Essay
An essay is generally a short piece of writing outlining the writer’s
perspective or story. It is often considered synonymous with a story
or a paper or an article. Essays can be formal as well as informal.
Formal essays are generally academic in nature and tackle serious
topics. We will be focusing on informal essays which are more
personal and often have humorous elements.
Types of Essays
The type of essay will depend on what the writer wants to convey to
his reader. There are broadly four types of essays. Let us see.
1. Narrative Essays: This is when the writer is narrating an incident
or story through the essay. So these are in the first person. The aim
when writing narrative essays is to involve the reader in them as if
they were right there when it was happening. So make them as
vivid and real as possible. One way to make this possible is to
follow the principle of ‘show, don’t tell’. So you must involve the
reader in the story.
2. Descriptive Essays: Here the writer will describe a place, an
object, an event or maybe even a memory. But it is not just plainly
describing things. The writer must paint a picture through his
words. One clever way to do that is to evoke the senses of the
reader. Do not only rely on sight but also involve the other senses
of smell, touch, sound etc. A descriptive essay when done well will
make the reader feel the emotions the writer was feeling at the
moment.
3. Expository Essays: In such an essay a writer presents a balanced
study of a topic. To write such an essay, the writer must have real
and extensive knowledge about the subject. There is no scope for
the writer’s feelings or emotions in an expository essay. It is
completely based on facts, statistics, examples etc. There are sub-
types here like contrast essays, cause and effect essays etc.
4. Persuasive Essays: Here the purpose of the essay is to get the
reader to your side of the argument. A persuasive essay is not just a
presentation of facts but an attempt to convince the reader of the
writer’s point of view. Both sides of the argument have to
presented in these essays. But the ultimate aim is to persuade the
readers that the writer’s argument carries more weight.
Format of an Essay
Now there is no rigid format of an essay. It is a creative process so it
should not be confined within boundaries. However, there is a basic
structure that is generally followed while writing essays. So let us
take a look at the general structure of an essay.
Introduction
This is the first paragraph of your essay. This is where the writer
introduces his topic for the very first time. You can give a very brief
synopsis of your essay in the introductory paragraph.
Some paragraph writing skills can be a help here. Generally, it is not
very long, about 4-6 lines.
There is plenty of scopes to get creative in the introduction of essays.
This will ensure that you hook the reader, i.e. draw and keep his
attention. So to do so you can start with a quote or a proverb.
Sometimes you can even start with a definition. Another interesting
strategy to engage with your reader is to start with a question.
Body
This is the main crux of your essays. The body is the meat of your
essay sandwiched between the introduction and the conclusion. So
the most vital and important content of the essay will be here. This
need not be confined to one paragraph. It can extend to two or more
paragraphs according to the content.
Usually, we have a lot of information to provide in the body. And the
mistakes writers generally make is to go about it in a haphazard
manner which leaves the reader confused. So it is important to
organize your thoughts and content. Write the information in a
systematic flow so that the reader can comprehend. So, for example,
you were narrating an incident. The best manner to do this would be
to go in a chronological order.
Conclusion
This is the last paragraph of the essay. Sometimes a conclusion will
just mirror the introductory paragraph but make sure the words and
syntax are different. A conclusion is also a great place to sum up a
story or an argument. You can round up your essay by providing
some moral or wrapping up a story. Make sure you complete your
essays with the conclusion, leave no hanging threads.
Tips for Essay Writing
Give your essays an interesting and appropriate title. It will help
draw the attention of the reader and arouse their curiosity.
Keep it between 300-500 words. This is the ideal length, though
you can increase or decrease it according to your need.
Keep your language simple and crisp. Unnecessary complicated
and difficult words break the flow of the sentence.
Do not make grammar mistakes, use correct punctuation and
spellings. If this is not done it will distract the reader from the
content.
Before beginning the essay organize your thought and plot a rough
draft. This way you can ensure the story will flow and not be an
unorganized mess.
The format of an argumentative essay is given below:
A. Introduction
ii. Background
i. Hook iii. Thesis Statement
Information
B. Body Paragraph
ii. iii. Supporting
i. Topic Sentence iv. Transition Sentence
Explanation/Example Details
C. Counter Argument
iv. Comparison of
ii. iii. Supporting
i. Topic Sentence Body Paragraph
Explanation/Example Details
Arguments
D. Conclusion
i.
ii. Summary of iii. Concluding
Rephrasing Thesis
Points Remarks
Statement