General Essay Writing Tips
Despite the fact that, as Shakespeare said, "the
pen is mightier than the sword," the pen itself is not enough to make an
effective writer. In fact, though we may all like to think of ourselves as the
next Shakespeare, inspiration alone is not the key to effective essay writing.
You see, the conventions of English essays are more formulaic than you might
think – and, in many ways, it can be as simple as counting to five.
The Five Paragraph Essay
Though more advanced academic papers are a
category all their own, the basic high school or college essay has the
following standardized, five paragraph structure:
Though it may seem
formulaic – and, well, it is - the idea behind this structure is to make it
easier for the reader to navigate the ideas put forth in an essay. You see, if
your essay has the same structure as every other one, any reader should be able
to quickly and easily find the information most relevant to them.
The
Introduction
The principle purpose of the introduction is to
present your position (this is also known as the "thesis" or
"argument") on the issue at hand but effective introductory
paragraphs are so much more than that. Before you even get to this thesis
statement, for example, the essay should begin with a "hook" that
grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to read on. Examples of
effective hooks include relevant quotations ("no man is an island")
or surprising statistics ("three out of four doctors report that…").
Only then, with the reader’s attention "hooked,"
should you move on to the thesis. The thesis should be a clear, one-sentence
explanation of your position that leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind about
which side you are on from the beginning of your essay.
Following the thesis, you should provide a mini-outline which
previews the examples you will use to support your thesis in the rest of the
essay. Not only does this tell the reader what to expect in the paragraphs to
come but it also gives them a clearer understanding of what the essay is about.
Finally, designing the last sentence in this way has the added
benefit of seamlessly moving the reader to the first paragraph of the body of
the paper. In this way we can see that the basic introduction does not need to
be much more than three or four sentences in length. If yours is much longer
you might want to consider editing it down a bit!
Here, by way of example, is an introductory paragraph to an
essay in response to the following question:
"Do we learn more from finding out that we have made
mistakes or from our successful actions?"
"No man is an
island" and, as such, he is constantly shaped and influenced by his
experiences. People learn by doing and, accordingly, learn considerably more
from their mistakes than their success. For proof of this, consider examples
from both science and everyday experience.
The Body
Paragraphs
The middle paragraphs of the essay are
collectively known as the body paragraphs and, as alluded to above, the main
purpose of a body paragraph is to spell out in detail the examples that support
your thesis.
For the first body paragraph you should use
your strongest argument or most significant example unless some other more
obvious beginning point (as in the case of chronological explanations) is
required. The first sentence of this paragraph should be the topic sentence of
the paragraph that directly relates to the examples listed in the mini-outline
of introductory paragraph.
A one sentence body paragraph that simply
cites the example of "George Washington" or "LeBron James"
is not enough, however. No, following this an effective essay will follow up on
this topic sentence by explaining to the reader, in detail, who or what an
example is and, more importantly, why that example is relevant.
Even the most famous examples need context.
For example, George Washington’s life was extremely complex – by using him as
an example, do you intend to refer to his honesty, bravery, or maybe even his
wooden teeth? The reader needs to know this and it is your job as the writer to
paint the appropriate picture for them. To do this, it is a good idea to
provide the reader with five or six relevant facts about the life (in general)
or event (in particular) you believe most clearly illustrates your point.
Having done that, you then need to explain exactly why this example proves your
thesis.
The importance of this step cannot be understated (although it clearly can be
underlined); this is, after all, the whole reason you are providing the example
in the first place. Seal the deal by
directly stating why this example is relevant.
Here is an example of a body paragraph to
continue the essay begun above:
Take, by way of example, Thomas Edison. The famed American
inventor rose to prominence in the late 19th century because of his successes,
yes, but even he felt that these successes were the result of his many
failures. He did not succeed in his work on one of his most famous inventions,
the lightbulb, on his first try nor even on his hundred and first try. In fact,
it took him more than 1,000 attempts to make the first incandescent bulb but,
along the way, he learned quite a deal. As he himself said, "I did not
fail a thousand times but instead succeeded in finding a thousand ways it would
not work." Thus Edison demonstrated both in thought and action how
instructive mistakes can be.
A Word on Transitions
You may have noticed that, though the above
paragraph aligns pretty closely with the provided outline, there is one large
exception: the first few words. These words are example of a transitional
phrase – others include "furthermore," "moreover," but also
"by contrast" and "on the other hand" – and are the hallmark
of good writing.
