Essays

Sam An Teng 

Essay is a group of paragraphs that develop one thesis statement (which is the main the idea).


Elements of an essay

An essay contains three parts: (1) Introduction (or introductory paragraph); (2) Body (or few supporting paragraphs); and (3) Conclusion (or concluding paragraph).


Organization of an essay
 

The Essay Layout

Introductory paragraph (Paragraph 1)	General statements: background, related information, or general concepts… about the topic.
	Thesis statement: List the specific topic, or sub-topics of the essay.
Body paragraphs	Paragraph 2 (Supporting idea 1) Transition, Topic sentence  Supporting sentences  Concluding sentence (optional)
	Paragraph 3 (Supporting idea 2) Transition, Topic sentence  Supporting sentences  Concluding sentence (optional)
	Paragraph 4 (Supporting idea 3) Transition, Topic sentence  Supporting sentence  Concluding sentence (optional)
Concluding paragraph (Paragraph 5)	Summaryof main points / restatement of thesis statement
	Final thoughts

Types of essays

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
It provides details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or sounds.

DEFINITION ESSAY
It attempts to define a specific term. It could try to pin down the meaning of a specific word, or define an abstract concept.

COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAY
It discusses the similarities and differences between two things, people, concepts, places, etc. The essay could be an unbiased discussion, or an attempt to convince the reader of the benefits of one thing, person, or concept.

CAUSE/EFFECT ESSAY
It explains why or how some event happened, and what resulted from the event. This essay is a study of the relationship between two or more events or experiences.

NARRATIVE ESSAY
It tells a story. It can also be called a "short story." Generally the narrative essay is conversational in style, and tells of a personal experience.

PROCESS ESSAY
It describes how something is done. It generally explains actions that should be performed in a series.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
It is one that attempts to persuade the reader to the writer's point of view. The writer can either be serious or funny, but always tries to convince the reader of the validity of his or her opinion.

CRITICAL ESSAY
It analyzes the strengths, weaknesses and methods of someone else's work. Generally these essays begin with a brief overview of the main points of the text, movie, or piece of art, followed by an analysis of the work's meaning.