ESSAY REVIEW- ANSWER QUESTIONS IN FULL SENTENCES.

Definition Essay Outline

Directions: Follow this outline as you write your essay.

I. INTRODUCTION

a. Hook

i. Start your essay with a hook, not the thesis statement! Use one of the following strategies:

1. Find an interesting quote about your word. 2. Or talk about a news story related to your word. 3. Or talk about something in pop culture related to your word.

b. Background information i. Give some background information about your word by doing the following:

1. Start by providing the dictionary definition of the word. 2. Then, you talk about the origin of the word. What did the word mean thousands of

years ago? When and how was it first used? 3. You can also talk about what most people think of when they hear the word

c. Thesis statement i. End your introductory paragraph with your thesis statement. ii. Thesis = the word you’re defining and what it means to you in three points

1. For example, you might say, “To me, being a big sister means being a mentor, a best friend, and an editor." Notice how there are three points. These points will be the focus of each body paragraph. The first body paragraph will be about how being a sister is like being a mentor, the second will be about how being a sister is like being a best friend, and the third will be about how being a sister is like being an editor. 


II. BODY PARAGRAPH 1 a. TOPIC SENTENCE

i. Tell the reader which of your three points from your thesis this paragraph wil be about. 1. For example, my first main point would be: “As a big sister, I find that I often

have to act as a mentor for my younger sister.” Notice how the main POINT repeats the word that is being defined in the thesis and repeats language from the thesis.

b. EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE i. Provide a personal example that illustrates your main point.

1. I would provide an example of how I’ve mentored my younger sister. I might talk about the time I helped her pick her major in college.

c. EXPLAIN i. Explain your example or evidence in detail.

1. This will take up the most space in your paragraph. d. LINK

i. Link everything back to the main point by repeated the topic sentence in different words. It might be helpful to think of your body paragraphs like little sandwiches. They’re self- contained but are part of a larger meal.

1. I would reiterate my main point by saying the following: “Being the older sister, I sometimes find myself having to take on the role of a mentor.” 


III. BODY PARAGRAPH 2 a. TOPIC SENTENCE

i. Tell the reader which of your three points from your thesis this paragraph will be about. Pick one of the other points mentioned in your thesis statement.

1. My second main POINT will be: “While predictable, being a big sister means having a forever best friend.”

b. EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE i. Provide a persona example that illustrates your main point.

c. EXPLAIN i. Explain your example or evidence in detail.

d. LINK i. Link everything back to the main point by repeated the topic sentence in different words.

IV. BODY PARAGRAPH 3 a. TOPIC SENTENCE

i. Tell the reader which of your three points from your thesis this paragraph will be about. Pick one of the other points mentioned in your thesis statement.

1. My third main POINT will be: “Since my sister is working on her graduate thesis, I often find myself working as an editor for her – without pay.”

b. EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE

i. Provide a personal example that illustrates your main point.

c. EXPLAIN

i. Explain your example or evidence in detail.

d. LINK

Definition Essay Outline

Directions: Follow this outline as you write your essay.

i. Link everything back to the main point by repeated the topic sentence in different words. 


V. CONCLUSION

a. Thesis statement

i. Restate your thesis statement in different words

1. This helps remind the reader of the main point of the ENTIRE essay. If you find that your thesis doesn’t sync with your body paragraphs, you’ll need to make some changes.

b. Closing remarks

i. Wrap up the essay by doing one or more of the following:

1. If you didn’t use a quote in your introduction, you can use one here. Make sure it relates to what you’ve discussed in the essay.

2. Why is your topic important? Why should anyone care?

3. What do you hope the reader takes away from this essay? What lesson can they learn from it?