Paragraph & Essay Types
ENG 114
Prof. K. Horowitz
Index
Objectives
Introduction
Illustration
Narration
Description
Definition
Process Analysis
Classification
Cause & Effect
Compare & Contrast
Argumentation
Try Your Luck!
Objectives
This module is designed to introduce
students to the nine (9) different types
of paragraphs used in English. By the
end of the module, students should
be able to identify the type of
paragraphs presented to them.
Introduction
There are nine types of paragraphs
and essays. Through them we can
accurately express our ideas in the
correct context. Each type has a
specific purpose and format, so it is
important to know which you need to
use.
Though all the them permit the use of
opinion, it is often difficult for
beginning students to accurately
adapt them to do so. For that reason,
it is strongly recommended that you
leave your opinions for the that
paragraph type specifically designed
for it – argumentation.
The following types of essays each
has an example with the topic
sentence in white, developmental
sentences in yellow, and the
concluding sentence in green.
Illustration
Illustration: Uses examples to show,
explain, or prove a point. Giving
examples is the basis of all good
writing and speaking: You make a
statement, and then you provide an
example that shows what you mean.
You must give enough examples to
get the point across.
Good Illustration:
1. Makes a point.
2. Gives detailed and specific
examples
3. Gives enough examples to get the
point across.
Illustrative Paragraph Example
Although they don’t consider it stealing, many people
regularly take things from their jobs. The most common
items to disappear are pens and pencils that the employees
almost unconsciously stuff into their purses and pockets.
Over time, they may accumulate a lot of them. Another big
item is all kinds of paper: pads of lined paper, little notepads,
and file folders. Finally, one of the most significant ways
people steal from their employers is by taking home samples
of products the company makes. Employees think they are
entitled to these products and even give them to friends.
These examples many not seem like stealing, but the results
are the same: extra costs to the company, which may result
in lower pay raises.
Narration
Narration : Is writing that tells a story
of an event or an experience. Good
narration:
1. Reveals something of importance.
2. Includes all the important events of
the story.
3. Brings the story to life with a
detailed account of what happened.
4. Presents events in a clear order.
Narration Paragraph Example
My most embarrassing moment happened when I was
working in a Mexican restaurant. I was a hostess working on
a busy Friday night. As usual, I was wearing a blouse and a
long Mexican skirt. While I was taking some menus to a
table, one of the waiters accidentally stepped on the hem of
my skirt. I didn’t even feel it fall off, and I walked through the
whole dining room in my slip! Almost every customer in the
restaurant saw me without my skirt on!
Description
Description creates a clear and vivid
impression of the topic. Description
translates your experience of a
person, place, or thing into words,
often by appealing to the physical
senses.
Good description:
1. Creates a main impression-an
overall effect, feeling, or image-about
the topic.
2. Uses concrete, specific details to
support the main impression.
3. Uses details that appeal to the five
senses.
Descriptive Paragraph Example
The subway is an assault on your senses. You walk down
the steep, smelly steps on the subway platform. On the far
right wall, a broken clock show that the time is four-thirty. You
wonder how long it has been broken. A mother and her
crying child are standing to your left. She is trying to clean
dried chocolate syrup off the young child’s face. Farther to
the left, two old men are arguing about the most recent tax
increase. You hear a little noise and see some paper trash
roll by like a soccer ball. The most interesting thing you see
while you are waiting for your subway train is a poster. It
reads “Come to Jamaica.” Deep blue skies, a lone palm tree,
and sapphire waters call you to this exotic faraway place.
Definition
Definition Explains what a term means. It
uses denotation (dictionary definition) or
connotation (individual, personalized
meaning).
1. Tells readers what term is being defined.
2. Presents a clear and precise basic
definition.
3. Uses examples to show what the writer
means.
4. Uses words and examples that readers
will understand.
Definition Paragraph Example
According to The American Heritage Dictionary, gossip is a
“trivial rumor of a personal nature,” but this definition makes
gossip sound harmless. At first, gossip might not seem so
bad. One person tells a second person something about
someone, and that second person tells a third person, and
so on. The information passes from person to person.
However, gossip is much more than just information and
rumor. As the rumor continues, it grows and changes, People
do not know all the facts, so they add information. As the
gossip goes from one person to another, the damage
continues, and the person who is the subject of the gossip
can’t do anything to answer or protect himself or herself.
Because the potential damage may range from hurt feelings
to a lost career, gossip is much worse than simply a “trivial
rumor.”
Process Analysis
Process analysis Either explains how
to do something (so your readers can
do it) or explains how something
works (so your readers can
understand it). They are usually
written using chronological transitions
like first, then, next, after that, and
finally.
A good process analysis
paragraph does the following:
1. Presents essential steps in
a process.
2. Explains steps in detail.
3. Presents steps in a logical
order.
