How to Make a Good Essay

By Nike Putria Ningsih , 0806316215

An essay is usually a short piece of writing which is often written from an

author’s personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements,
including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations
of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition of an essay
is vague, overlapping with those of an article and a short story. Almost all modern
essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays.
Academic prose often requires more than one paragraph. Furthermore,
because academic prose requires evidence, often a single paragraph is not
sufficient for the amount of essential or specific detail to support ideas or
opinions. Therefore, it is often necessary to construct multiple paragraphs. Each
paragraph of an essay, a technical report, a critique or a research paper will have
the same general from : a general topic sentence with controlling ideas, followed
by facts, examples, physical description, and/ or experience that explain, describe,
and/or illustrate those controlling ideas.
The actual writing of the essay consists of six steps:
1. Planning the essay
The first step to writing an essay and possibly the most overwhelming to
some writers is planning the essay. Writers usually have some idea of what they
want to write about. The problem is that now they need to organize their idea and
focus on what the essay will specifically be about.
Brainstorm about the general topic that was chosen to show an even more
specific topic. Write down any key words or phrases that can be associated with
the topic. One of the key words or phrases could lead to a more specific idea for
an essay.
Once a topic has been chosen, the six basic questions can be asked to help
supply information that will be given in the essay and could possibly even help
discover an even more detailed topic for the essay. The basic questions are:
WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW? Now that the basic questions
have been asked, they will need to be answered. Reading about the chosen topic
and finding answers to the questions is the next step. Write down notes or
summarize the information. If direct quotes or paraphrases are used, the source
will have to be cited in the essay. It is important that you can think of three main
ideas that you want to discuss in the essay. If you cannot think of three specific
ideas to discuss, then the topic is too narrow. If your chosen topic is too narrow,
choose a slightly broader topic so specific ideas or details can be listed. For
example, if you planned to write about football field goals and couldn't list many
details about it, choose something like scoring points in football.
Answering the basic questions should have supplied ideas for the thesis
sentence. The thesis sentence is the main idea of the essay. It is the first sentence
that expresses what the essay is about and from what position the essay is written.
The thesis sentence should not merely be about a general topic. It should clearly
show the direction of the essay. The thesis statement tells the reader what the
essay will be about, and what point you, the author, will be making. You know
what the essay will be about. That was your topic. Now you must look at your
outline or diagram and decide what point you will be making. What do the main
ideas and supporting ideas that you listed say about your topic?.
2. Drafting the essay
The first draft of the essay is usually the toughest to write. An essay must
be developed using the notes, summaries, and thesis statement that were
previously written. Paragraphs should be written based on and following the
sequential order of the outline. Contain of outline are :
a. Begin your outline by writing your topic at the top of the
page.
b. Next, write the Roman numerals I, II, and III, spread apart
down the left side of the page.
c. Next to each Roman numeral, write the main ideas that you
have about your topic, or the main points that you want to
make.

 If you are trying to persuade, you want to write your best

 arguments.

 If you are trying to explain a process, you want to write the

steps that should be followed.
You will probably need to group these into categories.
If you have trouble grouping the steps into categories, try using
Beginning, Middle, and End.

 If you are trying to inform, you want to write the major

categories into which your information can be divided.

d. Under each Roman numeral, write A, B, and C down the left side of
the page.

e. Next to each letter, write the facts or information that support that
main idea.

3. Introduction

The introduction consists of the thesis statement and ideas. It should

clearly show the position of the paper without giving too much information. The
introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give her an
idea of the essay's focus.

a. Begin with an attention grabber.

The attention grabber you use is up to you, but here are some ideas:

o Startling information
This information must be true and verifiable, and it doesn't need to
be totally new to your readers. It could simply be a pertinent fact
that explicitly illustrates the point you wish to make.
If you use a piece of startling information, follow it with a sentence
or two of elaboration.

o Anecdote
 An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point.
Be sure your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to your
topic. This can be a very effective opener for your essay, but use it
carefully.

o Dialogue
An appropriate dialogue does not have to identify the speakers, but
the reader must understand the point you are trying to convey. Use
only two or three exchanges between speakers to make your point.
Follow dialogue with a sentence or two of elaboration.

o Summary Information
A few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead the
reader gently to your thesis. Each sentence should become
gradually more specific, until you reach your thesis.

b. If the attention grabber was only a sentence or two, add one or two more
sentences that will lead the reader from your opening to your thesis
statement.

c. Finish the paragraph with your thesis statement.

4. Body

In the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this point comes to
fruition. The topic you have chosen must now be explained, described, or argued.
Each main idea that you wrote down in your diagram or outline will become one
of the body paragraphs. If you had three or four main ideas, you will have three or
four body paragraphs.

Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure.

a. Start by writing down one of your main ideas, in sentence form.
If your main idea is "reduces freeway congestion," you might say this:
Public transportation reduces freeway congestion.
 b. Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea, but
leave four or five lines in between each point.

c. In the space under each point, write down some elaboration for that point.
Elaboration can be further description or explanation or discussion.

 Supporting Point
Commuters appreciate the cost savings of taking public transportation
rather than driving.
 Elaboration
Less driving time means less maintenance expense, such as oil
changes.
Of course, less driving time means savings on gasoline as well.
In many cases, these savings amount to more than the cost of riding
public transportation.

d. If you wish, include a summary sentence for each paragraph.

This is not generally needed, however, and such sentences have a tendency
to sound stilted, so be cautious about using them.

5. Conclusion

The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or

providing a final perspective on your topic.All the conclusion needs is three or
four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review
the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly) or briefly describe your
feelings about the topic. Even an anecdote can end your essay in a useful way.

6. Proofreading and Editing the essay

After the essay is completely written, it is time to proofread and edit the
paper. Read through the essay carefully, checking for spelling mistakes or
grammar and sentence structure errors. Check to see that each of the basic
questions about the topic was answered and that the sequence and structure of the
essay are well written and complete. Once satisfied with the essay as written, it
 Body
Body
Body

can be typed up and completed. Look over the essay as many times as it needs to
be perfect.

Diagram of an essay

Introduction:

 General information

 Thesis statement
Body :
Each paragraph should
Contain :

 A Topic sentence

 Supporting sentences
Conclusion :

 May contain prediction

solution, and recommendation

Reference:

Hayden, Kellie. “Write a Good Five Paragraph Essay”. Style sheet.

http://www.brighthub.com. ( 08 Desember 2009)
Lane, Sarah. “How to Write a Good Essay”. Style sheet.
http://www.classbrain.com. (08 Desember 2009)
English for Nurse II. “ How to write an essay ”. Style Sheet.
http://www.scele.ui.ac.id. (08 Desember 2009)