How to write an Essay

 

IELTS How to write a discussion essay outline (part 1 of 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrdSCPXJhkA


http://www1.aucegypt.edu/academic/writers/


http://www.ukessays.com/how-to-write-essay.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OeicRT3_38

http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-introduction

Introduction

How to Write an Introduction in 6 Easy Steps

The most crucial part of your essay is the introduction: it can tell readers how well your thoughts are put together, how well organized your entire essay is, and how well you write. And if they don’t like what they see...well, they probably won’t read any further. Follow these 6 easy steps to make sure no one will be able to put your essay down.

1) Research, take notes, and outline. Prepare before you actually start writing your introduction. First, do some initial research, which should establish what it is you will be writing about, what issue you will argue for or against, and why you will take this position. Then actively research by taking notes on your topic. Outline the ideas and arguments that you will make so that you’ll know what to include in your introduction. Ideally, you should be able to roughly outline at least three to five ideas or arguments that you can successfully address in your essay. 

2) Indicate your topic. When you write an introduction, you need to clearly indicate the topic (i.e., the subject matter) that you will be writing about. Be careful that you do not confuse your topic with your thesis. For example, if you are writing an essay that argues for renewable energy, you will need to briefly explain or define renewable energy because that is your topic.

3) Set the foundation for the structure. After you have clearly stated your topic, you will need to address how you’ve organized the body of your essay. You should use the notes and outline you made during your initial research and write a few sentences explaining the order in which your essay will be structured. This will be your readers’ road map. They will know where they will be going as they read and in what order your ideas will be presented.

4) Writing the thesis. Every good introduction has a clearly stated thesis. The thesis statement is where you will let your readers know what position you will take on your topic. When you write your thesis, don’t be shy: make a bold and factual statement that expresses your position.

5) Keep it short. An introduction must not be so detailed that it includes everything you want to say. Remember that you’re introducing an idea or topic, your structure of the essay, and your thesis statement. A general rule to follow is that the introduction should be about 10% (or less) of your whole paper. So if you’re writing a 2,000-word essay, your introduction should not be much longer than 200 words.

6) Be creative! An introduction should be structured and follow a format, but that does not mean it has to be boring. One (and only one) of the following techniques can draw people in and really make them want to read your entire essay:

• Start with a quote that is related to your topic, and make sure it's a powerful attention getter.
• Start with a question, perhaps a question you had yourself before you began your initial research.
• Begin with an interesting fact that is related to your topic.
• Use an analogy, but make sure it is concise and easy to understand. You don't want to get too lengthy, because your introduction should be about 10% of your entire essay.
• Try presenting a paradox if it is related to your topic; readers are interested in the unusual and seemingly unanswerable.

 

Introduction

How to Write a Summary in 8 Easy Steps

Writing a good summary demonstrates that you clearly understand a text...and that you can communicate that understanding to your readers. A summary can be tricky to write at first because it’s tempting to include too much or too little information. But by following our easy 8-step method, you will be able to summarize texts quickly and successfully for any class or subject.

1) Divide…and conquer. First off, skim the text you are going to summarize and divide it into sections. Focus on any headings and subheadings. Also look at any bold-faced terms and make sure you understand them before you read. 

2) Read. Now that you’ve prepared, go ahead and read the selection. Read straight through. At this point, you don’t need to stop to look up anything that gives you trouble—just get a feel for the author’s tone, style, and main idea.

3) Reread. Rereading should be active reading. Underline topic sentences and key facts. Label areas that you want to refer to as you write your summary. Also label areas that should be avoided because the details—though they may be interesting—are too specific. Identify areas that you do not understand and try to clarify those points. 

4) One sentence at a time. You should now have a firm grasp on the text you will be summarizing. In steps 1–3, you divided the piece into sections and located the author’s main ideas and points. Now write down the main idea of each section in one well-developed sentence. Make sure that what you include in your sentences are key points, not minor details. 

5) Write a thesis statement. This is the key to any well-written summary. Review the sentences you wrote in step 4. From them, you should be able to create a thesis statement that clearly communicates what the entire text was trying to achieve. If you find that you are not able to do this step, then you should go back and make sure your sentences actually addressed key points.

6) Ready to write. At this point, your first draft is virtually done. You can use the thesis statement as the introductory sentence of your summary, and your other sentences can make up the body. Make sure that they are in order. Add some transition words (then, however, also, moreover) that help with the overall structure and flow of the summary. And once you are actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys!), remember these tips:

• Write in the present tense.
• Make sure to include the author and title of the work.
• Be concise: a summary should not be equal in length to the original text.
• If you must use the words of the author, cite them.
• Don't put your own opinions, ideas, or interpretations into the summary. The purpose of writing a summary is to accurately represent what the author wanted to say, not to provide a critique.

