Topic: How to Write a Good Essay ClassBrain Visitor: How do I write good essays? Thank You, Cortnie ClassBrain Response: Hi Cortnie and thanks for stopping by ClassBrain.com! What a good question! Even after graduating with a degree in English and writing hundreds of papers I still rely on one single thing to help me write the best possible essay I can . . . an outline. See, the problem with most essays is that the content is disorganized. You may have great ideas and facts that you want to write about, but somewhere during the writing process you start mixing them up. Suddenly your perfect paper sounds all wrong and you want to scream! I've found that the best papers I've ever written (meaning my A papers) have all started with a good, solid outline. Once you have an outline down, your paper writes itself. Your thoughts are organized and the teacher can understand your main point (which is your thesis) and how you supported that point. A focused paper is the key to writing a good essay. Here's the format for the outline I usually follow: I. Topic / Title II. Introduction of Essay A. Write a few sentences that lead into the main point of your essay B. End the paragraph with your thesis statement (3 main points you are going to support) 1. First point in thesis 2. Second point in thesis 3. Third point in thesis III. Body of Essay A. Topic One - First Point in Thesis 1. Support your point with either quotations or solid evidence 2. Have at least five sentences B. Topic Two - Second Point in Thesis 1. Support your point with either quotations or solid evidence 2. Have at least five sentences C. Topic Three - Third Point in Thesis 1. Support your point with either quotations or solid evidence 2. Have at least five sentences IV. Conclusion A. Write a few sentences summarizing your essay B. Restate your thesis and how you proved your point Once you fill in the blanks to this outline with your topic and information, the rest is easy! Make sure to check your spelling and punctuation, and then you're good to go! Thesis Statement for Essay The main task of the thesis statement of any essay is to show the reader the author’s position on the discussed topic. It is the argument of the highest priority for the essay due to the fact that it is the thesis statement that is to be proven throughout the paper. In the thesis statement the author makes his own point in the context of the essay topic and delivers it to the reader by means of a logical chain. It is usually presented in one single sentence Do You Need A+ Essay ? Order a Custom Essay $9.95 :) Writing a Thesis Statement for Essay • Part one deals with stating the topic • Part two deals with the point of the essay How to Write a Good Thesis Statement In order to create a strong thesis statement it is necessary to keep in mind its specific features: • A good thesis statement is always an affirmation. • It does not make an announcement or ask a question but asserts a definite point of view. • It should always reveal a plan of development in its contents; reveal what concrete arguments will be analyzed in the paper. • The thesis statement needs to correspond to the length of the paper. If it is very long and the paper is limited to three pages it is impossible to prove it and to persuade the reader that the author has a point. A short thesis statement -> short essay; A substantial thesis statement ->long essay. • It can be neither too narrow nor too broad. • A thesis statement does not present the author’s point as a subjective position but as an argument to prove. The thesis statement itself gives the direction and the jumping-off point for the essay. That is the reason it is so important to make it right as the professionalism of the future essay absolutely depends on it. Sample thesis statement Being a successful psychologist (Part 1) requires a lot of knowledge and tolerance (Part 2). See other sample thesis statements. A vast collection of sample essays contents examples of thesis statement for essay of all types. How to Write an Introduction to Essay The main purpose of the introduction is to give the reader a clear idea of the essay’s focal point. It must get the reader’s attention as it is the part when he decides if the essay is worth reading till the end or not. The introduction should be written according to the following scheme: 1. General information 2. Attention grabber 3. Information on the topic leading to the thesis statement 4. Thesis statement Do You Need A+ Essay ? Order a Custom Essay $9.95 :) Introduction to Essay Writing General information of the topic must be presented in verifiable data The best way to attract the attention of the reader in the introductory part of any essay is to use special literature passages.  The goal of these passages is to make the reader pay attention to the introduction and the whole essay by means of introducing a fact that is absolutely new to him/her.  This fact has to reveals the point of the author explicitly and vividly.  An appropriate anecdote on the topic can make a good job in getting the attention of the reader. This is a story that will support the author’s main argument but to make it effective it has to be highly relevant to the topic of the essay.  