A brief guide to writing an essay

Writing an essay can be divided into three stages: Stage 1-Planning Stage 2-Writing Stage 3-Revising Within each stage of the process, there are various steps to follow. Each step is important.

Stage 1- Planning
Different types of essays require different approaches. Decide what your purpose is. To plan out your essay, complete the following steps: A. Determine what kind of essay you are writing. Different types of essays require different approaches. Decide what your purpose is. You may be asked to write: a definition essay (concrete or abstract) to explain a particular term or concept a classification essay-to organize things into categories an argumentative or a persuasive essay-to convince the reader something is true a process essay- to explain how something happens a cause/ effect essay- to establish causal relationships between two or more things a compare/contrast essay- to discuss similarities and/or differences between items a general expository essay-to explain and or explore a particular topic a narrative essay-to make a point in the telling of a story a descriptive essay-to inform the audience by describing the topic in full detail B. Figure out your thesis. You need to decide where you want to go with your essay topic. Create a thesis statement. This is a sentence that tells the reader: the topic of the essay what you want to say about that topic. A good thesis statement is precise, concise and attempts to explore or prove only one major point. Sometimes your teacher will give you a very precise essay question, which makes it easy to figure out your thesis statement. Other times, you will need to create your own thesis

statement from a very general topic. If this is the case, use the following strategy to help you narrow down your essay topic: Divide the theme into a few (maybe 3-5) subtopics and choose the topic that either looks the easiest and/or most interesting to you. Brainstorm. Establish what you already know about the subtopic you have chosen. Choose one aspect of your chosen subtopic to explore- preferably something you know a little about or have at least some interest. Research. Scan through a few related websites and see if anything jumps out that could turn into a specific essay question. Specify an essay question that is narrow, doable, and interesting. C. Gather ideas for your essay An essay is a collection of ideas that all work together to support the thesis. Most essays work better when you think about the ideas you plan to use in the essay before you start writing. Use the following tips to gather ideas for your essay: Brainstorm. Establish what you already know and what you want to know about your topic. When you brainstorm, set a time limit and. just write, tuning out all distractions. Think about your topic from different angles and pretend your topic is a person that you could interview. Share your ideas with another person, if you can. Research. Go to the library/Internet and do some preliminary research on your topic. Make notes. Paraphrase and summarize researched material and keep track of your sources as you go. Make sure that you locate reputable sources and take only what you need. D. Evaluate your ideas Once you have gathered ideas to use in your essay, it is important to look at this material with a critical eye. You may not want or need to use everything you have found. Carefully choose which ideas you want to use to support your thesis, by following these suggestions: Eliminate all irrelevant material that does not support your actual thesis Group common ideas together as you see themes developing in your material. Consider how many examples you really need. Do NOT copy and paste from a printed source or the internet- EVER. E. Organize your ideas into an outline. Taking the time to make an outline for your essay will help you in so many ways. It will help you to overview the entire essay as one cohesive text, as well as to break it down into parts. Preparing and following an outline will help you to develop your thoughts and

stay on track as you write. The following page provides a sample outline framework for you to follow.

Stage 2- Writing
If you have followed the steps in Stage 1-Planning, the writing stage will be easy. It is never advisable to skip the planning stage and go straight into the writing stage. In the writing stage, you will use your outline to develop your ideas into sentences, then paragraphs and eventually your entire essay. A: Write an introduction. Write a clear, interesting introduction to your essay. Your introduction should include: an attention grabbing hook (an interesting and relevant statistic, fact, quotation, analogy or question)- and a comment connecting this hook to your essays thesis your thesis statement a brief outline of the main points you will use to support your thesis. This can be summarized in a sentence or two. B: Write the body paragraphs Write your body paragraphs. These paragraphs make up the bulk of your essay. A longer essay simply has more body paragraphs. Body Paragraphs include:

a topic sentence that introduces this aspect of your essay and how it connects to the main thesis sufficient supporting details, facts, references, research and/or examples that support the topic sentence of the paragraph, and ultimately, all support the thesis transitions to connect the ideas
C: Include transitions to connect your thoughts.

Ensure that your ideas connect together in a clear, smooth way by using transitions between thoughts and paragraphs. Without transitions, your paragraphs may seem choppy or disjointed and your ideas may even seem unclear. The following page contains a list of helpful transitional phrases, organized by purpose, to assist you in creating smooth sentences and paragraphs. Use a variety of these transitions throughout your essay.

