Essay Examples

Essay Examples The main body consists of one or more paragraphs of ideas and arguments. Each paragraph develops a subdivision of the topic. The paragraphs of the essay contain the main ideas and arguments of the essay together with illustrations or examples. The paragraphs are linked in order to connect the ideas. The purpose of the essay must be made clear and the reader must be able to follow its development. Since many students are confused about what an introduction should include, here is a general guideline to get you started. Also accept that if you write your introduction first, you will probably have to re-write it or at least tweak it depending on how the rest of your paper turns out. Today I'm going to be talking a little bit about guidelines for writing essays. As with creative writing, it is better to show than to tell. Mainly it addresses the main arguments and debates in the literature on your topic and how your line of argument is consistent or different from those. The main point of an introduction is to capture the attention of the reader and draw them in. This is why your first sentences should be well thought-out to engage and interest the reader. Always think of an introduction as an upside down triangle. It should include a few general statements about the subject to provide a background to your essay and to attract the reader's attention. It should try to explain why you are writing the essay. It may include a definition of terms in the context of the essay, etc. It should also include a statement of the specific subdivisions of the topic and/or indication of how the topic is going to be tackled in order to specifically address the question. Quote from your sources and, if they are visual, provide photocopies. Use evidence to support the topic sentence of each paragraph. Try to explain specifically and clearly how each argument relates to your thesis to make sure your essay sounds more cohesive. Also remember that paragraphs are limited to one idea and should also make a clear point that connects to your argument and thesis. Here is a very usefulhandouton paragraphs and transition. The size and detail of this depends on the size of the paper. If you are writing a longer paper, this could be its own section. And back up generalities with specific examples, the more vivid, the better. Your examples should support your topic sentences by making them convincing, while your topic sentences should explain the significance of your examples. It will help you to pick up contradictions and weaknesses in your arguments before you start writing and it keeps you from going off-track. This is also a good stage to check with your professor or TA. You can meet with them in person or e-mail them your outline and thesis to get feedback. Check out thisoutline handoutfrom the Writing Centre. Students also tend to fall in the two categories of doing too much research or too little research. Doing too much research can definitely give you a better understanding of the broader issue of your topic, and this can be noticed in your writing. However, you can fall into the trap of adding things that are not necessarily relevant to your topic, resulting in a larger paper then the assignment requires. Doing too little research on the other hand, might not give you enough information on the topic and make for a shorter paper. Also remember, that not all sources you read will be useful, it takes time to find really good sources you can use for your paper. For a social science paper between 6-8 pages you generally should read at least 10 relatively good sources. It should start broad and become more narrow and specific. There are different things to include in your introduction, depending on the size of your paper.