Essay Writing Tips Guide

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The only idea of writng an essay makes you feel discouraged and
embarrassed? You can hardly imagine how to get down to this work? You are
convinced that this actvity is only waste of t me and energy? If you are
encumbered with such ideas, it means that anyway you ARE to write an essay and
you ARE NOT GOING to take a delight in doing it. And wrong you are, for writng an
essay may become an easy and even entertaining actvity – on conditons that you
are much aware of the peculiarites of this genre, its structure and sequence of
steps to follow. So, let’s begin with a simple queston: what is actually an essay?

“Literary essay” versus “academic essay”
Traditonally an essay is considered to be a short piece of writng which is
ofen writen from an author’s personal point of view. That means, in an essay the
author is supposed to present his ideas concerning some defnite topic in a quite
unrestricted form. A nice idea of an essay is presented by the famous essayist
Aldous Huxley:

"Like the novel, the essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about
almost anything, usually on a certain topic. By tradition, almost by defnition, the
essay is a short piece, and it is therefore impossible to give all things full play within
the limits of a single essay"1.

This is what we call “literary essay” aimed usually at presentng and ofen at
critcizing some social phenomena or politcal events. What you are going to write
is an “academic essay” which comes from the literary one but is characterized by
some strict requirements:

1. Defnite structure

i. Logically organized way of presentng ideas.

1
Aldous Huxley, Collected Essays, "Preface"


ii. Introductory Paragraph Body Paragraphs Concluding Paragraph.

iii. Atenton to formal details (like number of paragraphs, length of the
paragraphs, appropriate transitons etc.).

2. Academic style

i. Avoidance of personal pronoun “I” (though the author’s personal point of
view is presented!).

ii. Formal vocabulary (demonstrate instead of show, inform instead of tell,
obtain instead of get etc.).

iii. Formal stylistc (appropriate place of adverbs, negatons in the
sentences).

Algorithm of writing an essay
So, you are going to write an academic essay, which means that you are to
structure your ideas on a given subject in a logical order and present them with the
help of formal language. To make this task easier you can divide it into several
steps so that you can control each stage and improve them according to the
requirements. In general, the algorithm of writng an essay looks like that:

1. Evaluatng the topic.

2. Deciding on the type of writng.

3. Making an outline.

3.1 . Developing an introductory paragraph.

3.2. Developing body paragraphs.

3.3. Making a conclusion.


4. Argumentatve essay.

5. Stylistc improvements.

6. Citaton or plagiarism?

Evaluating the topic
Evaluatng the topic means thinking it over in order to mark out a number of
various aspects which are covered by this topic and decide upon the angle from
which you are going to lighten it up. Actually, when getng down to the topic you
should keep in mind that essay is quite a SHORT paper which presents a limited
number of aspects from ONE (that is author’s) point of view.

Most topics are too general for an essay. For example, the topic which
sounds like “Ecological problems” is obviously a general one; your task is to split it
up on several narrower topics and choose the accents you are going to put in your
essay. One of the possible aspects may concern acid rains, so that your improved
topic will be: “Forest degradaton is the gravest consequence of acid rains” or “Air
polluton results inevitably in acid rains”.

The main idea which you are going to emphasize in your essay infuences the
way of presentng informaton and structuring it. To make an example let’s return
to the above mentoned acid rains. When you decide to develop the frst topic, you
are likely to enumerate the possible types of damage, classify them according to
the levels of “harmfulness” and prove that forest degradaton is the most harmful
one. The second topic may be developed by showing the efects of air polluton
and the process of its transformaton into acid rains. It goes without saying that
these two topics need diferent ways of writng to present the idea.


Deciding on the type of writing
There are six most popular types of writng. Depending on the angle you
chose, one of them may be used to present your point of view in the most efectve
way:

Descriptive Describing  Atenton to appearance,
characteristc color, form, taste etc;
features  Spatal/chronological order;
 Metaphors and periphrasis.

