Paragraph in essay | What an Essay looks like?

ESSAY

What an essay looks like?

There are many different kinds of essays just as there are many different kinds of paragraphs.

The following example essay is simple, clearly organized, and easy to understand. 

This was the assignment: 

"Many inventions in the past one hundred years have changed people's lives. In your opinion, which invention has been the most important and why? Use specific examples and details in your essay."

As you read the essay, notice the thesis statement that states the main idea of the essay, the topic sentence in each paragraph, and the transition words that help connect ideas.

Essay Example:

The Most important invention in Past Centuries.

1. When you woke up today, you turned on the lights, ran the hot water in the shower. Put on mass-produced clothing, watched television, drove to work, and spoke on the telephone. Every day we are surrounded by thousands of useful things that were invented only a relatively short time ago. In fact, we depend on these things for the good quality of life that we have now (transition phrase). All of these inventions had been very significant to humans, but the one which has been the most important in developing people's health over the centuries is find antibiotics. (thesis statement)

2. The bubonic plague, which killed millions of Europeans six hundred years ago, was nothing more than bacteria (topic sentence). It was spread by rodents and fleas, which were very common during that time. This disease was also called the Black Death because when a person contracted the disease, his or her neck and face would swell up and turn black. Back then, no one was aware that this plague could have easily been treated with penicillin. The Black Plague eventually retreated, but people were still in danger of dying from simple bacteria.

3. Even as recently as one hundred years ago, medical knowledge was much more limited than it is now (topic sentence). Something as trivial as a simple cut could sometimes result in an amputation or even death if it became infected. Medical professionals knew what was happening; however, there was simply no way to stop the infection from spreading or causing more harm. The discovery of penicillin in the early part of the twentieth century changed all of that. Antibiotics finally allowed humans to maintain their good health and continue their lives for many more years.

4. In fact, antibiotics are an inexpensive and effective treatment for a number of ailments (topic sentence). When we have an infection nowadays, we don't think about it too much. We go to the doctor, who will prescribe some kind of medicine. We take this medicine as directed, and then, after a few days, we are healthy again. The medicine is probably a form of antibiotics. In addition, these antibiotics are painless and fast acting. Without them, countless people would suffer through painful and life-threatening ailments. 

5. When people think of the most important invention in the past one hundred years, most people think about electricity, the car, airplanes, or computers. While all of these are certainly extremely important, the invention of antibiotics promoted good health and longer lives (topic sentence). People tend to take antibiotics and other medicine for granted, but they should not do this. If antibiotics had not been invented in the past century, millions of people would have died much earlier, and human beings would not be able to enjoy the style of life that exists today.

Trivializing: 

Not important rodent: a small, often disease-carrying amputation: the removal of an exterior body animal such as a rat part, such as a leg or arm flea: a small insect that lives on cats and dogs; it jumps very quickly infected: to have disease-producing bacteria (or similar substances) in the body contract: to get something, such as a disease ailment: a sickness; an illness.