How To Write an Essay Explained: Key To Success
Are you looking for a complete guide on how to write an essay?
If yes, you have made it to the correct article, where you will learn the A-Z of writing an essay. You will be learning how to write an essay for beginners.
So, if you are excited to learn, stick around until the end.
1. The Basics of Writing an Essay
From primary school to high school, and for college admissions, essays play a massive role. The essays that the primary students have to write are basic and straightforward, and the word limit is also less.
Essays are a good way of articulating one's thoughts on paper, defining them with words, and composing them into meaningful sentences.
An essay has three parts - the introduction, the main body, and the conclusion. Every part of an essay has its significance. Students need to structure their essays properly or mess up the meaning of every part to retain valuable marks.
The introduction of an essay, just like the word suggests, is the introductory part of the topic. You introduce the topic in the first paragraph of your topic.
When you read an article or an essay where the topic is unknown, would you want the writer to talk about their opinions at the very beginning of the essay? No, right? Thus, it is best to always introduce the topic adequately in the essay's first few sentences.
After introducing the topic, you can change the paragraph and start writing the main body. The body is the middle part of an essay, where you start writing about your opinions or diving deeper into the topic. The paragraphs of a body should be short so that the readers can enjoy reading your essay.
The body of an essay is the longest part of the essay. It takes up the maximum number of words from the word limit as the topic.
Refrain from finishing your essay with just the body. Writing a conclusion is equally important as writing an introduction. You need to conclude your thoughts in one or sometimes more than one paragraph.
Writing a conclusion gives a proper completion to the essay. The conclusion concisely summarizes the essay and provides a gist to the readers.
2. How To Write An Essay Introduction?
An introduction is where the essay begins. The first two sentences of the essay should immediately steal the readers' attention. If those first sentences are not attractive, the readers will not be interested in reading your essay. Your professor or teacher may even deduct marks.
The introduction of an essay creates the first impression for the professors or readers. You must impress your reader through the first few lines of your writing.
Through these lines, your readers will determine whether your essay is worth reading. Your marks distribution depends on how engaging your piece is and if it has solid and essential points regarding the topic.
The main thing that you should remember before writing the first lines is that you should mention an overview of your topic, and through that, you should let them know that you have understood the topic properly and your thought process should reflect from the sentences.
It should be crisp and to the point. You can go deeper into the topic in the body section, so do not elaborate on your argument in your introduction.
Read the topic of your essay correctly and draw a road map in your mind of how you will state your argument. If the topic has two options where you need to choose one, you can explain both points in your introduction.
That way, it will be apparent to the professors that you have understood the concept, and it will be advantageous to you in terms of marking. You can start your essay with quotes or quirky remarks to grab the reader's attention.
Imagine your essay is a YouTube video. The first thing that your viewer will notice is your thumbnail. If the thumbnail is not attractive, your viewers might skip your video, even if your content is mind-blowing. So focus on creating a fantastic introduction that will crisply entail your views and opinions.
Generally, the introduction is limited to just one paragraph. But it will depend on your topic's intensity and the word limit. A two-paragraph introduction will suffice if you have an extended essay to write and your topic is also heavy.
But again, be careful to keep the introduction's main content intact. Maintain the suspense and take the reader to the essay's body.
3. How To Write A Comparative Essay?
A comparative essay is one of the most common types of essay that students come across in their school days. The structure of the essay remains the same. You still have to write an introduction, body, and conclusion.
As the name suggests, a comparative essay has two options: you must stick to one point while explaining both sides.
4. Steps To Writing A Comparative Essay
Step 1: Make Sure You Understand The Topic Correctly Before You Start Writing
The first step of writing a comparative essay is understanding your question correctly. Re-read the question a few times before you get a good grasp of the topic. Specific topics demand a clear understanding of the theme.
On the other hand, particular topics require you to make a clear comparison or difference between your given choices.
You need to explore your thoughts on both of the choices that you receive. Think of all the possibilities that you can explore in your individual decisions. You can jot down your ideas on the question paper if you want.
This will help you remember every point while writing because you will have limited time to write such a considerable essay.
Step 2: Give Equal Importance To Both of Your Choices
You might notice that you have more opinions on one of the choices. But try to put equal weight on both texts. There will be both similarities and differences between the two points. So be careful that you stay within one point.
It is obvious to have an opinion on one of the choices but explore both choices equally. Address both of the texts while you are putting your opinion on one. You can mention quotes to oppose the other text.
Step 3: Feel Free To Mention Both Similarities And Dissimilarities
Before you start writing, jot down minor points of similarities and differences. It entirely depends on your topic regarding finding similarities and differences. You might get a case where you will find more similarities than dissimilarities. However, make sure to mention points of contrast.
Doing so will make your essay beautifully structured and do the topic justice.
Step 4: Usage of Linking Sentences And Words
When you explain similarities and dissimilarities, you will notice that many paragraphs present a single point from each choice. So, it is better to use linking words like "similarly, along the same lines, likewise" when discussing the similarities.
And to explain the similarities, you can write "nevertheless, on the contrary, unlike, on the other hand, and however". Through this, you highlight your English language skills, and your thought process will be straightforward. Thus, nobody can stop you from fetching good marks.
4. How To Write An Analytical Essay?
An analytical essay is an essay where you analyze a given point. An analytical essay can revolve around topics of historical events, arts, music, scientific research, literature, cultural events, and philosophy. It gives a proper explanation to the readers regarding a topic so they can understand it better.
An analytical essay covers arguments, explanations, a clear idea of the topic, opinions, similarities, and differences. Here is how to write an analytical essay:
Step 1: Choose One Path of Point of View
You need to have a centralized idea so that you can follow that trail all along while writing your essay.
Your point of view should be evident throughout your essay. Refrain from walking around different points of view because this will not only confuse you while writing but will also confuse your readers.
Step 2: Your Introduction Should Hook The Audience To Read Your Essay
Like any other essay, you should pay special heed to your introduction. For the introduction of an analytical essay, it is essential to mention your point of view in the first sentence. But you should write it clearly and crisply.
Write your first sentence in a way that sparks the interest of your professor.
Step 3: Divide The Body of Your Essay According To Your Opinions
The body of your essay should entail all the details of your topic. Divide your paragraphs accordingly to explain every opinion. Create different paragraphs for your differences and similarities and a separate paragraph for your ideas and suggestions regarding the topic.
Refrain from mixing two different things in one paragraph. Separating the paragraphs will make your essay look neat.
Step 4: The First Line of Every Paragraph of Your Body Matters
When dividing paragraphs per your opinions, the first line of every section should give an overview of the rest of the paragraphs.
Though it is an obvious point, many students need to write a clear first sentence.
Step 5: Give Plenty of Examples
When you give your opinion, you should base it on something you have read. Feel free to mention those pieces of evidence along with your views. An analytical essay is like an academic study. Thus, you should amalgamate both your opinions with solid evidence.
If you want to take your essay to the next level, use footnotes and endnotes.
5. On A Concluding Note
Writing an essay may feel like a piece of cake, but it has many layers. You must understand what kind of essay you need to write. Then, it would help if you structured your essay in a way that does not look cluttered but with your opinions and ideas.
One thing that you should also look out for is staying within your word limit. It is advisable to end your essay within the exact word limit.
All the best!
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