How to Write an Essay

how to write an essay

How to Write an Essay

Essay writing is something that a person should practice in order to master. That is why it may be useful to browse some helpful tips regarding this task. Writing papers is not a skill that is considered to be important. The teachers often pay little attention to it, giving instructions that are superficial in their nature. Nevertheless, writing an essay requires something more than a set of transitions and a couple of arguments. It is a complex system of notions that is designed to achieve different purposes. That is why writing  good essays is closely connected to planning the arguments themselves. Another important aspect that should be mentioned is communication with the audience. People often have the perception that essays are rarely written to be read by a wide audience. This may be true in the case of a high school essay on a common topic. However, there is a large variety of other possible situations in which  a single essay could be read by numerous people. Next time when you  write a college essay and upload it online, consider the fact that it will stay on the Internet forever and may even be retrieved by people in the future. Therefore, it would be beneficial to develop good essay writing skills. Here you will find everything you need to know about essays and how to write them.

Essay Writing Service

It is worth pointing out that the easiest way to write a good essay involves using services of a specialized agency. One can find thousands of websites via Google if one types in “write my essay for me”. This is not surprising as the world is becoming more and more digital. As a result, essay instructions can be easily shared over the web. This leads to the situation when this kind of work can be “outsourced”. Essay writing service agencies are a new kind of enterprise that provide educational services to its clients. One should not confuse this assistance with cheating, as these people help  clients  develop proper skills. It is possible to find a person online who will offer help writing an essay! One should  keep in mind that there are numerous essay writers whose native language is not English. That is why if a person wants their essay to be written professionally, it may be better to look for  agencies that employ native speakers. Other than that, college essay writing help can be obtained in numerous ways ranging from asking a friend to look through your paper, to consulting books that were written on the subject. Searching “write my essay” should be seen as the last resort under the most difficult of conditions.

Custom Essay Writing

We have already established that there is a way to hire a person to write an essay for you. However, there is one special reservation that should be made: not every agency offers custom essays. It would not be a surprise for you to learn that the curriculum of an educational facility does not change that often. Given the fact that essay writing service agencies have existed for a long time, it becomes obvious that there is a database of essays that have been written by  previous writers. As a result, there is a chance that you may end up with an essay that was written for someone else. A custom essay writing service is above that: every order that is submitted to it will be written from scratch. That is why it may be rather difficult to become a custom essay writer. The writers have to write about the same topic over and over again, but each new essay has to be unique. That is why they call it a “custom essay” after all. The content is customized to meet the  client’s’ needs. Another point that should be mentioned with this regard is that custom writing usually costs more than ‘regular’ writing. This can be justified by the fact that a client will end up with a unique text that has never existed before.

Essay Writers

Who are the men and women who help you write your essay? The answer is simple: they are called “essay writers”. Seems kind of obvious, doesn’t it? At the present moment, this is one of the most popular professions among freelancers of all different backgrounds. It is not easy to become an essay writer. A person has to have perfect English, deep knowledge of the subject, and flexibility of mind. That is why when you want to hire an essay writer, make sure that you hire those of the highest class. This way the quality of the assignment will be nothing short of amazing. However, this does not mean that regular paper writers are not good. One should keep in mind that every premium essay writer used to be a regular writer at some point. So, don’t hesitate to ask an essay writing service about the professional background of the writer assigned to you. This way you will know what to expect. Finally, there is one last aspect that should be mentioned about online essay writers. Each of them is a professional with a distinct personality. Some of them may be willing to do something extra for you, while others will insist on not following the rules precisely. The important point here is to find you own special writer who will help you. Don’t hesitate to explore new writers, and when you find the one who lives up to your expectations, you can be sure that all of your future papers will be written perfectly.

Essay Writing Tips

To begin with, it is worth pointing out that there is no  manual that will teach you how to write a great essay every time. As the old saying goes, only practice makes perfect. Nevertheless, there are some college essay writing tips that are more important than others. First of all, when writing an essay, planning is  key. Many think that you need  inspiration to write an essay, while what you really need is a good plan. It can be schematic, such as:

  1. Introduction
  2. Topic 1
  3. Topic 2
  4. Topic 3
  5. Conclusion.

.. or more detailed. A detailed plan is also called an outline. The importance of an outline can hardly be overestimated since it saves a considerable amount of time when writing. However, it does require a lot of time to write it.

Speaking of other tips for writing essays, one should mention the following: you should know how many words you should assign to each part. This way each part will be proportional. It often happens so, that when people write without a plan, the body is too long, while the conclusion is too short. The key takeaway here is to determine how many words each of those parts need, and to write accordingly.

