Please use MLA formatting and include 1–2 quotes per paragraph." In response, it spit out an—ahem— six-paragraph, 588-word essay.

Please use MLA formatting and include 1–2 quotes per paragraph." In response, it spit out an—ahem— six-paragraph, 588-word essay.

Professional writers shirk the format in favor of a looser and more creative style that engages readers rather than lecturing to them, as the five-paragraph form often does.

The five-paragraph essay, a staple in school writing curricula, has become a source of debate for educators, with critics charging the format is too rigid and constraining.