I recently received a request to write a blog post about essay writing. Good writing has many criteria, only one of which is correct grammar. When I was teaching 7th grade, we had a writing program we were supposed to follow to the letter. It was a great program, beginning with writing a discrete paragraph and ending with writing an essay. But it dealt mainly with structure. However, just about all the students were able to then write a decent paragraph and a decent essay — because they had learned how to write with a cohesive structure.
Beginning, middle, end. All business and academic writing pieces have those three parts. (Well, fiction does too.)
The discrete paragraphs we taught had eleven sentences each. That is pretty long for one paragraph, but if you are perhaps writing a business memo of one paragraph, it could stretch that long. Here is what the paragraph contained: A topic sentence; the first point you are trying to make followed by two sentences of description (three sentences total); the second point you are trying to make followed by two sentences of description; the third point you are trying to make followed by two sentences of description; the concluding sentence. The first sentence tells the reader what you will be saying, and the conclusion tells them what you have said. Of course, we won’t ever make the mistake many 7th graders do: “I am going to tell you about . . .” for a topic sentence, and “I now have told you about . . . , and I hope you liked it” for a conclusion.
Perhaps you have only two points to make and only one sentence to expand upon each. That would make your paragraph six sentences long. That is also fine. The most important thing is that the paragraph is cohesive and doesn’t wander to another topic with extraneous information in it.
If you take that paragraph structure and blow it up, you have a five paragraph essay:
The topic sentence becomes the introductory paragraph, which is generally two or three sentences and not just one.
The first point you are trying to make becomes the first body paragraph. The body paragraph resembles the discrete paragraph we talked about above. It is likely somewhere between four and ten sentences long, and it all hangs together with one topic. Instead of a concluding sentence, there might be a lead in to the next body paragraph.
The second point you are trying to make becomes, of course, the second body paragraph, and the third point becomes the third body paragraph. Obviously, you can write an essay with three paragraphs (one body paragraph), or four, or seven, or ten, or whatever. But there is always an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph as the “bread” with the body paragraphs in the middle as the “filling.”
The concluding paragraph is about as long as the introductory paragraph, a few sentences.
One of the things that keeps the writing flowing is the use of transition words and phrases: First, second, next, in conclusion, finally. Please do not use firstly secondly, thirdly, or first off.
To have students write a five paragraph essay, we would give them topics that lent themselves to five paragraphs, such as “Three Goals I Have for the Future” or “Three Places I Would Like to Visit.”
Seventh grade, college, or adult — it doesn’t matter. To be easy to read and understand, writing needs to flow in an organized manner. The more organized the writing is, the more pleasing to read.
Yes, there are many other aspects to good writing besides the organization: grammar, style, content, appropriateness of tone for audience, etc.
Just to make a plug for myself: I plan to write a business writing book in 2020. The Best Little Business Writing Book Ever!
Florida Life Update: Here I am in Florida. Really don’t know anyone. My daughter and son-in-law are away for their jobs until May. I have joined the local publishing group. However, they don’t have meetings because, I would guess, the group covers the entire state. They have events, but unfortunately nothing coming up. I will look into the writing groups soon (I keep putting it off. ) I believe there are a number of those who meet regularly. So I will be finding my people soon. I hope.I do have tendencies to be a recluse — until I eventually tire of it. And I am going back to Florida to visit my son and my friends next month. Oh, and I have applied for my fictitious business name in Florida, which is bigwords101, The Grammar Diva.
Writing wise, I am slowly getting back into it. I am working on the dating memoir (When Life Hands You Frogs), plan to write the business writing book next year, and have other ideas percolating. Of course, the blog continues!
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