How To Succeed At Essay Writing

Writing effective essays is a tough job. Sitting there with the topic but staring glumly at a blank piece of paper is something which we all go through, sometime or the other. The deadline is approaching rapidly and you have no clue what to pen down. But a little effort and inspiration can turn the table. The essay is an argument: the task in an essay is not to write a story or to recount a plot. The teacher knows all the information. Our job is to convey a valid argument or present a comprehensive thesis in limited words using specific evidence.

Metaphors and allusions can come handy in the process. You can convey so much more about a scene or character through one allusion or one metaphor. You can save space and still present a thorough argument when you incorporate these writing tools tactfully. English essays are more formulaic than you might think. Let’s see how we can tackle the standardized five paragraph structure:

1. The Introduction:

The principle purpose of the Introduction is to present your position on the topic given to you. The introductory paragraph should grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read further. Give the reader the best first impression possible.

Avoid using Passive voice. Active voice, wherein the subjects direct actions rather than let the actions “happen” to them, is a much more powerful and attention grabbing way to write. At the same time, unless it is a personal narrative, avoid personal pronouns like I, My, or Me. Try instead to be more general and you will have your reader hooked. The introduction should also give a mini-outline which previews the examples you will use to support your thesis in the rest of the essay.

2. The Body Paragraphs:

The paragraphs in the middle of the essay are collectively called body paragraphs and hold the main purpose of spelling out in detail the examples that support your analysis/thesis.

The first body paragraph should show your strongest argument or most significant example and must be directly related to the examples listed in the outline given in the introductory paragraph. Explain why is this example relevant to the analysis and proves it.

Open with a transition that signals the change from one idea to the next but is ideally connected with a common thread which ties all of the body paragraphs together. At the same time, you must avoid unnecessary details and stick to relevant examples and its explanatory details that you will provide with it. It can be hard to summarize the full richness of a given example in just a few lines so make them count.

3. The Conclusion:

Although the concluding paragraph comes at the end of the essay, it should not be seen as an afterthought. The final paragraph represents your last chance to make or break your case. Paradoxically, the conclusion is a second introduction because it does in fact contain many of the same features as an introduction.

The conclusion paragraph can be a challenging part to write effectively but you should take this opportunity to restate your analysis/thesis with confidence. You can reuse the same keywords but try not to copy the whole first paragraph. Instead, try to use this last paragraph to really show your skills by being as artful in your rephrasing as possible.