Old Pueblo Academy

Helpful Essay Writing Tips

Essays normally involve putting together a lot of information together in a short paper. Some writers get the hang of it, but others need help. The following are some of the helpful essay writing ideas.

Preparation

In any job, the amount of preparation done before hand determines how good the job turns out. Preparing for essay writing is no exception. If the topic is not given, it is crucial to choose the right topic. The topic should be one that the writer is most comfortable and conversant with. The preparation phase also involves looking for information on the topic given and listing them down, preferably in the order of relevance.

Type of essay

There are many types of essays, and the choice of essay normally depends on the topic one writes about. If the topic is comparing two or more things, then the appropriate essay type could be a comparison essay. If it is describing a phenomenon then a descriptive essay could do the trick. Arguing a point could require the argumentative approach, and so on. The type of essay chosen determines how well one puts across their points, how they communicate with their audience and how much they are understood.

Structure

The structure of an essay sometimes depends on the type of essay one has chosen, but in many of them, the basic structure of introduction, body and conclusion is followed.

Introduction

When writing the introduction, a brief introduction of the topic should be included. If it is a contentious topic or argument, then perhaps the history of the topic should be included. The introduction also outlines the purpose of the essay, how one intends to argue their point or the thesis topic. Sometimes, a useful tip is to write the introduction after finishing the essay. This way, one knows exactly what they are introducing. Sometimes, the essay takes a different direction from the one the writer was anticipating before they began writing.

Body

The body of the essay should contain all the relevant information on the topic in order of importance to the argument or topic. The points should be arranged logically and in firm language that is not vague. The writer should avoid being redundant and repetitive. If there are two sides of an argument, then the writer should acknowledge the opposing side, and state convincingly why they think the opposing views are not right.

Conclusion

The conclusion should be a brief overview of the paper, restating the point of view taken throughout the paper.

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