essay writing

ESSAY WRITING

Supplementary material

Compiled by M.Ed. Maria Luisa Mu, 2012-2013

What is an Essay?

An essay is a group of paragraphs written about a single topic and a central main idea.

It must have at least three paragraphs, but a five-paragraph essay is a common length for academic writing.

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

The Structure of an Essay The Introduction: Explains the topic with

general ideas. It also has the thesis statement and comes at or near the end of the paragraph.

The Main body: Explain and support the thesis statement.

The conclusion: Summarises or restates the thesis and the supporting ideas of the essay.

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

The Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the sentence that tells the main idea of the whole essay.

It can be compared to a topic sentence, which gives the main idea of a paragraph.

It usually comes at or near the end of the introductory paragraph.

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

The Introduction…

… is usually five to ten sentences. … catches the reader´s interest. … gives the general topic of the essay. … gives background information about

the topic. … states the main point (thesis

statement) of the essay.

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

How to make an introduction interesting

Include … …interesting facts or statistics. … a personal story or example. … an interesting quotation.

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

The thesis statement

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

Thesis Statements for LogicalDivision of Ideas

The thesis statement of a logical division essay often indicates the number of suptopics.

Ex: Inflation has three causes.

It may even name the specific subtopics: Ex: Inflation has three causes: excessive

government spending, unrestrained consumer borrowing, an increase in the supply of paper money.

Taken from: Writing Academic English, Oshima, A & Hogue, Pearson Longman, 2006

Writing an Outline

I. Introduction

II. First main idea

III. Second main idea

IV. Third main idea

V. Conclusion

Outlining information for the paragraphs

I.

Introduction•

A. First supporting pointII. First main idea• 1. First detail

• 2. Second detail

B. Second supporting point

• 1. First detail• 2. Second detail

Outlining an Essay

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

Supporting paragraphs

Taken from: Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Zemach, D. & Rumisek, L. Macmillan 2005

Concluding PARAGRAPH

The conclusion has three purposes: It signals the end of the essay starting

with a transition signal. It reminds your reader of your main

points by summarizing your subtopics or paraphrasing your thesis.

It leaves your reader with your final thoughts on the topic.

Taken from: Writing Academic English, Oshima, A & Hogue, Pearson Longman, 2006

Techniques for a memorable Conclusion:

Make a prediction Suggest results or consequences Suggest a solution, make a

recommendation, or call for action Quote an authority on the topic

Taken from: Writing Academic English, Oshima, A & Hogue, Pearson Longman, 2006