat malaria was WHO’s Global Malaria Eradication Programme. Started in 1955, it had a goal of eliminating malaria in Africa within the next ten years. Based upon previously successful programs in Brazil and the United States, the program focused mainly on vector control. This included widely distributing chloroquine and spraying large amounts of DDT. More than one billion dollars was spent trying to abolish malaria. However, the program suffered from many problems and in 1969, WHO was forced to admit that the program had not succeeded in eradicating malaria. The number of people in Sub-Saharan Africa who contracted malaria as well as the number of malaria deaths had actually increased over 10% during the time the program was active.

One of the major reasons for the failure of the project was that it set uniform strategies and policies. By failing to consider variations between governments, geography, and infrastructure, the program was not nearly as successful as it could have been. Sub-Saharan Africa has neither the money nor the infrastructure to support such an elaborate program, and it couldn’t be run the way it was meant to. Most African countries don't have the resources to send all their people to doctors and get shots, nor can they afford to clear wetlands or other malaria prone areas. The continent’s spending per person for eradicating malaria was just a quarter of what Brazil spent. Sub-Saharan Africa simply can’t rely on a plan that requires more money, infrastructure, and expertise than they have to spare.

Additionally, the widespread use of chloroquine has created drug resistant parasites which are now plaguing Sub-Saharan Africa. Because chloroquine was used widely but inconsistently, mosquitoes developed resistance, and chloroquine is now nearly completely ineffective in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 95% of mosquitoes resistant to it. As a result, newer, more expensive drugs need to be used to prevent and treat malaria, which further drives up the cost of malaria treatment for a region that can ill afford it.

Instead of developing plans to treat malaria after the infection has incurred, programs should focus on preventing infection from occurring in the first place. Not only is this plan cheaper and more effective, reducing the number of people who contract malaria also reduces loss of work/school days which can further bring down the productivity of the region.

One of the cheapest and most effective ways of preventing malaria is to implement insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs).  These nets provide a protective barrier around the person or people using them. While untreated bed nets are still helpful, those treated with insecticides are much more useful because they stop mosquitoes from biting people through the nets, and they help reduce mosquito populations in a community, thus helping people who don’t even own bed nets.  Bed nets are also very effective because most mosquito bites occur while the person is sleeping, so bed nets would be able to drastically reduce the number of transmissions during the night. In fact, transmission of malaria can be reduced by as much as 90% in areas where the use of ITNs is widespread. Because money is so scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa, the low cost is a great benefit and a major reason why the program is so successful. Bed nets cost roughly 2 USD to make, last several years, and can protect two adults. Studies have shown that, for every 100-1000 more nets are being used, one less child dies of malaria. With an estimated 300 million people in Africa not being protected by mosquito nets, there’s the potential to save three million lives by spending just a few dollars per person.

Reducing the number of people who contract malaria would also reduce poverty levels in Africa significantly, thus improving other aspects of society like education levels and the economy. Vector control is more effective than treatment strategies because it means fewer people are getting sick. When fewer people get sick, the working population is stronger as a whole because people are not put out of work from malaria, nor are they caring for sick relatives. Malaria-afflicted families can typically only harvest 40% of the crops that healthy families can harvest. Additionally, a family with members who have malaria spends roughly a quarter of its income treatment, not including the loss of work they also must deal with due to the illness. It’s estimated that malaria costs Africa 12 billion USD in lost income every year. A strong working population creates a stronger economy, which Sub-Saharan Africa is in desperate need of.  

This essay begins with an introduction, which ends with the thesis (that malaria eradication plans in Sub-Saharan Africa should focus on prevention rather than treatment). The first part of the essay lays out why the counter argument (treatment rather than prevention) is not as effective, and the second part of the essay focuses on why prevention of malaria is the better path to take.

• The thesis appears early, is stated clearly, and is supported throughout the rest of the essay. This makes the argument clear for readers to understand and follow throughout the essay.
• There’s lots of solid research in this essay, including specific programs that were conducted and how successful they were, as well as specific data mentioned throughout. This evidence helps strengthen the author’s argument.
• The author makes a case for using expanding bed net use over waiting until malaria occurs and beginning treatment, but not much of a plan is given for how the bed nets would be distributed or how to ensure they’re being used properly. By going more into detail of what she believes should be done, the author would be making a stronger argument.
• The introduction of the essay does a good job of laying out the seriousness of the problem, but the conclusion is short and abrupt. Expanding it into its own paragraph would give the author a final way to convince readers of her side of the argument.

Argumentative Essay Example 3

There are many ways payments could work. They could be in the form of a free-market approach, where athletes are able to earn whatever the market is willing to pay them, it could be a set amount of money per athlete, or student athletes could earn income from endorsements, autographs, and control of their likeness, similar to the way top Olympians earn money.

Proponents of the idea believe that, because college athletes are the ones who are training, participating in games, and bringing in audiences, they should receive some sort of compensation for their work. If there were no college athletes, the NCAA wouldn’t exist, college coaches wouldn’t receive there (sometimes very high) salaries, and brands like Nike couldn’t profit from college sports. In fact, the NCAA brings in roughly $1 billion in revenue a year, but college athletes don’t receive any of that money in the form of a paycheck. Additionally, people who believe college athletes should be paid state that paying college athletes will actually encourage them to remain in college longer and not turn pro as quickly, either by giving them a way to begin earning money in college or requiring them to sign a contract stating they’ll stay at the university for a certain number of years while making an agreed-upon salary.  

Supporters of this idea point to Zion Williamson, the Duke basketball superstar, who, during his freshman year, sustained a serious knee injury. Many argued that, even if he enjoyed playing for Duke, it wasn’t worth risking another injury and ending his professional career before it even began for a program that wasn’t paying him. Williamson seems to have agreed with them and declared his eligibility for the NCAA draft later that year. If he was being paid, he may have stayed at Duke longer. In fact, roughly a third of student athletes surveyed stated that receiving a salary while in college would make them “strongly consider” remaining collegiate athletes longer before turning pro.

Paying athletes could also stop the recruitment scandals that have plagued the NCAA. In 2018, the NCAA stripped the University of Louisville's men's basketball team of its 2013 national championship title because it was discovered coaches were using sex workers to entice recruits to join the team. There have been dozens of other recruitment scandals where college athletes and recruits have been bribed with anything from having their grades changed, to getting free cars, to being straight out bribed. By paying college athletes and putting their salaries out in the open, the NCAA could end the illegal and underhanded ways some schools and coaches try to entice athletes to join.

People who argue against the idea of paying college athletes believe the practice could be disastrous for college sports. By paying athletes, they argue, they’d turn college sports into a bidding war, where only the richest schools could afford top athletes, and the majority of schools would be shut out from developing a talented team (though some argue this already happens because the best players often go to the most established college sports programs, who typically pay their coaches millions of dollars per year). It could also ruin the tight camaraderie of many college teams if players become jealous that certain teammates are making more money than they are.

They also argue that paying college athletes actually means only a small fraction would make significant money. Out of the 350 Division I athletic departments, fewer than a dozen earn any money. Nearly all the money the NCAA makes comes from men’s football and basketball, so paying college athletes would make a small group of men--who likely will be signed to pro teams and begin making millions immediately out of college--rich at the expense of other players.

Those against paying college athletes also believe that the athletes are receiving enough benefits already. The top athletes already receive scholarships that are worth tens of thousands per year, they receive free food/housing/textbooks, have access to top medical care if they are injured, receive top coaching, get travel perks and free gear, and can use their time in college as a way to capture the attention of professional recruiters. No other college students receive anywhere near as much from their schools.

People on this side also point out that, while the NCAA brings in a massive amount of money each year, it is still a non-profit organization. How? Because over 95% of those profits are redistributed to its members’ institutions in the form of scholarships, grants, conferences, support for Division II and Division III teams, and educational programs. Taking away a significant part of that revenue would hurt smaller programs that rely on that money to keep running.

