Course: ENGL300-Academic Writing

Lesson: Essay Writing – The Essay Form

The diagram below shows the form of an essay.

Introductory Paragraph

 Introduction
 Thesis statement
 Plan of development (points 1,2,3)
 The introduction attracts the reader’s attention.
 The thesis statement states the general idea advanced in the essay.
 The plan of development is a list of the points to be developed in the body paragraphs

First Supporting/Body Paragraph

 Topic Sentence (point 1)

 Main ideas
 Supporting Details
 The topic sentence introduces the first supporting point for the thesis.
 The main ideas support the topic sentence.
 The supporting details further support the main ideas.

Second Supporting/Body Paragraph

 Topic Sentence (point 2)

 Main ideas
 Supporting Details
 Same as with the first body paragraph.

Third Supporting/Body Paragraph

 Topic Sentence (point 3)

 Main ideas
 Supporting Details
 Same as with the first and second body paragraphs.

Concluding Paragraph

 Restatement of thesis
 Conclusion
 Restating the thesis is writing it in other words.
 A conclusion can be a summary plus a final thought or two stemming from the
subject of the essay. It can also be a piece of advice/recommendation, prediction, or a
question suggesting further studies.
Course: ENGL300-Academic Writing
Lesson: Essay Writing – The Essay Introduction

Here are some methods of introduction. Use any one method, or a combination of
methods, to introduce your essay in an interesting way.

1. Broad Statement. Begin with a broad, general statement of your topic and narrow it
down to your thesis statement. Broad, general statements ease the reader into your
thesis statement by providing a background for it. If your thesis is about your worst
job, a broad statement introduction mentions all your bad jobs and is narrowed to
reach your worst one. Here is a sample introduction following the broad statement
method:

In the course of working my way through school, I have tried many

jobs I would rather forget. I have spent nine hours a day lifting heavy truck
batteries. I have risked the loss of eyes and fingers working in a textile factory.
I have served as an assistant in a mental hospital helping care for crazy men.
But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work
was physically hard, the pay was poor, and the working conditions were
dismal.

2. Contrast. Start with an idea or a situation that is opposite to the one you will develop
in the thesis statement. This method surprises your readers by the contrast between the
opening idea and the thesis that follows it. Here is an example of a “contrast” intro.

When I was a girl, I never argued with my parents. My father would

tell me to do something and that as usually the end of the matter. Discussion
seldom changed his mind and disagreement was unacceptable. But the
situation is different with today’s parents and children. My husband and I
have to contend with huge differences between what our children think and
what we think. We have had disagreements with all three of our three
daughters: Stephanie, Diana, and Gisele.
3. Anecdote. Use an incident or brief story. Stories are naturally interesting. In your
introduction, an anecdote would grab the reader’s attention right away. The story
should be brief and related to your main idea. The incident in the story can be
something that happened to you, something that you have heard about, or something
that you have read about somewhere. Example of anecdote introduction:

The husky man pushes open the door of the bedroom and pulls out a
gun. An elderly man wearing a pajamas looks at him and trembles. In an effort
to escape, the old man runs towards the door terrified. The husky man blocks
his way and fires four times. The TV movie cuts now to a commercial but the
little boy who has been watching began to cry. Such scenes of violence on TV
must be harmful to children for a number of psychological reasons.

4. Questions. Ask your readers one or more questions. These questions catch the
readers’ interest and make them want to read on. Don’t forget that questions can be
written in the introduction of the essay only and not in the thesis statement.

What would happen if we were totally honest with ourselves? Would

we be able to take the pain of giving up self-deception? Would the complete
truth be too much for us to bear? Such questions will probably never be
answered. In one way or another, all of us come up with defense mechanisms
that prevent us from seeing, hearing, or feeling too much. Included in such
defense mechanisms are rationalization, reaction formation, and substitution.
5. Relevance. Explain the importance of your topic. If you can convince your readers
that the subject applies to them in some way, or that it is something they should know
more about, they will want to continue reading. An example of a relevance intro. is:

Almost all Americans are involved with sports in some way or another.
They may play basketball or volleyball or go swimming or skiing. They may
watch football or basketball games on the high school, college, or
professional level. Sports may seem like an innocent pleasure, but it is
important to look under the surface. In reality, sports play too large a part in
daily life. They take up too much media time, play a large role in raising
children, and give too much power to athletes.

6. Quotation. A quotation could be something you have read in a book or an article. It

can also be something you have heard: a popular saying or proverb. Here is an
example of a paragraph that starts with a quotation:

“Evil,” wrote Martin Buber, “is lack of direction.” In my school days

as a fatherless boy, with a mother too confused by her own life to really care
for me, I strayed down a dangerous path. Before my 18th birthday, I had been
a car thief, a burglar, and a drug dealer.
Course: ENGL300-Academic Writing
Lesson: Essay Writing – The Essay Conclusion

Here are some methods of conclusion. Use any one method, or a combination
of methods, to round off your essay.

1. Summary and Final Thought: after you have summarized the body paragraphs, include
your opinion of the topic. Here is a summary plus final thought conclusion:

To sum up, online shopping at home has several advantages. Such shopping is
convenient, saves your time, and saves your money. It is not surprising that growing
numbers of people are doing their shopping on the internet, from turnip seeds to
televisions.

