English 12th Standard: W.12.

What is an Essay?
An essay is a composition that discusses, describes or explains one topic. It can be serious or funny. It can describe personal feelings or state your opinion, or it can just explain facts.

Major Types of Essays

Persuasive/Argumentative essay. Makes a claim or takes a position and backs it up with statistics, expert opinions, and other evidence. You may review an opposing position and explain why it is wrong and you are right.

Comparison Essay. Demonstrates similarities and differences between two topics. Descriptive Essay. Explains the what, why, how, when, and where of a topic. For example, a descriptive essay about a tree would explain what it is made of, why it grows, when it grows, and so on.

Narrative Essay. Tells a story in a sequence of events. There should be some point, lesson, or idea gleaned from this narrative to make the essay meaningful.
Cause and Effect Essay Cause and effect essays are concerned with why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects). Cause and effect is a common method of organizing and discussing ideas.

The BASIC Structure of an Essay

Paragraph 1: Introduction
- General Statement (Attention Getter)
- Thesis or topic sentence - 3 Reasons - Concluding sentence

Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4: Body

- Reason 1(topic sentence) + at least 3 supporting details) - Reason 2(topic sentence) + at least 3 supporting details) - Reason 3(topic sentence + at least 3 supporting details)

Paragraph 5: Conclusion
- Statement reflecting back on thesis - Restatement of key points - Concluding Statements

MAKE YOUR ESSAY LIKE A HAMBURGER WITH LARGE FRIES S

(The Top Bun) F A C T S R E A S O N S I N C I D E N T S E X A M P L E S

Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce), Detail 2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese) Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce), Detail 2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese) Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce), Detail 2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese)

T A T I S T I C S

FRIES

(The Bottom Bun)

The Introduction (The Top Bun)

I. Introduction
Introductory statement (Attention Getter): -Question, Quotation, Anecdote, Interesting Fact
Thesis statement

Three Reasons
Concluding Sentence

The Body
First Reason Paragraph
Transition topic sentence (MEAT) Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato, cheese) Remember to add FRIES: -Facts, Reasons, Incidents, Examples, and/or Statistics

Second Reason Paragraph

Transition topic sentence (MEAT) Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato, cheese) Remember to add FRIES: -Facts, Reasons, Incidents, Examples, Statistics

Third Reason Paragraph

Transition topic sentence (MEAT) Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato, cheese) Remember to add FRIES: -Facts, Reasons, Incidents, Examples, Statistics

The Conclusion (The Bottom Bun)

III. Conclusion
Transition
Statement reflecting back on thesis Restatement of key points Concluding Statements

Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing

Introduction:
I am a movie fanatic. When friends want to know what picture won the Oscar in 1980 or who played the police chief in Jaws, they ask me. My friends, though, have stopped asking me if I want to go out to the movies. Going to the movies has become a hazardous activity for me. The problems in getting to the theater, the theater itself, and the behavior of some patrons are all reasons why I often wait for a movie to show up on TV. I think it is better to stay home.
General Statements
Thesis Statement Reasons Concluding Sentence

Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing Cont.

Body: Supporting Paragraph # 1 First of all, just getting to the theater presents difficulties. Leaving a home equipped with a TV and a video recorder isn't an attractive idea on a humid, cold, or rainy night. Even if the weather cooperates, there is still a thirty-minute drive to the theater down a congested highway, followed by the hassle of looking for a parking space. And then there are the lines. After hooking yourself to the end of a human chain, you worry about whether there will be enough tickets, whether you will get seats together, and whether many people will sneak into the line ahead of you. Transitional Words
Topic Sentence (Reason 1) Supporting Detail # 1 Supporting Detail # 2 Supporting Detail # 3

Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing Cont.

Body: Supporting Paragraph # 2
Furthermore, once you have made it to the box office and gotten your tickets, you are confronted with the problems of the theater itself. If you are in one of the run-down older theaters, you must adjust to the musty smell of seldom-cleaned carpets. Escaped springs lurk in the faded plush or cracked leather seats, and half the seats you sit in seem loose or tilted so that you sit at a strange angle. Even, the newer twin and quad theaters offer their own problems. Sitting in an area only one-quarter the size of a regular theater, moviegoers often have to put up with the sound of the movie next door. This is especially jarring when the other movie involves racing cars or a karate war and you are trying to enjoy a quiet love story. But, whether the theater is old or new, it will have floors that seem to be coated with rubber cement. By the end of a movie, shoes almost have to be pried off the floor because they have become sealed to a deadly compound of spilled soda, hardening bubble gum, and crushed Jujubes. Transitions Topic Sentence Supporting Detail # 1 Supporting Detail # 2 Supporting Detail # 3

Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing Cont.

Body: Supporting Paragraph # 3 Finally, some of the patrons are even more of a problem than the theater itself. Little kids race up and down the aisles, usually in giggling packs. Teenagers try to impress their friends by talking back to the screen, whistling, and making what they consider to be hilarious noises. Adults act as if they were at home in their own living rooms and comment loudly on the ages of the stars or why movies aren't as good anymore. And people of all ages crinkle candy wrappers, stick gum on their seats, and drop popcorn tubs or cups of crushed ice and soda on the floor. Also, they cough and burp, squirm endlessly in their seats, file out for repeated trips to the rest rooms or concession stand, and elbow you out of the armrest on either side of your seat. Transitions
Topic Sentence Supporting Detail # 1 Supporting Detail # 2 Supporting Detail # 3

Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing Cont.

Conclusion: All in all, after arriving home from the movies one night, I decided that I was not going to be a moviegoer anymore. I was tired of the problems involved in getting to the movies , dealing with the theater itself, and some of the patrons. Because of that, I arranged to have cable TV service installed in my home. I may now see movies a bit later than other people, but I'll be more relaxed watching box office hits in the comfort of my own living room. Transitions Statement reflecting back on thesis Restatement of key point # 1 Restatement of key point # 2 Restatement of key point # 3 Concluding statements

A GOOD ESSAY SHOULD HAVE:

UNITY: An essay is focused if the writer maintains the main idea throughout the writing piece. HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE UNITY? Write a topic sentence that is about the prompt. Every sentence should support the topic. Repeat key words and phrases related to the topic sentence. Do not include information that does not belong. COHERENCE: An essay is organized if it has the appropriate structure-beginning, middle, and end.

HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE COHERENCE? Write an introduction (beginning), a body (middle), and a conclusion (end). Use transitional words to show a flow of ideas between sentences and paragraphs.

A GOOD ESSAY SHOULD HAVE:

Cont.
SUPPORT: An essay has support if the writer uses different details to explain, expand, or develop the main idea. HOW CAN YOU ACHIEVE THIS? Use FRIES (Facts, Reasons, Incidents, Examples, Statistics). Use vivid verbs and adjectives. Use dialogue. Use comparisons. CONVENTIONS: An essay that has good conventions is one that demonstrates correct use of grammar and spelling. Use varied sentences. Use standard Written English. Pay attention to your spelling. Pay attention to punctuation and capitalization. Pay attention to word usage.

ARE YOU READY TO WRITE YOUR OWN ESSAY?

BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR ESSAY, YOU NEED TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THE PROMPT YOU ARE GIVEN.