While both sides have good points, it’s clear that the negatives of paying college athletes far outweigh the positives. College athletes spend a significant amount of time and energy playing for their school, but they are compensated for it by the scholarships and perks they receive. Adding a salary to that would result in a college athletic system where only a small handful of athletes (those likely to become millionaires in the professional leagues) are paid by a handful of schools who enter bidding wars to recruit them, while the majority of student athletics and college athletic programs suffer or even shut down for lack of money. Continuing to offer the current level of benefits to student athletes makes it possible for as many people to benefit from and enjoy college sports as possible.

This argumentative essay follows the Rogerian model. It discusses each side, first laying out multiple reasons people believe student athletes should be paid, then discussing reasons why the athletes shouldn’t be paid. It ends by stating that college athletes shouldn’t be paid by arguing that paying them would destroy college athletics programs and cause them to have many of the issues professional sports leagues have.

• Both sides of the argument are well developed, with multiple reasons why people agree with each side. It allows readers to get a full view of the argument and its nuances.
• Certain statements on both sides are directly rebuffed in order to show where the strengths and weaknesses of each side lie and give a more complete and sophisticated look at the argument.
• Using the Rogerian model can be tricky because oftentimes you don’t explicitly state your argument until the end of the paper. Here, the thesis doesn’t appear until the first sentence of the final paragraph. That doesn’t give readers a lot of time to be convinced that your argument is the right one, compared to a paper where the thesis is stated in the beginning and then supported throughout the paper. This paper could be strengthened if the final paragraph was expanded to more fully explain why the author supports the view, or if the paper had made it clearer that paying athletes was the weaker argument throughout.

3 Tips for Writing a Good Argumentative Essay

Now that you’ve seen examples of what good argumentative essay samples look like, follow these three tips when crafting your own essay.

#1: Make Your Thesis Crystal Clear

The thesis is the key to your argumentative essay; if it isn’t clear or readers can’t find it easily, your entire essay will be weak as a result. Always make sure that your thesis statement is easy to find. The typical spot for it is the final sentence of the introduction paragraph, but if it doesn’t fit in that spot for your essay, try to at least put it as the first or last sentence of a different paragraph so it stands out more.

Also make sure that your thesis makes clear what side of the argument you’re on. After you’ve written it, it’s a great idea to show your thesis to a couple different people--classmates are great for this. Just by reading your thesis they should be able to understand what point you’ll be trying to make with the rest of your essay.

#2: Show Why the Other Side Is Weak

When writing your essay, you may be tempted to ignore the other side of the argument and just focus on your side, but don’t do this. The best argumentative essays really tear apart the other side to show why readers shouldn’t believe it. Before you begin writing your essay, research what the other side believes, and what their strongest points are. Then, in your essay, be sure to mention each of these and use evidence to explain why they’re incorrect/weak arguments. That’ll make your essay much more effective than if you only focused on your side of the argument.

#3: Use Evidence to Support Your Side

Remember, an essay can’t be an argumentative essay if it doesn’t support its argument with evidence. For every point you make, make sure you have facts to back it up. Some examples are previous studies done on the topic, surveys of large groups of people, data points, etc. There should be lots of numbers in your argumentative essay that support your side of the argument. This will make your essay much stronger compared to only relying on your own opinions to support your argument.

Summary: Argumentative Essay Sample

Argumentative essays are persuasive essays that use facts and evidence to support their side of the argument. Most argumentative essays follow either the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model. By reading good argumentative essay examples, you can learn how to develop your essay and provide enough support to make readers agree with your opinion. When writing your essay, remember to always make your thesis clear, show where the other side is weak, and back up your opinion with data and evidence.

What's Next?

Do you need to write an argumentative essay as well? Check out our guide on the best argumentative essay topics for ideas!

You'll probably also need to write research papers for school. We've got you covered with 113 potential topics for research papers.

Your college admissions essay may end up being one of the most important essays you write. Follow our step-by-step guide on writing a personal statement to have an essay that'll impress colleges.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Ultimate Guide: Outline for Three Paragraph Essay

Table of Contents

Creating an outline for three paragraph essay is more effective than instinctively writing. This is especially true if you’re comparing and contrasting two ideas.

An outline for three-paragraph essay helps to organize your ideas into three separate parts, including an introduction, body, and conclusion.

This article will cover the basic principles of mapping an outline and what you need to know to create a perfect structure. Read on!

What is a three-Paragraph Essay?

Writing a 3-paragraph essay is different from writing other sorts of essays. This is because of the structure and short body content (only one paragraph). 

In a three-paragraph essay, there are no more or less than three main points in its structure. 

Start a three-paragraph essay with the following:

• An introductory sentence that introduces the topic
• A sentence that delivers the essay’s core idea
• Concluding paragraph that restates the essay’s main ideas.

Now, how does this essay deviate from the standard essay format? Traditional five-paragraph essays have three body paragraphs in which students present their arguments and evidence to an audience.

Mapping out an Outline for Three Paragraph Essay

An essay outline is a way of planning the structure of your essay before you start writing . The following structure could make writing a three-paragraph essay less challenging:

1. Have a Visual Map

An essay plan is developed, detailing the three sections that make up a complete essay. You should have your attention grabber and thesis statement in the opening. 

The essay’s body provides supporting evidence for the argument made in the introduction. The conclusion should end with a thought-provoking reminder of the entire piece and a call to action for the reader.

2. Write Down Your Thoughts

An outline involves writing quick summary sentences or phrases for every point you will cover in each paragraph. It gives you a picture of how your argument will unfold .

Make your outline easy to follow by assigning Roman numerals to each section as you go. 

For example, 

Section I should be the introduction, section II the body, and section III the conclusion. 

Separate subsections containing the elements in each section should be established. Jot down two potential issues of discussion for each section. 

The ideal way to wrap up your essay is with whatever sentences appropriately summarize your work.

3. Create a Solid Argumentative Thesis

The thesis statement explains the author’s position and serves as an introduction to the body of the paper. If you write about dogs, for instance, you should first consider what you want to say about them. 

Either you talk about what to look for in a pet dog or why it’s good to save a dog that got stuck.

Having a topic in mind makes building a thesis statement and subsequent arguments in the essay’s body simpler.

4. Get Started on the Actual Essay

You should begin with an opening line, followed by three to five body paragraphs. Ensure detailed descriptions of each topic in the essay’s body. 

Finally, you should compose a conclusion that restates the theory and summarizes the most important ideas. Close with a thought-provoking comment that departs significantly from the essay’s main points.

5. Correct Typos and Polish the Text

Proofreading your work before submitting it allows you to catch any grammatical or spelling errors you may have missed.

 Avoid using jargon and complex terms that could confuse your readers in favor of simpler alternatives. Spell and grammar check. 

Check each sentence to see if your word choice is crystal clear and if each point is made without ambiguity. Having a peer reviewer check your work is an excellent approach to closing your project. 

Guidelines for Writing a Three-Paragraph Essay

An essay’s outline is created before the first word is written. This outline will serve as a roadmap for the development of your article. 

An outline for a three-paragraph essay follows an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Therefore, what guidelines should an outline for a three-paragraph essay have? Consider the following.

• Choose an appropriate header or topic to get started. 
• When writing an essay, it’s much easier to know what to write about if the topic is easy to grasp.
•  Examine how it’s shaping up, and adjust your drafts. 
• There should be uniformity in the subject matter covered by successive paragraphs. 
•  Do your best to avoid ambiguity. Essay clarity aids in making points and guiding the reader through the work. 
• Use a variety of instances to argue in your favor. Ensure every part of your thesis is supported. 
• It would help if you also injected your writing with energy. This technique ensures that the reader gives your entire article their undivided attention.

The first sentence of your introduction should be a focused, topic-making remark. After the introduction, your paper’s body should have sentences that support your primary claims in sequence.

