Easy Steps
To Creating An Original 5-Paragraph Essay

When an instructor announces a five-paragraph essay assignment, the most commonly heard noise is a round of groans from the class. If students understood how easy it is to craft this simply structured writing project, they could get it done without much thought at all. This essay style works because it has a limited number of paragraphs, so students do not get overwhelmed with word counts and length. With just five paragraphs, students can craft papers that are not only interesting and persuasive, but creative and unique, too. Here are some tips to make the writing assignment uniquely yours:

first steps

Develop your favorite hook style.

Every writing project needs to have a creatively written hook that gets the reader’s attention. You can write a cliche or dull one, or you can take your time and come up with something extraordinary and original. Writers often choose their favorite style, like anecdote, rhetorical questions, startling statistics, or quotes, and then they become experts in that style. Your readers will not notice that you write the same style hook with every paper, because the content of the hook will be different each time.

Connect your thesis and topic sentences.

Good five-paragraph papers have obvious connections. When you write your thesis, you should immediately begin thinking about how you will prove it in the body paragraphs. Some writers will create their topic sentences right after they write the thesis so they know exactly how they will organize their essay. By doing this, you will insure that your paper stays on topic and that you really do prove your thesis in the body paragraphs. Your instructor will be impressed with your logical organization and you will be able to write your body paragraphs faster than if you did not create the topic sentences in advance.

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Use precise words

Students are known for being wordy when they write. One of the keys to a successful five-paragraph writing assignment is using precise words. In order to do this, it is important to notice when you use unnecessary words. Words like very, many, just, and really are unnecessary in an academic project. You can immediately remove them from your paper and write my essay now without the excessive words. You should also try to use vivid, action verbs as often as possible. You do not have to completely avoid using verbs like is, was, and were, but the action verbs make your paper more enjoyable to read.

Be sure to prove your point with facts.

The five-paragraph paper is usually synonymous with a persuasive writing assignment. So, you write your opinion and support it with solid facts and evidence. Without the evidence as support, your opinion is truly meaningless. As a student, you are not considered an expert on anything, so your instructor will not accept your opinion. The facts you use should be properly cited and punctuated in your essay so your reader knows they are facts. You should also be sure that your facts do not overwhelm your original thoughts and ideas, because those are what make a five-paragraph writing assignment meaningful.

Follow the organization format

There are several ways to organize a five-paragraph writing project. While you will have a one-paragraph introduction, three paragraphs of the body, and a one-paragraph conclusion, you can play with different organizational styles. You can write in order-of-importance, pro-con or block style, as well as chronological or spatial order. Whatever style you choose, you should stick with it through all of the body paragraphs. Some writers will use the third body paragraph as the place for the counterargument after using the previous two paragraphs for the main argument. With practice, you will find the style that works for you.