Types of Essay

When people think about essays, they often overlook the fact that there are several types. Indeed, the latter are written for different situations,  it is natural that they will be different in and of themselves. An important point to keep in mind is that the more a text is aligned with the situation, the more convincing power it will have. This is the fundamental part of a successful essay: know your type, and write accordingly. These are the types of essay that will be analyzed here:

  1. Expository essay
  2. Persuasive essay
  3. Analytical essay
  4. Argumentative essay
  5. Descriptive essay
  6. Definition essay
  7. Narrative essay
  8. Process essay
  9. Critical essay

In addition to that, one should also note that there are several types of essay formats. In the academic environment, essays often use references and headings. They often depend on the field of study and the purpose of the essay. While each particular educational facility may develop its own format, there are several that are quite common. They are:

  1. APA format
  2. MLA format
  3. Chicago/Turabian format
  4. Harvard format.

The major differences between them focus on the format of references, the layout of the title page, and the format of the headings. All this information can be easily found online. There are several guides that offer answers to all of these questions.

Expository Essay

Now, it may be useful to explore what an expository essay is. As one can easily guess from the  name itself, this is a kind of essay that exposes  facts. This does not mean that one is expected to reveal something too personal or controversial. The major part here is that the facts must be presented properly or “exposed” to the audience, hence the name. It is largely seen as one of the most fundamental types of essay and one of the easiest ones to write. There are several reasons for this. First of all, by definition, a writer does not have to argue a particular topic, but merely describe the situation. Secondly, there is a clear structure to every expository essay. By simply filling in the blanks, it is possible to write a decent essay in no time. Another point that should be mentioned with this regard is that an expository essay often supports the neutral point of view on what it being described. Suppose a writer is fond of badgers and writes an expository essay about them. According to the rules, this essay must not feature any emphatic information,  meaning that the description of one’s favorite subject should not differ from the description of one’s least favorite subject. In short, it is quite easy to write an expository essay.

It is worth pointing out that this type of essay is often seen as the fundamental type since it features all of the key elements that will be used in all other types.

Click on the picture in order to see the typical structure of an expository essay. Now, I will explain it in  detail.

expository Essay

This type of essay is often divided into five paragraphs:

  1. Introduction
  2. Body paragraph #1
  3. Body paragraph #2
  4. Body paragraph #3
  5. Conclusion

This is the skeleton of every expository essay. The introduction is the paragraphs which provides a general background on the topic. It gradually narrows down to the thesis sentence which is the essence of the entire essay. It is advised to foreshadow the points that will be discussed in the rest of the paper. The thesis statement is often the very last sentence of the introduction.

Speaking of each body paragraph, one should note that they also follow a specific structure:

  1. Topic sentence.
  2. Supporting example
  3. Analysis of how the example supports the argument
  4. Closing statement.

Since there are at least three body paragraphs, this structure will be repeated over and over again. It is also worth mentioning that the topic sentence and closing statement are always a single sentence. So, if you want your body paragraphs to be longer, work on the supporting examples and analysis.

The last paragraph will also have a distinct structure:

  1. Restatement of thesis
  2. Restatement of body paragraph #1
  3. Restatement of body paragraph #2
  4. Restatement of body paragraph #3
  5. Implications for the future

As you can see, the majority of the last paragraphs is the repetition of  information that has already been expressed. This means that no new information should be added, other than possible implications for the future.

Let’s create a basic structure of expository essay about badgers. The first paragraphs may feature general considerations about the role of animals. Then it may be useful to note that each animal has unique features. The thesis will focus on the three major characteristic features of badgers. Each body paragraph will be devoted to a particular element, for example, the description of the body, the animal’s habits, and its impact on  humans. It will start with a topic sentence drawing the attention of the audience to the  element that will be discussed. Then, some examples should be mentioned. Closing statements should end the discussion of one element and introduce the next one. The last paragraphs will feature the thesis, brief mentioning of the points made in each body paragraphs, and some statement about why it is useful to study animals.

As one can easily see, this is a great expository essay since it describes facts without giving any evaluation of them, follows a predetermined structure, and it is designed to inform the audience about a particular phenomenon.

Persuasive Essay

The second type of essay that will be discussed is a persuasive essay. In order to be able to write one, it is essential to develop a proper understanding of what a persuasive essay is. Just like in the previous example, the name contains some hints about the content.It is safe to assume that this type of essay is written to persuade the audience to adopt the point of view of the author and/or perform a certain action. As you can easily see, this type is dramatically different from the one which was analyzed before as it encourages the writer to express one’s personal opinion about the topic. In addition to that, it is also worth pointing out that a good persuasive essay can be quite emotional. In spite of the fact that appealing to emotions may not always be the best strategy to convince the audience, it may still work on various occasions. Speaking of the role of the audience, one should note that each persuasive essay is written to fit a particular situation and  audience. So, in addition to writing a plan, one should also analyze the people that will read the essay. Given all of this, it becomes obvious that writing a persuasive essay can be slightly more difficult if compared to the expository essay, but it is not impossible.

