Types of Essays
Getting Your Point Across
in Different Ways
Depending on the Essay Type
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What Does an Essay Do?
An essay is a written composition that:
1. addresses one topic
2. analyzes one or more aspects of the topic
3. gives reasons or supportive evidence
4. draws a conclusion
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Four Types of Essays
1. Expository
2. Persuasive
3. Comparative
4. Narrative
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Type 1 of 4
The Expository Essay
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Writing an Expository Essay
This kind of essay explains or gives the reader
knowledge about a topic.
It explains with facts, not opinions. Still, you can
display all your knowledge, just nothing unproven
or unaccepted as factual.
This means you need to do
thorough research,
so all your facts are right!
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What an Expository Essay Can Do
1. describe how to do something
2. describe or explain an event
3. analyze a piece of writing
4. discuss ideas
Remember: your facts should be accurate!
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Type 2 of 4
The Persuasive Essay
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Writing a Persuasive Essay
Here's where you get to take a side!
You argue the case for your point of view.
Arguing doesn't mean yelling; you're still using facts,
but you can express a personal viewpoint or
opinion using facts to support your position and reason
to prove your point.
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How a Persuasive Essay Works
Use logic and evidence
1. present the relevant evidence
2. show how the evidence supports your point of view
3. describe opposing viewpoints
4. show how the evidence still supports your viewpoint -and does so better than the opposing points of view
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Type 3 of 4
The Comparative Essay
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Writing a Comparative Essay
In this type of essay you:
1. compare two things, showing similarities
2. contrast two things, showing differences
3. combine both comparisons and contrasts,
and draw a conclusion
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You Can Compare or Contrast Many Things
1. animals or people
2. explanations or ideas
3. stories or other writings
4. results of two experiments
Can you think of other things?
How are they similar? Different?
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Type 4 of 4
The Narrative Essay
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Writing a Narrative Essay
This essay is different from the others.
This time, you tell a story:
1. from one point of view (usually yours!)
2. based on an experience
3. containing or illustrating one central
idea or lesson
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Structure of a Narrative Essay
This type of essay has the same
elements as a story:
1. plot and characters
2. rising action to a climax
3. falling action to a resolution
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Other Elements of the
Narrative Essay
You may include these elements:
1. Write from a first person ("I") point of view (there
may be exceptions, but this is most common)
2. Use strong descriptive details that all contribute to
your central theme
3. You may use dialogue, so you should know the rules
for writing it correctly
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The end.
More free ESSAY WRITING resources:
the thesis statement
the introduction
the conclusion
comparing & contrasting
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Eight-week ESSAY WRITING courses:
elementary school
middle school
high school
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