{"id":526,"date":"2014-01-06T00:00:10","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T00:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/?p=526"},"modified":"2015-01-13T21:13:31","modified_gmt":"2015-01-13T21:13:31","slug":"structuring-your-essay-academic-writing-part-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/structuring-your-essay-academic-writing-part-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"Structuring Your Essay: Academic Writing (Part III)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/structure.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-527 alignleft\" alt=\"Hand drawing empty diagram\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/structure-300x200.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/structure-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/structure.jpg 424w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Last week we discussed some key elements of the academic essay in <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2014\/01\/writing-academically-part-ii-a-lexicon\/\">Writing Academically: A Lexicon<\/a>. For the next few posts in my series on academic writing, I will be narrowing in on these elements. Today we\u2019re talking <i>structure.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Structure formulates your essay\u2019s line of reasoning or argument. You can focus on successfully structuring individual paragraphs (even sentences!) in addition to structuring your essay as a whole. You have most likely heard of the five-paragraph essay format\u2014great! You\u2019re already on the way to understanding structure. But read on. Believe it or not, there is more to essay structure than five well-engineered and oiled paragraphs.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0The Five-Paragraph Essay<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The most universal format for academic writing in junior and high school is the five-paragraph essay. It is exactly what it sounds like: five paragraphs consisting of an introduction, three \u201cbody\u201d paragraphs, and a conclusion. This format is excellent in grasping the concept of essay organization, for it is logical and, well, ridiculously simple. Some tips for the five-paragraph essay (and this goes for all other formats):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure that your thesis is stated clearly and concisely in your introduction (1-2 sentences max!). See my blog post on <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2013\/11\/whats-a-thesis-statement\/\">The Thesis Statement<\/a> for a refresher.<\/li>\n<li>Check and see if you can \u201ctrace\u201d your thesis throughout your entire essay. You should constantly be reminding your reader of your main argument within each paragraph.<\/li>\n<li>Consider including a <strong>counterargument<\/strong> prior to your conclusion. A counterargument considers an outside argument that would essentially challenge your own thesis. The idea is to introduce a counterargument (\u201cSome people would suggest that\u2026\u201d) and then elegantly prove its inadequacy or insufficiency (\u201cyet these arguments ignore the fact that\u2026\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your conclusion summarizes your main points and includes something new\u2014another consideration, question, or problem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>\u00a0Intelligent Brainstorming<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Before you embark on any format in your academic essay, be it the five-paragraph or other type, the key to good structure is some smart brainstorming. Rather than just vomiting forth all of your ideas onto a messy piece of paper, begin your brainstorming process with specificity in mind. So for example, if your paper is supposed to be on <i>The Diary of Anne Frank<\/i>, don\u2019t begin with <i>The Diary of Anne Frank. <\/i>Try to narrow in on a specific idea, motif, passage, or word and brainstorm from there. The more concise your starting point, the more precise your structure!<\/p>\n<p><b>Good Old-Fashioned Flow<\/b><\/p>\n<p>You may think crafting a flow chart is a grade school way of writing an essay. Wrong! Flow charts are helpful at any stage of the writing process; and highly encouraged. Once you\u2019ve brainstormed, start fitting your ideas into a format like the following, which begins with a thesis statement, includes main points, and culminates in a strong conclusion:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Essay-Outline-Structure.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-530\" alt=\"Essay-Outline-Structure\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Essay-Outline-Structure-300x242.jpg\" width=\"353\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Essay-Outline-Structure-300x242.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Essay-Outline-Structure-624x503.jpg 624w, https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Essay-Outline-Structure.jpg 833w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 353px) 100vw, 353px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Crafting a Conversation<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Now you can start thinking of ways to challenge the usual, boring five-paragraph essay format. A Conversational Structure is what I call the format that treats your essay like a conversation. This is most helpful if you are dealing with secondary sources (other authors\u2019 opinions). In structuring your essay, think about \u201ctelling\u201d a story to a friend. Literally talk through your structure out loud if you can. If you are explaining something complex to a friend, logic, coherence, and clarity are first and foremost. Ask yourself: does this line of reasoning make sense? Also, in crafting a conversation, you are forced to consider what your friend might say in response: this is where you can include a convincing counterargument.<\/p>\n<p><b>Fearless Experimentation<\/b><\/p>\n<p>An elegant way of breaking out of the five-paragraph essay is to modify your thesis throughout the essay: begin with one statement and then expand, modify, or add to it in your conclusion. For example, if you are writing about how existentialism is used in Kafka\u2019s <i>Metamorphosis <\/i>, you can extend your thesis into a discussion of the <i>implications <\/i>of such existentialism on the book as a whole or in the context of Kafka\u2019s work itself. Ending your paragraph with the same thesis statement yet more concisely refined is a great way of showing off your intelligent writing flair!<\/p>\n<p><b>Last but Not Least<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There is nothing wrong with the five-paragraph essay. I\u2019d encourage a firm grasp of this format before moving onto more advanced modes. But just remember: academic writing can be flexible, as long as it is <i>logical.\u00a0 <\/i>And it can only be logical if it has a strong thesis!<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Additional Reading:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Check out the next posts in this 8 part series on writing academically:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Sorting your Sources: Writing Academically Part IV\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2014\/02\/sorting-your-sources-writing-academically-part-iv\/\">Writing Academically Part 4 &#8211; Sources<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Citation 101: Writing Academically Part V\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2014\/02\/citation-101-writing-academically-part-v\/\">Writing Academically Part 5 &#8211; Citations<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"A Writing Vocabulary: Academic Writing Part VI\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2014\/02\/a-writing-vocabulary-academic-writing-part-vi\/\">Writing Academically Part 6 &#8211; Writing Vocabulary<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"\u201cHello, my name is Essay:\u201d Writing a Gripping Introduction\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2014\/02\/hello-my-name-is-essay-writing-a-gripping-introduction\/\">Writing Academically Part 7 &#8211; Introductions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Writing Academically (Part VIII): Wrapping Things Up\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2014\/03\/writing-academically-part-viii-wrapping-things-up\/\">Writing Academically Part 8 &#8211; Wrapping things up<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Check out my previous posts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Writing Academically: What\u2019s the Point? (Part I)\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2013\/12\/writing-academically-whats-the-point-part-i\/\">Writing Academically Part 1 &#8211; What&#8217;s the Point?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Writing Academically Part II: A Lexicon\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/2014\/01\/writing-academically-part-ii-a-lexicon\/\">Writing Academically Part 2 &#8211; Lexicon<br \/>\n<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>About the author: <em>Kathleen McGunagle is a senior in Princeton University\u2019s English department and Interdisciplinary Humanities Certificate Program. Concentrating in British Renaissance Literature, she will be writing a thesis this spring on Shakespeare and epistolary culture. Kathleen is an Academic Peer Adviser at Princeton, tutor through Princeton Tutoring, and avid performer. She has recently returned from a year of study at Worcester College, Oxford.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week we discussed some key elements of the academic essay in Writing Academically: A Lexicon. For the next few posts in my series on academic writing, I will be narrowing in on these elements. Today we\u2019re talking structure. Structure formulates your essay\u2019s line of reasoning or argument. You can focus on successfully structuring individual [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,7],"tags":[54,55,30],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":894,"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526\/revisions\/894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}