Let us review how to write a persuasive essay in no time. The first step is analyzing the audience. In spite of the fact that an essay can address a number of topics and be aimed at reaching different kinds of people, it is better to write a text that would be appealing to a well-educated, general audience. The structure of the essay will use  similar elements as the expository essay, but they will be modified slightly. For example, the thesis will take the form of a clear evaluative statement that will set the tone for the entire paper. Speaking of body paragraphs, one should note that topic sentences will also be more direct. In other words, the author should not try to maintain neutrality when discussing the topic. It is worth mentioning that it is still not advised that the text features too much emotion. In other words, while making a statement, the author should know that others may not share it. What is also important is that the reasoning that this type of essays features will be slightly different from  what was discussed before. Other than describing the phenomenon, the author will connect different aspects of it to the thesis statement. This will make it seem that the very nature of the phenomenon supports the point of view of the author. Click on the picture in order to see the basic structure of a persuasive essay.

persuasive Essay

Here is an example of a good persuasive essay. Suppose, an author writes about dogs and cats, trying to persuade the audience that cats are better than dogs. The introduction will feature some background on the topic, following a thesis statement that clearly states that cats are better than dogs because they do less damage to the property, require fewer resources, and fun to play with. As you can see, the author states one’s position regarding cats directly. So, each body paragraph will be used to support this position. If one considers a possible topic sentence, it may take the following forms: “Cats are better than dogs because they can do less damage to property”. It is obvious that this is a somewhat debatable statement, but the author explicitly supports one point of view. Note the fact that this is not done in a way that is disrespectful to the opposite side. So, argument by argument body paragraphs will support the thesis statement. In the end, the concluding paragraphs will feature the following: “Based on the considerations mentioned above, it is clear that cats are better than dogs”. The implication for the future, in this case, will focus on persuasion itself, namely that those people who disagree with the author should change their point of view because the arguments that were mentioned above are quite convincing.

Analytical Essay

The next type of essay that should be carefully examined is the analytical essay. It may be particularly beneficial to take a very close look at the name of this type since it  tells a lot about the content. If one wants to understand what  an analytical essay is, one should understand the idea of analysis first. The latter is an approach that focuses on identifying different aspects of  examining a phenomenon and dismantling them. Therefore, “to analyze” practically means “to take apart”.One should not think about it as a physical action since the  analysis of any abstract concept does not allow for this to take place. The fundamental element of any analytical essay is carefully examining the premises of a particular argument, and focusing on the smallest details of it. In other words, the author expects the audience to have a general knowledge of the subject. That is why this type of essay does not present any commonly known facts about the phenomenon. Quite the opposite: a good analytical essay seeks to uncover something new about a phenomenon that the audience is familiar with. As a result, the extent to which an author is able to make insightful, as well as unexpected remarks about the phenomenon, is the true criterion of whether an essay of this type is good or not.

Now, let’s go through the guidelines that show how to write an analytical essay. To begin with, the author has to be familiar with the topic that is being discussed. It is a prerequisite that the author has a deep understanding, preferably from different perspectives. This is important because it will allow one to uncover aspects that may have been overlooked by the public. Click on the image to see the different layers of meaning.

analytical Essay

The next important element of an analytical essay is methodology. Some authors may be willing to make wild guesses about the true meaning of a phenomenon; however, it is generally expected that the author will be able to come to a conclusion in a logical manner. It is essential for an essay to feature analysis that is transparent. The audience should be able to trace the logic of the author. Furthermore, it is also important that an analytical essay has a thesis that the author will defend. Since there are numerous ways in which a phenomenon can be interpreted, the essay should choose one and prove that it is worth the attention of the audience. However, this claim that the author will defend may never be biased. It may reflect the position of a person, but it should be grounded in logic, not in prejudice. The important thing to stress here is that the author should approach the topic passionately, but adhere to some objective guidelines.

