Essays can be organized in a variety of ways, and ultimately, you should follow the instructions that your teacher gives you.

Traditionally, essays are made up of a variety of paragraphs. Paragraphs can vary in length. Oftentimes, students will ask, “How many sentences do I need for each paragraph?” This is a stylistic decision and really depends on the writer. I have seen paragraphs as short as two sentences or longer than 20! It depends on the purpose and context of your paragraph and the length and types of sentences you use.

In general, though, each paragraph should contain a topic sentence, body sentences, and a concluding sentence.

Another common question students ask is, “How many paragraphs should my essay contain?” Once again, this depends on the assignment and type of writing (and, of course, you should always follow your teacher’s instructions). Please keep in mind essays can (and often should) be longer than five paragraphs! However, essays do generally follow a typical organizational pattern similar to that of the paragraph: introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introductory Paragraph(s)

This paragraph does exactly what you would expect: it introduces the topic of the essay. This can be a single paragraph or multiple paragraphs but should contain your essay “hook,” background information, and thesis statement. When the reader finishes this paragraph, they will have a good idea of the purpose of your essay.

Check out this detailed introductory paragraph from an ESL student:

New Destinations

Written by Giovanni Agostini

            It was a cold fall’s day in the South African town of Paarl. Work was busier than usual. A few older crowds shuffled in for their afternoon outing to the famous Reuben’s café. It was always a good sight seeing the seniors stroll in as they always tipped the best. I made sure to give them special attention because I knew that with the whole mask situation, it was not the easiest to hear each other speak. In the end, they made it worth the extra effort. After all the old couples had enjoyed their delicious bowls of mushroom soup and glasses of wine, they were off  to the retirement complex, and I was free to have my break. Upon sitting down on the cold steps outside under the umbrella, I noticed a new email from the university I was hoping to attend. I read it aloud to everyone. Before the flourish of steamers and celebrations started on my phone from the email attachment, everybody was cheering and congratulating me because they all knew how much I wanted it. The workday ended, and the real fun began…

What makes this paragraph interesting? Do you want to read more? What techniques does the author use? What news did the author receive from the university?

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs are the portion of your essay where you will include the details. You should include specifics like examples, research, anecdotes, and statistics. Each body paragraph should have one main idea that is reflected in your topic sentence. Make sure each of the sentences in your body paragraph is connected to your thesis statement.

Concluding Paragraph(s)

This will be the last section of your essay. In your conclusion, you summarize the main points from your body paragraphs and restate your thesis statement. Make sure you use different terms than in your previous paragraphs; otherwise, your essay will sound redundant (or repetitive). Finally, don’t introduce any new topics or ideas in your conclusion.

For more information on writing effective introductions and conclusions, see the chapter on “Beginnings & Endings.”

Chapter Questions:

1. What are the three main sections of an essay called?
2. Describe the information that should be included in these three sections.
3. T/F There is a standard number of sentences and paragraphs that each essay should contain.

Student Sample

At the End of My Comfort Zone

Written by Saskia Fuchs

Swoosh. Heavenly silence after that. I almost felt free, weightless, as everything came together – the spin, the grab, my hair fluttering in the cold fresh air. I landed my jump safely and disappeared with two big turns in the deep powder between the trees. I was the epitome of style! My whole existence was pure happiness, accompanied by my Canadian buddies’ appreciative “YEAH!”.

“Got it?” my instructor’s voice brought me back into reality. My feet and hands were icicles, as absolutely nothing worked out. Sitting on my already bruised bum and soaked snow pants, I tried to hide my disappointment underneath my goggles. My whole existence was pure frustration – this was certainly not how I imagined my first snowboard lesson going. To top it all off, the other exchange students came by, jeering and laughing: “Come on, Sask, just stick to skiing. You are so good on skis, don’t waste your time; let’s have some fun!”
Touché.

This was one of the very few days of my high school year abroad that did not go at all as I had imagined. Every cell in my body begged me to stop, not to stand up again, just to fall a second later. Why am I doing this to myself? The voice of doubt was more than subliminal. Why do I keep challenging myself? At that moment, as an untalented ice block, I could barely feel any motivation deep inside of me; nevertheless, I knew clearly: it would pay off! Well, maybe someday -as a matter of fact, it appeared that it would take a little bit longer for me to transform into a snowboard goddess.