When you want to show an example:

for example for instance to illustrate as an illustration namely specifically thus to demonstrate

When you want to show exception:

yet however but even though nevertheless nonetheless in spite of despite once in a while sometimes still regardless of

When you want to add:

also additionally in addition as well again and besides further furthermore too next lastly whats more moreover

When you want to show sequence of ideas:

first second third therefore hence consequently subsequently previously finally before afterward at this point following next

When you want to conclude:

after all finally in conclusion in other words in short all in all altogether in summary as has been said therefore to summarize in brief on the whole summing up to conclude accordingly this as a result consequently as I have shown as I have said

When you want to compare/ contrast:

also whereas and yet but meanwhile even so however similarly after all on the other -hand nevertheless likewise on the contrary compared to although in contrast conversely despite that regardless still instead in spite of

When you want to show emphasis:

definitely of course without -reservation evidently extremely obviously in fact in any case positively certainly undoubtedly naturally absolutely unquestionably without a doubt

When you want to prove:

because for moreover since as for the reason -that that is in any case for the same -reason evidently furthermore besides indeed in fact obviously given that seeing as due to

D: Write a conclusion. Complete your essay with a solid conclusion. A conclusion is important because it ties everything together and it is your chance to emphasize to the reader why it was a valuable use of their time to read your essay. In your conclusions, you should: remind your audience why your essay was worth reading by telling the reader why the topic of your essay is important, synthesize the important things you had to say into a few sentences without being repetitive, leave the reader with an inspirational and/or challenging thought, question, quotation, statistic, fact or a call to action.

Stage 3- Revising
Once you have completed writing the paragraphs of your essay, you are not quite finished. The revising stage is very important. Go back and look carefully and critically through your essay for errors in content (your ideas), organization (how you present the ideas) and style (your sentence structure, spelling, grammar etc). Good writers revise their essays numerous times before handing them in. Use the following checklist. A. Revise the content o essay has introduction, body, conclusion. o intro. has sharp hook. o intro. has clear thesis statement o main supporting points of essay are outlined in introduction. o each body paragraph has topic sentence o each body paragraph focuses on only one aspect of thesis. o each body paragraph offers sufficient details and examples o each idea, example and/or detail of your essay is completely on topic. o conclusion goes beyond repeating the thesis and main points. B. Revise the organization o each body paragraph has topic sentence, detailed body and concluding thought. o each paragraph has variety of transitions to connect ideas o paragraphs transition nicely from one to the next o length and detail of each paragraph appears balanced. o order of subtopics in body paragraphs reflects order as outlined in introduction. C. Revise the style o sentences have parallel structure. o word choice is specific o no spelling errors present. o no sentence fragments or run-on sentences present. o no errors in subject verb agreement, tense and/or voice agreement.

Sample Essay Rubric

A teacher may use a tool something like this rubric to mark your essay. Look carefully at the criteria to see how you might earn the highest marks on your assignment. 4 - Above Standa 3 - Meets Standa 2 - Approaching Standa 1 - Below Standa CATEGORY rds rds rds rds Score Sharp, attentiongrabbing hook Thesis statement
Introduction has a sharp hook that grabs the readers attention and connects to the thesis. The thesis statement offers a clear, specific and singular position on the topic and outlines the main points of the essay. The essay offers several details or examples to support the thesis. The writer anticipates and responds to other perspectives. The conclusion is strong. The conclusion synthesizes the thesis and main points, challenging and inspiring the reader. A variety of natural, effective transitions are used to connect ideas. The introduction has a hook, but its connection to the thesis is weak. Effort has been made to insert a hook in the introduction, but the hook is not sharp and/or the connection to the thesis is not clear. A hook is not present. The introduction is weak and/ or confusing. The thesis statement is vague, confusing or nonexistent.

The thesis The thesis statement statement outlines outlines the topic of the the topic of the essay. essay and position of the writer.

Supporting details, examples, evidence for thesis

The essay offers The essay offers a couple several details or of details or examples that examples to that support the thesis. support the thesis.

The essay insufficient details examples or irrelevant evidence to support the thesis

Conclusion

A conclusion is A conclusion is present, The conclusion is present. The thesis but is somewhat repetitive non-existent or and main points of the body of the essay. confusing. are restated.

Transitions

Transitions are Some transitions are present to connect present, but connections ideas, but there is are not always clear. little variety.

Transitions are unclear or nonexistent.

Organization Ideas are presented Ideas are in a clear, logical presented in a of ideas

Some of the ideas in the essay appear to be out of and convincing logical order. The order, which may confuse order. The essay essay is relatively the reader. flows and is easy to easy to follow. read. All sources used for facts, quotes, statistics are properly cited and are from a reputable source. No errors in sentence structure (fragments/runons). Lists are parallel. There is evidence of variety in sentence length. All sources used for facts, quotes, statistics are from a reputable source and most are properly cited. Few errors in sentence structure (fragments/runons). Lists are mostly parallel. There is some evidence of variety in sentence length. Most sources used for facts, quotes, statistics are from reputable sources and properly cited.

The ideas presented in the essay appear to be disorganized and confusing to the reader. Many sources are not from reputable sources AND/OR are not properly cited. Many issues with sentence structure (fragments, runons, parallelism). Little sentence variety.

Sources-(if applicable)

Sentence Structure

Some errors in sentence structure (fragments/runons).Some issues with parallel structure. There is some variety in sentence length.

Grammar & Spelling

No distracting One or two errors in grammar distracting errors and/or spelling. in grammar and/ or spelling One or two distracting errors in capitalization or punctuation. The essay is easy to read.

A few distracting errors More than five grammar and/or spelling. distracting errors in grammar or spelling. A few errors distracting errors in capitalization and/or punctuation The flow is interrupted. More than five distracting errors in capitalization and/or punctuation. The flow is interrupted.