One can easily understand this type of essay if one examines the following example. Suppose a person has to write an analytical essay regarding the poem titles “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas. First of all, the author should read the poem several times and highlight the words or phrases that he or she believes are important. The second step is to formulate a thesis that the paper will defend. In this case, it may be “The author of the poem uses many synonyms to describe death in order to show its variations”. As soon as one comes up with the thesis, one can start writing the essay. The basic structure will be the same: introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the body paragraphs will be devoted to defending the thesis. The author generally expects that the audience is familiar with the poem or will read it before reading the essay. T However, it is essential to quote different parts of the poem in order to provide evidence for the thesis. Thus, the author should show that there are images of night, dying light, and darkness used to refer to the idea of death. All this should lead to a logical conclusion that the author of the poem wanted to explore different manifestations of death in life of a person which is a rather insightful claim about the original text.

Argumentative Essay

There is one particular type of essay that is quite common for educational facilities – the argumentative essay. It is considered to be more complex than others, yet if a student has enough practice, they will be able to master it. The name of the essay is somewhat misleading. Contrary to the name, the author is not expected to provide arguments about the topic, but is expected to engage different arguments, often opposing ones, regarding a topic or an issue. So, the simplest answer to “What is an argumentative essay?” may be the following: it is a collection of views on a topic or an issue that present it from different sides. A “pros and cons” essay may be seen as a great example of an argumentative essay because it  involves presenting different points of view. However, one should keep in mind that not every topic has advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may be difficult to identify polar views on an issue. That is why it is generally advised that the authors refrain from looking for opposite opinions since sometimes there may be none, only some that  diffet to a certain extent. Another point to be mentioned is that an argumentative essay will feature the reasoning of other authors. Therefore, it is crucial to credit the original authors.

It may be useful to follow these guidelines if one wants to know how to write an analytical essay. To begin with, one should write a preliminary plan featuring at least two points of view on the issue. If there is a strict word limit and one is not able to write a lot, it may be useful to keep the argumentation to a minimum. In any case, it is essential to have at least two competing points of view on the topic. Once again, they do not have to be opposing, just different.  The next step is to group different arguments. It is obvious that the proponents of one point of view support it using different evidence. The goal of the author is to collect that evidence and present as clear as possible. Given the fact that a certain point of view  may be shared by different scholars, it may be useful to engage the works of several people in order to gain a proper perspective on the issue. The same should be done regarding the second point of view. While the author can use numerous perspectives, it is often advised that a good argumentative essay should feature at least two. Finally, the last body paragraph should feature the summary of the two points and their brief comparison. Click on the image in order go see the structure of the essay.

argumentative Essay

Let us consider the following example of an argumentative essay. The topic is going to gym to lose weight. This is a quite controversial topic so it will be easy to find opposing points of view on it. The introduction may point out that obesity has become a significant problem and people use different tools to deal with it. Going to the gym is one of the ways that are available to a person. The thesis of such an essay will take the following form: “Going to the gym is generally seen as an effective way to fight excessive weight, but there are some limits to its effectiveness”. The first body paragraph will be devoted to the point of view that states going to gym a viable way to lose weight. It will focus on how exercise burns  calories, improves health, and allows a person to be active. The second body paragraph will represent the opposing point of view. It may point out that there may be medical conditions that will prevent a person from losing weight no matter how much one tries, or that one will not be able to lose any weight because of exercise. The  body paragraphs will show that the two point of view outlines the limitations of the effectiveness of going to the gym, but it still may be useful for those who want to lose weight and do not have any particular pre-existing conditions.

Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay is a type of essay that is often confused with the expository essay. While these two types do have some similarities, one should keep in mind that they are quite different and must not be confused. The major element to be mentioned in this regard is the goal of each essay. As it has already been mentioned before, expository essays serve to present the existing state of affairs of a phenomenon without giving any particular evaluation of it. While a descriptive essay also presents the existing state to a certain extent, it is much more detailed. So, the best answer to “What is a descriptive essay?” is “It is a type of essay that aims to present a phenomenon in great detail”. Indeed, some find it rather difficult to write a descriptive essay because it requires a lot of specific vocabulary. It is true that one may use general words to describe any phenomenon however, in order to write a good descriptive essay, one may be interested in including some proper terms. That is why it may be useful to make some preparations before writing an essay. Another point that should be mentioned is that the description should be made in a logical way. In other words, the author must not jump from one element to another. There should be a master plan that one will follow.

Now, let’s focus on the how to write a descriptive essay. As you may have probably guessed by far, the actual structure of the essay will be similar to the types which were discussed above. There will be an introduction, three or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. One should point out that since this type of essay is primarily aimed at describing the phenomenon, it may be rather difficult to defend a particular thesis since the text will focus on the objective quality of the topic. As a result, the thesis, in this case, will not be something that should be defended, but it will be a statement that outlines the elements that will be discussed further in the paper. Clearly, the major focus of the paper will be on developing proper body paragraphs. It may be useful to devote a single paragraph to a single characteristic. There are two points to be mentioned here: if the word limit of the essay permits, the author may try to describe the phenomenon in great detail, but on the other hand, if word limit is not that big, then it may be useful to focus on three characteristic features of the phenomenon. It is also important to mention them in the topic sentence as this will help the audience  browse through the text.

