What is an Essay?
Essays are brief,non-fiction compositions that describe, clarify, argue, or analyze a subject.
An essay is aliterary composition that expresses a certain idea, claim, or concept and backsit up with supporting statements. It will follow a logical pattern, to includean introductory paragraph (make the claim), a body (support), and a conclusion(summary of statements and support).
Introduction
The introductionis the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a few specificgoals.
1. Capture thereader's interest.
It's a good ideato start your essay with a really interesting statement, in order to pique thereader's interest.
Avoid starting outwith a boring line like this:
"In thisessay I will explain why Rosa Parks was an important figure."
Instead, trysomething with a bit of a surprise factor, like this statement:
"A Michigan museum recently paid $492,000 for an old,dilapidated bus from Montgomery, Alabama
The secondsentence sounds much more interesting, doesn't it? It would encourage mostpeople to keep on reading.
2. Introduce thetopic.
The next fewsentences should explain your first statement, and prepare the reader for yourthesis statement.
"The oldyellow bus was reported to be the very one that sparked the civil rightsmovement, when a young woman named Rosa Parks..."
3. Make a claim orexpress your opinion in a thesis sentence.
At the end of yourintroductory paragraph, you will place a powerful thesis statement. Your thesissentence should provide your specific assertion and convey a clear point ofview.
"In refusingto surrender her seat to a white man, Rosa Parks inspired a courageous freedommovement that lives on, even today."
Body
The body of theessay will include three paragraphs, each limited to one main idea thatsupports your thesis. You should state your idea, then back it up with two orthree sentences of evidence or examples.
Example of a mainidea:
"It tookincredible courage for an African American woman to make such a bold stance in1955 Alabama."
Offer evidence tosupport this statement:
"This acttook place in an era when African Americans could be arrested and face severeretribution for committing the most trivial acts of defiance."
Include a few moresupporting statements with further evidence, then use transition words to leadto the paragraph that follows. All ofyour body paragraphs should follow the pattern of statement, supporting ideas,and transition statement.
Words to use asyou transition from one paragraph to another:
moreover
in fact
on the whole
furthermore
as a result
simply put
for this reason
similarly
likewise
it follows that
naturally
by comparison
surely
yet
Conclusion
The finalparagraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim (fromyour thesis sentence). It should point out your main points, but should notrepeat specific examples.
Once you completethe first draft of your essay, it's a good idea to re-visit the thesisstatement in your first paragraph. Read your essay to see if it flows well.
You might findthat the supporting paragraphs are strong, but they don't address the exactfocus of your thesis. Simply re-write your thesis sentence to fit your body andsummary more exactly.
By doing this, youwill ensure that every sentence in your essay supports, proves, or reflectsyour thesis. Your instructor will be looking for this!
Types of Essay's
1. NarrativeEssays: Telling a Story
In a narrative essay, the writer tells a storyabout a real-life experience. While telling a story may sound easy to do, thenarrative essay challenges students to think and write about themselves. Whenwriting a narrative essay, writers should try to involve the reader by makingthe story as vivid as possible. The fact that narrative essays are usuallywritten in the first person helps engage the reader. 揑?sentences give readers a feeling of being part of thestory. A well-crafted narrative essay will also build towards drawing aconclusion or making a personal statement.
2. DescriptiveEssays: Painting a Picture
A cousin of the narrative essay, a descriptiveessay paints a picture with words. A writer might describe a person, place,object, or even memory of special significance. However, this type of essay isnot description for description sake.The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning through thedescription. In a descriptive essay, the writer should show, not tell, throughthe use of colorful words and sensory details. The best descriptive essaysappeal to the reader’s emotions, with a result that is highly evocative.
3. ExpositoryEssays: Just the Facts
The expository essay is an informative pieceof writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. In an expositoryessay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, andexamples. Expository writing encompasses a wide range of essay variations, suchas the comparison and contrast essay, the cause and effect essay, and the 揾ow to?or process essay. Because expository essays arebased on facts and not personal feelings, writers don抰 reveal their emotions or write in the first person.
4. PersuasiveEssays: Convince Me
While like an expository essay in itspresentation of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to convince thereader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. The writer mustbuild a case using facts and logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, andsound reasoning. The writer should present all sides of the argument, but mustbe able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain positionis correct.
Essay topics:
A Sad (or Happy)Day in Life
My Next-doorNeighbor
A favorite giftever gotten
How you and yourbest friend met
The moment yourlife changed forever
The experience ofbeing let down by a friend
Why you cansucceed in life
A place that isspecial to you
A failure youexperienced
A visitor/personthat you can’t forget
Essays are brief,non-fiction compositions that describe, clarify, argue, or analyze a subject.