The main text follows the introduction. The three-paragraph essay only allows one body paragraph, unlike the five-paragraph essay. This implies you should launch right into your main argument and then introduce the secondary points that will back up your statements.

Finish up with a satisfying conclusion. Your topic sentence should effectively summarize the entire argument. It can start with a sentence that clarifies to the reader that you are drawing to a close.

To improve your writing, reread what you’ve written and try rewriting it using different terms. 

The three-paragraph essay is easy and efficient to write, but always remember to map out your ideas and watch how they develop. 

If you have a complex topic, it might be a good idea to break it down into a visual map. This will help your thoughts become more organized and easy to follow.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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What this handout is about

This handout will help you understand how paragraphs are formed, how to develop stronger paragraphs, and how to completely and clearly express your ideas.

What is a paragraph?

Paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and Connors 116). Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this handout, we will refer to this as the “controlling idea,” because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.

How do I decide what to put in a paragraph?

Before you can begin to determine what the composition of a particular paragraph will be, you must first decide on an argument and a working thesis statement for your paper. What is the most important idea that you are trying to convey to your reader? The information in each paragraph must be related to that idea. In other words, your paragraphs should remind your reader that there is a recurrent relationship between your thesis and the information in each paragraph. A working thesis functions like a seed from which your paper, and your ideas, will grow. The whole process is an organic one—a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where there are direct, familial relationships between all of the ideas in the paper.

The decision about what to put into your paragraphs begins with the germination of a seed of ideas; this “germination process” is better known as brainstorming . There are many techniques for brainstorming; whichever one you choose, this stage of paragraph development cannot be skipped. Building paragraphs can be like building a skyscraper: there must be a well-planned foundation that supports what you are building. Any cracks, inconsistencies, or other corruptions of the foundation can cause your whole paper to crumble.

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be :

• Unified : All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph).
• Clearly related to the thesis : The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Coherent : The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Well-developed : Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119).

How do I organize a paragraph?

There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief examples:

• Narration : Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. ( See an example. )
• Description : Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. ( See an example. )
• Process : Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. ( See an example. )
• Classification : Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. ( See an example. )
• Illustration : Give examples and explain how those examples support your point. (See an example in the 5-step process below.)

Illustration paragraph: a 5-step example

From the list above, let’s choose “illustration” as our rhetorical purpose. We’ll walk through a 5-step process for building a paragraph that illustrates a point in an argument. For each step there is an explanation and example. Our example paragraph will be about human misconceptions of piranhas.

Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea.

Controlling idea and topic sentence — Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans.

Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

Paragraph development continues with an elaboration on the controlling idea, perhaps with an explanation, implication, or statement about significance. Our example offers a possible explanation for the pervasiveness of the myth.

Elaboration — This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media.

Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)

Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the previous sentences.

Example — For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman.

Step 4. Explain the example(s)

The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence. The explanation should demonstrate the value of the example as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.

Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence.

Explanation for example — Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear.

Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph.

Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph

The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information to the larger paper, or you can make a concluding point for this example. You might, however, simply transition to the next paragraph.

Sentences for completing a paragraph — While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Finished paragraph

Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans. This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media. For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman. Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear. While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Troubleshooting paragraphs

Problem: the paragraph has no topic sentence.

Imagine each paragraph as a sandwich. The real content of the sandwich—the meat or other filling—is in the middle. It includes all the evidence you need to make the point. But it gets kind of messy to eat a sandwich without any bread. Your readers don’t know what to do with all the evidence you’ve given them. So, the top slice of bread (the first sentence of the paragraph) explains the topic (or controlling idea) of the paragraph. And, the bottom slice (the last sentence of the paragraph) tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the broader argument. In the original and revised paragraphs below, notice how a topic sentence expressing the controlling idea tells the reader the point of all the evidence.

Original paragraph

Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Revised paragraph

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Once you have mastered the use of topic sentences, you may decide that the topic sentence for a particular paragraph really shouldn’t be the first sentence of the paragraph. This is fine—the topic sentence can actually go at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph; what’s important is that it is in there somewhere so that readers know what the main idea of the paragraph is and how it relates back to the thesis of your paper. Suppose that we wanted to start the piranha paragraph with a transition sentence—something that reminds the reader of what happened in the previous paragraph—rather than with the topic sentence. Let’s suppose that the previous paragraph was about all kinds of animals that people are afraid of, like sharks, snakes, and spiders. Our paragraph might look like this (the topic sentence is bold):

Like sharks, snakes, and spiders, piranhas are widely feared. Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless . Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Problem: the paragraph has more than one controlling idea

If a paragraph has more than one main idea, consider eliminating sentences that relate to the second idea, or split the paragraph into two or more paragraphs, each with only one main idea. Watch our short video on reverse outlining to learn a quick way to test whether your paragraphs are unified. In the following paragraph, the final two sentences branch off into a different topic; so, the revised paragraph eliminates them and concludes with a sentence that reminds the reader of the paragraph’s main idea.

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. A number of South American groups eat piranhas. They fry or grill the fish and then serve them with coconut milk or tucupi, a sauce made from fermented manioc juices.

Problem: transitions are needed within the paragraph

You are probably familiar with the idea that transitions may be needed between paragraphs or sections in a paper (see our handout on transitions ). Sometimes they are also helpful within the body of a single paragraph. Within a paragraph, transitions are often single words or short phrases that help to establish relationships between ideas and to create a logical progression of those ideas in a paragraph. This is especially likely to be true within paragraphs that discuss multiple examples. Let’s take a look at a version of our piranha paragraph that uses transitions to orient the reader:

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, except in two main situations, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ instinct is to flee, not attack. But there are two situations in which a piranha bite is likely. The first is when a frightened piranha is lifted out of the water—for example, if it has been caught in a fishing net. The second is when the water level in pools where piranhas are living falls too low. A large number of fish may be trapped in a single pool, and if they are hungry, they may attack anything that enters the water.

In this example, you can see how the phrases “the first” and “the second” help the reader follow the organization of the ideas in the paragraph.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Lunsford, Andrea. 2008. The St. Martin’s Handbook: Annotated Instructor’s Edition , 6th ed. New York: St. Martin’s.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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2.3: Paragraph to Essay

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Highlight the topic and underline the main idea of this paragraph. How many subtopics are given? How could this topic and subtopics be used to write an essay with five paragraphs?

A variety of technological advancements in the modern kitchen has revolutionized the lives and health of millions of people. One advancement that has enabled cooks and consumers to enjoy fruits, vegetables, and wholesome meals year-round is the freezer. Prior to modern methods of freezing and refrigeration, food choices were limited only to what was seasonally and locally available, which itself was dependent on factors like the weather. In addition to modern freezing methods, advancements in stove and cooktop technology have provided quick and safe ways to get hot meals to the table at any time. The efficient, clean, and compact electric and gas stoves allow cooks to heat food indoors without the mess and risks that older coal and wood stoves and even campfires once posed. Finally, the microwave has enhanced the benefits of refrigeration and modern stoves by allowing us to heat or reheat food or drinks in a fraction of the time that older heating methods required. Thus, people can literally eat “on the run.” Indeed, freezer, stovetop, and microwave technology have revolutionized the way people can cook, eat, and live. They are time-saving, clean, and efficient.

The diagram below shows the overall structure of a typical five-paragraph essay and how it is similar to the structure of a paragraph. In most of your college writing you will write longer essays that usually have anywhere from eight to fifteen paragraphs. The length will depend on the topic and how deeply you need to explore that topic according to the assignment instructions.

Model Outline 1: ​​Now you will see how a writer takes the same topic and main idea from the paragraph above to write an essay. Notice how the writing process is used to further develop the topic and subtopics.

The following is an EXAMPLE of an essay that was developed by using the writing process. Notice how the information and ideas develop and become clearer and more organized as the writer goes through the process.