7) Check for accuracy. Reread your summary and make certain that you have accurately represented the author’s ideas and key points. Make sure that you have correctly cited anything directly quoted from the text. Also check to make sure that your text does not contain your own commentary on the piece.

8) Revise. Once you are certain that your summary is accurate, you should (as with any piece of writing) revise it for style, grammar, and punctuation. If you have time, give your summary to someone else to read. This person should be able to understand the main text based on your summary alone. If he or she does not, you may have focused too much on one area of the piece and not enough on the author’s main idea.

 

http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-good-essay-sat

Introduction

How to Write a Good Essay for the SAT in 8 Easy Steps

To the dismay of many students, the latest SAT exam includes an essay section. Fear not. By following 8 simple steps, you can ace this portion of the test and make it an asset to your overall score.

1) Become intimately acquainted with the persuasive essay. Although the SAT directions do not specifically state the type of essay you must write, the persuasive format is the one you want to follow. You are convincing your reader or audience that your point of view is the most correct and valid one.

2) Answer the question. If you don’t answer the actual question, you have no chance of receiving a decent score, no matter how well written your response may be. In SAT essay exams, usually a quote or anecdote introduces a controversial opinion; the opinion is then followed by a question that invites you to take a stance or position on a situation. For example, the prompt may start with a quote from a psychologist stating that giving teenagers too many responsibilities is the number one cause of poor grades in high school. The accompanying question may ask, “Do you feel that having too many responsibilities or activities as a teenager results in poor grades or are other factors partly or wholly to blame?” Be sure you answer only this particular question and avoid going off on a tangent about other facets of being a teenager. Tip: Using part of the quote to introduce your essay will help you stay on track.

3) Be aware of—but not obsessed with—time limits. You have 25 minutes to complete the essay for the SAT. It is not a great deal of time; however, it is an adequate amount of time to persuasively support your point of view. The trick is to informally brainstorm and organize ideas for your essay before getting started. You shouldn’t take more than 5 to 7 minutes to do this, but definitely do it. This time will go a long way to helping you stay focused, organized, and confident throughout the writing of your essay.

4) Choose solid, specific examples. Here is where the old expression “show, not tell” comes in. It does not matter whether the examples to back your stance come from important historical events, the literary canon, or that fight you had with your sister last week. As long as the example addresses the question perfectly, go with it. Using academic examples certainly reflects on your scholarship. However, if an academic example is not intricately tied in with the question or does not make a logical connection, you are much better off with an example from everyday life that you can effectively, specifically, and succinctly use.

5) Remember to address the opposition. Besides backing up your own point of view, you’ll need to introduce and address the strongest argument for the opposing viewpoint. Use another specific example along with your persuasive skills to show how this position is flawed. By addressing the opposite stance, you are showing without question that your point of view is the only way to go.

6) Introduce artfully, and conclude definitively. Your introduction sets up your whole argument and engages the reader; your conclusion clinches the validity of your point of view and leaves the reader with a lasting impression. Do not neglect these portions of your essay by spending too much time on examples. The introduction and conclusion also provide an essential organizing framework.

7) Revise and edit. With whatever time you have left, read over the essay to be sure it is logical and organized. Scan for mechanical errors and correct any that stand out. If you are not able to get to this step or have very limited time, take heart. Many essays have received a perfect score even with minor mistakes related to faulty mechanics or word choice. The readers realize that you have limited time to complete your essay and don’t have time for a preliminary formal draft, which would in most cases eradicate these types of errors.

8) Practice, practice, practice. The old expression “practice makes perfect” truly applies to this situation. Your English teacher will probably give you opportunities to write this type of essay in class, but you can pull sample prompts from the Internet and write away. SAT preparation books also contain essay prompts to help you with this goal, and some contain sample essays with scores so that you have a way of gauging yourself. The more essays you write, the more confidence and experience you gain.

http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-compare-contrast-essay

Introduction

How to Write a Compare-and-Contrast Essay in 8 Easy Steps

A compare-and-contrast essay might seem like the easiest type of paper to write: just find things that are alike and then find things that are different. Piece of cake, right? There’s a catch, however. It is up to you to argue why those similarities and differences matter; otherwise, you don’t have much of a paper. The following steps will guide you through the process of writing an effective compare-and-contrast essay that actually has something valuable to say.

1) So they’re alike and they’re different. So what? A good paper will not simply offer a summary of themes, characters, or plot. Your job is to think about how these comparisons and contrasts create meaningful connections to a larger issue.

