English Course

exasperating process, but it doesn't have to be. If you

know the steps and understand what to do, writing can be easy and even fun.
Today we will discuss a ten-step process that teaches students how to write an essay.

How to write an essay?

topic, making yourself an expert. Utilize the internet, the academic

databases, and the library. Take notes and immerse yourself in the words of great thinkers.
You will not be able to write intelligently about a topic you know nothing about. To discover worthwhile insights, you'll have to do some patient reading.

How to write an essay?

your topic to familiarize yourself with the basic issues; then

move to more thorough research on the Academic Databases; finally, probe the depths of the issue by burying yourself in the library.
Make sure that despite beginning on the Internet, you don't simply end there.
A research paper using only Internet sources is a weak paper, and puts you at a disadvantage for not utilizing better information from more academic sources

How to write an essay?

keep a piece of paper and pen handy to write

down interesting quotations you find.
Make sure you write down the source and transcribe quotations accurately.

How to write an essay?

read widely in order to gather sources on your topic.

As you integrate research, take a little from a lot -- that is, quote briefly from a wide variety of sources. This is the best advice there is about researching.
When you have a lot of small quotations from numerous sources, you will seem -- if not be -- well-read, knowledgeable, and credible as you write about your topic.

How to write an essay?

start analyzing the arguments of the essays you're reading. Clearly

define the claims, write out the reasons, the evidence. Look for weaknesses of logic, and also strengths. Learning how to write an essay begins by learning how to analyze essays written by others.

How to write an essay?

is possible?
Is the evidence presented sufficient?
What assumptions do the reasons

rest on?
Does the writer commit any logical fallacies?

How to write an essay?

genuine essay-writing brilliance. Ask yourself a dozen questions and answer

them. Meditate with a pen in your hand. Take walks and think and think until you come up with original insights to write about.

How to write an essay?

in a clear assertion that you can write your entire

essay around. Your thesis is your main point, summed up in a concise sentence that lets the reader know where you're going, and why. It's practically impossible to write a good essay without a clear thesis.

How to write an essay?

point and purpose of your essay.
The thesis acts as

the main claim of your paper, and typically appears near the end of the introduction. Unless you have a compelling reason to relocate the thesis from the traditional place, put it at the end of your introductory paragraph.

How to write an essay?

assertion is arguable, ask yourself whether it would be possible

to argue the opposite. If not, then it's not a thesis -- it's more of a fact.
Be specific

How to write an essay?

out. Use one-line sentences to describe paragraphs, and bullet points

to describe what each paragraph will contain. Play with the essay's order. Map out the structure of your argument, and make sure each paragraph is unified.

How to write an essay?

introduction should grab the reader's attention, set up the issue,

and lead in to your thesis. Your intro is merely a buildup of the issue, a stage of bringing your reader into the essay's argument.
Note: The title and first paragraph are probably the most important elements in your essay. This is an essay-writing point that doesn't always sink in within the context of the classroom. In the first paragraph you either hook the reader's interest or lose it.

How to write an essay?

grab the reader's attention. Wake him or her up and

generate some interest about the topic. To grab the reader's attention, you might present . . .
an interesting fact
a surprising piece of information
an exciting quotation
an intriguing paradox
an explanation of an odd term
a short narrative/anecdote (not fiction)
a provocative question

How to write an essay?

single idea that supports your thesis. Begin paragraphs with topic

sentences, support assertions with evidence, and expound your ideas in the clearest, most sensible way you can. Speak to your reader as if he or she were sitting in front of you. In other words, instead of writing the essay, try talking the essay.

How to write an essay?

clear, singular focus to it. If there is an overriding

error students make in writing essays, it is shifting topics within the same paragraph, rather than continuing to develop the same idea they began with. A paragraph is a discrete unit of thought that expands one specific idea, not three or four. If you find yourself shifting gears to start a new topic, begin a new paragraph instead.

How to write an essay?

you keep a tighter focus on your paragraphs than topic

sentences. A topic sentence is generally the first sentence of the paragraph, and it describes the claim or point of the paragraph, thus orienting the reader to the purpose of the paragraph.

How to write an essay?

authoritative quotation
anticipate and respond to counterarguments
back your ideas with more

evidence
offer another perspective to the idea
brainstorm more insights about the idea
elaborate on causes/effects, definitions, comparison/contrasts

How to write an essay?

wrap-up sentence, and then end on some memorable thought, perhaps

a quotation, or an interesting twist of logic, or some call to action. Is there something you want the reader to walk away and do? Let him or her know exactly what.

How to write an essay?

ideas in a clear, summarizing manner. You want your readers

to understand the message you intended to communicate.

How to write an essay?

restate your main ideas -- if you only did that

and then ended your essay, your conclusion would be flat and boring. You've got to make a graceful exit from your essay by leaving a memorable impression on the reader.

How to write an essay?

.
giving a thought-provoking quotation
describing a powerful image
talking about consequences

or implications
stating what action needs to be done
ending on an interesting twist of thought
explaining why the topic is important

How to write an essay?

in-text citation and Works Cited pages, but in most writing

courses, because they fall under the humanities discipline, MLA (Modern Language Association) Style is used.
Format your essay according to the correct guidelines for citation. All borrowed ideas and quotations should be correctly cited in the body of your text, followed up with a Works Cited (references) page listing the details of your sources.

How to write an essay?

writers in your own essay, you must correctly cite in

your text exactly where the ideas or phrases come from. Correctly identifying these ideas and phrases is called "in-text citation," and the page at the end of your essay listing the sources you used is called a "Works Cited" page.

How to write an essay?

principles that will help you correctly integrate sources in your

essay:
Make sure all authors cited in the body of your essay also appear on the Works Cited page.
Only quote catchy or memorable phrases or sentences.
Don't rely too much on the same source.

How to write an essay?

principles that will help you correctly integrate sources in your

essay:
Follow up your quotations with commentary, interpretation, or analysis.
Use signal phrases to introduce your quotations.

How to write an essay?

polished your language by correcting the grammar, making sentences flow,

incorporating rhythm, emphasis, adjusting the formality, giving it a level-headed tone, and making other intuitive edits. Proofread until it reads just how you want it to sound. Writing an essay can be tedious, but you don't want to bungle the hours of conceptual work you've put into writing your essay by leaving a few slippy misppallings and pourly wordedd phrazies..

How to write an essay?