Example Writing Prompt: Always read prompts carefully:

We live in an ever-changing world with many new developments, some productive and some destructive. Think about how developments in technology have affected people in modern times. Technology can have positive or negative impacts on people’s lives. Think about some areas in life where developments in technology have changed lives. Then plan and write an essay about how one type of development has changed people’s lives.

Outlining (Organizing Ideas):

I. Introduction

II. Supporting Topic Sentence 1: (use transitional expressions!):

One advancement that has enabled cooks and consumers to enjoy fruits, vegetables, and wholesome meals year-round is the freezer.

A. Talk about how in the past, we had to eat seasonal food.

B. Food spoiled and people ran out of food in winter.

III. Supporting Topic Sentence 2:

In addition to modern freezing methods, advancements in stove and cooktop technology have provided quick and safe ways to get hot meals to the table at any time.

A. How meals are fast and easy.

B. No pollutants or danger posed by fire or coal.

IV. Supporting Topic Sentence 3:

Finally, the microwave has enhanced the benefits of refrigeration and modern stoves by allowing us to heat or reheat food or drinks in a fraction of the time that older heating methods required.

A. We can “eat on the run”!

B. Heat up frozen meals.

V. Conclusion: (Restate your thesis and share a prediction, suggestion, or opinion):

In conclusion, with the combination of refrigeration and stove and microwave technology, people can eat and drink whatever they want, whenever they want, with no concerns about a poor crop yield and no dependence on locally-produced foods.

How To Write Better Essays: 5 Outside-the-Box Techniques + Writing Tips

Table of contents

Brinda Gulati

Stuck on a B, chasing that A+? We've all been there. 

I have two degrees in Creative Writing from the University of Warwick with First Class Honors. From 2013 to 2014, I also studied English Literature at the National University of Singapore. 

Translation: I’ve written a lot of academic essays.

Some good. Some inspired. And others, plain lousy.

After a few Bs and the occasional C, I cracked the code on writing good essays. An average academic essay answers a question; but an essay that gets an A+ solves a problem — whether through discussion, analysis, definition, comparison, or evaluation. 

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how to write better essays. You’ll learn how to construct bullet-proof arguments with five unique thinking techniques, cut the fluff, and discover F.O.C.U.S. to improve your essay writing skills. 

Because essays don’t have to be boring. And writing them doesn’t have to either. 

What Makes A Good Essay?

What is “good” writing? The answer is subjective. For example, I loved reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, but to some, it might be drivel. 

Nonetheless, many examples of good writing share some core qualities. 

There are five overarching qualities of good essay writing : flow, organization, clarity, unity, and specificity. 

I’ve made a fun little acronym to help you remember them better: F.O.C.U.S.™️

F low: Does the writing flow smoothly from one point to the next? 

O rganization: Have you structured your essay with a clear beginning, middle, and end?  

C larity: Is the writing clear, error-free, and unambiguous? 

U nity: Are all the elements of your writing supporting the central thesis?

S pecificity: Have you provided specific details, examples, and evidence to justify your main points? 

A Fellow at The European Graduate School, and my most cherished mentor, Dr. Jeremy Fernando , has perhaps read, written, and graded thousands of academic essays over the years. 

His advice?  

“You’re asking the reader to go on an explorative journey with you; the least you should do is ensure the trip you’re taking them on is the same as the advertised one.”

5 Creative Thinking Techniques For Writing Better Essays

The thing is, good essay writing doesn’t start at — or even as — writing . 

There’s reading, re-reading, pre-writing, revising, then actually writing, editing, and then writing some more.

As with most persuasive arguments , you need frameworks: points of reference, mental models, and structured approaches to guide your decision making.  

That's exactly what we have here. 

1. Try Reverse Outlining

A reverse outline is just what it sounds like: a process that distills a paper down to its bare essentials, leaving only the key points and topic sentences. The result? A clear, bullet-point blueprint of the paper's structure, whether it's your own work or someone else's.

Key Benefits: 

✅Creates an X-ray of a paper's structure to identify its central arguments and assess its logical flow.

✅Helps you actively engage with someone else’s work to deepen your understanding of the material.

✅Reveals structural issues in your own essay, such as missing or misplaced points, redundancies, or weak arguments.

How To Create A Reverse Outline:

This is a two-step, and perhaps infinitely repeatable process.

Take a blank page and draw a line straight down the middle.

• In the left-hand margin, write down the keywords for each paragraph in your essay. Stick to the main points. Be brief. 
• In the right-hand margin, write down how the keyword or topic supports the main argument. Again, don't sit down to write Bonfire of the Vanities . Make it concise . The goal is to persuasively explain your arguments in a few words.

2. Practice The Lotus Blossom Technique

In this structured brainstorming exercise, you plant your main problem in the center box of a 3x3 grid. Then, you’ll fill the surrounding boxes with related themes to expand your thinking. The method was developed by Yasuo Matsumura at Clover Management Research in Japan.

Key Benefits:

✅ A fun, novel alternative to traditional mind-mapping and spider-diagramming.  

✅Helps you visualize your essay slowly unfolding from its core. (Like a lotus, basically.)

✅I like how it's creative and thorough at the same time. An equal combination of freedom and structure.

How To Practice The Lotus Blossom Technique:

• Put your problem/essay question in the center square.
• Fill in the surrounding eight boxes with ideas related to the problem. At this point, you don’t need to elaborate. 
• Now, flesh out each of your eight ideas. Or, as with the lotus flower image — add another row of petals. 

When all your boxes are filled in, you'll have 64 ideas for one essay argument. As far as starting-off points go, this one’s hard to beat. 

Pro Tip : Did you know that dim light is a creative stimulant? Go dark. Light some candles.

3. Build A Toulmin Argument Model

According to philosopher Stephen E. Toulmin, arguments are broken down into six key components: claim, grounds, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal, and backing. 

There are three essential parts to every argument: the claim, the grounds, and the warrant.

• The claim is the main argument you want to prove to your audience. 
• The grounds of an argument are the evidence and facts that support it.
• The warrant is the assumption which links a claim to its grounds, whether implied or explicitly stated.

✅Craft persuasive arguments through an in-depth analysis that closely examines each part of your essay.

✅Analyzing an argument from its components can help clarify its logic.

✅The rebuttal component encourages you to anticipate and address counterarguments. The more perspectives you consider, the more well-rounded your argument will be.

How To Build A Toulmin Argument Model:

Let’s take a published paper — “ Coffee and Health: A Review of Recent Human Research ” by Jane V. Higdon and Balz Frei — and break it down using the Toulmin model. 

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• Claim: Consuming moderate amounts of coffee (3-4 cups a day with 300-400 mg of caffeine) has few health risks and some health benefits. Nevertheless, caffeine may be more harmful to pregnant women, children, adolescents, and the elderly.
• Grounds: According to epidemiological studies, coffee may prevent diabetes type 2, Parkinson's disease, and liver disease. 
• Warrant: Studies suggest that coffee consumption in moderation may have some health benefits and poses minimal health risks.
• Backing : A number of well-designed prospective cohort studies with large sample sizes are cited as supporting evidence. 
• Qualifier: This study applies specifically to healthy adults who consume moderate amounts of filtered coffee. Optimal intake hasn’t been defined. 
• Rebuttal: Some may be more sensitive to negative effects. Further research is needed.

I don’t know about you, but I often get convinced of my own arguments when writing essays, and then it’s hard for me to consider other perspectives.

So, if you want a sparring buddy, here’s how Wordtune can help you with counterarguments:

First, I’ve copy-pasted our claim from above 👇🏼

Next, click on the little purple sparkle icon and choose “Counterargument” from the drop-down menu. 

Lo and behold! Not only does Wordtune provide accurate contextual suggestions for a convincing opposing opinion, it goes one step further and cites a clickable source for the research .

Nothing short of time-saving magic , if you ask me.

4. Ask The Five Whys

You need to ask “why” five times to get to the root of any problem. That’s what the inventor of the method, and founder of Toyota Industries, Sakichi Toyoda, believed. 