Process Analysis Paragraph Example
Eating a juicy taco is not easy-it requires following specific
directions. First, you must be sure that you are wearing
clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Eating a taco while
you are wearing expensive clothing is not a smart idea. The
next thing that you should do is to decide if you want to eat
the taco alone or in front of others. Eating a taco in front of
someone you don’t know very well, such as a new date, can
be embarrassing. The last step is to plan your attack! It is a
good idea to pick up the taco gently and carefully keep it in a
horizontal position. As you raise the taco, slowly turn your
head toward it and position your head at a twenty-degree
angle. The last step is to put the corner of the taco in your
mouth and bite. By following these simple directions, eating
a taco can be a pleasant experience.
Classification
Classification Organizes, or sorts, people
or items into categories. A good
classification paragraph:
1. Make sense of a group of people or
items by organizing them into categories.
2. Uses useful categories.
3. Uses a single organizing principle.
4. Gives examples of what fits into each
category.
Classification Paragraph Example
Test questions generally fall into categories, depending on
how they are answered: objective and subjective. The first
kind, objective questions, have definite right and wrong
answers. Multiple choice, matching, and fill-in-the-blank
questions are objective. Although they can be tricky because
of their wording, most students prefer objective questions.
The answers are already there, and the student just has to
choose the right one. Subjective test items, such as shortanswer and essay questions, have no single correct answer.
There is a range of possible responses. Students have to
know the information in order to answer each question, and
they have to present it in their own words. You can make a
lucky guess on an objective question, but a subjective
question doesn’t offer much hope for a student relying on
dumb luck.
Cause & Effect
Cause & effect paragraphs explain what made an
event happen and what occurred as a result. Good
ones do the following:
1. Clearly distinguish between cause and effect.
2. Give clear and detailed examples of causes
and/or effects.
Cause & Effect Paragraph Example
Much to her surprise, lottery winner Sylvia Lee found that
sudden wealth was a mixed blessing – the results were both
good and bad. After her win was announced, she was
constantly hounded by people who wanted to sell her
something. She got an unlisted phone number, but the more
aggressive salespeople just camped out on her doorstep.
Another negative result was that people started treating her
differently. “I was shocked,” said Lee. “Everyone from the
checkout clerk at the supermarket where I’ve shopped for
years to my next-door neighbor acted as though I had
changed. I’m still the same; I’ve just got money now.” Lee
admits, though, that most of the changes have been positive.
“It’s really a relief not worrying about money all the time. I
actually went on my first shopping spree ever, and it was
great.” Lee expects that other new and unexpected results of
her sudden wealth are yet to come, but she’s not
discouraged: so far, at least, the pluses far outweigh the
minuses.
Compare & Contrast
Compare & contrast paragraphs show similarities
and differences among people, ideas, situations,
or items. They are used to explain two subjects
and help you decide between two options. They:
1. Uses subjects that have enough in common to
be compared/contrasted.
2. Serves a purpose- either to help readers make
a decision or understand subjects.
3. Presents several important, parallel points of
comparison/contrast.
4. Arranges points in a logical organization.
Compare & Contrast Paragraph Example
When they get lost while driving, women and men have very
different ways to find the right route. As soon as a woman
thinks she might be lost, she will pull into a store or gas
station and ask for directions. As she continues on, is she’s
still not sure of the directions, she will stop again and ask
someone else for help. Until they know they are on the right
track, women will continue to ask for directions. In contrast,
men would rather turn around and go home than stop and
ask for directions. First, a man doesn’t readily admit he is
lost. When it is clear that he is, he will pull over and consult a
map. If he still find himself lost, he will again pull out that
map. Either the map will finally put the man on the right
route, or – as a last resort – he will reluctantly stop at a store
or gas station and let his wife go in and ask for directions.
Many battles of the sexes have raged over what to do when
lost in the car.
Argumentation
Argumentation takes a position on an issue and
offers reasons and supporting evidence to
persuade someone else to accept or at least
consider the position. Good argumentation
paragraphs:
1. Take a strong and definite position on an issue
or advises a particular action.
2. Give good reasons and supporting evidence to
defend a position or recommended action.
3. Consider opposing views.
4. Have enthusiasm and energy from start to
finish.
Argumentation Paragraph Example
School uniforms should be mandatory for all
students for a number of reasons. First, they make
everyone equal. In this way, the “rich” kids are on
the same level as the poor ones. In addition,
getting ready for school can be much faster and
easier. Many kids waste time choosing what to
wear to school, and they are often unhappy with
their final choices. Most important, some studies
show that school uniforms make students perform
better. Many people might say that uniforms take
away from personal freedom, but I believe that the
benefits are stronger than the drawbacks.
Try Your Luck!
Reread the description example.
Which two senses are not included in
the description of the subway?
Sight & Smell
Hearing & Taste
Taste & Touch
Here’s another one:
Reread the classification example.
Would true or false questions be
considered objective or subjective?
Objective
Subjective
Let’s try one last example. Reread the
process analysis example. Does it tell
you how to do something or how
something works?
How to do something
How something works
Thanks for trying! See you next
module!
Paragraph examples taken from:
Anker, Susan. Real Writing with Readings. Boston. Bedford/St.
Martins. 2001.
Folse, Keith, A. Muchmore-Vokoun, and E. Vestri Solomon. Great
Paragraphs. New York. Houghton Mifflen. 1999.
Success!
Incorrect! Please Try Again.