An essay is aliterary composition that expresses a certain idea, claim, or concept and backsit up with supporting statements. It will follow a logical pattern, to includean introductory paragraph (make the claim), a body (support), and a conclusion(summary of statements and support).
Introduction
The introductionis the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a few specificgoals.
1. Capture thereader's interest.
It's a good ideato start your essay with a really interesting statement, in order to pique thereader's interest.
Avoid starting outwith a boring line like this:
"In thisessay I will explain why Rosa Parks was an important figure."
Instead, trysomething with a bit of a surprise factor, like this statement:
"A Michigan museum recently paid $492,000 for an old,dilapidated bus from Montgomery, Alabama
The secondsentence sounds much more interesting, doesn't it? It would encourage mostpeople to keep on reading.
2. Introduce thetopic.
The next fewsentences should explain your first statement, and prepare the reader for yourthesis statement.
"The oldyellow bus was reported to be the very one that sparked the civil rightsmovement, when a young woman named Rosa Parks..."
3. Make a claim orexpress your opinion in a thesis sentence.
At the end of yourintroductory paragraph, you will place a powerful thesis statement. Your thesissentence should provide your specific assertion and convey a clear point ofview.
"In refusingto surrender her seat to a white man, Rosa Parks inspired a courageous freedommovement that lives on, even today."
Body
The body of theessay will include three paragraphs, each limited to one main idea thatsupports your thesis. You should state your idea, then back it up with two orthree sentences of evidence or examples.
Example of a mainidea:
"It tookincredible courage for an African American woman to make such a bold stance in1955 Alabama."
Offer evidence tosupport this statement:
"This acttook place in an era when African Americans could be arrested and face severeretribution for committing the most trivial acts of defiance."
Include a few moresupporting statements with further evidence, then use transition words to leadto the paragraph that follows. All ofyour body paragraphs should follow the pattern of statement, supporting ideas,and transition statement.
Words to use asyou transition from one paragraph to another:
moreover
in fact
on the whole
furthermore
as a result
simply put
for this reason
similarly
likewise
it follows that
naturally
by comparison
surely
yet
Conclusion
The finalparagraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim (fromyour thesis sentence). It should point out your main points, but should notrepeat specific examples.
Once you completethe first draft of your essay, it's a good idea to re-visit the thesisstatement in your first paragraph. Read your essay to see if it flows well.
You might findthat the supporting paragraphs are strong, but they don't address the exactfocus of your thesis. Simply re-write your thesis sentence to fit your body andsummary more exactly.
By doing this, youwill ensure that every sentence in your essay supports, proves, or reflectsyour thesis. Your instructor will be looking for this!
Types of Essay's
1. NarrativeEssays: Telling a Story
In a narrative essay, the writer tells a storyabout a real-life experience. While telling a story may sound easy to do, thenarrative essay challenges students to think and write about themselves. Whenwriting a narrative essay, writers should try to involve the reader by makingthe story as vivid as possible. The fact that narrative essays are usuallywritten in the first person helps engage the reader. 揑?sentences give readers a feeling of being part of thestory. A well-crafted narrative essay will also build towards drawing aconclusion or making a personal statement.
2. DescriptiveEssays: Painting a Picture
A cousin of the narrative essay, a descriptiveessay paints a picture with words. A writer might describe a person, place,object, or even memory of special significance. However, this type of essay isnot description for description sake.The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning through thedescription. In a descriptive essay, the writer should show, not tell, throughthe use of colorful words and sensory details. The best descriptive essaysappeal to the reader’s emotions, with a result that is highly evocative.
3. ExpositoryEssays: Just the Facts
The expository essay is an informative pieceof writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. In an expositoryessay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, andexamples. Expository writing encompasses a wide range of essay variations, suchas the comparison and contrast essay, the cause and effect essay, and the 揾ow to?or process essay. Because expository essays arebased on facts and not personal feelings, writers don抰 reveal their emotions or write in the first person.
4. PersuasiveEssays: Convince Me
While like an expository essay in itspresentation of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to convince thereader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. The writer mustbuild a case using facts and logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, andsound reasoning. The writer should present all sides of the argument, but mustbe able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain positionis correct.
Essay topics:
A Sad (or Happy)Day in Life
My Next-doorNeighbor
A favorite giftever gotten
How you and yourbest friend met
The moment yourlife changed forever
The experience ofbeing let down by a friend
Why you cansucceed in life
A place that isspecial to you
A failure youexperienced
A visitor/personthat you can’t forget
