Essay Writing: Developing Academic Writing Skills in English Catherine Schwerin Designed for use in the obligatory academic writing courses in the second module of studies at the Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik Universität Hamburg Von-Melle-Park 6 20146 Hamburg Germany ©1999 Catherine Schwerin Catherine.Schwerin@uni-hamburg.de Second revision © October 2007 Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 1 Contents Contents 1 Essay Checklists 1 Sample Essays 1 Before you begin 2 Parts of an Essay 5 Introductions 6 Body 6 Conclusions 7 Organising Principle 7 Developing a Paragraph 9 TV Step 1: Preparing 13 TV Step 2: Brainstorming 14 TV Step 3: Organising and Adapting 15 TV Step 4: Final Plan 16 Media Violence Step 1: Preparing 21 Media Violence Step 2: Brainstorming 22 Media Violence Step 3: Organising and Adapting 24 Media Violence Step 4: Final Plan 26 Essay Checklists Checklist: Procedure 3 Standard Essay Outline 8 Readership, content and style 18 Some Useful Links 32 Sample Essays Sample essay on Paragraphs 11 Sample Essay on Paragraphs: examination of structure 12 Simple Essay: The Importance of Television 19 Complex Essay: Violence in the Media 29 Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 2 Essay Writing Before you begin Essays are instruments of communication. Your essay should be a structured treatment of a particular topic, presented in a standard form and in a readable, fluent and logical manner. Your essay is a tool that communicates your ideas (though of course you may be talking about other people’s ideas or even quoting them) and should reflect your interest in the topic. Being able to write essays is an essential skill in your studies and forms the basis of all academic writing. However, to make the most of your essay, there are some things to remember: Check, check, and check again! Develop the text in stages of writing, revising and rewriting. This ensures that the final version of the text flows logically and communicatively towards its conclusion and that unintentional hiccups and breaks in style do not occur. Write from the perspective of the reader. In this manner, aspects of register and style remain more consistent. Plan well and be clear about your topic. Lay the thought basis of the completed text in the introduction, develop the ideas in the body and tie these ideas together in the conclusion. Later you may be writing texts other than essays, so you will also have to pay attention to additional features. Research papers, for example, characteristically have headings, deal with many aspects of a particular theme in some detail, and will use references, frequently in the form of footnotes or endnotes, to relate the contents to the academic context in which the knowledge has evolved. For this sort of writing you will also need to consult a style manual such as the MLA Style Manual to help you. Let's begin now by looking at a checklist of the general procedure for planning and writing an essay. Then we will examine the different parts of an essay before turning to look at how to write one in more detail. Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 3 Checklist: Procedure Taking a systematic approach to essay writing ensures that you thoroughly develop the necessary skills for a meaningful and well-balanced piece of writing. Practise following the steps outlined here. Examples will be provided in the following sections. 1. Preparing:  What is the general subject?  What is the specific purpose of the essay?  Formulate a preliminary thesis statement if possible at this stage 2. Brainstorming:  Write down all the ideas related to your topic, including seemingly bizarre or outlandish ones.  Allow your thoughts free range - you can include sketches, diagrams, tables if necessary. 3. Organising and adapting:  Choose the elements relevant to the specific purpose of your essay and arrange them in thematic groups and these in turn in logical steps. Discard those ideas which do not relate to your purpose.  Adapt the subject to your own sphere of interest and knowledge. 4. Gather material:  Information on your subject.  Quotes, examples that illustrate certain points, references. 5. Make a logical outline:  Plan the structure of your essay, keeping in mind the main purpose. It may help to refer to the essay outline template provided in the following pages. Your outline will serve as a kind of check-list to consult while you are writing.  Note the sub-elements under each particular section heading.  Modify the outline so that it indicates thesis statement, topic sentences and supporting points 6. Check outline  Check topic sentences against thesis statement  Check supporting points against topic sentences 7. Write according to your outline: Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 4  At this stage you are more or less "padding out" your outline. You expand each section heading, fill in the details, provide examples or descriptions, connect the ideas logically.  Who are your readers? This will influence your choice of style and your approach. 8. Check 1st draft:  Check against outline to ensure you have covered all points.  Check grammar and spelling.  Check logic (within the sentence, between the sentences, in relation to the topic sentences, in relation to the thesis).  Check flow (Do the ideas flow or jump around? Is it readable? Is it easy to follow?)  Is the style and the approach appropriate for your target group? 9. Revise draft:  And check again! 10. Write the final version. Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 5 Parts of an Essay Essentially an essay consists of three major parts: the introduction the main body the conclusion Each of these parts has a function. The introduction is intended to lead the reader into the topic and clarify what the essay will specifically deal with. It usually consists of one paragraph, but this depends on the length of the essay and the amount of background information the context requires. The introduction will contain a key sentence (or, if necessary, more than one) that represents the thread running through the whole essay. This sentence is called the thesis statement. The main body deals with the major ideas that support the thesis statement. Each main idea is presented in a separate paragraph (“one notion, one paragraph”) and developed with supporting ideas in the form of explanations, definitions, or similar, and illustrated with examples where appropriate or necessary. The conclusion brings the reader back to the purpose of the essay and draws all the points together before making a final comment on the result of the discussion/argument. Often this final comment will point towards some consequence the discussion may have for the future or make some observation about what the discussion has revealed on a general level. Ultimately an essay will show a progression from a general level (in the introduction) down to the specific (thesis statement and body) and back up to the general level again (conclusion). The reader will be expecting this so it gives your essay a sense of completion. Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 6 Introductions The introduction lays the basis for the whole of the rest of the essay. It should tell the reader about the topic and how the topic will be dealt with. However, an abrupt statement of the topic and the controlling idea makes the readers feel uncomfortable and does not give them time to warm up to the topic. Therefore it is best to lead in to the topic by making a general statement about it, then narrowing the topic down before dealing with the issue itself. Note: Unlike the German “Aufsatz”, the English essay requires that you take a standpoint at the beginning of the essay so that the reader knows what he is to expect. English essays are "reader friendly" and guide the readership through the argumentation. Do not leave the reader guessing about your opinion until the conclusion. This gives the English-speaking reader the feeling that you weren’t sure about your own opinion and that the essay was not sufficiently planned. This means your thesis statement must clearly show your position on the topic. Make a general statement about your topic Narrow down the topic to lead towards your theme State the issue/question you are dealing with State your thesis/ controlling idea for the whole essay Body The body of the essay will contain several paragraphs, each dealing with one major idea that supports the thesis statement. The major idea for the paragraph is given in a topic sentence and all the other sentences in the paragraph are linked to this idea in some form or another. The paragraphs should also contain a transition between the ideas, i.e. moving from the introduction to the first topic sentence and between the body paragraphs. This can be done in sentences or with individual words such as discourse markers (“linking words”). Topic sentence Supporting ideas Examples Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 7 Conclusions In the conclusion you are drawing your ideas and observations together to make your final point. Do not be afraid if it seems like you are repeating your ideas. It is part of the task to remind the reader of your aims and your main discussion points. This clarifies your purpose. However, do not just repeat word-for-word what you have said before. Contextualise what you are saying. Remind the reader of your topic and intention Show the reader how the discussion has underlined this aim (in a way you are summarising the topic sentences of the developmental paragraphs here) State your perspective as a result of the discussion Sum up the whole concept, e.g. by stating what this may mean for the future Organising Principle You can use the standard outline on the following page as a framework when preparing for most kinds of essays. It may have to be varied according to the organising principle and the aim involved, but serves as a solid basis. The organising principle is the logic according to which you put together your ideas. Your choice of organising principle will depend on the effect you want to achieve and the expectations of your readership. For instance: Organising principle Possible effect Least important to most important point Climb in tension to “climax”; dramatic Most to least important The readers are confronted with the most convincing point at the outset; memorable Chronological Narrative effect; familiar structure, easy to follow and remember Reverse chronological Depending on focus, can highlight an issue of change; contemplative Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 8 Standard Essay Outline You can use the following as a checklist. Remember: while you are writing always consider your readership and your aims. In the body you will need to have a clear organising principle. Introduction 1. Introduce general topic 2. Narrow down topic 3. Restate question 4. State thesis (controlling idea)  There are, of course other ways of approaching the lead-in to the issues in the essay. For instance, you could start by introducing the opposite viewpoint (e.g. Many people believe that television is beneficial ) and arrive at your standpoint by pointing out that you do not agree with the other view and indicate why ( However, the harmful effects of television far outweigh its benefits ), which is then expanded in the essay. Body (consisting of several developmental paragraphs) Each paragraph consists of: 1. Topic sentence (topic and controlling idea) 2. Supporting ideas 3. Details  Facts, data, quotes  Examples  Description  Explanation  Comparison, etc. Conclusion 1. Restate thesis (topic focus and controlling idea of essay) 2. Synthesise the main ideas of the developmental paragraphs (restate topic sentences) 3. State your opinion/ preference; give solution; make prediction 4. Final statement (summing thought). This rounds off the essay and brings it back to a general level. Essay-writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg 9 Developing a Paragraph Your essay will consist of a series of paragraphs. Each paragraph is made up of a set of related sentences all connected with a single idea and (apart from the introduction and conclusion, because their purpose is slightly different) is constructed according to similar principles. In order to effectively convey your ideas, each paragraph should contain certain features. It should have a topic sentence, follow a single idea, be appropriately developed, and be cogent. In addition, there is a formal feature to consider: paragraphs in printed publications or in handwritten texts generally have an indented first line to clearly indicate where it begins (thus clearly identifying it as a unit). In some forms of writing, for example business letters, paragraphs are indicated by leaving a line before and after. The preferred form for academic writing is indentation. In any case, this formal feature helps the reader identify and process the ideas. 