by Siew Cheng Hoe

Created on: October 02, 2009

Essay writing is a very useful skill acquired in school. The usefulness of essay writing is not just limited to passing written examination in school. Many people find that they need the essay-writing skill in the corporate world as well.

A basic essay writing skill is the ability to compose a five-paragraph essay.

There is a paragraph for opening, and a paragraph for conclusion. The other three paragraphs make up the body of the essay. The three paragraphs in the body of the essay allows the writer to make three important points.

How to write a basic five-paragraph essay?

The opening paragraph is often the most difficult to write. The opening paragraph sets the tone for the entire essay. Are you going to write a witty essay? Are you going to write a solemn essay? You should consider these questions before you start writing.

The opening paragraph should capture the attention of readers and entice them to read the essay. The opening paragraph should not be the longest paragraph in the essay.

An excellent way to start an essay is by asking questions, such as Do you know that one in four women will get breast cancer? Do you know how to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer?

The concluding paragraph is the second most difficult paragraph to write. The concluding paragraph should motivate the readers to act. If the readers ask, so what? What do you want me to do? after reading the essay, you know that you have failed to create a meaningful essay.

The purpose of essay writing is to provide information useful to the readers, so that they will remember and take action. You should consider the purpose of writing the essay. If you want the readers to take action, such as exercise regularly or buy your product, you should state clearly in the last paragraph.

A powerful concluding paragraph is short and actionable. The last paragraph should not be the longest paragraph in the essay.

The body of the article is the easiest to write. You can list out the main point in each paragraph. You should keep one main point to one paragraph. Use one sentence to bring out the key point, and the next two to three lines to elaborate on the key point.

You should not use ten lines in a paragraph. That will make the readers bored. As a general rule, one paragraph should not have more than five sentences.

Since the body of the essay is the easiest to write, you can start with the body of the essay. However, you should modify the body of the essay if you decide on the tone of the opening paragraph. If you want a witty beginning, make sure the rest of the essay is light and humorous too.

A five-paragraph essay is very easy to write. The trick is to read and write more.

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