Narrative Telling a story  Organizing a plot;
 Using f ashbacks and fash-
forwards;
 Leading to the climax.

Contrast/comparison Poin tng out  Two objects for comparison;
similarites and  Considering basis and points
diferences of comparison;
 Arranging the comparison
(decide on similari tes or
diferences)

Cause and effect Making cause-to-  Arranging logical relatons;
efect chains  Atenton to transitons

Classification Making subject  Choosing principles for
groups classifcaton;
 Dividing objects into groups;


Definition Explanaton of the  Presentng the term;
meaning  Choosing type of defniton
(vocabulary, descriptve, stpulatve
etc.)

You should keep in mind that mentoned ways of writng may be helpful in
presentng informaton inside the essay but not in structuring it! That means, your
essay may contain defniton of some phenomenon, demonstraton of its efects
and their classifcaton and your friend’s essay can be based on the descripton of
two actvites and their comparison, but the structure of both essays should be
nearly the same.

Making an outline
An outline is a skeleton of your future essay which consists of the most
general statements and needs to be flled with more detailed informaton,
supportng material. To make an outline you should remember the structure of an
average fve-paragraph academic essay. It consists of three parts: Introductory
Paragraph, Body Paragraphs (usually three) and Concluding Paragraph.

THE ESSAY
Introductory General Statements
Paragraph
THESIS STATEMENT


TOPIC SENTENCE

Supportng Sentences
Body TOPIC SENTENCE

Paragraphs Supportng Sentences
TOPIC SENTENCE

Supportng Sentences
Concluding CONCLUDING SENTENCE(S)
Paragraph
Final Thoughts

Introductory Paragraph is the frst paragraph of the essay which introduces the
topic you deal with and the angle from which you are going to develop it. This
paragraph consists of two parts respectvely:

1. general statements which are to provide the reader with the general
informaton concerning this very topic and catch reader’s atenton. To do this you
should remember about so-called “atenton geters”: rhetorical questons,
anecdotes, quotatons, unusual statements or some shocking statstcs. For
example, your introductory paragraph may begin with a queston:

Have you ever thought about the variety of harmful consequences,
caused by acid rains?

Here shocking statstcs may also come to the point:

Can you imagine 8.9 million tones of water? This is the quantity of acid
rains fell in 2007 on the surface of our planet!

2. thesis statement which presents the main idea of the essay. It is
characterized by several points:

 It states the main topic of the essay.
 It may list the subtopics of the main topic.
 It may also menton the method of organizaton.

For instance, your thesis statement may sound like this:


Forest degradation is the gravest consequence of acid rains because of
three reasons: reduction of oxygen production, destruction of animal
habitat, ecosystem violation.

In the frst part of this sentence you state the topic: Forest degradation is the
gravest consequence of acid rains…and in the second enumerate the subtopics you
are going to develop in your body paragraphs. Be atentve, the number of
subtopics should correspond with the number of body paragraphs; more precisely,
each subtopic is to be developed in one body paragraph. As far as an essay
structure requires three body paragraphs, the number of subtopics should also be
three.

Body paragraphs also consist of two parts each:

1. Topic sentence which should correlate with the thesis statement (actually,
it’s one of its subtopics). When developing the previous example with acid rains
and forest degradaton, topic sentence of each body paragraph should be based on
one of the three reasons, enumerated in the thesis statement. It may look like this:

First of all, forest degradation means elimination of a great number of
trees which absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen instead.

Secondly, clearance of forests causes housing problem for all the species
of animals, birds, and insects which inhabit the area.

Finally, it’s not to forget that all the elements in nature come in
interrelations; therefore, violation of one causes damage for all the
system.

2. Supportng sentences which provide the reader with more detailed
informaton. Here you can add some further descripton, include your personal
experience or explain unknown terms and notons. Also don’t forget to use factual
material: statstcs, tables, graphs as well as statements by authorites which make
your essay sound more persuasively. One more important thing is to establish
credibility; that means, make the reader feel well aware of the topic you deal with.
To do this you should demonstrate knowledge about the topic, establish common
ground with readers and demonstrate fairness to opposing points of view.