Now, let us consider a possible example of a descriptive essay. One should point out that this type of essay may focus on any phenomenon or object ranging from a material object to the most  abstract of ideas. It is quite understandable that material objects are the easiest to describe. Suppose a person needs to write a descriptive essay regarding the Last Supper by Da Vinci. The introduction should feature some information about the author, the work, and the historical context. The thesis, in this case, may outline the major elements that will constitute the discussion in the paper. For example, the use of perspective, the presentation of the Biblical characters, and the use of colors. It is obvious that one may spend the entire paper describing every single element, so it may be useful to group them so that they may be presented easier. For example, when  the perspective is described, it will mention the position of each character,  providing  insight about the spatial dimension of the painting. The same can be said about the use of color. When discussing what color the clothes of each character is, the author  provides a broad overview of the painting. The concluding paragraph may feature a summary of the body paragraphs and use general terms to show what each of them described. For example, it may refer to the elements of art and show how they were manifested in the painting.

Definition Essay

There is one particular kind of essay that is not widely used in many subjects, but is particularly useful for some. It is called a definition essay. The answer to “What is a definition essay” lies in the very name of the term.  There are several points that should be stressed  in order to gain a proper understanding of it. A definition essay has a clear and straightforward goal. It is written to develop or reflect on a definition of a certain phenomenon. The major point here is that the content of the definition is explored, not the phenomenon itself. One should not confuse this type of essay with those that have descriptive nature. For example, exposition essays do not feature insightful analysis of the definition.To a certain extent, definition and descriptive essays are similar as they pay a considerable amount of attention to one particular aspect of a phenomenon, even though their application is dramatically different. The former focuses on the abstract nature, that is the definition of the phenomenon, while the latter deals with characteristics. It is worth mentioning that definition essays are common for sciences that put a significant emphasis on abstract matters as the slightest difference in word choice can change the perception of the phenomenon.

If one wants to learn how to write a definition essay, one may follow the guidelines that will be discussed in this section. First of all, it is essential to find a good definition. One of the best sources include dictionaries as well as peer-reviewed articles. One should note that sometimes the author may be interested in developing their own definition of the phenomenon. In this case, the working definition will become the thesis of the paper. One would make no mistake arguing that every definition has certain keywords that it relies on. It would be logical to assume that these keywords will become the points which will be discussed in the body paragraphs. Clearly, a definition may have more than or less than three keywords that it will rely on. It is generally advisable that the number of characteristics that will be discussed is limited to this number. Furthermore, it is advised that each body paragraph feature several examples that would support the major claim. In this case, the audience will see that the author does not adjust the fact to the theory, but vice versa. The concluding paragraph will feature the full definition that was developed by the author or a reflection on the existing definition.

Let us consider the following example in order to gain a proper understanding of the issue. Suppose a person was given the task to write on the definition of free trade. It is quite obvious that one can open a dictionary and look up the definition of it however, a good definition essay would try to come up with a unique definition based on the characteristic features of the phenomenon. So, the introduction should feature some considerations about the role that free trade plays in the contemporary world and how important it is to develop a proper understanding of it. The thesis should feature the working definition of free trade which was developed by the author beforehand. There will be three major aspects that will be highlighted in the thesis and each of them will become the major element of each body paragraph. The structure of the body paragraphs is simple. In the very beginning, the characteristic that will be discussed should be mentioned. Then, the example that supports this feature should be  provided. Then, the author should conclude that this feature is important for the understanding of the phenomenon of free trade. The concluding paragraph should feature the full definition that was adjusted after each of the keywords was properly examined. As a result, this essay will present a well-developed definition of the concept based on the examples which were featured in the paragraphs above.

Narrative Essay

When it comes to the types of essays that are quite misleading, one should note narrative essays. Some might suggest that this may be one of the easiest types of essays because it simply presents a narrative in the form of an essay. However, the people who support this point of view have never asked themselves “What is a narrative essay?” It is true that some believe that the major hint is found in the very name. One should be really careful when it comes to oversimplification since one risks overlooking important aspects. It is true that the major focus of this type of essay is the narrative. However, if some guidelines are not adhered to then the essay will turn out to be a story. This is exactly what a writer should to avoid. There is great temptation to focus on the narrative entirely, but this will have a negative impact on the fundamental elements of the essay. This type may be compared to a hybrid of a narrative story and an expository essay. On the one hand, it tells a certain story that the audience will focus on, while on the other hand, it is structured in a peculiar way that sets it apart from other writing. Therefore, the author should not be deceived by the simplicity of this type as it is quite easy to make a mistake.

