Characteristics of a Formal Essay



Characteristics of a Formal Essay

The principles of writing the paragraph, unity, coherence and emphasis, also apply to the writing of an essay.

a. Unity: it only contains relevant information

b. Coherence: it has a logical arrangement and progression of ideas

c. Emphasis: the important elements of the paragraph stand out

Structure:

1. The Introduction:

• Will capture the audiences attention: A hook such as a quote, controversial statement or rhetorical device may be used

• It will state the authors name and the title of the book

• It will provide relevant background information

• It will contain the main idea of the essay

2. The Thesis:

• This states the main idea that is being argued and outlines what the essay will be about

3. The Body:

• A good thesis statement suggests the way the body of an essay will be developed, thus the body paragraphs will support the thesis statement.

• Each body paragraph will contain a topic and concluding sentence

• The body paragraphs elaborate and prove the main idea

4. The Conclusion:

• Provides a brief summary of the main points of the essay

• Restates the thesis in a new way

• Provides insightful final thoughts

• IT DOES NOT INTRODUCE NEW IDEAS

5. Transitions:

• A good essay uses transitions (words and phrases) to link ideas, sentences and paragraphs

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download