For example, when developing the topic which serves as an example, we can
explain unknown terms, add some examples of forests cleared because of acid


rains, statstcs concerning forest degradaton in diferent years (and deduce the
tendency), or cite one of the ecologists who deal with this very problem.

Concluding Paragraph is a trailing paragraph of the essay which accomplishes
three tasks:
1. signals the end of the essay due to the conclusion transiton signal (in
conclusion, in summary, to summarize);
2. summarizes the main points, enumerated in the thesis statement (actually,
you should rewrite you thesis statement in diferent words);
3. leaves the reader with the author’s point of view upon the subject.

To conclude the essay about acid rains and forest degradaton, we can write
the following:

To summarize, reduction of oxygen production, exile of thousands of
species, and violation of balance between ecosystems make forest
degradation the gravest consequence of acid rains.

Argumentative essay
As far as argumentatve essays, they are rather popular among the teachers,
and are worth the student's atenton. To begin with, you should keep in mind that
argumentatve essays are aimed at convincing the reader in something or
persuading him/her to do something. That means you are to:

1. focus on a problem with no obvious soluton,

2. present your point of view (the way you think it may be solved the most
efectvely),

3. prove that your way-out is really the most efectve,

4. persuade the readers to accept your point of view and to act according to it.

To cope with this task, you should:


 formulate an argumentatve thesis (here you state the real fact and what
should/shouldn’t be done about it: Students should have the right to
evaluate teachers),

 establish credibility (that means, show the reader that you do know what
you are talking about),

 provide your thesis statement with supportng material (when dealing with
this type of essay you should be especially atentve to cause-and-efect
chains, citatons and numbers; personal experience may also come to the
point),

 work with the counterarguments to your thesis (this part is especially
important for it shows that you are guided not by the naked faith, but by
sensible arguments which you got afer having taken into consideraton
diferent points of view). In this type of essay you should present not less
than two counterarguments, then answer them (demonstrate their weak
points or non-applicability in this very situaton), and fnally stress upon
relevance of your arguments one more tme.

Be atentve to the language you use: reasons like “It’s a stupid idea” or “It’s
silly because I don’t like it” are intolerable!

The simplest argumentatve essay has the follow structure:

 Introductory paragraph (+ argumentatve thesis)

 The frst body paragraph, containing counterargument (of course, it may
seem that, people say that… etc.);

 Two more body paragraphs, where you disarm the mentoned above counterargument and
prove the relevance of your thesis (but it’s also obvious that, on the other hand, moreover ,
therefore, anyway… etc.)

 Conclusion (here you should summarize the argument, point out the benefts
which may be obtained by following your way, and make an appeal to the
reader).

Stylistic improvements


Actually, it’s the fnal idea you should keep in mind to succeed in writng any
academic paper – essay, research paper, or a speech. As far as all these genres
make part of the academic writng, they have to be done with a glance of the
requirements to this very style.

1. let’s make a list of language paterns to avoid in academic writng:

 Contractons (don’t do not, won’t will not, can’t can not);

 Informal negatve forms (not… much litle, not… many few);

 Phrasal verbs;

 “Run-on” expressions (etc., and so on, and so forth );

 Weak words (really, you know, well, you see, very…);

 Direct questons (they should be transformed into indirect: What is the main
problem about acid rains? In this paper the main problem about acid rains
should be discovered.);

 Personal pronouns (I, we);

 Adverbs at the beginning and at the end of the sentence (Obviously it can be
done by the research center. It can be obviously done by the research
center.)

 Abbreviatons (TV television);

 Conversatonal vocabulary (slang, jargon).