A suitable dialogue technique can also be used in the introduction. Two or three speakers are used to clarify the author’s point to the reader. • The transition to the thesis statement is accomplished by dint of several sentences describing the topic of the essay in the general character and gradually narrowing to the thesis statement. • Thesis statement finished the introduction paragraph and proved the reader with a crystal clear understanding of the author’s main argument on the topic of the essay. This structure of the essay introduction gives the writer the ability to gradually initiate the reader into the topic analysis and conclude with a strong thesis statement revealing the very essence of the essay. You can view example of introduction of essay and sample essay introduction of our free example essays and samples collection How to Write Body Paragraphs Every body paragraph must be written according one general structure: 1. Each body part starts with its main idea presented in a form of an essay sentence. This main idea/argument must be accurately performed to make it more appealing to the audience. 2. Different established facts or points supporting the main idea of the essay. The supporting points should not be positioned one after another, but general discussion of the point should be included in-between. 3. Each body paragraph should have a concluding sentence in order to make connection to the next paragraph. This link is a must-have element as this is what makes the essay logically structured. Writing Essay Body Paragraphs In order to make each body paragraph truly convincing it is necessary to: 1. Stay focused on one idea/argument only in each body paragraph 2. Keep the thesis statement in mind because each of the body paragraphs supports a point from this thesis statement 3. Make the topic sentence of each body paragraph as clear as it is possible without generalizations. 4. Prove the presented in the body paragraphs points through mentioning detailed and convincing examples. The body paragraphs are the core of each essay and therefore demand special attention and profound knowledge on the matter from the side of the writer. What Is the Conclusion Of An Essay The conclusion is written in one paragraph and its main purpose is to sum up the arguments of the essay, which the author revealed in the topic sentences of the body paragraphs. It summarizes the evidence in support for the thesis statement of the essay and if proved restates this statement. It is a final glance at the presented facts, which lead to a certain conclusion on the essay matter. The conclusion does not have a set structure and can be written according to the peculiarities of the essay but must always have the mentioned above argument summary analysis. Do You Need A+ Essay ? Order a Custom Essay $9.95 :) Writing An Essay Conclusion To make a good conclusion it is necessary to: 1. Review the main points of the essay (the topic statements) 2. Summarize them in favor for the thesis statement 3. Describe the writer’s subjective position on the topic 4. End the conclusion with a strong affirmation that will be beyond any question. Does the Conclusion Summarize the Essay The writer may consider implementation of emotional factors in order to make a memorable impression about the essay. This may include: 1. Emphasizing the importance of the topic 2. The ending lines may have an unexpected direction leading the reader to nonstandard thoughts). 3. A strong appeal for the reader’s actions 4. A provocation to thinking made by a quote or an anecdote. It is vital to remember: • Any conclusion should never repeat the assertions presented in the essay word-for-word. • If the writer wants to make the conclusion really successful it must be short but very clear. • This is the last part of the essay and it makes the final impression on the reader. • A good conclusion is always creative and logically sound. Sample Essay Conclusion A vast collection of sample essays contents examples of essay writing conclusion of all types. Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for Exploratory Papers Many paper assignments call for you to establish a position and defend that position with an effective argument. However, some assignments are not argumentative, but rather, they are exploratory. Exploratory essays ask questions and gather information that may answer these questions. However, the main point of the exploratory or inquiry essay is not to find definite answers. The main point is to conduct inquiry into a topic, gather information, and share that information with readers. Introductions for Exploratory Essays The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions: 1. What is this? 2. Why am I reading it? 3. What do you want me to do? You should answer these questions in an exploratory essay by doing the following: 1. Set the context – provide general information about the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the questions you will ask 2. State why the main idea is important – tell the reader why s/he should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and educational essay people will want to read and act upon 3. State your research question – compose a question or two that clearly communicate what you want to discover and why you are interested in the topic. An overview of the types of sources you explored might follow your research question. If your inquiry paper is long, you may want to forecast how you explored your topic by outlining the structure of your paper, the sources you considered, and the information you found in these sources. Your forecast could read something like this: In order to explore my topic and try to answer my research question, I began with news sources. I then conducted research in scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed journals. Lastly, I conducted an interview with a primary source. All these sources gave me a better understanding of my topic, and even though I was not able to fully answer my research