✅The approach identifies the real problem, not just its surface symptoms. 

✅It’s an easy-to-do and straightforward process that gets to the heart of your essay question.

✅Use this approach in combination with the Toulmin Model to build a killer essay argument.

Asking The Five Whys:

Let’s look at a sample essay question and drill down to its core.

When you have the core of the problem in your palm, you can then start thinking of solutions. Perhaps finding more cost-effective ways to train and support teachers. Or exploring alternative funding options, such as grants and partnerships with local businesses.

5. Experiment With The Ben Franklin Exercise

Franklin wasn’t always a prodigious scholar. While working at a print shop, he reverse engineered the prose from the British magazine, The Spectator , to learn how to write better without a tutor. 

He took detailed notes at a sentence level, contemplated them for some time, and then re-created the sentences without looking at the originals.

In fact, research from MIT shows that it's “not just the study of tiny details that accelerates learning; the act of assembling those details yourself is what makes the difference.” This is called constructionist learning. 

✅Improve your essay writing by studying works of skilled authors through practiced imitation.

✅Organizing your notes from memory will help you construct a solid structure for your essay, and evaluate any gaps in logic and flow.

✅Actively deconstructing and constructing the material allows you to engage deeply with it, and therefore, write better essays.

How I Use The Ben Franklin Exercise:

One of my favorite passages in Literature — as clichéd as may it be — is from Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club . 

• Note how “strongest” and “smartest” are alliterative words, creating a sense of rhythm right in the first sentence.
• The imagery of banality — pumping gas, waiting tables, etc. is at once, vivid and relatable, moving and unmoving.
• The phrase “midddle children of the history man” places the narrative in a broader, more relevant context.
• Notice how the “g” is capitalized for the first mention of war and depression, but then it switches to a small “g” for the same words in the next sentence.
• The repetition of “very very pissed off” is much more effective than simply saving “livid.”

Similarly, start by taking a paragraph from an essay you like. Make sentence-level notes and rewrite its essence without looking at it. 

My Top Tips To Write A Good Essay

1. write lousy first drafts.

You heard me. Write as if your keyboard doesn’t have keys for punctuation. Write as if no one is ever going to read your essay. The goal is to eliminate self-censorship . When you first start writing down your main points, don’t assume the role of a self-editor. 

TRY THIS : Open a blank page, set a timer for two and a half minutes, and type until the bell goes off. Take a break. Repeat. Don’t re-read what you’ve typed. 

Forget proper spelling. Forget good grammar. Those polishes are all for later, when you have something to polish. 

This is freewriting. 

And it’s wildly effective in getting you to stop thinking about deadlines, blinking cursors, and that A+. My highest-scoring essays have all begun with messy, unstructured, poorly-worded first drafts. 

2. Read Other Essays Like A Writer

Think of your favorite book. What makes you call it your favorite? Or a series you’ve watched recently. ( Behind Her Eyes is especially good.) What compels you to see it all the way through? The same principle applies to good essay writing. Have you read an essay in your research that hooked you? Or a friend’s work you wish you could put your name to? 

Read like a writer — become a proactive participant in examining why the writing works. Instead of passively drawing stars next to important observations, ask yourself, “ Why do I like these passages? What are they doing? And how are they doing it?” (Use the Ben Franklin Exercise here.)

Take apart the essay you’re reading like a forensic pathologist doing an autopsy. 

3. Start With An Outline

Speaking of autopsies, a good essay has good bones. Once you’ve disgorged your ideas on the page, start arranging them under headers. 

This blog too, was born in the Notes app on my phone. But if you’re taking the reader with you somewhere, you should know where you’re headed too. 

Pro Tip : Keep two working documents for your essay. One where you dump all the links, sources, and keywords. The other is where you work on your final draft for submission.

4. Cut The Fluff

The deadline’s in a few hours and you’re scrambling to hit minimum word count . Long, winding sentences with gratuitous adjectives you’ve just looked up in the thesaurus to sound more cerebral, erudite, scholarly.

I get it. I’ve done it. And those essays have bellyflopped. Professors know when you’re trying to game them.

Here’s an actual sentence from one of my essays I wrote in 2017:

“Ibsen’s realist drama, and in particular, A Doll’s House , is replete with the problems that chapter and verse modern life – the patriarchal model of the family, money and debt, and the performance of gender.”

And much to my embarrassment, this is the scathing comment from my then-professor: 

“This makes no sense.”

Let’s rework this sentence to make sense using Wordtune (a clever AI helper I wish I had during my university days):

“The patriarchal family model, money and debt, and gendered performance are all apparent in Ibsen's realist drama, especially A Doll's House .”

Much more sensible. 

5. Get Feedback, Edit, And Revise

I can’t emphasize this enough — don’t submit your first draft! Have someone else read it, perhaps a friend in the same class or even from a different major. Look at their eyebrows to see which sections make them frown in confusion. 

Ask them to red-pen sentences and logical gaps. And then —- edit, edit edit! 

Sleep on it. Let the essay stew in the back of your mind for a full night, and come back to it with fresh eyes.

Start (Pre-)Writing Better Essays

The ability to write persuasively will serve you well no matter what stage of your life you are in: high school, university scholar, or a professional trying to get ahead. After all, the human mind is hardwired for storytelling.

Remember, the key is to F.O.C.U.S.

Whether you’re crawling or speeding towards a deadline, bag that A+ with a smart AI assistant like Wordtune !

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Writing Lab

Parts of the paper.

• Introduction Paragraph
• Body Paragraphs

Writing the Conclusion

Do's and don'ts.

Your conclusion is the final paragraph or two of your paper.   According to  Strategies for Successful Writing: A Rhetoric and Reader:

A conclusion rounds out a paper and signals that the discussion has been completed.  ... To be effective, a conclusion must mesh logically and stylistically with what comes earlier.  A long, complex paper often ends with a summary of the main points, but several other options may be used for shorter papers with easy-to-understand ideas.  Most short essays have single-paragraph conclusions; longer papers may require two or three paragraphs. 

• It shouldn't contain any new ideas
• It shouldn't offer any new examples
• It shouldn't reach any new conclusions

"Remember that everything you have to say - all your conclusions about the topic and your facts that prove them - belong in the body of the paper.  The ending merely wraps up the theme and ties it in a bow."

Do's/ideas for the content of your conclusion

• Restate the purpose.
• Sum up - Wrap up all your points into one general statement.  
• Echo the lead - A favorite of magazine writers is to end by repeating an image or phrase used in the lead.
• Urge readers to act - Tell what they can do to learn more about your theme, or, if it applies, simply say, "Go out and build yourself one."
• << Previous: Body Paragraphs
• Last Updated: Jun 14, 2024 9:43 AM
• URL: https://guides.rasmussen.edu/parts-of-the-paper

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Character — Characterization and Themes in Mrs. Sparks

Characterization and Themes in Mrs. Sparks

• Categories: Character

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Published: Jun 13, 2024

Words: 696 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, body paragraph 1, body paragraph 2, body paragraph 3.

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News, Politics, Entertainment, Celebrity, Culture

Ex-Trump Lawyer Who Pleaded Guilty Claims “Feds Are Itching to J6 Us Again”

by Lisandra Gomez-Tate in Daily Edition | June 18, 2024

Donald Trump, photo: Gage Skidmore , CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee, former president Donald Trump , met with Republicans on Capitol Hill last week, where he proposed, if re-elected, to eliminate the income tax and impose a 10 percent tariff on all foreign goods. While economists say Trump’s proposed tariff would basically be a sales tax and would raise prices on all foreign products (from avocados to iPhones) for American consumers, Trump’s former attorney, Sidney Powell , thinks it’s “Brilliant.”

Powell also suggested that Trump “eliminate 2/3rds of the federal government,” and “return power to the states and the people.”

