This document provides an overview of several common essay types and their defining characteristics: descriptive essays use sensory details to convey physical characteristics; classification essays organize ideas into categories; process analysis essays explain how something is done in a sequence of steps; definition essays explain what a topic is and is not; exemplification essays use examples to illustrate concepts; cause and effect essays analyze reasons and consequences; narrative essays tell a story; argumentation essays take a position supported by evidence; and compare/contrast essays analyze similarities and differences between two or more topics. Templates are provided for outlining each essay type.
2. 7 Steps to Effective
Writing
• Free Writing
• Thesis Construction
• Topic Sentences
• Paragraph Development
• Transitions
• Introductions and Conclusions
• Rough Draft
• Peer Review
• Final Draft
3. The Descriptive
Essay
DESCRIPTION- the mode of writing that
appeals most directly to the senses by
showing us the physical characteristics
of a subject
4. Ex. What it looks like, or how it sounds, smells or
tastes.
A good Description shows us characteristics; it
doesn't just tell us about them.
Description is especially useful and ABSTRACT or
vague subject-- such as freedom or truth or death --
more CONCRETE or definite
5. Descriptive Essay Template
• The main physical characteristics of a X ______, ______,
and _______.
• From the perspective of _____, however, X could be
described as_____.
• In some ways, namely _____, X resembles ____; but in
others ways, X is more like _____.
• X is not at all like ______.
• Mainly because of _____ and _____, X give the
impression
of being _____.
• From this description of X, you can see that ______.
6. The Classification
Essay
Classification- the mode of writing that
organizes things into categories and
provides examples of items which fit into
each category
7. The Process
Analysis Essay
PA- the mode of writing that breaks
down a process into a sequence of
actions that lead to an end result,
explaining how.
8. The Definition Essay
Definition- An essay form which describes
what something is and what it is not. The
subject could be concrete objects or
abstract concepts including loyalty, love,
or political messages.
10. Using Examples
Use Examples to Explain
Use Examples to Clarify
Use Examples to Add Interest
Use Examples to Persuade
11. Exemplifying Template
About X, it generally can be said that ______ ; a
good
example would be ______.
The main characteristics of X are _____ and _____,
exemplified by _______, ________, and _______.
For the best example(s)of X, we can turn to _____.
Additional examples of X include____, ______, and
______.
From these examples of X, we can conclude that
____.
12. The Cause / Effect
Essay
CAUSE / EFFECT - An essay form which probes
and analyzes into the causes (rationale,
reasoning and background reasons) along with
the effects (consequences, effects and
outcome) for a particular event, happening,
condition or behavior.
13. The Narrative Essay
• Narrative writing tells a story; it reports “what
happened.”
• There is a big difference between having something
happen and writing about it, between an event
and telling about an event.
14. • Plot
• Narrator
• Setting
• Point Of View
• Your Purpose
• Your Audience
15. Template for Narrating
• This is a story about ______.
• My story takes place in ____ when _____.
• As the narrative opens, X is in the act of _____.
• What happened next was_____, followed by____
and _____.
• At this point, ______ happened.
• The climax of these events was _____
• When X understood what had happened, she said
“_____.”
• The last thing that happened to X was ______.
• My point in telling this story is to show that ______.
16. The Argumentation Essay
Argumentation- An essay form which
investigates a topic, collects, generates,
and evaluates evidence, and
establishes a position on the topic in a
concise and logical manner.
17. The Compare / Contrast Essay
COMPARE / CONTRAST - An essay form
which compares two or more things,
evaluating their similarities and differences.
Compare / Contrast essays are an
excellent mode to introduce
argumentation.
