A 3 paragraph essay sounds pretty easy, right? I mean, as the name says, it only requires you to write three paragraphs, unlike a standard five or more paragraph essay. It’s not like you have to learn how to write a 5 page paper. Well, not so fast!
A standard 3 paragraph essay may be the shortest essay you’ll write, but writing an excellent one requires you to use some very specific skill sets. You’ll need to be concise, yet convincing, and know how to support your argument with a minimum amount of evidence. And knowing how to write a top-notch 3 paragraph essay is the foundation to achieving paper writing perfection!
Keep reading this article to learn how to bring your essay to the next level. We’ll go over the following aspects of a 3 paragraph essay:
- What Is a 3 Paragraph Essay?
- How Long Should a 3 Paragraph Essay be?
- A Good 3 Paragraph Essay Outline
- The Specifics of How to Write a 3 Paragraph Essay
- An Example of a 3 Paragraph Essay
- Some Do’s and Don’ts of 3 Paragraph Essays
The 3 Paragraph Essay Defined
The standard 3 paragraph essay is just what it states – it’s an essay that is only three paragraphs long. But in order for you to raise your essay writing abilities, let’s go beyond that simple definition.
As stated above, 3 paragraph essays are more direct and to the point compared to other essays. This means that they aren’t wordy, so, for example, adjectives and adverbs are only used when needed. These essays are most commonly assigned for summaries, opinion, and argument essays. They are also quite common on subjective portions of exams.
Now that you know what a 3 paragraph essay is, let’s look at how long most of these essays are.
How Long Is a 3 Paragraph Essay?
This question isn’t so easy to answer because length can entail either word count or page count. Of course, this is much easier if the assignment or exam gives a specific word or page count, but often, it just comes down to experience and knowing what most professors are looking for.
Generally speaking, most 3 paragraph essays range from about 300 to 700 words in length. Depending on whether you single-space or double-space, that will be about half a page to a page and a half.
I’ve found that a good rule of thumb is to write five to seven sentences per paragraph, for a total of about 15 to 21 sentences.
Writing too much is rarely a problem because you can always cut things out.
3 Paragraph Essay Outline
Most professors, professional writers, and editors will tell you that the backbone of any good essay is a solid outline. Outlines help organize your research and thoughts into a coherent structure and give you a roadmap of where your essay is going.
There are different formats you can use for your outline. I prefer to use the standard alphanumeric outline, where the primary headings are marked by Roman numerals and subheadings by uppercase letters. The next level uses Arabic numbers, the level below it lowercase letters, and the lowest level uses lowercase Roman numerals.
Let’s take a look at a generic outline for a 3 paragraph essay.
- Intro
- Hook
- Background: two to three sentences
- Thesis statement
- Main Body
- Topic Sentence
- Supporting Facts
- Transition Sentence
- Conclusion
- Secondary Hook
- Restate Thesis Statement
- Challenge to the Audience
As you do your research, you’ll fill the outline out with more detail. For example, under “Hook,” you can add 1.), which will be the actual hook. The same goes for the thesis statement and the “Topic Sentence” in the second paragraph.
In the next section, we’ll look at each of these paragraphs in more detail as we delve into the actual writing process.
How to Write a 3 Paragraph Essay
Now that you’ve done your research and have written an outline, you can get to the fun part – the actual writing. But before we look at an actual example of a 3 paragraph essay in the next section, let’s break down the most important part of each paragraph.
Intro Paragraph
The Hook
The hook may be the single most important sentence in your essay, possibly even more important than the thesis statement. After all, the hook is the first sentence the reader(s) will read, so it needs to be captivating yet relevant. Consider these different types of hooks:
- A relevant quote from an important person
- A vivid description
- A joke, if appropriate and relevant to the type of essay you’re writing
- A rhetorical question
So let’s look at a good and a bad example of a hook. We’ll use a hypothetical example. You have to write a 3 paragraph essay about the importance of the collapse of the Bronze Age system in the Near East in about 1200 BC. The essay question is: “Relate one major reason why the Bronze Age geopolitical system of the Near East collapsed in about 1200 BC.”
For my hook, I’ll focus on the second type listed above.
Good Example:
“Imagine living in Egypt, Babylon, or the Hittite Kingdom in about 1200 BC, where things were prosperous and safe. Then, overnight, everything changed – merciless raiders have taken your prosperity and safety, and now threaten everything you hold dear.”
Bad Example:
“The end of the Bronze Age was quick and violent. Many people died or became migrants.”
The first example is better because it’s more vivid. It paints a picture of the time period and sets the tone for the rest of your essay.
Next, let’s create a thesis statement. Remember, since this is only a 3 paragraph essay you shouldn’t get too complex. So, I’ll keep things simple and choose as my reason one of the more obvious reasons for the collapse.
Thesis Statement:
“Although there were many factors that played a role in the collapse of the Bronze Age system, the migrations and invasions of the people collectively known as the ‘Sea Peoples’ were the primary reason.”
This is good because it’s simple and to the point.
