Essay Writing for dummies
-By Mr. McClung
I do not think you are dummies.
This guide should help anyone.
There are many ways to write an
essay but you need to know the
basics before you can create your
own styling.
An essay has three main parts
The Introduction
- Statements of what the
essay is about and the thesis
The Body
- Paragraphs that contain
your evidence and reasoning
The Conclusion
- Restate thesis and
summarize argument
WHAT IS THE TOPIC?
Pick your own topic essay
Choose a subject that people have strong
opinions about.
eg. Bieber, Oil Sands, Politics etc.
or
An assigned topic essay
You need to know what the question
is asking you.
-If you are allowed to ask the teacher
do it!
Samples of topic questions
Is it right to eat meat?
Should we have the death penalty in Canada?
Do video games lead to violence?
Is it right for scientists to clone animals and one day
humans?
Should Justin Bieber run for parliament?
Are the Oil Sands an environmentally sustainable source
of energy?
Should the age of “adult accountability” coincide with the
development of the human brain?
Are cats better as pets than dogs?
Thesis
Now that you have
your topic you can
develop a thesis. A
thesis states your
opinion/position that
you are going to
present in your essay.
It is also a “road map”
so the reader can
understand where the
essay is going to go.
Now you should be able to develop a
solid introduction!
Begin with an attention grabber
Elaborate with statements
End with thesis statement
There are two million more cats as
pets
as
pets
in Canada
in Canada
than
than
dogs.
dogs.1 Some
people may like the feel of the soft
fluffy coats that cats have. Cats have
an aesthetic appeal that many people
consider cute. They
Most also
cats enjoy
also enjoy
spending time playing games with
simple objects like string. It could be
argued that dogs share many of these
same attributes but cats are better
pets than dogs because they like to
snuggle more, require less attention
and can be potty trained on a regular
toilet.
1. Canadian Animal Health Institute, Latest Pet Population Figures Released , Retrieved from:
http://www.pijaccanada.com/common/assets/cdn%20animal%20health%20institute%202007%20cat%20and%20dog%20ownership%20survey%20press%20release.pdf , Nov. 2,
2011.
Body Paragraph #1
The topics of the paragraphs come from your thesis.
Paragraph #1 topic: Cats like to snuggle more than
dogs.
Step one - evidence - examples, quotes, facts
and/or statistics that support the paragraph topic.
Step two - explanation and reasoning of how your
evidence supports the topic
Repeat these steps.
Body Paragraph #2
The topics of the paragraphs come from your thesis.
Paragraph #2 topic: Cats require less attention than
dogs.
Step one – Transition sentence.
Step two - evidence - examples, quotes, facts
and/or statistics that support the paragraph topic.
Step three - explanation and reasoning of how your
evidence supports the topic
Repeat steps two and three.
Body Paragraph #3
The topics of the paragraphs come from your thesis.
Paragraph #3 topic: Cats can be potty trained on a
regular toilet.
Step one – Transition sentence.
Step two - evidence - examples, quotes, facts
and/or statistics that support the paragraph topic.
Step three - explanation and reasoning of how your
evidence supports the topic
Repeat steps two and three.
Conclusion
The purpose of the conclusion is to wrap up
your essay. It is like tying a knot in a balloon.
You need a few sentences that review the main
points of your essay (do not just restate them).
You should wrap up with a final sentence that
ties it all together (perhaps a variation on the
thesis or write a final attention grabber).
Check your writing
-Re-read your essay (out loud if possible)
-Have someone else read it (out loud)
-Do the sentences flow?
-Do you repeat words?
-Do your pronouns make
sense?
-If you’re on a computer
use spell/grammar check.