Transitional phrases are useful for showing
the reader where one section ends and another begins. It may be helpful to see
them as the written equivalent of the kinds of spoken cues used in formal
speeches that signal the end of one set of ideas and the beginning of another.
In essence, they lead the reader from one section of the paragraph of another.
To further illustrate this, consider the
second body paragraph of our example essay:
In a similar way, we are all like Edison in our own way.
Whenever we learn a new skill - be it riding a bike, driving a car, or cooking
a cake - we learn from our mistakes. Few, if any, are ready to go from training
wheels to a marathon in a single day but these early experiences (these
so-called mistakes) can help us improve our performance over time. You cannot
make a cake without breaking a few eggs and, likewise, we learn by doing and
doing inevitably means making mistakes.
Hopefully this example not only provides
another example of an effective body paragraph but also illustrates how
transitional phrases can be used to distinguish between them.
The Conclusion
Although the conclusion paragraph comes at
the end of your essay it should not be seen as an afterthought. As the final
paragraph is represents your last chance to make your case and, as such, should
follow an extremely rigid format.
One way to think of the conclusion is,
paradoxically, as a second introduction because it does in fact contain many of
the same features. While it does not need to be too long – four well-crafted
sentence should be enough – it can make or break and essay.
Effective conclusions open with a
concluding transition ("in conclusion," "in the end," etc.)
and an allusion to the "hook" used in the introductory paragraph. After
that you should immediately provide a restatement of your thesis statement.
This should be the fourth or fifth time you
have repeated your thesis so while you should use a variety of word choice in
the body paragraphs it is a acceptable idea to use some (but not all) of the
original language you used in the introduction. This echoing effect not only
reinforces your argument but also ties it nicely to the second key element of
the conclusion: a brief (two or three words is enough) review of the three main
points from the body of the paper.
Having done all of that, the final element
– and final sentence in your essay – should be a "global statement"
or "call to action" that gives the reader signals that the discussion
has come to an end.
In the end, then, one thing is clear: mistakes do far more to
help us learn and improve than successes. As examples from both science and
everyday experience can attest, if we treat each mistake not as a misstep but
as a learning experience the possibilities for self-improvement are limitless.
Taken
together, then, the overall structure of a five paragraph essay should look
something like this:
Introduction
Paragraph
·
An attention-grabbing
"hook"
·
A thesis statement
·
A preview of the three
subtopics you will discuss in the body paragraphs.
First Body
Paragraph
·
Topic sentence which states the
first subtopic and opens with a transition
·
Supporting details or examples
·
An explanation of how this
example proves your thesis
Second Body
Paragraph
·
Topic sentence which states the
second subtopic and opens with a transition
·
Supporting details or examples
·
An explanation of how this
example proves your thesis
Third Body
Paragraph
·
Topic sentence which states the
third subtopic and opens with a transition
·
Supporting details or examples
·
An explanation of how this
example proves your thesis
Concluding
Paragraph
·
Concluding Transition, Reverse
"hook," and restatement of thesis.
·
Rephrasing main topic and
subtopics.
·
Global statement or call to
action.
More tips to make your essay shine
Planning Pays
Although it may seem like a waste of time –
especially during exams where time is
tight – it is almost always better to brainstorm a bit before beginning your
essay. This should enable you to find the best supporting ideas – rather than
simply the first ones that come to mind – and position them in your essay
accordingly.
Your best supporting idea – the one that
most strongly makes your case and, simultaneously, about which you have the
most knowledge – should go first. Even the best-written essays can fail because
of ineffectively placed arguments.
Aim for Variety
Sentences and vocabulary of varying
complexity are one of the hallmarks of effective writing. When you are writing,
try to avoid using the same words and phrases over and over again. You don’t
have to be a walking thesaurus but a little variance can make the same idea
sparkle.
If you are asked about "money,"
you could try "wealth" or "riches." At the same time, avoid
beginning sentences the dull pattern of "subject + verb + direct
object." Although examples of this are harder to give, consider our
writing throughout this article as one big example of sentence structure
variety.
Practice! Practice!
Practice!
In the end, though, remember that good
writing does not happen by accident. Although we have endeavored to explain
everything that goes into effective essay writing in as clear and concise a way
as possible, it is much easier in theory than it is in practice.
As a result, we recommend that you practice
writing sample essays on various topics. Even if they are not masterpieces at
first, a bit of regular practice will soon change that – and make you better
prepared when it comes to the real thing.
