ELEMENTS
OF AN EFFECTIVE ESSAY
PRESENTATION ADAPTED FROM UTPB WEST TEXAS
LITERACY CENTER
What is an Essay?
 An organized piece of writing that focuses on a
single topic
 Organized around a general idea (or, often, thesis)
Paragraphs that develop the main idea comprise the
body of the essay
 Begins with an introduction
 Ends with a concluding paragraph

The Writing Process
Prewriting

Begin by asking—and answering—these questions:
For what purpose am I writing? (Don’t say “Because my English
teacher made me;” instead, try “to persuade” or “to inform”)
 What is the scope of my topic? (Your scope is the depth or level of
complexity you plan on exploring in your essay—it clarifies not
only what you are writing about, but what you are not when it
comes to a specific topic)
 What point of view am I taking and how do I establish this through
tone?
 Who is my specific audience?

Brainstorming (mind maps, point-form notes,
discussions, etc.)
 Free-writing: jump in and begin your first draft

Determining Scope
 Wide Scope- General, big and inclusive
 Narrow Scope- Specific, smaller and more exact or
precise
Example:
General
to
Specific
1. Mammals
2. Humans
3. Female
4. Mary
General
to
Specific
1. Education
2. High School
3. Westdale
4. Ms. Linton’s class
Introduction to an Essay:
The Introductory Paragraph
 The
first part of an essay
 The
reader’s first contact with the topic from your
perspective – makes a first impressions
 Major
influence on the reader’s desire to keep reading
 Reader
begins to evaluate the essay based on the
introduction
Attention Getters for Introductory
Paragraphs
 Strategy

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Provide some interesting
background about the topic in
the form of a general statement
Use a thought-provoking
quotation
 Examples

Today’s children become
tomorrow’s leaders.

“Adolescence is not a stage of life,
it is a disease!”
Dr. S. Rosner

Why don’t children want to be
controlled by adults?

Ask a question about your topic

State a surprising fact or a
puzzling statement

Teenagers join gangs because
they need the support of a family.

Share an anecdote

When I was a teen, it took three
arrests for me to straighten out.

Use descriptive details and
rhetorical devices

Deafening gun shots ring out at
least three times a week at the
east-end neighborhood.
Attention Getters for Introductory Paragraphs
 Strategy
 Examples

State a common
misconception

Despite popular misconceptions,
children don’t learn bad habits
from adults.

Describe a problem

Everyone knows what a problem
juvenile delinquency has become.

Give an analogy

Children are just like domestic
animals: they need someone to set
rules and expectations in order to
behave best.

Show how the topic is
related to the reader’s
personal experience

Most people know how difficult it is
to raise children.

To help curb youth gun violence,
educators, parents, community
groups, and the local police must
work collaboratively and
proactively.

Write an interesting and
precise thesis statement
Body of an Essay
 Set of paragraphs that develop the idea expressed in
the introduction
 Like any paragraph, should be unified around a main
idea and arranged coherently

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Make a list of specific ideas or sub-points that support your main
idea
Each one should become the topic sentence and focus of a body
paragraph
Arrange the main ideas in logical order (time, place, or importance)
Plan out each body paragraph by listing major details that support
each main idea
Each body paragraph should end with a transitional or concluding
sentence
Supporting Paragraphs Methods of
Development: Writing the Body
 Allusion to help your reader relate
 Analogy to help the reader infer that because two events/ideas are alike in
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one respect, they will be alike in other respects as well
Anecdotes brief narration of a real-life event to connect to a larger issue
Classification to organize information according to groups or categories
Cause and Effect to make connections/trace patterns between events or
ideas
Concession to admit that the opposition is correct on a specific point (but
then usually continues on to destroy the rest of the opposition’s argument)
Contrast and Comparison to illustrate the difference or to show
similarities between
Descriptive Details to appeal to the reader’s senses and creates imagery
Examples facts, statistics, supporting reasons, charts, graphs, and survey
results, that give evidence to support the author’s claim or give detail
 Most to Least Important Details to capture the reader’s attention
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with the most compelling evidence and then gives a series of other
supports to reinforce it
Problem and Solution to explore an issue with a realistic answer or
resolution
Process Analysis to explain step-by-step how something is done or
how to do something
Quotation to make one’s stance more credible by quoting a text or a
person who is an authority or expert on the subject, thus making the
writer’s position more credible
Rhetorical Question to encourage the reader to consider a key
point
Series of Events According to Time to organize ideas
chronologically
Summary to offer a succinct and clear overview of a text, philosophy,
or concept that covers the main ideas but does not contain irrelevant
and/or extraneous details
Transition Words
 For examples: For example, for instance, to
illustrate
 For organization or chronological order: The six
steps are…, next, finally first, secondly, third
 For additional points: Furthermore, in addition,
also, moreover
 For opposing ideas: On the other hand, in contrast,
although, however
 For similar ideas: Likewise, similarly, in
comparison
Transition Words
 For exceptions: However, nevertheless, but, yet,
still
 For emphasis: Above all, finally, more importantly
 For understanding: In other words, in essence,
briefly
 For summarizing: In conclusion, to sum up, for
these reasons, ultimately
Conclusion of an Essay
 Purpose: To leave the reader with a positive
impression, a sense of completeness, and the
inclination to think about the topic
 Usually a short, single paragraph (but may be
comprised of more paragraphs depending on
length and scope of essay)
 Should follow logically from the body of the essay
The Closing: Writing the Conclusion
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Make reference to the opening
Restate the thesis statement (if applicable) in different
words/sentence structure
Reveal the significance—answer “so what?”
Summarize the points made in your introduction and body
Make a bold statement or use a quotation to reinforce your
point or stance
Make predictions—present a theory or idea for future
consideration (but one for which there is not enough room in
the scope of this particular essay)
Make recommendations
The Revision and Editing Process
 The process of reviewing and rewriting to make
your ideas more logical, understandable, and
interesting to your readers
 Involves crossing out some material, adding other
information, and rearranging material
 Two main aspects of the Revision Process
Revision through reading
 Revision through collaboration

Revising and Editing through Reading
 A way of finding out what other readers think about your
essay
 May become aware of problems that you have not noticed
 Can get suggestions for improving organization, clarity of
ideas; including grammar, punctuation, spelling and usage
 As you read to revise:
 Keep in mind your purpose for writing
 Remember your specific audience
 Read carefully and multiple times – with each rereading
you will probably find ways to improve your essay