Now, it may be useful to learn how to write a narrative essay. To begin with, one should keep in mind that one is not writing a story, one is writing an essay. That is why the fundamental  elements must be present. This means that the actual narration should not start until the first body paragraph. When writing the introductory paragraph, it may be important to provide a certain background to the story so that the reader knows what the essay will be about. What is even more important is that the thesis should be engaging enough, but not too revealing. Otherwise, it will not be interesting for the audience to read the essay. Speaking of the body paragraphs, one should note that they should reflect the major development stages of the story. Some might suggest that the five paragraph structure might resemble the classic model of plot development. This means that the introduction will correspond to the exposition, the first body paragraph – rising action, the second body paragraph – climax, the third body paragraph – falling action, and the conclusion –  resolution. Nevertheless, it may be useful to devote the first two body paragraphs to rising action and present the climax and the exposition. As a result, this will make the narration even more interesting and the attention of the audience will be maintained longer.

It may be useful to apply  this theory to a concrete example. Suppose a person was given a task to write a narrative essay about one’s field trip. First of all, it may be important to write down the plan of the field trip and outline the important events that happened during  it. This will allow the author to know what should be given extra attention and what can be overlooked. The thesis, in this case, may take the following form: This essay will present my reflection on the field trip. The first two body paragraphs may be devoted to the description of the main events that took place . It is true that it may not be useful to pay too much attention to some trivial details regarding traveling or the place of action. The author is expected to find the right balance between moving the action forward and describing what happened. Speaking of the climax, there may not have been any climax in the field trip, so the author should identify one particular aspect that should be mentioned as the most important one. This aspect will be presented in the third body paragraph. Speaking of the conclusion, one might suggest that it is useful to provide the summary of the trip and make the audience develop a broad picture of what happened.

Process Essay

Some types of essays are designed to serve a particular purpose that is often well defined. Thus, when a person reads an argumentative essay, one may have the goal of developing a proper understanding of a phenomenon.. Contrary to that, a process essay always has a clear application. So, let’s see what is a process essay. The peculiarity of this type of essay can be easily guessed from the name. This is a piece of writing that describes a process. Nevertheless, one should not confuse it with the descriptive essay. In spite of the fact that the two have many similarities and primarily aim to provide a thorough description, the ultimate goals are quite different. A descriptive essay primarily focuses on the actual description, trying to create a comprehensive image of a phenomenon or an issue in one’s head while a process essay tries to convey some knowledge about a certain activity. Therefore, the goal of this type of essay is to help a person perform an action that one may not have a sufficient amount of knowledge of. It goes without saying that the author has to have extensive expertise in what is being written about. It is unacceptable to copy and paste the existing instructions or paraphrase what other people have already said about the issue. Therefore, it is essential to point out that the author is often expected to share their own experience or at least comment on some common mistakes that should be avoided.

If one wants to know how to write a process essay, one should follow these steps. First of all, it may be useful to write down all of the steps of a particular operation or action. Then, the author should group the steps so that they form certain categories, like “preparation”, “execution” and so on. These categories will form the body paragraphs of the future essay. It is extremely important to take into account all the possible situations that may occur while performing the action in question. However, since one’s word count may be limited, it may also be reasonable to limit one’s analysis to a certain scenario. For example, performing a certain action under normal conditions. After all the steps are outlined and grouped, the author may start writing. Once again, the standard structure will be relevant. The introduction provides the background of the issue and spells out the requirements, the body paragraphs represent the actions that should be taken, and the conclusion provides some remarks and advice. Ideally, any person will be able to perform a certain action after reading the essay, so it is expected that the language will be precise, and not particularly sophisticated so that it can be easily followed.

The best way to learn how to write such an essay is to take a close look at the examples. Suppose a person was given the task to write a process essay that depicts the process of frying eggs. While many may believe that this is a rather simple task, it is advised that the author writes a plan prior to writing. This plan should list all the actions required and the groups that they correspond to. Let’s agree that there are three major groups: preparing the ingredients, the actual action of frying the egg, and serving. The introduction paragraph will feature some general information about frying eggs, calling it one of the easiest dishes that one could prepare. The thesis statement, in this case, will be quite simple: This paper will describe the process of frying eggs. Then the first body paragraph will describe what is needed to fry eggs: a frying pan, several eggs, oil, salt, pepper, and so on. It is essential to mention all the ingredients that will be mentioned in the further paragraphs so that the audience is well-prepared to follow the instructions. The second body paragraph will be the most important because it will describe the process of frying eggs. The author should be able to find the right balance between precise and sophisticated words. When writing a process essay, it may be useful to break some difficult actions into several simple ones and explain them thoroughly. The third body paragraph may feature some comments about serving. Finally, the concluding paragraph will provide a quick summary of the actions.

