Parts of an Essay - ENC 1101 - Bielecki - LibGuides at Hillsborough Community College

The Parts of an Essay: Thesis Statement, Introduction, Body Paragraphs (Support), Topic Sentences, Transitions, and Conclusion

Created specifically for Ms. Bielecki's ENC courses, this page provides a brief introduction to the parts of an academic essay. (Click the tabs above for help with other aspects of writing, including process, audience, purpose, style, tone, rhetorical modes, research, citation, and grammar.) Scroll down to find supplemental resources on thesis statements, introductions, support (body paragraphs), transitions, and conclusions. Also, find links to online writing labs (OWLs) and embedded videos, as well as information on how to get HCC's free tutoring in person or online.

This page is designed to be a helpful supplement to the course instruction and Canvas materials, not a replacement for them. For specific details on assignments, see our Canvas course.

Chapter 7: Thesis Statements
from our textbook, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC
Chapter 8: Introductions
from our textbook, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC
Chapter 9: Conclusions
from our textbook, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC
Chapter 10: Organization
from our textbook, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC

Academic Success Centers (Tutoring)
Info on and links to HCC's ASCs
Schedule an appointment with the Ybor City ASC

Questions? 813-253-7741 or yborsuccess@hccfl.edu

Video or link not working? Please email URL to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

Upswing is an online tutoring service to which all HCC students are subscribed. Call 844-879-8779 for tech support.

Upswing Knowledge Base
Technical help with the online tutoring service
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See also https://hccfl.upswing.io/

Video or link not working? Please email URL to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

The Parts of an Essay: OWL Overviews

Parts of an Essay: Aims Community College
This site has links to explanations of thesis statements, topic sentences, body paragraphs, introductions, and conclusions with a few exercises.
Parts of an Essay: Excelsior College
Start with "Introductions & Conclusions" and click "Next" for information on thesis statements, topic sentences, paragraphs, and essay structure.
Parts of an Essay: GuideToGrammar.org
On the "Essay & Research Paper Level" menu, find coverage of the thesis, transitions, introductions, conclusions, and the five-paragraph format.
Parts of an Essay: Purdue University
Hold down "Ctrl" and "F" to search for pages on body paragraphs, conclusions, thesis statements, topic sentences, and more.
Parts of an Essay: St. Louis Community College
This site provides PDFs about thesis statements, topic sentences, transitions, hooks, conclusions, and more, along with some writing samples.
Parts of an Essay: Texas A&M University
Find links to explanations, interactive lessons, videos, and audio podcasts on introductions, conclusions, transitions, organizing paragraphs, and more.
Parts of an Essay: University of Lynchburg
This page gives tips on introductions and thesis statements. Get similar tips by clicking "Conclusions" in the menu at left.
Parts of an Essay: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Find links to detailed explanations of introductions, conclusions, thesis statements, transitions, paragraph development, and more.
Thesis Statement: UCLA Library
This highly recommended site has multiple helpful videos and quick interactive exercises to help you write a strong thesis statement.
Thesis Statement: Ohio State University
This slide show (in the form of a PDF) explains how to write a strong thesis statement with good and bad examples.
Intro Hook: East Stroudsburg University
ESU's Writing Studio offers suggestions on writing an intro hook.
Unity and Coherence: Pasco-Hernando State College
This page explains unity and coherence and gives an example of an essay lacking those.

Help with Each Part of an Essay: Videos

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

"Inductive and Deductive Reasoning" from Lumen Learning
This site's video should help you better understand deductive reasoning, which is used in this course.
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Deductive reasoning is particularly helpful in writing strong thesis statements and topic sentences.

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

"Inductive and Deductive Reasoning" from Lumen Learning
This site's video should help you better understand deductive reasoning, which is used in this course.
more...less...
Deductive reasoning is particularly helpful in writing strong thesis statements and topic sentences.

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

"Three Ways to Support an Argument" from the Writing Center at the University of Montana
This PDF explains in detail how to use statistics, examples, and expert opinion to develop your argument's body paragraphs.

How to organize ideas in the body of an essay:

How to support ideas in the body of an essay:

How to use research to support ideas in the body of an essay:

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

Common Transition Words and Phrases
A list of some common transitions

Transitions (University of Wisconsin Writing Center)
This web page offers lists of transitions categorized by meaning.

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

ENC 1101 - Bielecki: Parts of an Essay

The Parts of an Essay: Thesis Statement, Introduction, Body Paragraphs (Support), Topic Sentences, Transitions, and Conclusion

Help from HCC's Tutors

The Parts of an Essay: OWL Overviews

Help with Each Part of an Essay: Videos