English 1201
Essay Unit
Types of Essay’s (6)
(1) Expository – writing that explains
ex: Comparative Essay
(2) Narrative – has a purpose for telling; a true event; a single
incident
(3) Memoir – a person’s story about his or her life
(4) Descriptive – writing that creates images of people,
places, objects
(5) Argumentative – a rational argument which uses
evidence
(6) Persuasive- writing that attempts to convince the
audience to adopt a certain point of view or to act in a
certain way
- Often closes with a call to action
Purpose for Writing
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The three “E’s”
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To explain
To educate
To entertain
You also want to:
Inform
Analyze
Tell a story
Describe
Thesis Statement


A sentence or two which gives the main idea of the
essay.
To his closest associates, he was a brilliant planner,
public speaker, strategist and motivator. To many of
his countrymen, he was the symbol of hope, a man
who would reinstate his country as a world power.
But to the rest of the world, Adolph Hitler was a
madman, a fiendish, brutal megalomaniac whose
regime caused untold suffering and unspeakable
horror for millions and nearly wiped out an entire
race.
Answer

To his closest associates, he was a brilliant
planner, public speaker, strategist and
motivator. To many of his countrymen, he
was the symbol of hope, a man who would
reinstate his country as a world power. But to
the rest of the world, Adolph Hitler was a
madman, a fiendish, brutal megalomaniac
whose regime caused untold suffering and
unspeakable horror for millions and nearly
wiped out an entire race.
Topic Sentence



A topic sentence is to a paragraph what a
thesis statement is to an entire essay
The topic sentence tells what is in the
paragraph.
It can be positioned at either the beginning or
end of a paragraph, but is often at the
beginning.
Example

Teacher’s are human. I know, I’ve made a
few laughs; I’ve made a few cry. I’ve seen
them register the whole spectrum of human
emotions.
Answer

Teacher’s are human. I know, I’ve made a
few laughs; I’ve made a few cry. I’ve seen
them register the whole spectrum of human
emotions.
Coherence


Arranging one’s ideas in some logical order
Showing the relationship between the ideas
through the use of


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Transitional words
Pronouns
Synonyms
Parallel Structure
Transitional Words
Contrast
- But
- However
- Although
Comparison
- Similarly
- Likewise
Explanation
- For example
- Incidentally
Transition


Word’s or phrases which help to achieve a smooth,
carry-over within sentences, between sentences,
and between paragraphs.
To say that you can’t fairy base a grade for a whole
course on the exam is ridiculous. In the first place,
colleges regularly offer credit by special
examination. In the second place, you’re probably
thinking of a normal one-hour exam, but I am talking
about a special exam – it can last five or six hours, if
you like. And don’t give me that old excuse that
some things taught in a course can’t be measured
by an examination.
Pronoun Reference
-
Use of pronoun in one sentence to refer to a
noun in a preceding sentence.
Parallel Structure


Requires that all ideas presented in a series
or list have the same grammatical form.
For example:

Going to school, listening to teachers, and
homework are not my idea of a good time (NO)

Going to school, listening to teachers, and doing
homework are not my idea of a good time. (YES)