EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN WRITING AN ESSAY

WHAT IS AN ESSAY?

An organized piece of writing that focuses on a single topic

ORGANIZATION

Organized around a thesis

Begins with an introduction

Ends with a concluding paragraph

REASONS FOR WRITING AN ESSAY

Helps you to express ideas more clearly and effectively

It is a required part of almost all colleges courses

DIFFERENT ELEMENTS:PARAGRAPH VS ESSAY

Organized around a main idea

Introductory sentence Developed by

supporting details

Concluding sentence

Organized around a thesis

Introductory paragraph Developed by

supporting body paragraphs

Concluding paragraph

THESIS It has to do with what you are writing about

THESIS STATEMENT

Sentence in the essay that states the thesis

Expressed in the first paragraph

Key step in developing an effective essay

TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR THESIS STATEMENT

Determined the kind of paper you are writing. An Analytical paper (breaks down an issue or idea into its

component parts) An Expository paper (explains something to the audience) An Argumentative paper (makes a claim about a topic and

justifies this claim with specify evidence)

Should be specific.

Appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

Should reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper. 

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

First part of an essay which has a major influence on the reader´s desire to keep reading.

Includes different strategies to get the readers´attention that should be connected with the thesis statement

It should conclude with the most important idea of the essay.

BODY OF AN ESSAY Set of paragraphs that develop the idea

expressed in the thesis statement

BODY PARAGRAPHS Provide the content of the essay

Each one should be unique, be unified around a main idea and arranged coherently

CONCLUSION OF AN ESSAY

Purpose: To leave the reader with a positive impression, a sense of completeness and the inclination to think about the topic

Should not give more information about the topic

Restates your thesis statement in other words

THE REVISION AND EDITING PROCESS

Process of reviewing and rewriting to make your ideas more logical

Aspects:

I. revision through reading

II. revision through collaboration

TYPES OF ESSAYS Analyse/analysis

Argumentative

Persuasive

Cause and effect

Comparison and contrast

Definition

Narrative

Descriptive

Division

Classification

Mixed pattern

ANALYZE/ANALYSIS

To write an analysis, you need to think about how each part of something contributes to the success of the whole.

Describe HOW and WHY its elements function.

ARGUMENT/ARGUMENTATIVE An argument paper presents a stronger claim to

a more resistant audience.

To write an argument essay, you’ll need to gather evidence and present a well-reasoned argument on a debatable issue.

You must base your paper on a strong position.

You must choose one side or the other when you write an argument paper!

DO…

…use passionate language …cite experts who agree with you …provide facts, evidence, and statistics to

support your position …provide reasons to support your claim …address the opposing side’s argument and

refute their claims

DON’T…

…use weak qualifiers like “I believe,” “I feel,” or “I think”—just tell us!

…claim to be an expert if you’re not one …use strictly moral or religious claims as

support for your argument …assume the audience will agree with you

about any aspect of your argument …attempt to make others look bad

PERSUASIVE/PERSUADE To write a persuasive paper, you’ll need to

use evidence and good reasons to convince others to agree with your point of view on a particular subject.

Conduct the effective research by obtaining facts and evidence to support your ideas. 

It doesn't simply report information (like a typical research paper would)--it uses that information to make an argument or prove a point. 

PERSUASIVE THESIS STATEMENT

It is a one-sentence description of your topic and the argument that you plan to make

Not only tell us what the essay will be about, but also where the author stands on that issue (his or her opinion) and briefly explain why. 

CAUSE & EFFECT

First, determine a scenario in which one action or event caused certain effects to occur. 

Second, explain what took place and why

This essay allows us to identify patterns and

explain why things turned out the way that they did

NARROWING A LARGE TOPIC

Ask yourself… 

What's the main (most important) cause?  Can I break the different types of effects

down into categories?  Which category interests me the most?

COMPARE/CONTRAST

You should…

Make new connections or express new differences between two things.  You can compare, contrast or compare and contrast.

Choose 2 things that could go in the same category, but are also quite different

ORGANIZING YOUR COMPARE AND CONTRAST PAPER

Chunking: placing all of the information for each individual subject in one place (chunk), and then using similarities as transitions.

Piecing: giving pieces of the information for each individual subject in each paragraph, arranging the information by topic rather than by subject.

DEFINITION/DEFINE

To write a definition essay, you’ll need to define a word that:

has a complex meaning

is disputable (could mean different things to different people)

NARRATIVE/DESCRIPTIVE Narrative essay tells a story,

relates events that had happened.

Descriptive essay describes a person, object, or event.

TIPS FOR WRITING EFFECTIVE NARRATIVE AND DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS:

Tell a story about a moment or event that means a lot to you

Avoid long introductions and lengthy descriptions.

Make sure your story has a point. Describe what you learned from this experience.

Describe the setting, characters, the plot, conflicts and resolution of your story.

USING CONCRETE DETAILS FOR NARRATIVES

Concrete Language …makes the story or

image seem clearer and more real to us.

…gives us information that we can easily grasp and perhaps empathize with.

Abstract Language… ...makes the story or

image difficult to visualize.

…leaves your reader feeling empty, disconnected, and possibly confused.

DIVISION & CLASSIFICATION

Division Essay:

Choose something that the majority of people might not know much about and therefore can't understand how complex that topic is.  You will break your topic down into meaningful and important categories.

Classification Essay: Type of analysis in which you classify information, organize or sort it into appropriate categories.

How to classify the topic: These categories will be

the basis for the details you will include.

Make sure you create useful and meaningful categories.

It is useful to create a chart to plan out your categories.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Types of papers & students samples by the Roane State Community College. Retrieved from http://www.roanestate.edu/owl/Types.html Accessed on: September 5, 2013

Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu Accessed on: September 6, 2013