The Types of Paragraph

The Introductory Paragraph

The paragraph that begins an essay causes students the most trouble, yet carries the most importance. Although its precise construction varies from genre to genre (and from essay to essay), good introductory paragraphs generally accomplish the same tasks and follow a few basic patterns. I have listed some of them below, but keep in mind that what follows are guidelines, not immutable templates.

Tasks: The introductory paragraph to a short essay usually attempts to do three things:

• Introduce the topic with some indication of its inherent interest or importance, and a clear definition of the boundaries of the subject area
• Indicate the structure and/or methodology of the essay, often with the major sections of the essay or its structural principle clearly stated
• State the thesis of the essay, preferably in a single, arguable statement with a clear main clause

Not every essay does all three in the first paragraph, and the degree to which an essay declares its structure or methodology may vary widely, depending on how necessary that information will be to the readers. Sometimes, the entire first paragraph will serve no other purpose than to generate interest in the subject or raise a question, leaving the other tasks for the second paragraph. However, this kind of opening requires a lot of skill, and you can lose your readers in the second and third paragraphs if do not make your purpose clear.

Patterns: The standard pattern for an introductory paragraph follows the order of the tasks outlined above. Below is an outline of that pattern, written as if it were the first section of a formal outline of the entire essay:

I: Introduction

1. The topic

1. Its boundaries
2. Why it is interesting

2. Structure and/or Methodology

1. The essay’s main sections (structure)
2. Why they come in that order (structural principle)
3. How the author plans to draw the necessary conclusions from the information available (methodology)

3. The Thesis Statement (usually a single sentence)

1. Its premise (the general claim about the information available)
2. Its conclusion (the consequences of the first claim)

Not every essay contains every element in precisely this order, but most good essays cover all of them, either explicitly or implicitly. In longer and more scholarly essays, the structure/methodology section should be longer, or can even be its own paragraph. It should also include some mention of the essay’s position within the field as a whole.

http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/concl.html

The Concluding Paragraph

Although conclusions generally do not cause students as much trouble as introductions, they are nearly as difficult to get right. Contrary to popular belief, conclusions do not merely restate the thesis, and they should never begin with "In conclusion…" They represent your last chance to say something important to your readers, and can be used for some, or all, of the following tasks:

• Emphasizing the purpose and importance of your essay
• Explaining the significance or consequences of your findings
• Indicating the wider applications of the method developed in your essay
• Establishing your essay as the basis for further investigation
• To show other directions of inquiry into the subject

Exactly which tasks your conclusion fulfills will vary according to your subject, your audience, and your objectives for the essay. Generally, conclusions fulfill a rhetorical purpose—they persuade your readers to do something: take action on an issue, change a policy, make an observation, or understand a topic differently.

Structure

Conclusions vary widely in structure, and no prescription can guarantee that your essay has ended well. If the introduction and body of your essay have a clear trajectory, your readers should already expect you to conclude when the final paragraph arrives, so don’t overload it with words or phrases that indicate its status. Below is an outline for a hypothetical, abstract essay with five main sections:

V: Conclusion

1. Transition from last body paragraph
2. Sentences explaining how paper has fit together and leads to a stronger, more emphatic and more detailed version of your thesis
3. Discussion of implications for further research

1.       Other areas that can use the same method

2.       How your finds change the readers’ understanding of the topic

3.       Discussion of areas in need of more detailed investigation

4. Final words

1.       Why the essay was important or interesting

2.       Any other areas in which your essay has significance: ethics, practical applications, politics

Sample Conclusions

Here are a few ways that some good writers ended their essays:

I have not here been considering the literary use of language, but merely language as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought….[O]ne ought to recognize that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language, and that one can probably bring about some improvement by starting at the verbal end. If you simplify your English, you are freed from the worst follies of orthodoxy. You cannot speak any of the necessary dialects, and when you make a stupid remark its stupidity will be obvious, even to yourself. Political language…is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. One cannot change this all in a moment, but one can at least change one’s own habits, and from time to time one can even, if one jeers loudly enough, send some worn-out and useless phrase…into the dustbin where it belongs.

—Orwell, "Politics and the English Language"
 

And so, while we are left on shore with the memory of a deflated and stinking carcass and of bullhorns that blared and scattered us like flies, somewhere out beyond the rolled waters and the shining winter sun, the whale sings its own death in matchless, sirenian strains

Body Paragraphs

A body paragraph is a group of related sentences about a particular topic or idea directly relating to the thesis. Because essays are composed of multiple body paragraphs, writing and organizing good paragraphs is one of the most important aspects of creating a well-organized and developed essay. 