2) Create an effective thesis statement. Again, you need to say why the comparison and contrast is worthy of note. Let’s say you want to compare and contrast the heroines of Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. Your thesis might be this: “Although Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre are very different on the outside, their shared internal values connects them in literary history and in the fight for women’s rights.” Now you have a reason for your efforts and a compelling case for your audience’s attention.

3) Select a pattern. There are two ways you can write a compare-and-contrast paper. You can present your arguments in a "tandem" pattern or an "alternating" pattern. 

• Tandem. Separate your pros and cons into two camps. For example, if you are comparing Jane Austen’s Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice to the heroine of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, you would list all the ways in which the protagonists are similar and different. A rough list might look something like this:

Elizabeth	Jane
Upper class	Dirt poor, orphan
Beautiful	Plain
Outspoken	Outspoken
Resists marriage	Resists marriage
Socially inappropriate	Socially awkward
Ends up with her man,   and all is well	Ends up with her man, but only after trauma

Once you have your list, the body of your paper will address everything you have discovered about one character, then everything about the other character.

• Alternating. If you opt for this choice, you will be juxtaposing Elizabeth and Jane’s pros and cons. Creating the list of likeness and differences will be handy here as well, but in using this method, you will continually address the two characters “back and forth” as you compose the body of your paper. For example, you might say, “Elizabeth is easy on the eyes, a traditional beauty, but Brontë’s Jane is continually described as plain and homely.”

4) How to decide on a pattern. While there is no rule about selecting one method over another, for longer papers (those that exceed five or six pages) you should probably go with the alternating pattern. It is hard for the reader to retain all the pertinent information about each side of your argument in lengthier discussions. For shorter papers, the tandem pattern will probably be the best bet.

5) Support with primary text. Support your analysis by providing primary textual support; in this case, the primary sources are the novels Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. For each point you address, whether in a tandem or an alternating pattern, offer textual evidence for your positions either by directly quoting from the text or by paraphrasing. Be sure to properly cite each quote or paraphrase in whatever format your instructor requests (e.g., MLA, Chicago, etc.).

6) Support with secondary sources, if required. Some instructors may ask that you use sources other than the text itself to support your argument. A secondary source is anyone other than the original author. Use secondary sources to provide additional backing for your thesis, especially in arguing for why the compare-and-contrast approach you have selected is valid.

7) Include your own voice. One of the biggest challenges for a writer is to offer his or her own take on a topic. You may feel that everyone else has already said everything there is to say about your subject. Don’t be discouraged! Your own interpretation is what is most valuable in the end.

8) Review. Revise. Repeat. Compare-and-contrast essays can often become convoluted if a tight check is not kept on your writing. Review your work often to make sure you have not suffered the sins of summarizing plot, soapboxing, or wandering pointlessly in the literary woods. Move or delete text if you have to: don’t keep trying to pound a piece into the puzzle if it clearly doesn’t fit.

http://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-argumentative-essay

Introduction

How to Write an Argumentative Essay in 9 Easy Steps

It goes by many names—the research project, the persuasive essay, the term paper—but all mean the same thing: you’re writing an argument. Before you wrench in agony, know that a smart approach and planning phase (like the one you’re in right now) can make the process of writing an argument approachable, even enjoyable. The following 9 steps will help guide you through the writing process.

1) Choose your topic—carefully. Check your ideas against the following three criteria before finalizing your topic:

• Your topic must be arguable. The phrase “everything’s an argument” is not quite true—most things are, but not everything. Take the common high school editorial topic of “cliques are bad”: it’s a common opinion, sure, but who really disagrees? Your topic needs to be debatable; there has to be a clear opposing argument that others support. Ask yourself: who would oppose me? Why?

• Your topic must be contemporary and relevant. Arguments do not exist in a vacuum; they arise because people of varied beliefs interact with one another every day (or just bump heads). Your essay, even if it is about the past, should connect to values and ideas of the present. Look to current events or issues for inspiration—what’s going on in the world that’s inspiring discussion and/or disagreement? Ask yourself: does my topic matter to people right now? Why?

• Your topic must have value to you. Given the hours you’ll need to invest in the paper, your topic needs to be more than “interesting”; it has to be knowledge you want to pursue for your own personal benefit, not just a grade. However fascinating cloning may be, for example, if you’re not interested in science or ethics—two fundamental sub-issues of the cloning debate—your essay will be a chore to write. Choose a topic you care about and are invested in. You’ll write better and research deeper because of your personal investment.