Critical Essay

A critical essay is one of those types of essay that are quite misleading. On the one hand, some might suggest that the purpose of this essay is to criticize something, but this is not always,the case. On the other hand, some may confuse this type of essay with analytical essays. Given all the peculiarities of meaning that were mentioned above, it may be useful to determine what is a critical essay. The key point here is reflected in the name and it is “criticism”. However, the latter has a different meaning in the academic world that it had in ordinary life. It is not something that is related to expressing negativity, it is more related to evaluating the phenomenon. This particular aspect makes this type of essay quite unique since it is one of the rare types that requires an evaluation of the topic. Sometimes the latter may be subjective and will reflect the views of the author completely. It may also be based on the view of other scholars, thus presenting a discussion of the topic. The main idea is that a critical essay will focus on the strong and weak sides of a particular topic.

Those who are wondering how to write a critical essay may be interested in the following guidelines. First of all, it is essential to determine the position that the author will defend. In order to do so, one should carefully examine the topic and highlight important aspects of it. This way, the author will be able to see the strong and weak sides of the topic and describe them in the essay. It is generally expected that they should be grouped evenly. Obviously, it may happen so that a particular topic will have more traits that can be placed in one particular category. However, it is essential to achieve objectivity by addressing the issue from different points of view or trying to balance the positive with the negative aspects. Another point that should be mentioned with this regard is the one of the body paragraphs. They should be devoted to examining how the different aspects that were identified above interact with each other. It rarely happens that a topic has only positive or only negative traits. Therefore, it is expected that the judgment will be supported by  examples. The latter is particularly important since it shows that the evaluation is grounded in some evidence and the audience will be easily convinced by it. As a result, the author should gather substantial basis that will be later used to prove the point.

Consider the following example of a critical essay. Suppose a person was asked to write this type of essay about one of Shakespeare’s sonnets. The introduction, in this case, will feature some information about the poet, though he is widely known, the actual text, and feature the following thesis statement: The sonnet that Shakespeare wrote has both positive and negative aspects to it. The first body paragraph may be devoted to the examination of the merits of the poem. For example, vivid images, excellent rhymes, and so on. The author should focus on the advantages of the text by providing the examples from it, thus convincing the audience that there are some merits. On the other hand, the second body paragraph may deal with the weak sides of the sonnet. For example, some of the images that were clear to Shakespeare are no longer understood by  modern people. Another point that should be mentioned is the language: the original is written in old English and it must have been rendered to fit the modern rules of grammar. Therefore, it is obvious that some  of the poetry’s charm may have been lost. The third body paragraph will be devoted to the interplay between the advantages and the disadvantages of the poem, saying that while there are some shortcomings, it is still quite moving. The conclusion will provide a summary of the two points of view on the poem.

Compare and Contrast Essay

The last type of essay that will be discussed in this paper is the compare and contrast essay. It is quite obvious that one will be able to identify a lot of other types. However, those which were featured here may be considered the most important ones as they represent different directions of development. Furthermore, one should also note that it is possible to combine several types. Nevertheless, this is rarely required. A good essay often sticks to a single paradigm. The goal of a compare and contrast essay is revealed by its name. This also leads to an important requirement: there must be at least two items since otherwise, it will be impossible to perform the actions required. One should also keep in mind that compare and contrast essays may be deceivingly easy. That is why people often make mistakes while writing them. For example, they may choose two topics that are incomparable. Some believe that this shows the mastery of the author since one is able to find a relationship between two seemingly different topics. However, it is generally advised that those phenomena that will be compared have a least something in common. That is why the author should have a clear goal in their mind before starting this type of essay. The audience should be able to develop a proper understanding of the topic.

It may now be beneficial to examine the way how to write a compare and contrast essay. To begin with, it is essential to mention one important thing. It is crucial to group the characteristics of different topics together. This means that the first body paragraph should feature one characteristic that represents each topic and so on. There is another way to write a compare and contrast essay: the first several body paragraphs will focus on the similarities between the two topics, while the following body paragraphs will deal with the differences. However, once again, the differences should be grouped together. What is even more important is that a person should have a clear plan about what one would like to write about. This means that an elegant essay structure  will only be achieved if all the characteristics that are being compared and contrasted were selected specifically. It goes without saying that if there are several characteristics that can be identified in two topics. Furthermore, one should not forget that it is not only material objects that can be compared, but abstract ideas  as well. The major point to keep in mind is that the process of comparison should be thought through beforehand. It is essential to have a plan to write this type of essay.