Main Body Paragraph
Topic Sentence
The topic sentence is the first sentence of your main body, and as the name denotes, it’s where you state the topic.
“In the decades before 1200 BC, a wave of migrants from Europe emerged in the eastern Mediterranean and Near East with new weapons and a total disregard for the established Bronze Age powers.”
I will then write about 2 to 3 sentences where I support this with facts. After doing that, you’ll write a transition that brings you to the conclusion.
Transition Sentence
A transition sentence helps the clarity and smoothness of your writing. Some good transition words and phrases you can use include the following:
- “With that said”
- “For example”
- “As a result”
- “Therefore”
You can use transition words and sentences as a segue from one paragraph to another. So, in a 3 paragraph essay you can write one after your thesis statement in the intro paragraph and again after the main body. Check out this example.
“As demonstrated here, the Sea Peoples were a violent force of nature in human form that helped bring about the collapse of the Bronze Age system.”
Conclusion Paragraph
It might help if you look at the conclusion paragraph as a mirror of the intro paragraph in many ways. The first sentence in the conclusion should be catchy, which is what I like to call the “secondary hook.”
Secondary Hook
“The Bronze Age ended with a bang that was set off by the enigmatic Sea Peoples.”
After another sentence or two where you summarize things, you’ll restate your thesis. The last sentence should be catchy, like the hooks, and possibly challenge your audience.
“The next time you consider how societies fall, remember the example of the Sea Peoples and ask yourself: Will the example of the Sea Peoples repeat itself”?
Now let’s take all of what we’ve learned and write a short, 3 paragraph essay.
3 Paragraph Essay Example
Using our hypothetical example and the sentences we’ve developed in the outline and the previous section, let’s fill things out with a complete example.
Imagine living in Egypt, Babylon, or the Hittite Kingdom in about 1200 BC, where things were prosperous and safe. Then, overnight, everything changed – merciless raiders have taken your prosperity and safety, and now threaten everything you hold dear. This was the reality for people living in what was the Bronze Age Near East. The great kingdoms of that era had developed a sophisticated geopolitical system, where free trade often prevented war and ensured that the people were safe and free. But this system collapsed quite suddenly around 1200 BC. Although there were many factors that played a role in the collapse of the Bronze Age system, the migrations and invasions of the people collectively known as the “Sea Peoples” were the primary reason. An examination of the Sea Peoples reveals that they were an unstoppable force.
In the decades before 1200 BC, a wave of migrants from Europe emerged in the eastern Mediterranean and Near East with new weapons and a total disregard for the established Bronze Age powers. The Sea Peoples were comprised of many different tribes – including the Sherden, Lukka, and Ekwesh – but they often allied against their more sophisticated foes. The ancient Egyptian written sources document how these raiders made their way across land and sea to attack the established, wealthy kingdoms of the Near East for their land and riches. With the use of iron weapons and sheer numbers, the Sea Peoples were able to overwhelm the Hittites, the kingdoms of the Levant, and nearly topple the Egyptian Empire. When the dust finally settled, some of the Sea Peoples returned to Europe while some, such as the Peleset, who became the biblical Philistines, remained in the Near East. As demonstrated here, the Sea Peoples were a violent force of nature in human form that helped bring about the collapse of the Bronze Age system.
The Bronze Age ended with a bang that was set off by the enigmatic Sea Peoples. The Sea Peoples were able to do this through a combination of numbers, iron weapons, and, when needed, organization and cooperation. This is not to say that the Bronze Age kingdoms did not play a role in their own demise, which they did, but the migrations and invasions of the people collectively known as the Sea Peoples were the primary reason for the collapse. The next time you consider how societies fall, remember the example of the Sea Peoples and ask yourself: Will the example of the Sea Peoples repeat itself?
The 3 paragraph essay is 413 words, so it’s right in that sweet spot in terms of length. Note that the paragraphs run about 5 to 7 sentences, and things get right to the point, especially in the main body paragraph.
Some Do’s and Don’ts of 3 Paragraph Essays
Before we wrap things up, let’s go over some things you should do and a few things you should never do when writing a 3 paragraph essay. Let’s start with the do’s.
- Keep things short and concise. Get straight to the point!
- Do an outline before you start writing.
- Proofread and edit your essay if you can. If this is for an exam that’s a little more difficult, but try to give yourself enough time so you can read it at least once before submitting it.
Now let’s look at some don’ts.
- Don’t use a conversational tone. This may be acceptable in some cases, but for most 3 paragraph essays you should use an academic, professional tone.
- Don’t choose a broad topic. For short essays, the more specific the topic the better.
- Don’t add anything to the conclusion. Remember, the conclusion is where you wrap things up, so don’t add any new information or arguments to it.
Step into Success
As you get ready to return to college or begin college for the first time, you probably have a list of things to do. Some of you may have even written out the 10 steps of going back to college after summer break. If that’s the case, add this guide to 3 paragraph essay writing to your list!
This article has all the tools you’ll need to be a great 3 paragraph essay writer. Not only that, the skills you learn while writing this type of paper can be used to help you write any number of essays throughout your college career.
So good luck and have fun with your writing!
