English Is Fun

An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author’s personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition of an essay is vague, overlapping with those of an article and a short story. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e. g. Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man).

While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding andThomas Malthus’s An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples. In some countries (e. g. , the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education. Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their writing skills, and admission essays are often used by universities in selecting applicants and, in the humanities and social sciences, as a way of assessing the performance of students during final exams.

The concept of an “essay” has been extended to other mediums beyond writing. A film essay is a movie that often incorporates documentary film making styles and which focuses more on the evolution of a theme or an idea. A photographic essay is an attempt to cover a topic with a linked series of photographs; it may or may not have an accompanying text or captions. 1. a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic,speculative, or interpretative.

2. anything resembling such a composition: a picture essay. 3. n effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt. 4. Philately . a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued. 5. Obsolete . a tentative effort; trial; assay. Parts of an essay The Introduction This part of your essay is the first presentation of your ideas. There are a number of elements you want to include in your introduction to encourage the reader to continue reading. First of all, you’ll need a “hook” to open your essay. This hook should entice the reader by hinting at the essay’s theme in a way that makes the reader want to read more.

The hook can be funny, witty, or a simple hypothesis. Whatever style you choose, be sure it coincides with the overall theme of your essay. Here are some other things you want to accomplish in your introduction: * You want to use focused writing with a consistent tone and diction throughout the essay. * You want to use any details that will help the reader identify the topic and the scope of the essay. * Beyond the hook, you will want a successful thesis statement that you work into your introduction to establish your main idea which will run throughout the essay.

But most of all, don’t forget that hook. When you have a good hook in your introduction, you increase the chances that your essay will be effective. For some essay projects, evaluating the audience is important, but for others, it’s best to follow the general writing strategies you see in mainstream writing, periodicals, and professional literature. The BodyIn the body of your essay, you should develop the ideas that you presented in the introduction. Some people refer to this as “fleshing out” your ideas.

It can be helpful to make a list of the ideas you want to present, along with any research to support those ideas. The body of your essay: * Elaborates on points made in the introduction * Provides background and details on topics mentioned * Gives your essay substance, using anecdotes, metaphor, symbolism, and other methods The ConclusionWhen you’re nearing the end of your essay, it’s time to put the finishing touches on it with a separateclosing paragraph. The conclusion is where you bring together all of the elements you previously mentioned in the other sections.

No, you don’t have to mention each one explicitly, but your conclusion should cover most of what you addressed in your essay, and make a good clean end to your narrative path. In a dramatic and powerful conclusion is where you want to spell out, in a bold manner, any ideas you’ve been hinting at throughout the essay. Just the Right WordIn addition to the construction of your essay, you also can improve it by looking at your word choices and transitions, or using the best words to move from one idea to