Fortunately, I had experienced how wonderful overcoming hurdles can be several times before. Trying new things and taking on challenges is valuable. I am firmly convinced that getting out of one’s comfort zone is important. The benefits of trying novelties are manifold. New challenges produce feelings of happiness, boost your self-confidence, and make you more open to other people.

Mastering new tasks generates feelings of satisfaction–that is what my experiences have shown me. It works, even if it may not seem so at first. During my participation in a hiking week at the very beginning of my time in Canada, I experienced great moments of happiness, especially because I overcame multiple obstacles. Initially, my 15-year-old self could have never imagined doing and enjoying all this: camping in the snow amongst strangers in the wilderness surrounded by wild animals… However, pride and happiness came surprisingly soon: I will never forget the breathtaking nature, the sense of community, and marveling at wild animals. Fantastic experiences, precious friendships, and many things would never have developed so positively if I had chosen to stay in my comfort zone, and I will cherish those memories for the rest of my life. Often enough, even little successes felt like triumphs to me – that is how it worked with snowboarding, too. After a few hours – rather days, to be honest – things started to be fun, and learning something new every run made me feel happy and great. Soon I felt more comfortable and exhilarated. I was still far from divine but enraptured and proud.

Challenges build confidence, even if one might fail. What if I do not like it? What if I am not good at it? These were a few of the doubts that seemed to play like an endless loop in my mind. However, I soon learned to erase these questions from my vocabulary. Doubts and fears are important because they have a natural protective effect, but they can also greatly hinder new experiences. As long as I allowed these negative thoughts to reject new challenges, I was missing out on a tremendous part of life. Luckily, I realized that successes, even if they are small, have an extremely positive effect on a person’s self-esteem. In fact, I experienced this quite clearly during the early weeks of my high school year abroad in Canada. Be it the survival camp in the winterly Canadian Rockies without having ever spent a night out somewhere other than a hotel before or stepping on the ice as the only girl in my hockey academy class surrounded by taller and older Canadians. Whatever hurdle I had to climb, every challenge made me grow, and I literally loved the development of my personality. Okay, admittedly, I might have bawled my eyes out the nights before or at least heard my heart pounding against my chest deafening. However, I never missed showing up the next day. And it paid off! Even though I felt uncomfortable and was fighting self-doubt at first, I learned that my body is capable of much more than I first thought it would be. In most cases, the only barrier holding me back was a mind full of doubt and fear. Through these experiences, I learned the importance of breaking free from those thought patterns and having the courage to step into unknown terrain. We think we know ourselves, but then we try new tasks and realize we have unique likes and dislikes that were previously unknown. As I tried new things, I naturally recognized who I am and who I wanted to become.

I have met the nicest people when I was not really expecting it – at the end of my comfort zone. Getting into conversation with others does not happen in one’s room. In general, I must say that I have some good friends from my usual environment at home. However, I have made the most extraordinary friendships with the most interesting people when I tried out new things. Being with others in an unfamiliar situation generates conversations about what was experienced together – talks develop almost automatically. In the chairlift, after I felt a little more confident on the snowboard, my tongue loosened up, and I enjoyed joking and talking shop with Canadian boarders. It was awesome! Sharing experiences in the wonderful nature and completing the snowboard course together created a team bond and forged some fantastic friendships.

Until today my snowboarding is still, let us say, in need of improvement, but it has enriched my life immensely. I have had wonderful experiences in nature, met great people, and the sense of achievement was the perfect nourishment for my inner ambition to improve. Of course, I also enjoy doing the things I already know how to do. But if the past has taught me one thing it is that challenges do not inhibit me; they push me forward. Whether it was the first few weeks on the snowboard, hockey, or a survival camp in the Canadian Rockies, all these experiences scared me at first. However, they eventually made me happy, proud, and confident by broadening my horizon and showing me what I am capable of. Additionally, overcoming those challenges together forged special friendships. In the future, my hunger for knowledge and the passion to expand my horizon will hopefully push me to continue seeking new challenges and trying new things at the end of my comfort zone. So, while there might be some easy ways down the run of life, I will never just stick to skiing.