The term body paragraph refers to any paragraph that follows the introduction and comes before the conclusion. The majority of any essay consists of multiple body paragraphs, and it is in these paragraphs where the main information is presented. The longer an essay is, the more body paragraphs there will be. Because the body paragraphs present the important facts and information from an essay, having well-written body paragraphs is essential in writing a successful essay. 
The following are important aspects of all body paragraphs:

• A clear topic sentence
• Specific evidence or supporting detail
• Examples
• Unity and cohesion

• Transitions between sentences and paragraphs
• A concluding sentence that ties the evidence or details back to the main point and brings the paragraph to a close

What Is a Persuasive ?

A persuasive essay explains a specific topic and attempts to persuade the audience that your point of view is the most informed, logical and valid perspective on the topic. This genre is also known as the argumentative essay.

While an expository essay written for an exam or a standardized test may have a persuasive element, most persuasive or argumentative essays are written out of class and require extensive research.

The main goal of an argumentative paper is to persuade your audience that your view is among the most compelling opinions on the topic. You should attempt to persuade even those who start out strongly disagreeing with you. To do that, you need to show that you’re very well-informed about your topic.

What Are the Elements of a Persuasive ?

A persuasive essay does have certain baseline requirements that are standard in nearly every essay type:

• A clear thesis or controlling idea that establishes and sustains your focus.
• An opening paragraph that introduces the thesis.
• Body paragraphs that use specific research evidence to illustrate your informative or argumentative points.
• Smooth transitions that connect the ideas of adjoining paragraphs in specific, interesting ways.
• Use of counterarguments to summarize and refute opposing positions.
• A conclusion that emphasizes your central idea without being repetitive.

How Do You Write a Persuasive Essay?

One common formula for the persuasive paper is the 5-Paragraph Essay. If you don’t have much experience with essay writing, this is a good method to start with, since it’s basic and straightforward. The 5-Paragraph Essay incorporates the elements listed above in the following basic structure:

1. Introductory paragraph with a clear, concise thesis.
2. Three body paragraphs that offer evidence and analysis connecting that evidence to the thesis.
3. A concluding paragraph that sums up the paper by reevaluating the thesis in light of the evidence discussed in the essay’s body.

Transition Signals

Transition signals are

connecting words and phrases that link sentences and paragraphs together

so that there are no abrupt jumps or breaks between your ideas. They also act like signposts thatindicate to your reader when you are building up to some new idea or thought, or whenyou are tryingto compare ideas or draw conclusions from preceding thoughts.The following transition signals are grouped according to the relationship between ideas that they indicate. Choose words or phrases from each group depending on the type of relationship you wish to describe.

To Introduce an Example:

especially

in this case

take the case of

for example

one example

of this is

to demonstrate

for instance

on this occasion

 to illustrate

frequently specifically

To Show Agreement:

of course

admittedly

it is true that

certainly no doubt

To Introduce an Additional Idea:

additionally

as well as in addition

again moreover also

equally important one

could also say and

and then further further more

not to mention another

Note:

The transition besidescan also be used to introduce an additional idea, but

besidesdiffers from the other transitions in this group because it  excludes, rather than includes, the previous idea from the new subject. Ex. “Besides my professor, I cannot think of anyone who has seen my writing.”

To Indicate Sequence or Order:

after                             afterwards                   eventually

previously                    finally                                     and then

first                              second                        third

at this point                  simultaneously             subsequently

followed                       by                               at this time

last before                    meanwhile                   ultimately

concurrently                next

To Indicate Time:

after                             afterwards                   earlier

previously                    finally                                     prior to

at this point                  formerly                      soon

at this time                   immediately                then

before                          initially                        there

after                             during                          later

to this day

To Compare:

Just                               like another way to view                     this similarly

likewise                       balanced against                                  whereas

like                              by comparison                                    while

to Contrast:

even so                         a different view is                    nevertheless

and                              notwithstanding                       however

in contrast                    balanced against                      still

but                               on the contrary                         unlike

yet                                on the other hand                     conversely

differing from

sources ;

www.aims.edu/student/online-writing-lab/process/body-paragraph

http://www.11trees.com/live/what-is-a-persuasive-essay/

http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/writing/undergrads/handouts_new/Transition%20Signals.pdf