Essay writing
Essay is a short piece of writing on a particular subject. An essay is an answer to a question. It
is made up of a series of linked paragraphs starting with an introduction and ending with a
conclusion.
Narrative Essay
A narrative essay is a narration like a short story. It is, however, different from a short story in
that it is written in an essay format.
Descriptive Essay
A descriptive essay describes something to make readers feel, smell, see, taste, or hear what is
described.
Expository Essay
An expository essay exposes things in detail to make readers understand without any
complications.
Persuasive Essay
A persuasive essay is meant to convince the target audience to do something or not do
something.
Argumentative Essay
An argumentative essay is meant to present arguments in the favor of something. It has an
additional fourth body paragraph that is meant to present opposite arguments.
• Structure your essay in a logical way. You can do this with the conventional
order of introduction-argument-conclusion/summary of argument. The
introduction is of crucial importance, since this is where you state what the
central problem/question of your essay is and how you are going to go about
answering or exploring it. Ultimately this is what your essay will be judged by:
whether you succeed in doing what you say you are going to do.
• Introduction
• The introduction tells the reader what the essay is about and what you will
cover in the essay. You could begin by defining essential terms, providing a brief
historical or personal context if appropriate, and/or by explaining why you think
the subject is significant or interesting. Keep the introduction short, preferably
to one or two paragraphs and keep it, succinct, to the point.
Its first job is to grasp the reader’s attention. This is done with a general
statement. A general statement gives the reader an overall picture of what the
essay is about. For example, ‘Poor people have always had a much harder life
than other people’. You then need to become more specific and mention the
who, what, where and when of the essay.
You will also need to mention which topics you will cover in the essay. So, the
next sentence could read, ’This was especially true of the English (where) poor
(who/what) in the Middle ages (when). To show which topics you will cover: ‘By
looking at their homes, work and leisure, we can see how difficult life was.’
Finally, you must make a link between this and the next paragraph. So, ‘We start
by looking at the homes of the poor’.
• Be as precise and specific as you can; work from what you know or find useful in
other people’s work, and do not feel that somehow everything you say has to be
couched in very complicated language. Part of what you learn at University is
how to use a professional vocabulary, but don’t overdo it: clarity, always, is key..
• Use gender-neutral language, whatever material you are dealing with. When
you mean ‘men’ say ‘men’, when you mean ‘men and women’ use ‘people’;
when you mean ‘humankind’ use that, not ‘man’ or ‘mankind’. Other forms you
can use are s/he (instead of ‘he’ as a universal pronoun), but most people like to
avoid this awkwardness altogether and use the plural form: ‘they’.
• Paragraphs and topics.
When you change topic you must also change paragraph. So that the reader
knows what you are talking about in the new paragraph and why you must write
a linking sentence as the first sentence of the new paragraph. For example, ‘The
condition of the homes of the poor gives an important clue to their standard of
living’. To prove your points you must use evidence and say where that evidence
was from. So, ‘According to manorial court records most houses were made of
wood and mud combined with straw’. Being more specific, mention an actual
example from the past: Perhaps the best evidence comes from the case of John
Raynald who…’
How and when to use quotations Whenever you use a quotation in your essay,
ask yourself whether you really need it . Can you say it just as well in your own
words? Or does it say something in a particularly useful way? Does it support
your point? Avoid posturing and padding by citing what you perceive to be
‘authority’ and ask yourself whether you understand the critic or scholar you are
quoting, and whether you think s/he is right or not. If after all this you decide
you do need the quotation, then use it, BUT
Avoid the use of very short quotations, such as half a sentence or only a
phrase--they are not informative or distinctive enough to help you to make your
point.
• Conclusion
This brings together the key points that have been learned and discussed in the
essay and sums up your general impression based on the evidence you have
presented in the essay. It also provides your final chance to make a decision
about the ultimate answer to the question that was posed. So, ‘For many people
the Black Death was a disaster; its main impact being the result of the death of a
million people. However, for those who survived it meant not only life but the
start of a new, much better, life’