2. you should keep in mind at least several formal words and phrases which
are to be used instead of common ones in academic writng:

 Verbs

Common vocabulary Formal vocabulary
Say no Reject
Climb Ascend
Help Assist
Want Desire
Get Obtain
Seem Appear


Mend Repair
Live Reside
Begin Commence
Need Require
 Nouns

Understanding Comprehension
Chance Opportunity
Lack Defciency
 Adverbs

At once Immediately
Mainly Principally
At frst Initally
On and of Intermitently
So Therefore
Next Subsequently

 Adjectives

Cheap Inexpensive
Wrong Incorrect
Friendly Amiable
Childish Immature
Enough Sufficient
Lucky Fortunate
Mad Insane
Dim Indistnct
Laid back Relaxed
Clear Transparent


Citation or plagiarism?
I hope there is no need to tell you that plagiarizing is BAD. Actually, it’s not
the word to characterize it; beter to make it this way: Plagiarizing is an unworthy
acton with far-reaching consequences because of three reasons: it reveals your
disrespect to yourself, disrespect to your professor, and your devil-may-care
attude towards your future. Let’s make a short overlook of these points.

The f rst one seems to be quite obvious for when plagiarizing you
acknowledge your inability to present your point of view concerning a given topic.
Roughly speaking, you are too fool to have your own opinion or not enough
knowledge to state it in your own words. Then you’d beter vacate a place for a
smarter student who is eager to study and can cope with the tasks. There are some
other possibilites: you are too lazy to use your brain or too busy to spend tme on
thinking and writng, so you prefer to put your name above what was writen by
somebody else. Maybe, all the three situatons look diferent for you, but they are
the same for the university administraton. In this or that way, they show that the
student has no possibility and desire to study. Then what for make him languish in
the university?

The second idea, that is disrespect to the professor, is no less important than
the previous one. It goes without saying that each one of us protects his own
interests, but stll try to imagine the feelings of your professor when he
understands that this essay was totally or partly copied from the Internet sites. It
means, all his eforts spent on explanatons, examples, hints are down the drain.
The student didn’t want even to try, he just copied and pasted pieces of diferent
artcles together, sometmes rather awkwardly. “I had one piece of work so
blatantly cut and pasted that it stll contained adverts from the web page,”
complained one professor from Harvard Business School. What would you have
done on his place?


Finally, if you don’t care about your reputaton and the feelings of your
professor, think at least about your future. It’s true that well-done cheatng is not
easy to recognize, and maybe some two or even three tmes you’ll be lucky to
make it through without being caught. But then you’ll become more and more lazy
to do something yourself and sooner or later you professor will fnd proofs of your
dishonesty. At the best, you’ll be warned and asked to rewrite the paper on your
own; therefore, an appropriate reputaton of a plagiarist will atend you for quite a
period of tme. If not, you’ll be just expelled from the university with all the
ensuing consequences. Isn’t it beter to make an efort and write what you think
about this or that problem, especially with such a great number of guides to make
your work easier?

So, you see that lack of respect to your mental abilites, disrespect to your
professor’s eforts, and indiference to your future are three inevitable features of
plagiarizing. Look through them one more tme to make sure you got the idea. Pay
atenton to the structure as well, for actually the informaton is presented in a
form of an outline, which when developed may become a classical academic essay.

There are some more important things to keep in mind concerning cheatng:

1. Plagiarizing is any kind of using others’ materials without a proper citaton. In
other words, if you copy one-sentence citaton without a reference to its
source, it’s the same thing as if you copy a three-page text: both are
considered to be plagiarism.

2. To avoid plagiarizing, you should document the sources of the borrowed
informaton. The way you do this is presented by the MLA, APA, AMA,
Chicago, Turabian, or Harvard style requirements. In general, the procedure
looks like this: in your paper afer the cited informaton you give the last
name of the author and the page number of the book/artcle where the
borrowed citaton is situated; at the end of your paper you make a list of
sources you referred to in this paper.


Afterword

When following these steps, you can make a nice, well-structured, and well-
balanced academic essay. Try to pay proper atenton to each step for it infuences
the general impression produced by your essay: good structure and poor language
is no beter than vice versa, it should be done in a proper way from all aspects.
Grammar revision is always welcomed too. Good luck and creatve ideas!

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