Let’s explain a compare and contrast essay using the following example. Suppose, one has to write a paper about cats and dogs. Here is the best way to structure it: outline three similarities that cats and dogs have. Then, think about three differences that they have and how each difference is manifested. The introductory paragraph may focus on some general remarks about pets as well as that people often fall under one of two categories. As a result, the thesis statement may be taken the following form: It may be useful to compare and contrast cats and dogs as pets. The first three body paragraphs will be devoted to three characteristics that cats and dogs have in common. For example, they both are pets, they can provide emotional support for their owner, and a person is equally responsible for them. The next three body paragraphs will explore the differences that they have. For example, dogs need to go for a walk every day while cats can live at home and never leave. Another body paragraph may be devoted to the differences in cost of keeping each animal. It is essential that the differences should be examined in pairs. Otherwise, there will be two separate essays in one. The concluding paragraph will summarize the comparison of the two animals, pointing out that there are similarities and differences that the owners have to keep in mind.

MLA Format Essay

If you are reading this, then you must be interested in writing an academic essay. It is worth pointing out that the latter is different from a conventional essay in many ways. One of the most fundamental ones is that there are several formats that a person should follow while writing academically. MLA is one of several that are widely used in the academic world. Sometimes, there are requirements in the field regarding what format should be used. For example, MLA is primarily used in social sciences. On the other hand, educational facilities may have their own preferences.

In order to understand how to write an essay in MLA format, one should develop a proper understanding of what a format is. Simply put it is a set of rules that guide the way in which the essay will be presented, namely its layout. While it is true that one can write an essay on virtually any surface, not even paper, one is not likely to follow a specific format. MLA,  which stands for Modern Language Association, developed a set of rules that the authors are expected to follow. One of the most important elements of MLA format is the way it handles references. On the one hand, it follows the general pattern when the author, the name of the publication, the container, the publication, the date, and the pages are mentioned. However, there are some very specific rules about it. They will be explained in the section that is devoted to the template.

The next important element to be mentioned is MLA format essay heading. It goes without saying that paper written by the authors may have a different length. So, it is possible to write a one-page essay in MLA and a hundred-page essay using the same format. However, it is generally expected that if the length of the essay is more than several printed pages which equal to appropriately 825 words, the essay should have headings. The latter are used to divide the content of the text and make sure that the audience is able to navigate through it easily. One should also keep in mind that there may be headings and subheadings. Given the fact that one can come up with a great number of subheadings, there is literally no limit to them. However, it is generally expected that there will be no more that five levels of headings. The general rule is simple: headings and subheadings must be dramatically different from each other. For example level 1 heading may be centered and bold. Level 2 heading may be flushed-level and italics. Level 3 heading may be underlined and all caps. The main point here is to make sure that the audience is able to distinguish one from another.

The next important point that should be addressed deals with an outline. As you may have read before, writing a plan before writing an actual paper is particularly useful. Nevertheless, when a person has to submit the plan, it should take the form of an outline. The latter is a succinct expression of ideas that are mentioned in the essay that follow a specific pattern. Some find it easier to write an outline and then write a paper, while others believe that the best way is vice versa. The important point is that the structure of the outline should reflect the structure of the essay. So, MLA format essay outlines should take the following form. The points in the outline will have a corresponding level that is expressed by roman numerals, then capitalized letters, then Arabic numerals, and then lowercase letters. It is possible to include the fifth level that may be expressed by numerals inside the parenthesis. However, it is generally agreed that four levels is more than enough. Click on the image to see a sample.

mla format essay

It is also worth pointing out that the author is expected to write the thesis statement before the outline. So, though it will be found only at the end of the first paragraph, it should be featured before the introduction in the outline.

If you need to find MLA essay template, the best place to look for is the website of Purdue university. It is true that one may be willing to access the website of Modern Language Association. However, it is worth mentioning that Purdue university always has up-to-date information about various essay formats. Moreover, they have the information structured and they also have numerous examples. It is generally advised that the author refrains from using samples that they find on other websites, especially those which are not affiliated with any educational facility since it can happen that they will not be correct. Another important point to be mentioned about the template of this format is that title page is rarely needed, althougha professor may ask the students to write it. The author is expected to put their last and first name, then the professor’s name, class, and date. All this should be flushed left. The title should be on the next line and should be centered. One should also keep in mind that it is generally expected that each page will have the name of the person who wrote the paper in the top right corner and the indication of the page.