questions, I learned a lot and narrowed my subject for the next paper assignment, the problem- solution report. For this OWL resource, the example exploratory process investigates a local problem to gather more information so that eventually a solution may be suggested. Identify a problem facing your University (institution, students, faculty, staff) or the local area and conduct exploratory research to find out as much as you can on the following: • Causes of the problem and other contributing factors • People/institutions involved in the situation: decision makers and stakeholders • Possible solutions to the problem. You do not have to argue for a solution to the problem at this point. The point of the exploratory essay is to ask an inquiry question and find out as much as you can to try to answer your question. Then write about your inquiry and findings. Organizing an Exploratory Essay Exploratory essays are very different from argumentative essays. In fact, an exploratory essay is likely different from any other essay you’ve written. Instead of writing to convince an audience of the validity of a thesis, you will be writing to find out about a problem and perhaps to form some preliminary conclusions about how it might be solved. But there is another aspect the exploratory genre that is equally important. An exploratory essay is, in essence, a retrospective of your writing and thinking process as you work through a problem. It describes when, how, and why you completed certain types of research. This kind of writing is about how you work through problems that require writing and research. You will have to be introspective and think about your thinking process in order for your essay to turn out well. Very roughly, then, your exploratory essay may follow this sort of structure: Introduction The introduction should outline the problem you explored and why it’s important. In addition, you should briefly discuss 1) some of the problem’s possible causes; 2) the institutions and people involved with the problem; 3) some of the possible solutions to the problem. A brief overview of the types of sources your researched during your inquiry. Body Paragraphs Body paragraphs should discuss the inquiry process you followed to research your problem. These paragraphs should include the following: 1. Introduction of source (title, author, type of media, publisher, publication date, etc.) and why you chose to use it in your exploration 2. Important information you found in the source regarding your problem 3. Why the information is important and dependable in relation to the problem 4. Some personal introspection on how the source helped you, allowed you to think differently about the problem, or even fell short of your expectations and led you in a new direction in your research, which forms a transition into your next source. Conclusion The conclusion should restate the problem you explored, outline some of its possible causes, review the institutions and people involved, and highlight some possible solutions. If you still have any questions about the problem (and it’s ok to have some), you will discuss them here. Talk about why you think you still have questions regarding the problem you explored, where you might look to answer these questions, and what other forms of research you would have to do. Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Paper The following sections outline the generally accepted structure for an academic argument paper. Keep in mind that these are guidelines and that your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience. You may also use the following Purdue OWL resources to help you with your argument paper: • Creating a Thesis Statement • Establishing Arguments • Organizing Your Argument • Organizing Your Argument Slide Presentation • Logic in Argumentative Writing • Paragraphs and Paragraphing • Transitions and Transitional Devices Introduction The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions: 1. What is this? 2. Why am I reading it? 3. What do you want me to do? You should answer these questions by doing the following: 1. Set the context – provide general information about the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the claims you make and support 2. State why the main idea is important – tell the reader why s/he should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and convincing essay people will want to read and act upon 3. State your thesis/claim – compose a sentence or two stating the position you will support with logos (sound reasoning: induction, deduction), pathos (balanced emotional appeal), and ethos (author credibility). For exploratory essays, your primary research question would replace your thesis statement so the audience understands why you began your inquiry. An overview of the types of sources you explored might follow your research question. If your argument paper is long, you may want to forecast how you will support your thesis by outlining the structure of your paper, the sources you will consider, and the opposition to your position. Your forecast could read something like this: First, I will define key terms for my argument, and then I will provide some background of the situation. Next I will outline the important positions of the argument and explain why I support one of these positions. Lastly, I will consider opposing positions and discuss why these positions are outdated. I will conclude with some ideas for taking action and possible directions for future research. This is a very general example, but by adding some details on your specific topic, this