[geeks] essays

[Joshua D Boyd]

On Thu, Jan 24, 2002 at 08:37:21AM -0500, Kurt Huhn wrote:
> > I'm having an arguement withsome.  Are essays allowed to have only one
> > paragraph?

> According to my high-school English teacher, An essay should have a
> minimum of 5 paragraphs.  The construction is as follows:
> - Paragraph 1: Opening paragraph. Explain the theory, argument, or
> proposition.  Make your views known and clear.
> - Paragraph 2: Supply a case history, acknowledged truth, commonly
> accepted fact, or other irrefutable evidence to support the claims you
> made in paragraph 1.
> - Paragraph 3: Similar to paragraph 2, but you may diverge slightly, and
> use less commonly accepted truths or "facts".
> - Paragraph 4: As paragraph 1.  Examples or arguments presented in this
> paragraph must be irrefutable.  This is your "strong" paragraph, and is
> the last paragraph where you have an opportunity to present supporting
> material.
> - Paragraph 5: Closing arguments.  Draw the three paragraphs above (1,
> 2, and 3) together in such a way as to illustrate the presentations you
> made in paragraph 1.  This paragraph will be how you show that facts as
> presented support your claims.

I believe that is the common 3 pt outline.  However, I think that it is 
sometimes considered acceptable to use only 1 or two points, making it
a 3 or 4 paragraph essay.  Like wise, points can take multiple paragraphs,
or you can have more than 3 points.

-- 
Joshua D. Boyd