Brilliant!! And eliminate 2/3rds of the federal government. Return power to the states and the people. @realDonaldTrump @DonaldJTrumpJr https://t.co/2kjFtPyKbY — Sidney Powell 🇺🇸 🗽⚖️🚜🇺🇸 Attorney & Author (@SidneyPowell1) June 16, 2024

Note: Powell, who was indicted last year along with Trump and 17 others in the prosecution related to the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, “ pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts of conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties.”

Powell is also amplifying an op-ed American Thinker essay titled ‘The Feds Are Itching to Jan6 Us Again,’ which describes January 6 not as an insurrection but as “an event that included Capitol Police officers holding doors open for smiling tourists.” Powell wrote: “Very important read!!”

The Feds Are Itching to J6 Us Again – American Thinker Very important read!! ⁦ @DefendingtheRep ⁩ ⁦ @America1stLegal ⁩ ⁦ @OANN ⁩ https://t.co/kq86gVqz7I — Sidney Powell 🇺🇸 🗽⚖️🚜🇺🇸 Attorney & Author (@SidneyPowell1) June 15, 2024

Note: Powell’s plea deal came with a six-year probation sentence and an agreement to potentially testify against the others who have been indicted including fellow attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Kenneth Cheseboro, John Eastman , Jenna Ellis and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows .

Powell was ordered by the judge to “testify truthfully about any codefendants” and “provide all documents” to D.A. Fani Willis . 

Trump’s criminal case in Fulton County — which was tentatively scheduled for October 4 — has been put on hold “pending resolution of  an appeal of the disqualification ruling  that allowed District Attorney Fani Willis to stay on the case.”

Nell Irvin Painter’s understanding of America is beautiful and bracing. We should listen.

“I Just Keep Talking” brings together wide-ranging and pointed essays by the author of “The History of White People.”

From the opening sentences of her new collection, “ I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays ,” historian Nell Irvin Painter addresses readers in a voice brimming with knowledge, clarity and, most delightfully, confidence. As she writes, it would have been a terrible thing had she died young, “during the full-blown era of White-male-default segregation, discrimination, and disappearance that wound down only yesterday. I would have disappeared from memory, just another forgotten Black woman scholar, invisible to history and to histography.” And poor readers would have been deprived of her droll wit and self-assured wisdom.

It’s no small thing that in an era filled with grievances based on injuries that are sometimes profound and often perceived, Painter makes it clear that she has not come to this memoir to reclaim a lost or damaged part of herself. She recounts her response to an admirer who once inquired about what she did for healing. “‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘I’m not broken.’ Not broken, but on occasion frustrated, indignant — self-righteously — pissed off with cause, often exhausted, but mostly and permanently grateful for the people who have protected me, mentored me, supported me over so many decades.” This is an invigorating introduction, full of certainty and strength. Painter has moved through her professional life always knowing her worth, never doubting her intelligence and believing that those who might refuse to listen to her insight would be lesser for their decision.

Perhaps it requires a historian to fully grasp the importance — or at least the impact — of telling one’s own story with a certain brio. Painter, 81, is an esteemed historian retired from Princeton University who studied painting later in life, including at the Rhode Island School of Design. (She wrote about that experience in an earlier memoir, “ Old in Art School .”) The essays in “I Just Keep Talking,” which reflect upon the meaning of “Whiteness,” our understanding of enslavement and the power of nuance, among other subjects, are accompanied by her artwork, which sometimes amplifies her words and sometimes stands in their stead. It is a beautiful book. But its power ultimately rests in the sentences, not the pictures.

In some cases, Painter turns her attention to long-ago history, such as the legacy of Sojourner Truth. She informs readers that the 19th-century abolitionist and women’s rights activist did not utter the most famous phrase attributed to her: “Ain’t I a woman?” If Truth had, in fact, asked the question, Painter says, society’s answer would have been “no.” The answer not only would have reflected the circumstances of the times but would have undercut the way in which Truth understood her power and the skill with which she used it.

The Truth sketched by Painter, in an essay from 1994, is more complex than the one who has been reduced to a misattributed slogan. Truth eschewed the trappings of intellectualism and freedom as used by orator Frederick Douglass, and built her “public persona to establish that what had happened to her — her enslavement, rather than her reason — lent her a unique wisdom.”

Painter’s assessment of Truth is searing, sad and deeply revealing to a lay reader. Truth understood a reality of her time, which is that “in the eyes of most nineteenth-century Americans to be both memorable and woman at the same time simply was not possible. Black women’s individual experience had either to be reconstructed as something emblematically Negro — that is, as enslaved — or to be erased.”

As always, understanding our history means understanding ourselves. We carry our history with us: what we’ve learned in textbooks, what has been burnished in familial oral histories and what has been prettied up by politicians. Painter reminds us of history’s complications and subtleties. She encourages civilians — not just activists or academics — to ask all the pertinent questions, even the uncomfortable ones or those that are contrary to our individual politics and preferences.

What did slavery do to those who were in bondage? But also, what did it do to those who enforced it? Painter is insistent in her refusal to cave to the “national hunger for simplifying history.” She is a dogged corrector of the public record. She has even included in this book a letter to the editor she had published in the New Yorker in 2022, in which she carefully disentangles Truth from the famous slogan.

Painter does not limit her sharp critiques to distant ancestors and abolished institutions; she considers still-vibrant personalities and more recent upheavals. She takes us back to the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas in 1991, during which Anita Hill, in the pre-#MeToo era, testified to Thomas’s sexual harassment of her. Painter highlights the way in which Thomas forced Hill into the role of spoiler of circumstances that were not yet a fait accompli.

“In a struggle between himself and a woman of his same race, Thomas executed a deft strategy,” Painter writes. “He erected a tableau of White-Black racism that allowed him to occupy the position of the race . By reintroducing concepts of White power, Thomas made himself into the Black person in his story. Then, in the first move of a two-step strategy, he cast Anita Hill into the role of Black woman as traitor to the race .”

Painter continues: “The most common formula expressing minority status is ‘women and Blacks.’ As the emblematic woman is White and the emblematic Black is male, Black women generally are not as easy to comprehend symbolically.”

The racial and gender dynamics that were evident during that 20th-century Shakespearean drama continue to resonate in this century. Black music mogul Sean Combs faces accusations of harassment and violence by women over whom he wielded power. Thomas remains a controversial figure, facing scrutiny over his ethics on the bench and questions about potential conflicts of interest . And Hill has become a revered standard-bearer of a new generation of women who have spoken their truth under daunting circumstances, including Christine Blasey Ford during the 2018 confirmation hearings of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.

History simply refuses to remain in the past.

Painter is also the author of “The History of White People” (2010), an exploration of how and why certain individuals were sorted into that racial category. Its sweeping audacity left some observers bemused, not by what it said about our construction of race but by the skin color of the woman who wrote it. Painter has swagger. And in this memoir, she takes advantage of all the privileges of a historian to take an arm’s-distance look at a people, not just those who look like her . She explains Whiteness and how the concept politically evolved during the presidency of Donald Trump .

Whiteness had always been the default, the standard against which all others were measured. Social and political acceptability were based on how closely one hewed to the White ideal. To claim Whiteness as an identity, however, was problematic, because those who did so were white nationalists and supremacists. They were members of the Ku Klux Klan. White pride was a political hand grenade.

“What the time of Trump does for us now is make White Americans visible as raced Americans, as raced counterparts to Black Americans. Long-standing assumptions — that only non-Whites have racial identities, that White Americans are individuals who only have race if they’re Nazis or White nationalists — those assumptions no longer hold,” Painter writes in an essay from 2018. “I’m turning the glass around to focus on what living in a slave society did to non-Black Americans and to the society as a whole.”

Painter puts muscle and heart into history so that her readers can easily, but thoughtfully, draw the lines between past and present. Her history is inclusive, not in a pandering or self-consciously correct way, but because her artful telling of it is full of complexity that’s both beautiful and bracing.

