Lecture 14 - Writing Essay

 What is an essay?
 Structure of an essay
 Title
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion
 Essay Presentation
 Proof Reading

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What is an essay?
 An essay is simply a paper of several paragraphs rather
than one paragraph that supports a single point.

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Structure of an Essay

1. Title/Question

2. Introduction

3. Body

4. Conclusion

5. References/
Bibliography
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1. Analyze the title

 Every essay title contains an actual or implied question.

The whole of your essay must focus on the title and
address the question.
 Before you begin, you should analyze the title carefully.
Some of the things that you can do are;
i. Figure out what the question is asking you to do
(comparing, contrasting, explaining ….)
ii. Brainstorming the Question
iii. Defining the Key words/terms
iv. Building a mind map and looking for possible areas for
research

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i. Academic Keywords used in titles

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ii. Brainstorming

 Jot down everything you know about the topic

 Try to organize it

Brainstorming

Constructing sub-questions
Defining the parameters
that will point you in
of the question
the right direction.

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iii. Define the key terms in the Title/question

 Failing to define the Key terms could easily see you

failing to answer the question
 To define the key terms you can refer to;
 Language dictionary
 Subject/discipline dictionary
 Text dealing with your subject

 Eg. In what way has the mass media been able to

influence the way people
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iv. Building a mind map

 Once you have spent time thinking about your

question and defining all relevant key words,
construct a mind map
 Mind maps can help you in number of ways
 Help you to develop different perceptions
concerning the question
 Help to begin the research process

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Building a mind map

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2. Introductory Paragraph
 The introduction of your has two main purpose
 To give a general introduction of the topic
 Present the reader with your thesis statement
(including preview)
 Length: about one-tenth of the essay
General Statement

Introduction
Thesis statement
(with preview)
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2. Introductory Paragraph (cont’d)

 General Statement
 The general statement of your introduction
should act to draw the readers attention to the
topic that you are writing about. It should
introduce the topic of the essay and it should
give some background information on the
topic

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2. Introductory Paragraph (cont’d)
 Thesis Statement
 Thesis statement is the most important part of your
introductory paragraph.
 It states the specify answer to the question and
 it should contain a preview of those points that you
are going to use in order to support our answer to the
question.
 The points within the preview should be organized in
their order of importance with the most important
point coming first and the least coming last

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2. Introductory Paragraph (cont’d)

 Eg: What is your favorite food?.

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 Food is essential for human life.
However, humans view food as much General
more than basic sustenance. Many statement
people like certain foods better than
others and may even develop cravings

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for those foods. My favorite food is
chocolate because I like the taste, it Thesis
gives me energy and it makes me statement
happy.

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3. The Body

 The body consists of paragraphs that shows the

reader your justification for supporting the points.

 Each paragraph should usually deal with ONE of your

main point. ( eg. if you have three main point you need
to have three supporting paragraphs).
 The first paragraph must cover the first point in your
introduction (Thesis Statement)

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3. The Body (cont’d)
 The first sentence (Topic sentence) The structure of
of the paragraph introduces the main paragraph
idea/topic you will be discussing in Topic sentence
(1 sentence)
your paragraph and also state what
Supporting Sentences
part of the idea/topic you will be (3-8 sentence)
discussing in your paragraph (Topic Summary/concluding
sentence (1 sentence)
statement and Limiting statement)

 Supporting sentences work to support or develop the theme

that has been introduced by the topic sentence. Include
relevant examples, details, evidence, quotation, references

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3. The Body (cont’d)
 Concluding sentences has two primary roles
 Let the reader know that you have finished the paragraph
 Introduce next paragraph

 Example;
Topic sentence - The one factor that makes chocolate most
appealing to me is its sweet, creamy taste. Now add
sentences that support that topic sentence. Then write the
concluding sentence that finish the paragraph and introduce
the next paragraph. In addition to having a delightful
taste, chocolate also provides me with an instant energy
boost

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4. Conclusion
 This is like your introduction, only turned upside down
 Start with the restatement of your thesis
 Then get back into broad generalization.
 Length: about one-tenth of the essay
 Example: Chocolate's many attractions, especially its
ability to make me happy, give me energy, and please my
buds, make it my favorite food. It is the one food I reach for
when I want to change my mood. Perhaps scientists could
devise a chocolate “pill” That patients could take when they
are feeling sad. Chocolate might even be the key to world
peace.
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Structure of a five paragraph essay
1. Introductory paragraph
General statement References/
Thesis statement Bibliography
Plan of development
Points 1, 2, 3

2. Supporting paragraph 1
Topic sentence (Point 1) 5. Concluding paragraph
Specific evidence Restate the thesis statement
Concluding sentence Broad generalization
(introducing next paragraph)

3. Supporting paragraph 2
4. Supporting paragraph 3
Topic sentence (Point 2)
Topic sentence (Point 3)
Specific evidence
Specific evidence
Concluding sentence
Concluding sentence
(introducing next paragraph)

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Transition words
 Examples of transition words that can help you to link your
paragraphs together:
For counter examples

For listing different points However

First Even though

Second Nevertheless

Third On the other hand

For additional ideas

To show cause and effect Another
Therefore In addition to
Thus Also
As a result of Related to
Consequently Furthermore

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Essay Presentation
 It is very important that you present your finished work as clearly as
possible.
 Use A4 size paper - plain if you are typing or using a word-processor,
lined if you are writing. Avoid narrow-lined paper.
 Word-process your work
 Leave large margins all around your writing. This space is for your
tutor to make detailed comments or corrections. Leave margins of at
least 1.25" or 1.50" on all sides.
 Leave double spaces between paragraphs. If you follow this rule,
you do not need to indent the first line of the paragraph.
 Write on one side of a page only, and number each of the pages. This
will decrease the chance of your work becoming disordered. .
 Use double or 1.5 line spacing when you print out your final
document.
 Use Times New Roman, Font size 12.
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Helpful Hints

 You will be writing these essays under pressure. Stay

away from flowery, creative writing and stick to the
facts. (You’ll have other assignments that will let you
use your creativity.)

 Include lots of facts (but make sure they relate to the

question). Pretend like you are trying to win an
argument. The more facts you can use to support your
argument (your thesis), the stronger your case will be.

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Helpful Hints (cont’d)

 Don’t use first person.

 Don’t make your reader do your job for you. If you are
supposed to be comparing or contrasting, use words
like “similarly” or “conversely” in your writing. Leave
no doubt in the reader’s mind that you know what you
are talking about.
 Don’t paint yourself into a corner by using words like
always and never.
 Don’t be too judgmental. Don’t say things are the best,
the worst, etc.

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Proof Reading
 Proof reading means checking your work for errors in
spelling and styles and checking you have met the
format requirements of your subject.

 Proofreading a paper is an important skill. Investing a

little bit of time and energy in the effort can pay big
dividends in the grade you receive.

 To do the job well, you need to make a draft copy,

proofread it, edit it, and then write or print the final
paper.

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Proof Reading your work
 Some of the features that you should check include;
 Language
 Punctuation
 Quotation Marks
 Subject-Verb Agreements
 Sentence Length and structure
 Apostrophes
 Tenses
 Capitalization
 Spelling
 Paragraphing
 Omissions
 Making sure you argument flows logically
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