forecast will effectively outline the structure of your paper so your readers can more easily follow your ideas. Thesis Checklist Your thesis is more than a general statement about your main idea. It needs to establish a clear position you will support with balanced proofs (logos, pathos, ethos). Use the checklist below to help you create a thesis. This section is adapted from Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric Reader by David Skwire and Sarah Skwire: Make sure you avoid the following when creating your thesis: • A thesis is not a title: Homes and schools (title) vs. Parents ought to participate more in the education of their children (good thesis). • A thesis is not an announcement of the subject: My subject is the incompetence of the Supreme Court vs. The Supreme Court made a mistake when it ruled in favor of George W. Bush in the 2000 election. • A thesis is not a statement of absolute fact: Jane Austen is the author of Pride and Prejudice. • A thesis is not the whole essay: A thesis is your main idea/claim/refutation/problem-solution expressed in a single sentence or a combination of sentences. • Please note that according to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Edition, "A thesis statement is a single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view" (Gibaldi 56). However, if your paper is more complex and requires a thesis statement, your thesis may require a combination of sentences. Make sure you follow these guidelines when creating your thesis: • A good thesis is unified: Detective stories are not a high form of literature, but people have always been fascinated by them, and many fine writers have experimented with them (floppy). vs. Detective stories appeal to the basic human desire for thrills (concise). • A good thesis is specific: James Joyce’s Ulysses is very good. vs. James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious. • Try to be as specific as possible (without providing too much detail) when creating your thesis: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious. vs. James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious by utilizing the findings of Freudian psychology and introducing the techniques of literary stream-of-consciousness. Quick Checklist: _____ The thesis/claim follows the guidelines outlined above _____ The thesis/claim matches the requirements and goals of the assignment _____ The thesis/claim is clear and easily recognizable _____ The thesis/claim seems supportable by good reasoning/data, emotional appeal Body Paragraphs Body Paragraphs: Moving from General to Specific Information Your paper should be organized in a manner that moves from general to specific information. Every time you begin a new subject, think of an inverted pyramid - the broadest range of information sits at the top, and as the paragraph or paper progresses, the author becomes more and more focused on the argument ending with specific, detailed evidence supporting a claim. Lastly, the author explains how and why the information she has just provided connects to and supports her thesis (a brief wrap up or warrant). Image Caption: Moving from General to Specific Information The four elements of a good paragraph (TTEB) A good paragraph should contain at least the following four elements: Transition, Topic sentence, specific Evidence and analysis, and a Brief wrap-up sentence (also known as a warrant) – TTEB! 1. A Transition sentence leading in from a previous paragraph to assure smooth reading. This acts as a hand off from one idea to the next. 2. A Topic sentence that tells the reader what you will be discussing in the paragraph. 3. Specific Evidence and analysis that supports one of your claims and that provides a deeper level of detail than your topic sentence. 4. A Brief wrap-up sentence that tells the reader how and why this information supports the paper’s thesis. The brief wrap-up is also known as the warrant. The warrant is important to your argument because it connects your reasoning and support to your thesis, and it shows that the information in the paragraph is related to your thesis and helps defend it. Supporting evidence (induction and deduction) Induction Induction is the type of reasoning that moves from specific facts to a general conclusion. When you use induction in your paper, you will state your thesis (which is actually the conclusion you have come to after looking at all the facts) and then support your thesis with the facts. The following is an example of induction taken from Dorothy U. Seyler’s Understanding Argument: Facts: There is the dead body of Smith. Smith was shot in his bedroom between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., according to the coroner. Smith was shot with a .32 caliber pistol. The pistol left in the bedroom contains Jones’s fingerprints. Jones was seen, by a neighbor, entering the Smith home at around 11:00 p.m. the night of Smith’s death. A coworker heard Smith and Jones arguing in Smith’s office the morning of the day Smith died. Conclusion: Jones killed Smith. Here, then, is the example in bullet form: • Conclusion: Jones killed Smith • Support: Smith was shot by Jones’ gun, Jones was seen entering the scene of the crime, Jones and Smith argued earlier in the day Smith died. • Assumption: The facts are representative, not isolated incidents, and thus reveal a trend, justifying the conclusion drawn. Deduction When you use deduction in an argument, you begin with general premises and move to a specific conclusion. There is a precise pattern you must use when you reason deductively. This pattern is called syllogistic reasoning (the syllogism). Syllogistic reasoning (deduction) is organized in three steps: 1. Major premise 2. Minor premise 3. Conclusion In order for the syllogism (deduction) to work, you must accept that the relationship of the two premises lead, logically, to the conclusion. Here are two examples of deduction or syllogistic reasoning: Socrates 1. Major premise: All men are mortal. 