Writing an academic essay means fashioning a coherent set of ideas into an argument. Because essays are essentially linear they offer one idea at a time they must present their ideas in the order that makes most sense to a reader. It dictates the information readers need to know and the order in which they need to receive it. Thus your essay's structure is necessarily unique to the main claim you're making.

answering questions: the parts of an essay a typical essay contains many different kinds of information, often located in specialized parts or sections. Even short essays perform several different operations: introducing the argument, analyzing data, raising counterarguments, concluding. Counterargument, for example, may appear within a paragraph, as a free standing section, as part of the beginning, or before the ending. Background material historical context or biographical information, a summary of relevant theory or criticism, the definition of a key term often appears at the beginning of the essay, between the introduction and the first analytical section, but might also appear near the beginning of the specific section to which it's relevant. It's helpful to think of the different essay sections as answering a series of questions your reader might ask when encountering your thesis.

If they don't, your thesis is most likely simply an observation of fact, not an arguable claim. what? the first question to anticipate from a reader is what: what evidence shows that the phenomenon described by your thesis is true? to answer the question you must examine your evidence, thus demonstrating the truth of your claim. This what or demonstration section comes early in the essay, often directly after the introduction. Since you're essentially reporting what you've observed, this is the part you might have most to say about when you first start writing. But be forewarned: it shouldn't take up much more than a third often much less of your finished essay.

If it does, the essay will lack balance and may read as mere summary or description. how? a reader will also want to know whether the claims of the thesis are true in all cases. The corresponding question is how: how does the thesis stand up to the challenge of a counterargument? how does the introduction of new material a new way of looking at the evidence, another set of sources affect the claims you're making? typically, an essay will include at least one how section. Call it complication since you're responding to a reader's complicating questions.

This section usually comes after the what, but keep in mind that an essay may complicate its argument several times depending on its length, and that counterargument alone may appear just about anywhere in an essay. why? your reader will also want to know what's at stake in your claim: why does your interpretation of a phenomenon matter to anyone beside you? this question addresses the larger implications of your thesis. Although you might gesture at this question in your introduction, the fullest answer to it properly belongs at your essay's end. If you leave it out, your readers will experience your essay as unfinished or, worse, as pointless or insular.

mapping an essay structuring your essay according to a reader's logic means examining your thesis and anticipating what a reader needs to know, and in what sequence, in order to grasp and be convinced by your argument as it unfolds. Such an account will give you a preliminary record of your ideas, and will allow you to remind yourself at every turn of the reader's needs in understanding your idea. Essay maps ask you to predict where your reader will expect background information, counterargument, close analysis of a primary source, or a turn to secondary source material. Essay maps are not concerned with paragraphs so much as with sections of an essay. Try making your map like this: state your thesis in a sentence or two, then write another sentence saying why it's important to make that claim. Indicate, in other words, what a reader might learn by exploring the claim with you.

Here you're anticipating your answer to the why question that you'll eventually flesh out in your conclusion. Begin your next sentence like this: to be convinced by my claim, the first thing a reader needs to know is. Then say why that's the first thing a reader needs to know, and name one or two items of evidence you think will make the case. Alternately, you may find that the first thing your reader needs to know is some background information.

Begin each of the following sentences like this: the next thing my reader needs to know is. Continue until you've mapped out your essay. your map should naturally take you through some preliminary answers to the basic questions of what, how, and why. It is not a contract, though the order in which the ideas appear is not a rigid one. signs of trouble a common structural flaw in college essays is the walk through also labeled summary or description . Walk through essays follow the structure of their sources rather than establishing their own. Such essays generally have a descriptive thesis rather than an argumentative one.

Be wary of paragraph openers that lead off with time words first, next, after, then or listing words also, another, in addition . Although they don't always signal trouble, these paragraph openers often indicate that an essay's thesis and structure need work: they suggest that the essay simply reproduces the chronology of the source text in the case of time words: first this happens, then that, and afterwards another thing. Or simply lists example after example in addition, the use of color indicates another way that the painting differentiates between good and evil . copyright 20, elizabeth abrams, for the writing center at harvard university this page is brought to you by the owl at purdue . The modes of discourse mdash exposition, description, narration, argumentation edna mdash are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres have been criticized by some composition scholars, the purdue owl recognizes the wide spread use of these approaches and students rsquo need to understand and produce them. contributors: jack baker, allen brizee, elizabeth angeli last edited: 2013 03 01 0:47 this resource begins with a general description of essay writing and moves to a discussion of common essay genres students may encounter across the curriculum.

The four genres of essays description, narration, exposition, and argumentation are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres, also known as the modes of discourse, have been criticized by some composition scholars, the purdue owl recognizes the wide spread use of these genres and students rsquo need to understand and produce these types of essays. The essay is a commonly assigned form of writing that every student will encounter while in academia. Therefore, it is wise for the student to become capable and comfortable with this type of writing early on in her training. Essays can be a rewarding and challenging type of writing and are often assigned either to be done in class, which requires previous planning and practice and a bit of creativity on the part of the student, or as homework, which likewise demands a certain amount of preparation.

Narrative Essay on Historical Event

Many poorly crafted essays have been produced on account of a lack of preparation and confidence. However, students can avoid the discomfort often associated with essay writing by understanding some common genres within essay writing. Before delving into its various genres, let rsquo s begin with a basic definition of the essay.

what is an essay?

though the word essay has come to be understood as a type of writing in modern english, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the english language through the french influence on middle english tracing it back further, we find that the french form of the word comes from the latin verb exigere. Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic. Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition.