Types of Essay Writing

Descriptive Essay

Descriptive writing portrays people, places, things, moments and theories with enough vivid detail to help the reader create a mental picture of what is being written about. Appealing-to-the-Senses Description: Let the reader see, smell, hear, taste, and feel what you write in your essay.

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Spatial-Order Description: Show the reader where things are located from your perspective.

Youtube: Bridge to Terabithia, Leslie's SCUBA composition

Narrative Essay

As a mode of expository writing, the narrative approach, more than any other, offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves. When you write a narrative essay, you are telling a story. Narrative essays are told from a defined point of view, often the author's, so there is feeling as well as specific and often sensory details provided to get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story.

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When the writer uses this technique, he or she must be sure to include all the conventions of storytelling: plot, character, setting, climax, and ending. It is usually filled with details that are carefully selected to explain, support, or embellish the story. All of the details relate to the main point the writer is attempting to make.

Narrative Essay cont.

A childhood event. Think of an experience when you learned something for the first time, or when you realized how important someone was for you. Achieving a goal. Think about a particularly meaningful achievement in your life. This could be something as seemingly minor as achieving a good grade on a difficult assignment, or this could be something with more longlasting effects, like getting the job you desired or getting into the best school to which you applied. A failure. Think about a time when you did not perform as well as you had wanted. Focusing on an experience like this can result in rewarding reflections about the positive emerging from the negative.

Comparison/Contrast Essay

Writing a comparison/contrast paper involves comparing and contrasting two subjects. A comparison shows how two things are alike. A contrast shows how two things are different. When you choose a topic, be sure not to choose two totally unrelated subjects. You must start with subjects that have some basic similarities. For instance, you could choose to compare/contrast two movies, two authors, two modes of transportation, or two sports figures, but you would not want to try to compare train travel and Babe Ruth!

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Piece of cake, right? Theres a catch, however. It is up to you to argue why those similarities and differences matter; otherwise, you dont have much of a paper.

Types of C/C papers: Block Arrangement

Write about all of the supporting information on ONE subject first. THEN, write about all of the supporting information on the second subject next. Example: I.Introduction in which you state your purpose which is to discuss the differences between vacationing in the mountains or at the beach II.Mountain A. Climate B. Types of Activities C. Location III.Beach A. Climate B. Types of Activities C. Location IV.Conclusion

Type of C/C Papers Point-by-Point or Alternating Arrangement

A second way to organize this material is to discuss a particular point about vacationing in the mountains and then immediately to discuss the same point about vacationing at the beach. Example: I.Introduction in which you state your purpose which is to discuss differences between vacationing in the mountains or at the beach II.First difference between mountains and beaches is climate A. Mountains B. Beach III.Second difference between mountains and beaches are types of activities A. Mountains B. Beach IV.Third difference between mountains and beaches is the location A. Mountains B. Beach V.Conclusion

Definition Essays

A definition essay defines a word, term, or concept in depth by providing a personal commentary on what the specific subject means. Most people will agree on what trees, windows, computers, and pencils are in general. However, abstract terms, such as love, pain, or patriotism, have different meanings for different individuals since such terms play on peoples feelings more than their physical senses.

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The definition essay provides a personal, extended definition of such terms by linking or comparing the term to a previous definition and by illustrating how that term should be applied.

Sooooo..
Example: A good teacher is someone who has a mastery of the subject taught, excitement for the material, and upholds the rules. OR A good teacher is someone who assigns easy assignments, does not mark anyone tardy, and gives lots of extra credit.

Problem/Solution Essays

This is your chance to outline a specific concern in your world and motivate your readers to help you do something about it. You may change the worldor at least your own backyard.

Steps to Writing a P/S essay

1.

2.

Choose a topic-Most of us have issues we are passionate about, so choose something that interests you personally and something that you have an opinion about. Narrowing Your Focus- Most of us would like to fix global warming or world hunger, but these topics are simply too big to cover in a high school or college essay. You will need to narrow your topic to a manageable level.

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3. Outlining the Problem-At this point, you need to decide how much of your essay should focus on the problem and how much should focus on the solution.
4. Offering Solutions- What do you believe needs to be done to solve the problem?

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5. Motivating the Audience-The final piece of the problem/solution puzzle is getting your readers involved. How does the problem affect them? Why should they take action? 6. Final ThoughtA problem/solution essay can be a powerful tool of persuasion. Be sure to do your research, outline your problem clearly and set specific goals toward a solution.

Cause/Effect Essay

Cause and effect essays are concerned with why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects).

How to write a C/E essay

Step 1 Present an event, phenomenon or trend. This will be the cause and the starting point of your essay. You should explain the background of the cause in significant detail so your reader understands the basis of your paper.
Step 2 Explain the effects of your event, phenomenon or trend. You should continually refer back to the cause to make links and connections between the cause and effect. Links and connections will help your audience effectively process the cause and effect.

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Step 3 Limit your major points. While there may be multiple causes or multiple effects in any given relationship, limit your points depending on the length of your essay. Too many points will only confuse your reader. Step 4 Organize your essay effectively. A good model to follow is a thesis statement that presents your event, phenomenon or trend at the beginning of the essay. Each subsequent body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that explains the cause or effect up for discussion

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Step 5 End with a recap of the causes and effects discussed in your essay. In complicated essays like cause and effect, it's important to revisit the major points and the overall idea of your essay so the reader can tie together your thoughts.

Argument Essay

The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate evidence, and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research of literature or previously published material. Argumentative essays must establish a clear thesis and follow sound reasoning.

Steps to writing an Argument Essay

1. A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way. Next the author should explain why the topic is important (exigence) or why readers should care about the issue. Lastly, students should present the thesis statement. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment.

Steps to writing an Argument Essay

2. Body paragraphs that include evidential support. Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph.

Steps to writing an Argument Essay

3. Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal).
The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis statement and consider other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis.

Steps to writing an Argument Essay

4. A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided. This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis.

Works cited

http://essayinfo.com/essays/narrative_essay.php http://www.roanestate.edu/owl&writingcenter/owl/describe.html http://www.writeexpress.com/narrative-essay.html http://www.roanestate.edu/owl&writingcenter/owl/com_con.html http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-compare-contrast-essay http://custom-writing.org/blog/writing-tips/free-essay-writing-tips/127.html http://essayinfo.com/essays/classification_essay.php http://essaychampions.com/writing/write-essays-essay-writing/illustration-essay/ http://www.wju.edu/arc/handouts/examp_illustr.pdf http://www.northland.cc.mn.us/owl/doing%20the%20definition%20essay.htm http://www.ehow.com/how_4449636_write-process-analysis-essay.html http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-problem-solution-essay

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