2. Question/s: it is a direct appeal to your reader to think further about what you have
written:

All in all, online shopping at home has several disadvantages. Such shopping
is dangerous as you can receive bad products, get robbed, and wait too much for
delivery. But don’t you think that online shopping has other advantages as well? Can
we do something to make online shopping safer and more satisfactory?

3. Prediction or Recommendation: predictions and recommendations also involve the

reader. A prediction states what will happen in the future:

In summary, people can be harmful to pets in many ways. They can starve
them, beat them, and put them in dangerous situations. Pets are living creatures, not
stuffed toys; therefore, if people stopped to think before acquiring pets, there would
be fewer instances of cruelty to animals.

A recommendation suggests things to be done or not done:

In summary, people can be harmful to pets in many ways. They can starve
them, beat them, and put them in dangerous situations. Pets are living creatures, not
stuffed toys; therefore, animal rights groups should watch for people mistreating their
pets and report them to the police to get punished.
Course: ENGL300-Academic Writing
Lesson: Essay Writing – The Thesis Statement

The thesis statement communicates the main idea of the essay. It reflects the writer’s
narrow focus and point of view, attitude, or opinion. A good thesis statement should have all
of the criteria mentioned above.

The thesis statement is not a statement of fact, nor is it a statement that simply
announces the general topic of the essay, nor a question.

Consider the following statements:

 Old age is a stage of life.

This is not a thesis statement. It states a fact; no point of view is given here.

 In this essay, we will see what the disadvantages of old age are.
This is not a thesis statement. It just provides the general topic of the essay. There
is no focus, no point of view, and no indication of which aspects of old age will be
discussed.

 Is old age a wonderful stage of life? Why?

This is not a thesis statement because it asks for an opinion and does not express
any; it shows uncertainty.

 Old age is a wonderful stage of life because many elderly people finally come to
terms with themselves in their last years as they evaluate their accomplishments in
life.
This is a thesis statement. It reflects the writer’s opinion of old age, explains why
he believes it “is a wonderful stage of life,” and forecasts what the writer will discuss
in the body of the essay: evaluating one’s accomplishments whether they are positive
or negative.
Course: ENGL300-Academic Writing
Lesson: Essay Writing-Transitions/Connectors

Transitions are signal words that help readers follow the direction of the writer’s
thought. They show the relationship between ideas, connecting one thought with the next.
They can be compared to road signs that guide travelers.

Following are common transitional words and phrases, grouped according to the kind
of signal they give readers. Note that certain words provide more than one kind of signal.

Addition signals: first of all, for one thing, second, the third reason, also, next, another, and,
in addition, moreover, furthermore, finally, last of all, similarly, besides...

Time signals: first, then, next, after, as, before, while, meanwhile, now, during, finally...

Space signals: next to, across, on the opposite side, to the left, to the right, in front, in back,
above, below, behind, nearby...

Change-of-direction signals: but, however, yet, in contrast, otherwise, still, on the contrary,
on the other hand, in spite of, despite, instead, nevertheless, anyhow...

Illustration signals: for example, for instance, specifically, as an illustration, once, such as...

Conclusion/summary signals: finally, last of all, last but not least, therefore, consequently,
for this reason, thus, then, as a result, in summary, to sum up, as a conclusion, to conclude, all
in all, in brief...

Note: for a complete list of transition words, visit http://www.smart-words.org/transition-

words.html
Course: ENGL300-Academic Writing
Lesson: Essay Writing – Sample Descriptive Essay

My Lovely Schooldays?

Have you ever looked on your high school experience with grief, or with relief? Did it
ever occur to your mind to run away from school? If so, for what reasons? Don’t you think
school life is a nice experience to recall? Whatever the answers may be, school is a place that
evokes a myriad of memories. In fact, high school life has left a deep and memorable trace
in my mind; this trace is both negative and positive for a number of reasons.

To start with, I sometimes abhorred my school life for several reasons. First of
all, the administration was horrible and we were subject for severe rules and punishment. For
example, once we refused to sit a biology exam and protested instead, but the principal was
so mean that he expelled us and decided to close the class. We ended up in the streets
begging teachers and influential people to return. Another reason that made me hate school
was the curriculum. It left a negative trace on us because it did not encourage recreational
competencies but depended primarily on memorization. We had to memorize courses like
Biology, Philosophy, and Psychology that added nothing to our personality. Last of all, the
most annoying things about high school were the extra-curricular activities. On weekends, we
had to wake up with the lark to go on field trips. In addition to this, we sometimes had to
come on vacations to have make-up sessions, especially in Biology.

On the other hand, I still remember so many nice things about my high school.
To start with, our class was not crowded. To illustrate, we were twenty students or rather
friends. As a result, we used to hang out together and we are friends till now. Second, the
teachers were great. For instance, whenever we asked for a break in the boring psychology
class, we used to have it. Other teachers also joined us in picnics and tolerated our practical
jokes. I remember shortly after graduation a trip we had with our teachers to West Bekaa.
The photos we’ve taken prove how much fun it was. Last but not least, the buildings in my
school were well-furnished and equipped. The walls and doors were clean and so were the
playgrounds and halls. Also, we had rooms for leisure; a gym where we practiced some
exercises, a table-tennis hall, and a basketball court as well.

All in all, high school is a place that evokes a lot of memories for me as a student,
whether good or bad. On the first hand, it is a place where we suffered expulsion and hard
work, but on the other hand experienced nice companions and fun. I wish those old days
would come back again, even though not all of them were great.