“Once we can write the words ‘trauma’ and ‘slavery’ in the same sentence, we will have enriched our understanding of slavery’s human costs, for enslaved, enslavers, and bystanders,” she writes.

In her memoir, Painter offers an intellectual history of herself, but also a history of us. We’re lucky that she continues to talk. What she has to say can help us more fully understand ourselves — but only if we’re willing to listen.

I Just Keep Talking

A Life in Essays

By Nell Irvin Painter

Doubleday. 418 pp. $35

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How to Clear Formatting in Word [For Students]

Formatting can feel like an extra job, especially when you're already swamped with assignments and exams. Yet, it holds marks, and when you're citing something, you often need to quote it in your document. Copy-pasting can throw off your formatting, leading to a time-consuming process of adjusting it to match the rest of your paper. I’ve been there, struggling to maintain consistency while changing fonts, sizes, and indentation to fit the required style. So I will show you how to clear formatting in Word for students to keep your document's formatting on track.

Why Do We Clear Formatting?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you've copied and pasted content from different sources into your Word document, only to be greeted by a chaotic mix of fonts, sizes, and colors? As a student, maintaining a consistent and professional appearance in your Word documents is crucial for effective communication. Here's why learning how to clear formatting can be incredibly valuable:

Inconsistent Styles: Copying and pasting content from different sources often introduces a mishmash of fonts, sizes, colors, and other formatting elements. Clearing formatting eliminates these inconsistencies, creating a unified visual style throughout your document.

Disparate Paragraphs: Individual paragraphs may inherit formatting from their original source, leading to variations within the document. Clearing formatting ensures all paragraphs adhere to the overall style you establish.

Mismatched Headings: Headings copied from external sources may not align with the heading hierarchy of your document. Clearing formatting allows you to adjust them to match your desired style guide (e.g., APA, MLA).

Unintended Footnotes: Footnotes from external sources might appear in different formats, potentially disrupting the citation structure of your document. Clearing formatting provides a clean slate for you to incorporate them according to your citation style.

1.Multiple formats in one document

Copying content from various sources can result in inconsistent formatting, turning your document into a chaotic mix of styles. As a student, it's crucial to maintain consistency throughout your document, which is why learning how to remove formatting in Word is essential. Using this tool makes it much easier because you won't have to manually adjust the formatting of every individual text, footnote, or header.

2.Copy and Paste Content from the Internet

Often, when students gather data for reports or other educational work, they turn to the internet for information. In doing so, the document's formatting may be affected. Each source may have a different format, resulting in a multitude of formats in your document—a nightmare to navigate. However, with the help of the Clear Formatting tool in Word, students can quickly work around this issue.

How to Clear Formatting for the Entire Text?

Let's say you were swamped with your research and ended up copying from different sources. Some text was highlighted, some font colors were red, and there was variation in font sizes. Now, manually aligning all of these to one font in Microsoft Word would require a round trip through all the font features. However, with the clear formatting tool, removing various formatting copied alongside text from other sources will only take you 2 steps. To make the process even simpler, I'll be using WPS Writer, an easy-to-use and navigate office suite, which allows me to edit my documents with ease, and doesn't cost me a fortune to simply edit my work documents.

Step 1: Let's open our Word document where we've done our research and need to change the formatting.

Step 2: To format the entire document, press "CTRL + A" to select all content, or use your mouse to select the text you want to remove formatting from.

Step 3: Now, visit the Home tab and in the ribbon, click on the "Clear All Formatting" icon next to font settings.

Step 4: All formatting will be cleared except for a few exceptions; hyperlinks will remain unchanged, and if the text is formatted to Uppercase, it will stay the same.

Step 5: Furthermore, to clear formatting using the keyboard shortcut, press "ALT + H + E" in WPS Writer.

How to Clear Formatting of Headings/ Footnotes/ Boxes separately?

Removing formatting from headers, footnotes, or text boxes in Word isn't much different, but they require separate selection and use of the Clear Formatting tool. Let's see this process through an example:

Step 1: So, in our document, we can see a few lines of text in its header, each line with different formatting. Let's use our mouse to select it.

Step 2: Now, head over to the Home tab and click on the "Clear All Formatting" icon in the ribbon under the Font section to clear all formatting in the header.

Step 3: Similarly, for footnotes, select the footnotes and click on the "Clear All Formatting" icon again in the Home ribbon to ensure consistent formatting.

Step 4: If there are any text boxes in the document, simply select the text, and click the "Clear All Formatting" icon in the Home ribbon.

Clearing formatting from different parts of the document can be a bit tedious. Over the years, the best practice I've learned is to utilize the Paste Special feature in Word to ensure my documents are formatted correctly from the outset.

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How to Clear Formatting for Paragraphs Space

Another common issue students often face when clearing formatting is the character spacing in words, or word spacing. Now, this word spacing cannot be removed with the clear formatting tool, but for this, students can seek help from the Replace tool in Word.

Step 1: First, let's select the text where the formatting error with paragraph or word spacing is occurring.

Step 2: Now, to use the Replace tool, go to the Home tab and select the Find and Replace button in the Home ribbon.

Step 3: In the Replace dialog, simply enter the number of spaces there are between the words in the "Find what" field. For example, if there are 3 spaces in my document, I'll press the "Spacebar" 3 times on my keyboard.

Step 4: In the "Replace with" field, enter a single space to ensure words have single spacing.

Step 5: Now, click on the "Replace All" button to replace all the additional spaces between words with a single space.

Formatting issues are significant when working on school or university projects. In fact, many instructors allocate marks specifically for formatting in the overall project. Therefore, learning how to format your documents is crucial. The Clear Formatting tool, along with various other tools, are designated features of Word provided by Microsoft to ensure students can efficiently format their documents.

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Smart Content Beautification: Writing a paper often means hitting word count requirements or making sure you don't go overboard. WPS AI comes in handy by allowing you to refine and beautify your content, giving your essay a polished and professional look. It can suggest better word choices, improve sentence structure, and even help with overall coherence, ensuring your paper meets academic standards.

Convenient PDF Conversion: When it comes time to submit your essay, the last thing you want is for formatting to get messed up. That's why WPS Office includes powerful PDF features that let you convert your essay into PDF with ease. Unlike Microsoft Word, which can sometimes cause formatting issues when converting to PDF, WPS Office keeps your layout intact, preserving all your hard work.

1. How to Clear Formatting in Microsoft Word on Mac?

When you copy something from the internet or a web page, it includes all formatting like hyperlinks, underlines, font styles, and color changes. Here's how to remove it:

Step 1: Select all text by pressing "Command + A".

Step 2: Click on the "Styles Pane" button located in the Home ribbon.

Step 3: Go to the "Current style" field in the Style Pane, and then select "Clear formatting" to remove formatting from the selected text in your Word document on Mac.

2. What is one common issue students may encounter when clearing formatting in Microsoft Word?

One common issue students may face is accidentally removing important formatting elements, such as hyperlinks or special characters, along with the unwanted formatting. This can make it tedious to manually reapply those elements afterward.

3. Will clearing formatting affect my text content?

No, clearing formatting only removes the appearance changes applied to text, like font style or color, without changing the actual words or content of the text.

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Build a Corporate Culture That Works

There’s a widespread understanding that managing corporate culture is key to business success. Yet few companies articulate their culture in such a way that the words become an organizational reality that molds employee behavior as intended.

All too often a culture is described as a set of anodyne norms, principles, or values, which do not offer decision-makers guidance on how to make difficult choices when faced with conflicting but equally defensible courses of action.

The trick to making a desired culture come alive is to debate and articulate it using dilemmas. If you identify the tough dilemmas your employees routinely face and clearly state how they should be resolved—“In this company, when we come across this dilemma, we turn left”—then your desired culture will take root and influence the behavior of the team.