1. The topic sentence: A topic sentence indicates what idea or argument the paragraph is going to deal with. For academic writing it is most effective if the topic sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph because it makes it easier for the reader to follow the argumentation without having to do additional processing. If you are not yet used to writing in English or are in general an inexperienced writer, it is better for you to place your topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph. 2. One paragraph, one notion: Your paragraph should focus on the idea set out in the topic sentence. You should not introduce other ideas or go off on a tangent. If you have finished an idea, you begin a new paragraph. If your discussion of one idea is going to be lengthy, subdivide your paragraph into two or more sub-notions and link them with new topic sentences / linking sentences. 3. Sufficient development The idea you introduce with your topic sentence should be sufficiently “fleshed out” to get across your idea properly. The way you do this in each paragraph may vary, depending on what you aim to achieve, for instance you might use examples, give definitions, provide data, refer to other authors or quote them, outline causes and effects, compare and contrast, summarise or explain. 4. Cogency: This refers to clarity of thought and argumentation. It is the result of writing coherently and cohesively. It makes the paragraph fluent, logical, and easily understandable. This means putting the ideas in a logical order and using strategies of linking them up. You can do this using: logical bridges: • The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to sentence • An idea is built on from one sentence to the next [...]... than life the media Now you can begin writing the essay following your outline Look at the comments on readership that follow and refer to the essay outline given at the beginning to help you write 28 Essay- writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg Complex Essay Violence in the Media In recent years we have witnessed an alarming increase in the crime rate, especially among... contribute positively to society in education and awareness Now you can begin writing the essay following your outline Look at the comments on readership before you begin If you like, you can look at another, more complex example first in the sections following Sample Essay 1, focusing on the topic Violence in the Media 17 Essay- writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg Readership,... supporting the thesis as they should, you will find you have a readable, clear and well-rounded essay 11 Essay- writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg Sample Essay on Paragraphs: examination of structure Introductory paragraph: • General lead -in to topic • Narrowing focus • Particular issue • Thesis (claim) • General indication of line of discussion An essay is an instrument... formulate a preliminary thesis statement, which will be your guiding thought throughout the essay This need not be your final thesis statement but it clarifies what you intend to show in your essay This is important so that you maintain a consistent line in your discussion and because it needs to be made clear in the introduction what you intend to do in your essay Once you have formulated an initial thesis... is a mini reflection of the structure of the essay step previous paragraph Topic sentence Supporting ideas (details of features) • Parallel as example • • 3rd developmental paragraph: • Linking word • Topic sentence • Explanation Concluding paragraph: • Linking word/signpost • Reminder of thesis • Reference to main points • Bringing reader back up to general level of the topic and context concluding... support the thesis presented in the introduction, you can say that the structure of a paragraph is a mini reflection of the structure of the essay Finally, in the concluding paragraph, you draw your ideas and observations together You remind your reader of your aims and your main supporting arguments, synthesising them (not repeating them verbatim) to make your final point What seems obvious to you... be focused on brainstorming the aspects of this We will proceed as if you were not entirely sure of your view 13 Essay- writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg TV Step 2: Brainstorming Collecting ideas and formulating / refining a thesis Simple example: We can’t live without television If you are not sure yet what you would like to focus on, it is best to brainstorm the topic... paragraph is given in a topic sentence, which, in an academic essay, is usually at the beginning of the paragraph This topic sentence states the topic (i.e who or what) and indicates the controlling idea (i.e how, when, where, why, etc.) All the other sentences in the paragraph are linked to this idea in some form or another Since all the paragraphs (specifically, the topic sentences) in an essay should... the main points and draw them together to support the point you wish to make If necessary, point out what direction your conclusions may lead for future discussion 18 Essay- writing brochure © 2007 Catherine Schwerin IAA Universität Hamburg Simple Essay The Importance of Television To show how the outline fits with the essay itself, I have placed each paragraph next to a basic general outline The points... Step 3: Organising and Adapting Collating, selecting and organising the material Complex example: Violence in the Media Please note, the time you spend on planning and the amount of detail you include will of course depend on constraints such as time or space placed on the essay This essay is being planned in greater detail than you may be required to use However the framework of your essay will emerge . Essay Writing: Developing Academic Writing Skills in English Catherine Schwerin Designed for use in the obligatory academic writing courses in. outline:  Plan the structure of your essay, keeping in mind the main purpose. It may help to refer to the essay outline template provided in the following