The Essay
Terms to Know
 Introduction – the first paragraph of an essay;
includes attention-getter (hook), necessary
information, and thesis statement.
 Thesis Statement – the main idea of the essay.
Should be written as one sentence in the form of a
statement.
 Topic Sentence – the first sentence of a body
paragraph; introduces the focus of the body
paragraph.
 Works Cited Page - A list of the sources you used in
your paper, alphabetized and with complete
bibliographic information.
Terms to Know
 Conclusion – the last paragraph of an essay;
includes a modified thesis and a clincher or
challenge to the reader.
 Parenthetical Citations – Material included in
parentheses within your paper to identify your
source
 Direct Quotation - Using your source’s exact words,
in quotation marks
 Paraphrase - Using a source’s idea (not words) in a
shortened format
 Plagiarism - Presenting the work done by someone
else as if it’s your own
Types of Essays
 Argumentative/Persuasive – requires you to win
over your reader to your way of thinking.
 Compare/Contrast - Compare and contrast
essays are used to examine two or more subjects
and the similarities and/or differences between
them.
 Literary Analysis - Literary analysis papers focus
on the analysis of a literary work.
 Reflective/Narrative - To share something you
have read, learned, written, or experienced, and
how it has affected your life.
Writing Process Steps
①Pre-writing
②Organizing
③Drafting
④Revising and Editing
⑤Handing in a Final Copy
1. Pre-Writing
Pre-writing literally means, “before
writing.” Before you actually begin
writing your essay, you will need to do
the following things:
1) Choose a topic to write on
2) Brainstorm or generate ideas for your
topic
3) Focus on central ideas
2. Organizing
Making an outline can help you organize
what you want to write. This is a rough
plan for your essay and can help make
the process of writing much easier.
Reflective/Narrative Essay
Outline
Reflective Essays can vary greatly in number of
paragraphs and organization.
Many reflective essays are organized in the following
way:
 I. Introduction
 II. Event, Situation, or Experience
 III. Result
 IV. Effect on Your Life, outlook on life, or view of
humanity
 V. Conclusion
3. Drafting


Don’t worry about writing the ‘perfect’ paper
the first time.
Don’t focus on spelling and grammar as you
write your rough draft. You can check this later
in the writing process.
4. Revising and Editing
Revision
 Content (Title, Author,
Quotes)
 Organization
Editing
 Spelling
 Grammar
 Punctuation
 Parenthetical Citations
5. The Final Copy
The last step is turning in your essay to be graded. Look
at the guidelines below for turning in the final draft of your
essay.
Word-processed
All new paragraphs indented 5 spaces
Double-spaced, 12 inch font, Times New
Roman or Arial
One-inch margins on all sides
Thesis – Main Idea of the Essay
 Your thesis should consist of a topic and limiting ideas.
 It should never be a question.
 It should never be the first sentence in your essay.
 The thesis is the answer to a question that seems important to
you.
Introduction - ANT
 Attention-Getter:
First sentence or two should be an attention-getter.
There are multiple ways to make up an attentiongetter. (We will discuss this on the next slide).
 Necessary information:
Necessary information includes:
1.
Author’s full name
2.
Title of the story
3.
Brief plot summary
 Thesis:
The last sentence of your introduction should be
your thesis.
Attention-Getter
1. Include startling or interesting facts
2. Provide a vivid, detailed description
3. Ask or pose a question
4. Present an anecdote (a short narrative of an
interesting incident)
5. Begin with a quotation
6. Definition
GMOD’s – Grammar
Mistakes of Death
 Never write in second person (you, your, etc.)
 Never use contractions
 Never write in first person unless writing a
reflective/narrative essay.
 Always write in present tense.
 Always use transitional words and phrases.
Ex. First, . . . Then, . . . In addition, . . .
Conclusion Strategy
1. Reword your thesis.
2. Tie all your points together. Echo your
introduction and body paragraphs. What were
your main points?
3. Then in 1-3 sentences, tell your reader the
significance or importance of the ideas you
have been analyzing. Warning: do not use
you.
4. Clincher: Try to end your paper with a short
sentence that reinforces your point in the
paper.