Capitalization No distracting errors in & Punctuation capitalization or

punctuation. The essay is very easy to read.

Sample complete essay

The following is a sample five-paragraph persuasive essay.
According to The Canadian Veterinary Journal, approximately a third of Canadian households have a cat as a pet. Why is it that these animals are so popular? Although many people prefer dogs because of their loyal natures and teachable qualities, cats make better pets. Cats are clean, lowmaintenance and personable creatures that provide a great source of companionship for those who own them. Although pets can bring a lot of joy to a home, they can also bring a lot of mess. When people are pondering which pet to choose, one of the first considerations is how much mess the pet will create. Cats are therefore an appealing choice because they are fairly clean animals. First, cats are easy to toilet train. Whereas training a puppy to do its business in the right place can feel like a tedious chore for the pet owner, training a kitten to do the same takes merely a few days. While training a puppy can involve countless trips outdoors and a great deal or carpet shampooing in the process, training a cat requires little more than showing the animal where to locate its litter box. Provided that you keep its box clean, a cat will respectfully make its deposits where it should. Cats take great pride in their personal hygiene. They groom themselves regularly, they almost never need a bath and they will never leave a puddle of drool on your floor or your furniture. Cats are low- maintenance pets, not only because of their no-fuss bathroom routines, but also because of their independent nature. This makes them an attractive pet for people who are busy, but who like the idea of having a furry friend with whom they can cuddle at the end of the day. As opposed to their canine counterparts, cats do not require walking and they will find their own sources of exercise. They may have random bouts of energy and be seen scurrying from one corner of the house to another. Outdoor cats will roam the neighbourhood, chasing squirrels and ladybugs and they generally return home when their adventure is done for the day. Furthermore, cats do not require human interaction for amusement, nor do they need complicated or expensive playthings to keep themselves entertained. They will find fun swatting a twist-tie across the kitchen floor or watching the birds in the trees from the living room window. Finally, for those who travel, a cat is a suitable pet because, aside from putting out daily dose of food and fresh water and a quick tidying of the litter box, a cat can largely take care of itself for a few days. Although a cat is a fairly self-sufficient being, it has a lot to offer in terms of companionship. Whereas a dog will demand your attention and repay you with its undying loyalty, a cat will come to you on its own terms. Their independent spirit may cause cat-skeptics to assume that cats are aloof and unfeeling. On the contrary, cats can be extremely lovable, comforting animals that bond with their owners and demonstrate affection in numerous ways. For instance, cats will rub up against people they like and purr with contentment when they are enjoying your company. As well, cats can be a source of comfort when one is feeling lonely, ill or sad. This is perhaps one reason why they are frequently chosen to grace the halls of personal care homes for elderly people. Cats can be frisky and playful or calm and consoling. Cats make take time to get to know you, but they will let you know in their own quiet ways that you are loved. When choosing a pet, careful consideration must be made in terms of the suitability of ones lifestyle and the habits, needs and personality of the animal. For many, a cat is an ideal choice, because it offers a lot of companionship in return for relatively little care. People nowadays are busy. We rush around from school, to work, to the gym, to music lessons, and to the store. At the end of the day, its nice to come home to the greeting of a furry friend at the door without any guilt that you dont have the time to take him for a walk or the energy to clean up the mess in the backyard. A cat is like that perfect college roommate who keeps his corner of the apartment neat and generally minds his own business, but who is still a solid friend when you need him. Next time you are looking to add to your family, consider sharing your home with a cat. You might be surprised how much these quiet, noble creatures can brighten your life.

Sample outline for five-paragraph essay

Topic: ____________________________________________________________ Purpose (position): __________________________________________________ Audience: _________________________________________________________

Introduction: Hook (quotation, statistic, question, quotation, fact, etc ) __________________________________________________________________ Thesis statement: ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Supporting point A: __________________________________________________ Supporting point B: __________________________________________________ Supporting point C: __________________________________________________ Body Paragraph A= supporting point A Topic sentence: _____________________________________________________ Supporting detail/example 1: __________________________________________ Supporting detail/example 2: ___________________________________________ Supporting detail/ example 3: __________________________________________ Notes: _____________________________________________________________ Body Paragraph B= supporting point B Topic sentence: _____________________________________________________ Supporting detail/example 1: __________________________________________ Supporting detail/example 2: ___________________________________________ Supporting detail/ example 3: __________________________________________ Notes: _____________________________________________________________ Body Paragraph C= supporting point C Topic sentence: _____________________________________________________ Supporting detail/example 1: __________________________________________ Supporting detail/example 2: ___________________________________________ Supporting detail/ example 3: __________________________________________ Notes: _____________________________________________________________ Conclusion: Re-state the thesis IN DIFFERENT WORDS. ___________________________________________________________________ Summarize main points IN DIFFERENT WORDS. ___________________________________________________________________ Leave audience with a call for action, comment, quotation, prediction, inspirational idea. What is the overall message? What do you want readers to take from reading this essay? ____________________________________________________________________