To develop a culture that works, follow six rules: Ground your culture in the dilemmas you are likely to confront, dilemma-test your values, communicate your values in colorful terms, hire people who fit, let culture drive strategy, and know when to pull back from a value statement.

Start by thinking about the dilemmas your people will face.

Idea in Brief

The problem.

There’s a widespread understanding that managing corporate culture is key to business success. Yet few companies articulate their corporate culture in such a way that the words become an organizational reality that molds employee behavior as intended.

What Usually Happens

How to fix it.

Follow six rules: Ground your culture in the dilemmas you are likely to confront, dilemma-test your values, communicate your values in colorful terms, hire people who fit, let culture drive strategy, and know when to pull back from a value.

At the beginning of my career, I worked for the health-care-software specialist HBOC. One day, a woman from human resources came into the cafeteria with a roll of tape and began sticking posters on the walls. They proclaimed in royal blue the company’s values: “Transparency, Respect, Integrity, Honesty.” The next day we received wallet-sized plastic cards with the same words and were asked to memorize them so that we could incorporate them into our actions. The following year, when management was indicted on 17 counts of conspiracy and fraud, we learned what the company’s values really were.

• EM Erin Meyer is a professor at INSEAD, where she directs the executive education program Leading Across Borders and Cultures. She is the author of The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business (PublicAffairs, 2014) and coauthor (with Reed Hastings) of No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention (Penguin, 2020). ErinMeyerINSEAD

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Surgeon General Calls for Warning Labels on Social Media Platforms

Dr. Vivek Murthy said he would urge Congress to require a warning that social media use can harm teenagers’ mental health.

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By Ellen Barry and Cecilia Kang

The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, announced on Monday that he would push for a warning label on social media platforms advising parents that using the platforms might damage adolescents’ mental health.

Warning labels — like those that appear on tobacco and alcohol products — are one of the most powerful tools available to the nation’s top health official, but Dr. Murthy cannot unilaterally require them; the action requires approval by Congress.

The proposal builds on several years of escalating warnings from the surgeon general. In a May 2023 advisory, he recommended that parents immediately set limits on phone use, and urged Congress to swiftly develop health and safety standards for technology platforms.

He also called on tech companies to make changes: to share internal data on the health impact of their products; to allow independent safety audits; and restrict features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which he says “prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.”

In an interview, Dr. Murthy said he had been deeply frustrated by the platforms’ reluctance to do so.

“I don’t think we can solely rely on the hope that the platforms can fix this problem on their own,” he said. “They’ve had 20 years.”

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• Knowledge Base
• How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

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Table of contents

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

• Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
• Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
• Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
• Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
• Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
• Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

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An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

• Make a claim
• Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
• Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
• Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

• Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
• Cite data to support your claim
• Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
• Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

• Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
• Highlight the problems with this position
• Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
• Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

• Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
• Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
• Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
• Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

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Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/argumentative-essay/

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unstable diffusion —

New stable diffusion 3 release excels at ai-generated body horror, users react to mangled sd3 generations and ask, "is this release supposed to be a joke".

Benj Edwards - Jun 12, 2024 7:26 pm UTC

On Wednesday, Stability AI released weights for Stable Diffusion 3 Medium , an AI image-synthesis model that turns text prompts into AI-generated images. Its arrival has been ridiculed online, however, because it generates images of humans in a way that seems like a step backward from other state-of-the-art image-synthesis models like Midjourney or DALL-E 3 . As a result, it can churn out wild anatomically incorrect visual abominations with ease.

Further Reading

A thread on Reddit, titled, " Is this release supposed to be a joke? [SD3-2B], " details the spectacular failures of SD3 Medium at rendering humans, especially human limbs like hands and feet. Another thread, titled, " Why is SD3 so bad at generating girls lying on the grass? " shows similar issues, but for entire human bodies.

Hands have traditionally been a challenge for AI image generators due to lack of good examples in early training data sets, but more recently, several image-synthesis models seemed to have overcome the issue . In that sense, SD3 appears to be a huge step backward for the image-synthesis enthusiasts that gather on Reddit—especially compared to recent Stability releases like SD XL Turbo in November.

"It wasn't too long ago that StableDiffusion was competing with Midjourney, now it just looks like a joke in comparison. At least our datasets are safe and ethical!" wrote one Reddit user.

• An AI-generated image created using Stable Diffusion 3 Medium. --Dave-AI-- / Reddit
• An AI-generated image created using Stable Diffusion 3 of a woman lying in the grass. Weak_Ad4569 / Reddit
• An AI-generated image created using Stable Diffusion 3 that shows mangled hands. -f1-f2-f3-f4- / Reddit
• An AI-generated image created using Stable Diffusion 3 of a woman lying in the grass. Therefore Games / Reddit
• An AI-generated SD3 Medium image a Reddit user made with the prompt "woman wearing a dress on the beach." Perfect-Campaign9551 / Reddit
• An AI-generated SD3 Medium image a Reddit user made with the prompt "photograph of a person napping in a living room." quill18 / Reddit

AI image fans are so far blaming the Stable Diffusion 3's anatomy failures on Stability's insistence on filtering out adult content (often called "NSFW" content) from the SD3 training data that teaches the model how to generate images. "Believe it or not, heavily censoring a model also gets rid of human anatomy, so... that's what happened," wrote one Reddit user in the thread.

Basically, any time a user prompt homes in on a concept that isn't represented well in the AI model's training dataset, the image-synthesis model will confabulate its best interpretation of what the user is asking for. And sometimes that can be completely terrifying.

The release of Stable Diffusion 2.0 in 2022 suffered from similar problems in depicting humans well, and AI researchers soon discovered that censoring adult content that contains nudity could severely hamper an AI model's ability to generate accurate human anatomy. At the time, Stability AI reversed course with SD 2.1 and SD XL , regaining some abilities lost by strongly filtering NSFW content.

Another issue that can occur during model pre-training is that sometimes the NSFW filter researchers use to remove adult images from the dataset is too picky, accidentally removing images that might not be offensive and depriving the model of depictions of humans in certain situations. "[SD3] works fine as long as there are no humans in the picture, I think their improved nsfw filter for filtering training data decided anything humanoid is nsfw," wrote one Redditor on the topic.

Using a free online demo of SD3 on Hugging Face, we ran prompts and saw similar results to those being reported by others. For example, the prompt "a man showing his hands" returned an image of a man holding up two giant-sized backward hands, although each hand at least had five fingers.

• An SD3 Medium example we generated with the prompt "A woman lying on the beach."
• A nSD3 Medium example we generated with the prompt "A man showing his hands." Stability AI
• An SD3 Medium example we generated with the prompt "A woman showing her hands." Stability AI
• A SD3 Medium example we generated with the prompt "a muscular barbarian with weapons beside a CRT television set, cinematic, 8K, studio lighting."
• A SD3 Medium example we generated with the prompt "A cat in a car holding a can of beer."

Stability's troubles run deep

Stability announced Stable Diffusion 3 in February, and the company has planned to make it available in various model sizes. Today's release is for the "Medium" version, which is a 2 billion-parameter model. In addition to the weights being available on Hugging Face , they are also available for experimentation through the company's Stability Platform . The weights are available for download and use for free under a non-commercial license only.

Soon after its February announcement, delays in releasing the SD3 model weights inspired rumors that the release was being held back due to technical issues or mismanagement. Stability AI as a company fell into a tailspin recently with the resignation of its founder and CEO, Emad Mostaque, in March and then a series of layoffs . Just prior to that, three key engineers—Robin Rombach, Andreas Blattmann, and Dominik Lorenz— left the company . And its troubles go back even further, with news of the company's dire financial position lingering since 2023.

To some Stable Diffusion fans, the failures with Stable Diffusion 3 Medium are a visual manifestation of the company's mismanagement—and an obvious sign of things falling apart. Although the company has not filed for bankruptcy, some users made dark jokes about the possibility after seeing SD3 Medium:

"I guess now they can go bankrupt in a safe and ethically [sic] way, after all."

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