Scribd
Upload
5 views

Essay Writing

Uploaded by

suhailabro3
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views

Essay Writing

Uploaded by

suhailabro3
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 21

Fair Use Notice

The material used in this presentation i.e., pictures/graphs/text, etc. is solely


intended for educational/teaching purpose, offered free of cost to the students for
use under special circumstances of Online Education due to COVID-19 Lockdown
situation and may include copyrighted material - the use of which may not have
been specifically authorised by Copyright Owners. It’s application constitutes Fair
Use of any such copyrighted material as provided in globally accepted law of many
countries. The contents of presentations are intended only for the attendees of the
class being conducted by the presenter.
Essay Writing
ANALYZING ESSAY TITLES
Aims and Objectives
 In today’s lecture on essay writing, students will be able to learn
 How to analyze essay titles and question words with practice questions
 Discussion and argumentative essays are discussed in detail,
 The language and organization of discussion essay is given along with practice
examples.
 At the end of the lecture, students will be able to understand and analyze essay titles,
 Organization of different parts in an essay
 The formal vocabulary used in essay writing, particularly, discussion essay
Essay Titles

 Titles contain key words that tell the student what


to do. Note that titles
 often have two (or more) parts:
 ‘What is meant by a demand curve and why would
we expect it to slope downwards?’
Analyse Explain a topic briefly and clearly
Assess Deal with a complex subject by reducing
(Evaluate) it to the main elements
Describe
Divide into sections and discuss each
Discuss critically

Examine Break down into the various parts and


(Explore) their relationships
Illustrate Make a proposal and support it
Outline
Look at various aspects of a topic,
(Trace) compare benefits and drawbacks

State Give a detailed account of something

Suggest Give a simple, basic account of the main


points of a topic
Summarise
Give examples
Analyse – break down into the various parts and their relationships

Assess – decide the worth or value of a subject

Describe – give a detailed account of something

Discuss – look at various aspects of a topic, compare benefits and drawbacks

Examine – divide into sections and discuss each critically


Illustrate – give examples

Outline – give a simple, basic account of the main points of a topic

State – explain a topic briefly and clearly

Suggest – make a proposal and support it

Summarise – deal with a complex topic by reducing it to the main elements

(NB. `summarise’ and `outline’ are very similar)


Practice

Underline the key words in the following titles and consider what they
are asking you to do.
(a) How and why has the market for international tourism segmented since the
middle of the twentieth century? What are the economic and social forces that
have driven this process?
(b) Describe some of the reasons why patients do not always take their
medication as directed.
(c) How can psychology contribute to the reduction of bullying behaviour in
schools?
(d) Is there a move towards subjectivity in criminal law? Should there be?
(e) Discuss the response of buildings and soil to earthquakes, indicating what
measures can be used to ensure structural stability.
Practice the following question

What are the benefits of learning a second language at


primary school (age 6–10)? Are there any drawbacks to
early language learning?
Discussion vocabulary

 Essay titles commonly ask students to ‘discuss’ a topic:


 ‘Children will learn a foreign language more easily if it is
integrated with another subject – Discuss.’
 This requires an evaluation of both the benefits and disadvantages
of the topic, with a section of the essay, sometimes headed
‘Discussion’, in which a summary of these is made. The following
vocabulary can be used:
Benefit
advantage drawback

a positive aspect
a negative feature

pro (informal) Con (informal)

plus (informal)
Minus (informal)

one major advantage is . . . a serious drawback is . . .


Fill the gaps in the following paragraph using language from the
table above.

 Every year millions of students choose to study in a foreign


country. This can have considerable (a)________________________,
such as the chance to experience another culture, but also
involves certain (b)________________________, which may include
feelings of isolation or homesickness. Another
(c)________________________ aspect may be the high cost,
involving both fees and living expenses. However, most students
appear to find that the (d)________________________ outweigh the
(e) ________________________, and that the chance to join an
international group of students is a major
(f)________________________ in developing a career.
Organisation

 The discussion section can be organised in two ways; either by


grouping the benefits in one paragraph and the disadvantages in
another (vertical), or by examining the subject from different
viewpoints (horizontal). For example, the following essay title can be
discussed in the two ways as shown:
 ‘Prisons do little to reform criminals and their use should be
 limited – Discuss.’
Vertical

Drawbacks: Prisons are expensive, may be ‘universities of crime’, most prisoners


re-offend after leaving, many prisoners have mental health problems that are
untreated.

Benefits: Prisons isolate dangerous criminals from society, act as a deterrent to


criminal activity, may provide education or treatment (e.g. for drug addiction),
provide punishment for wrong-doing.

Discussion: Numbers of prisoners are rising in many countries, which suggests that
the system is failing. Evidence that short sentences are of little value. But prisons
will always be necessary for some violent criminals, and as deterrent.
Horizontal

Economic: High costs of keeping prisoners secure. Compare with other forms of
punishment.
Ethical: What rights should prisoners have? Cases of wrongful imprisonment.
Social: Effect on families of prisoners, especially female prisoners with children.
But also necessary to consider the victims of crime, especially violent crime.
Discussion: Numbers of prisoners are rising in many countries, which suggests
that the system is failing. Evidence that short sentences are of little value. But
prisons will always be necessary for some violent criminals, and as deterrent.
The language of discussion

When discussing common ideas avoid personal


phrases such as in my opinion or personally, I
think . . .
Use impersonal phrases instead such as:
It is generally accepted that working from home saves
commuting time . . .

It is widely agreed that email and the internet reduce reliance


on an office . . .

Most people appear to need face-to-face contact with


colleagues . . .

It is probable that more companies will encourage


working from home . . .

The evidence suggests that certain people are better at self-


management . . .
Counter-arguments

 Counter-arguments are ideas that are opposite to your ideas. In


an academic discussion you must show that you are familiar
with both sides of the argument, and provide reasons to support
your position. It is usual to deal with the counter-arguments
first, before giving your view.
What is the writer’s position in the following example, on the
topic of prisons ?

 Itis claimed that prisons are needed to isolate


dangerous criminals from society, but while this may
be true in some cases, more commonly prisons act as
‘universities of crime’, which reinforce criminal
behavior.
Write two paragraphs on the topic: ‘Is the exploration of space
worthwhile?’ Use the ideas below and make your stance clear.

Pros
• Scientists need to collect information to understand universe
• Space engineering has produced many useful discoveries (e.g. satellite
communication)
• Exploration promotes healthy co-operation between nations (e.g. space station)
(Source: Donnet-Kammel, 2005)
Cons
• Huge amounts of money are spent with little result
• Resources should be spent on urgent needs on earth (e.g. disease control)
• National space programmes are testing potential weapons (e.g. missiles)
(Source: Soroka, 2000)
Reference

 Bailey, S. (2017). Academic writing: A handbook for international


students. Routledge.

You might also like