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Types of Essay

Here are the main types of essays: 1. Narrative essays tell a story, often about a personal experience, using techniques like dialogue and imagery. 2. Descriptive essays provide vivid details about a subject using sensory details and actions. 3. Expository essays explain a topic factually and may include definition, process, compare/contrast essays which define terms, describe processes, or analyze similarities and differences.

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31 views

Types of Essay

Here are the main types of essays: 1. Narrative essays tell a story, often about a personal experience, using techniques like dialogue and imagery. 2. Descriptive essays provide vivid details about a subject using sensory details and actions. 3. Expository essays explain a topic factually and may include definition, process, compare/contrast essays which define terms, describe processes, or analyze similarities and differences.

Uploaded by

basselbaharoon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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10 types of essays

Here are 10 types of essays you may use in your writing:

1. Narrative essays

Narrative essays tell a story and often are the most personal type of essay
you may write. They allow you to exercise creativity and imagination, and
you can base them on a particular prompt, such as the first time you drove a
car by yourself, or a more open-ended prompt, like a time you overcame a
fear. You may submit a narrative essay, usually called a personal statement,
for college or graduate school applications.

You can use literary techniques in narrative essays to create an essay that
reads like fiction. To do this, consider including metaphors, analogies,
alliteration, imagery and dialogue. A narrative essay generally has an
opening that gets the reader's attention and provides enough background
information for the story to make sense. A conclusion helps summarize the
main point of your essay or reiterate your goals. For example, if you’re
writing a narrative essay for a job application, you could conclude by
summarizing how your experience solidified your desire to become a
lawyer.

2. Descriptive essays

Descriptive essays provide a detailed description of your subject. This may


be a person, place, thing or event. Descriptive essays, like narrative essays,
allow for a more creative approach to writing. Unlike narrative essays, which
provide a complete story, descriptive essays often focus only on the subject.

When writing a descriptive essay, consider including vivid imagery and


incorporate actions, thoughts, sensory details and emotions to immerse the
reader instead of simply explaining the situation or events. You can do this
by using strong action verbs and unique, descriptive adjectives. This can
make your writing more engaging and help the reader feel more involved
and connected to your essay and its characters.
3. Expository essays

Expository essays explain a topic neutrally. Writers use expository essays to


demonstrate their knowledge or expertise in a certain area. Teachers often
assign expository essays to test their students' understanding of a topic.
These essays often avoid emotion or opinion and instead focus on factual
information. For instance, if you're writing about environmental
conservation, try to avoid claiming someone should do something or taking
a stance on a controversial issue. Expository essays can take different
formats, but they typically include:

 An introduction with a thesis statement explaining exactly


what the essay will discuss
 The body that details the facts of the subject, often citing
sources
 A conclusion that summarizes the main points

4. Definition essays

Definition essays are a type of exposition essay that defines a term or idea.
These essays typically examine complex or abstract topics and provide in-
depth analysis and explanations. For instance, a definition essay might
discuss what existentialism is or the meaning of quantum physics. Definition
essays are common in academic and research settings.

5. Process essays

Process essays are another type of exposition essay that describes how to
do something or how something works. You can write a process essay in
chronological order to maintain organization and clarity. Process essays
usually contain the following elements:

 Introduction: Introduce the process you will describe.


 Body: These paragraphs describe each step in chronological
order. Consider using transition words that signal where you
are in the process.
 Conclusion: Finish your essay with a conclusion that
summarizes the process to help the reader remember the
most important idea of the document.

6. Compare and contrast essays

Compare and contrast essays discuss two subjects and detail the similarities
and differences between them. These essays include an introduction, at
least one paragraph to explain the subjects' similarities, at least one
paragraph to discuss differences and a conclusion. Compare and contrast
essays are common in academic settings. An example of a compare and
contrast essay is one describing the similarities and differences between
bees and wasps.

7. Argumentative essays

Argumentative essays try to convince the reader to take a certain side based
on the information the writer presents. Argumentative essays rely on facts
rather than emotion to sway the readers. For instance, an argumentative
essay may discuss why companies should offer wellness packages as part of
their benefits plan. The essay can incorporate research about how regular
exercise increases productivity and how people who eat well and work out
take fewer sick days.

Argumentative essays avoid first- or second-person statements. Rather, they


support one side of an argument and may argue against other sides using
objective information. You can use phrases like "Research suggests" or
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" to present
the facts that support your argument.

8. Persuasive essays

Persuasive essays aim to persuade readers to have an opinion or take a side


using facts and emotional appeals. To support an argument or cause,
persuasive essays can include moral and emotional reasoning to connect to
the reader.
For example, a persuasive essay about the previous topic of companies
including wellness packages in employee benefits may include appeals to
employers' satisfaction with providing an extra perk for their employees. It
also could discuss employers' responsibility to ensure their employees have
access to features that keep them healthy or how excited and grateful
employees are for the new benefits.

9. Cause and effect essays

Cause and effect essays detail why certain events or situations led to other
events. Writers create a clear connection between the two sets of events or
circumstances and explain what features of the initiating event created the
subsequent incidents. Cause and effect essays are types of expository
essays, so they state facts and avoid subjective opinions. A cause and effect
essay may examine how Charles Darwin's scientific discoveries led to the
origin of new theories of social science, for instance.

10. Critical essays

Critical essays provide an in-depth analysis of a topic. They can critique


paintings, books, movies, plays or restaurants. Many college courses,
especially literature and humanities courses, require critical essays as a way
to test students' ability to think critically and identify evidence from a
specific work that validates their observations. Critical essays use facts from
the subject to justify an opinion. For instance, in a movie review, a writer
could note a movie uses boring dialogue. They then could support that
observation by citing specific lines from the film.

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