2. Minor premise: Socrates is a man. 3. Conclusion: Socrates is mortal. Lincoln 1. Major premise: People who perform with courage and clear purpose in a crisis are great leaders. 2. Minor premise: Lincoln was a person who performed with courage and a clear purpose in a crisis. 3. Conclusion: Lincoln was a great leader. So in order for deduction to work in the example involving Socrates, you must agree that 1) all men are mortal (they all die); and 2) Socrates is a man. If you disagree with either of these premises, the conclusion is invalid. The example using Socrates isn’t so difficult to validate. But when you move into more murky water (when you use terms such as courage, clear purpose, and great), the connections get tenuous. For example, some historians might argue that Lincoln didn’t really shine until a few years into the Civil War, after many Union losses to Southern leaders such as Robert E. Lee. The following is a more clear example of deduction gone awry: 1. Major premise: All dogs make good pets. 2. Minor premise: Doogle is a dog. 3. Conclusion: Doogle will make a good pet. If you don’t agree that all dogs make good pets, then the conclusion that Doogle will make a good pet is invalid. Enthymemes [...]... because in most cases, your primary audience will be fence-sitters Fence-sitters are people who have not decided which side of the argument to support People who are on your side of the argument will not need a lot of information to align with your position People who are completely against your argument - perhaps for ethical or religious reasons - will probably never align with your position no matter... important are those people who haven't decided which side of the argument they will support - the fence-sitters In many cases, these fence-sitters have not decided which side to align with because they see value in both positions Therefore, to not consider opposing positions to your own in a fair manner may alienate fence-sitters when they see that you are not addressing their concerns or discussion opposing... fighting pollution Data 2: Each vehicle produced is going to stay on the road for roughly 12 to 15 years Warrant 2: Cars generally have a long lifespan, meaning that a decision to switch to a hybrid car will make a long-term impact on pollution levels Data 3: Hybrid cars combine a gasoline engine with a battery-powered electric motor Warrant 3: This combination of technologies means that less pollution... actually help to control pollution Narrowed debatable thesis 2: America's anti-pollution efforts should focus on privately owned cars because it would allow most citizens to contribute to national efforts and care about the outcome This thesis narrows the scope of the argument by specifying not just what the focus of a national anti-pollution campaign should be but also why this is the appropriate focus... where an author cannot be determined, unless the site is associated with a reputable institution such as a respected university, a credible media outlet, government program or department, or well-known non-governmental organizations Beware of using sites like Wikipedia, which are collaboratively developed by users Because anyone can add or change content, the validity of information on such sites may... explains something to the audience An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided If you are writing a text which does not... of premises The goal of a syllogism is to arrange premises so that only one true conclusion is possible Example A: Consider the following premises: Premise 1: Non-renewable resources do not exist in infinite supply Premise 2: Coal is a non-renewable resource From these two premises, only one logical conclusion is available: Conclusion: Coal does not exist in infinite supply Example B: Often logic requires... logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits Another important thing to note is that the corporation had expanded its international influence Revision: Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits These impressive profits are largely due to the corporation's... as you go The outline below, adapted from Seyler's Understanding Argument, is an example of a rebuttal section from a thesis essay When you rebut or refute an opposing position, use the following three-part organization: The opponent’s argument – Usually, you should not assume that your reader has read or remembered the argument you are refuting Thus at the beginning of your paragraph, you need to state,... definition: These claims argue about what the definition of something is or whether something is a settled fact Example: What some people refer to as global warming is actually nothing more than normal, long-term cycles of climate change Claims of cause and effect: These claims argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event to occur Example: The popularity of SUV's in America has caused . decided which side of the argument they will support - the fence-sitters. In many cases, these fence-sitters have not decided which side to align with because. that the author has a point. A short thesis statement -& gt; short essay; A substantial thesis statement -& gt;long essay. • It can be neither too narrow nor