The Essay .com



The Essay

What is an Essay?

An essay is a group of paragraphs that are all centered around a main idea (or thesis).

This means that all the paragraphs are used to support or prove the thesis.

What is an Essay’s Purpose?

To explain

or

To Persuade

or

To inform

How Do You Know the Purpose of Your Essay?

Create a R.A.F.T.S. chart before you start writing. This will help you get the function or purpose of the essay clear in your mind. For example:

R (ROLE): a student

A (AUDIENCE): a principal

F(FORMAT): an essay

T(TOPIC): please cancel the dress code

S (STRONG VERB): Abolish the dress code

What are the Parts of an Essay?

An essay has three main parts:

1. an introduction

2. body paragraphs

3. a conclusion

What is an Introduction?

This is the first paragraph of the essay. It is written to:

▪ introduce the essay

▪ provide the reader with the author’s opinion

▪ grab the reader’s attention so they want to continue reading

What are the Parts of an Introduction?

An introduction has three main parts:

1. a grabber

2. a thesis

3. a sentence of enumeration

What is a Grabber:

A grabber is a phrase that hooks the reader’s attention. Think of it as the first impression you make upon the reader. It should make the reader interested enough to keep reading your essay.

Examples include:

▪ an interesting quote

▪ a surprising fact

▪ a short (2-3) sentence anecdote (personal story)

▪ a question

▪ a statement (“Restaurants should be smoke-free.” )

What is a thesis?

A thesis is the main idea of the essay. It is the topic the essay is about. It is a statement. It is never a question.

Tip:

Do not get too specific too quickly when writing your thesis statement or you will not be able to come up with three different ideas for your essay’s paragraphs. For example:

|A good thesis: |A not-so-good thesis: |

|Restaurants should be smoke free. |Restaurants should be smoke free to protect peoples’ |

| |health. |

|Now my three paragraphs can be about: |Now my three paragraphs need to all be about health. |

|Health of the staff |Health of the staff |

|Health of Patrons |Health of Patrons |

|Setting a positive example for other countries. |Can’t think of anything else “health” related |

Examples of Good theses (plural form of thesis)

Essay Topic: Should all schools in Alberta have a mandatory dress code?

Thesis: Establishing a campus wear policy would be beneficial to all schools in Alberta.

Essay Topic: Should the legal driving age in Edmonton be reduced to twelve years old?

Thesis: Reducing the legal driving age to twelve would put all Edmonton motorists at risk.

What is a Sentence of Enumeration?

A sentence of enumeration lists the main ideas you will be writing about in the essay. For example:

Essay Topic: Should all schools in Alberta have a mandatory dress code?

Sentence of Enumeration: Mandatory campus wear would decrease incidents of bullying, afford students a sense of school pride, and provide parents with a financial savings over the long run.

Example of an Introduction:

In a surprising study of a district requiring school uniforms, it was found that during the first year of uniform use, suspensions decreased by 32 percent, school crime by 36 percent, and vandalism by 18 percent (Cohn). Establishing a campus wear policy would, therefore, be beneficial to all students. Campus wear would decrease incidents of bullying, afford students a sense of school pride, and provide parents with a financial savings over the long run.

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