8.2: The Structure of an Exemplification Essay

The thesis belongs at the beginning of the essay. Evidence is then presented in the essay’s body paragraphs to support the thesis. You can start supporting your main point with your strongest evidence first, or you can start with evidence of lesser importance and have the essay build to increasingly stronger evidence.

The time transition words are also helpful in ordering the presentation of evidence. Words like first, second, third, currently, next, and finally all help orient the reader and sequence evidence clearly. Because an exemplification essay uses so many examples, it is also helpful to have a list of words and phrases to present each piece of evidence.

Phrases of Exemplification

case in point	for example
for instance	in particular
in this case	one example/another example
specifically	to illustrate

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