2) Narrow and focus your topic. Many popular topics, such as abortion or euthanasia, are too broad for even 100- to 200-page books, let alone your 3- to 5-page essay. Focus on a specific aspect of your topic: a specific method (e.g., a late-term abortion procedure), a specific policy (e.g., No Child Left Behind), or a specific perspective (e.g., evangelical Christians and the environment). Doing so not only makes your topic (and life) manageable, it should help you develop very specific search terms when you go to gather evidence.  

3) Analyze your audience. Review your assignment sheet to check whether you’ve been assigned a specific audience to address in your response. If no audience is assigned, you can assume your audience is your teacher, a knowledgeable and experienced reader in the subject area. But don’t skip this step just yet.

Your understanding of your audience—yes, even your teacher—is integral in determining the development and organization of your argument, as well as the stylistic techniques you can utilize in your writing. For example, if you are writing to your instructor, consider what he/she expects from students on such an assignment—a formal tone, large amounts of evidence integrated into the paper, analysis of these ideas, right? On the other hand, if you’re writing for an audience of peers, you’ll want to lean heavily on your connection with them: use personal pronouns (“I” or “we”), express sympathy or understanding for their feelings, and address shared concerns.  

4) Research wisely. Google is quick and easy; everybody uses it. So does your professor, who is rather justified in his/her skepticism of website credibility—lots of the readily accessible data via Google is inaccurate and risky. Make sure your online sources are from established educational/professional sites (like eNotes).

Also use your library’s subject-specific databases to find professional journals covering your topic. With a narrow and focused topic, searching should be a breeze. And use the “snowball” research technique: once you find a helpful source, look at its references/bibliography to get new leads on evidence for your paper. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

5) Utilize a variety of evidence types. Statistics can be sexy, but they can’t do all the work for you. In addition to quantitative research, utilize expert opinions—in the form of quotations or paraphrases—and historical examples to provide varied and insightful support. And don’t be afraid to examine a sometimes overlooked source: you. Include your own personal experience or observations if they help illuminate the topic for your audience.

6) Express your judgment, not your opinion. In middle school they call it "persuasion"; in college they call it "argumentation"—so what’s the difference? Expectation. Your instructor is less interested in what side you take than in how you take that side, how you analyze the issue and organize your response. Forget about whether you’re right and someone else is wrong; writing a good paper is not a competition. Instead, focus on your “line of argument”—how you develop your paper by meeting your audience’s needs, integrating solid evidence, and demonstrating a solid understanding of the topic. Steps 7 and 8 will help you get there.  

7) Dig deeper. A meaningful topic will tap into underlying values and issues of modern society. Look for the themes or big ideas of your issue. For example, consider whether or not cities should limit or ban national chain stores from expanding in their respective communities. On one hand, yes, a paper might address the positives and negatives of Wal-Mart or Subway. Yet an excellent argument will also discuss the bigger conflicts at play: convenience vs. community identity, job creation vs. environmental damage. Seeing the “big picture” adds depth to your argument.

8) Complexify your argument. There are several rhetorical “moves” or patterns writers can utilize to enhance their argument and demonstrate critical thinking about their topic. Here are short summaries of six of them:

• Cause and effect: discuss what has led to your topic becoming an issue and why the issue is affecting people.

• Qualification: “qualification” here means to limit your position to specific contexts or situations, a “yes, but…” perspective. Qualifying not only can demonstrate that you understand the complexity of an issue but can show you have a unique perspective on it.

• Examination of the opposing argument: know thy enemy. Analyzing other perspectives on your topic has three key advantages: you demonstrate a broad understanding of the issue; you can strengthen your position by comparing it to others; and you’ve given yourself plenty more to write about.

• Concede a little, as necessary: it’s perfectly okay to admit your position is not perfect; in fact, breaking down what works and what doesn’t about your topic can enhance your analysis. Anticipating and alleviating your reader’s concerns can be incredibly persuasive.

• Propose a solution: a logical and feasible solution to your issue provides authority and credibility, and it can make for a strong conclusion.

• Examine the implications: what effect will this issue have on individuals and/or the world? Discussing what lies ahead for your topic also makes for a strong approach to a conclusion.

Note: there is no “correct” strategy about how to integrate these techniques into your writing, nor is there a desired amount or limit to how many can be used. Use your best judgment.

9) Revise, revise, revise. Talk is cheap—and so are papers littered with clichés, illogical arguments, and grammar mistakes. Find a peer who disagrees with your position and have him/her read your paper. Discuss your ideas, your approaches, and your writing style with this naysayer; take the feedback and advice seriously. Read your paper out loud to yourself during later revisions. Be sure to check if you’ve cited your sources correctly. Edit for grammar and spelling only after you are comfortable with what you’ve you written and how you’ve written it.