What is an Essay?

Broadly speaking, the term essay defines any written composition containing
the author’s ideas and opinions about a certain subject matter. You may
observe some free essay examples for your enlightenment.

Purpose of Writing an Essay

It is important for a writer to know the purpose for writing something.
Typically, the purpose of writing an essay lies on its writer’s
discretion. Depending on the writer, an essay can usually fall into one or two
of the following purposes (which you may have observed in some sample
essay outline found in this source).

 To inform. The writer usually provides information about something the

readers need to know about. The writer provides facts and may or may not
include his/her thoughts about it.

 To explain. Usually, writers write to elaborate and to provoke thought in

order to provide readers a better understanding on the subject matter.

 To entertain. This gives readers the feeling of being entertained while

reading. Usually, entertainment essays are written in a casual and friendly
manner, promoting a good rapport between the writer and the reader.

 To persuade. This stimulates readers to take action or to change their

thoughts about something. Basically, writers write their opinions and
arguments while encouraging a call to action.
Parts of an Essay:
The introduction, body paragraph and conclusion are the other primary elements of
an essay.
Following are three main parts of an Essay:
 Introduction
 Body Paragraph
 Conclusion
Introduction:
It is the opening part of the write up that shows the topic sentence of the essay
or the thesis statement. It prepares the readers on the essay.
Therefore, it should be effective so that the readers are encourage/ motivate to
continue reading.

Body Paragraph:
An essay includes body paragraphs, which develop the main idea of the essay.
Work together with the other body paragraphs to support your essay’s main
idea.
Work together with the other body paragraphs to create a clear, cohesive
paper.
Explain, illustrate, discuss, or provide evidence to support the main idea of the
essay.

Conclusion:
An essay ends with a brief conclusion, which brings the essay to a logical end.
An effective conclusion should:
Remind readers of the primary focus of the essay, which can be done by
restating the main idea in different words.
 Avoid introducing new ideas.
Avoid apologies.

Types of an Essay:
There are following types of an Essay:
 Formal Essay
 Informal Essay
Formal Essays:
This is known as impersonal essay. The content is informative and scientific in
nature. The writer uses the aesthetic approach in language and style.
Informal Essays:
It is called familiar or personal essay. It expresses personal experiences or
observation on human nature. Its purpose is to entertain rather than to inform.

Forms of an Essay:
Research:
A research essay includes a presentation of facts, which are based upon reading or consulting
several sources. There are two types of research papers: argumentative and analysis.
An argumentative research essay proves a point, while an analytical research essay simply
informs the reader about the topic. Features of a research paper include:
An interesting topic
Description of a problem
The definitions of the terms, concepts, and vocabulary you use.
A summary of your research in the conclusion
Argumentative/Persuasive:
The function of an argumentative essay is to prove that the author’s opinions about a particular
subject are correct or more truthful than other opinions on the subject. Features of an
argumentative or persuasive essay include:
A well-defined, controversial issue
A counter argument
A clear position taken by the writer
A persuasive argument as to why the writer’s stance is correct
Support the thesis using facts, data, quotes, rhetorical questions
A reasonable, confident tone/Lack of bias
Analysis:
An analysis essay, or often called an analytical essay, is a paper that presents a critical
assessment of a text, concept, behavior, or other entity in a thorough and academic way. As its
name suggests, an analysis essay intends to analyze using a variety of critical thinking skills and
approaches. Features of an analytical essay include:
A strong thesis that states the author’s position on the text you are analyzing
Facts and details to support the author’s point of view
A critical evaluation of the structure and information of the text
A conclusion that restates the thesis in a different way than before and briefly restates the
supporting details
Compare-Contrast:
Compare-contrast essays are informative because they discuss a subject in one of two ways.
Either it identifies likenesses between two ideas or things that are commonly thought to be
different, or it identifies differences between items that are commonly thought to be similar.
There are two methods of writing this type of essay, which include:
A thesis that is specific and backed up by a highly argumentative analysis
(Method 1) First, the author can write all the information about the first subject of comparison.
Then, he or she goes on to write about the points of another subject of comparison.
(Method 2) One can discuss the similar aspects of one subject in a few paragraphs; then, one
can discuss the differences of the same subject in the next few paragraphs.
Descriptive:
An essay rarely consists of just descriptions. It is usually within another type of essay.
Description conveys the qualities of a subject – person, place, or object – by focusing on
concrete sensory details of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Features of a descriptive essay
include:
A specific subject
Specific, descriptive details
A clear pattern of organization
Adjectives and adverbs that help to describe the subject
Evaluation:
In our everyday lives, we are constantly evaluating, making judgments and forming opinions.
Evaluative essays seek to prompt readers to examine their own values and to perhaps accept the
view of the writer. This type of essay can be used in book and movie reviews, or it can be used to
describe a work process, such as a recipe. Features of an evaluation include:
An adequately described subject
An assertion or definitive judgment
An argument based on reasonable criteria
A clear pattern of organization
Narrative:
Narrative essays are typically about detailed experiences that the writer has faced in life.
It is a story that is meaningful to the author, which can be either real or imaginary. It describes
how a certain event changed a major part of the writer’s life and how he or she reacted to this
event. A narrative has a point to make and an idea to pass on. The writer uses details that are
significant and merges them to build up a storyline that is easy for the reader to follow. Features
of a narrative essay include:
An introduction that clearly indicates the topic (an event or recurring activity, a personal
experience, or an observation)
Personal stories and a great amount of detail
Generally in first person
Descriptive terms to help the reader visualize the story/events
The writing should be personalized, reflecting the unique writing style and personality of the
writer
Exposition:
The purpose of an expository essay is to present, completely and fairly, the views of others. It
can also report about an event or a situation. Expository writing presents a subject in detail apart
from criticism, argument, or development. Features of an expository essay include:
A clear, concise and well-defined thesis statement (the last sentence of the introductory
paragraph containing the main idea of an essay)
Clear and logical transitions between paragraphs
Body paragraphs with evidential support
Evidence that is presented with creativity
A conclusion that restates the thesis and highlights the evidence presented to support it
Classification:
A classification essay arranges and organizes a topic or subject into categories. The purpose of a
classification essay is to break things down, so they can be further investigated.
Features of a classification essay include:
Complex subdivisions with detailed information about each class
Consistency in the categories (Ensure all the information leads back to one point)
Each category must be exclusive to the information provided in it (No two categories can overlap
information)
In conclusion, each essay that we’ve discussed has its own purpose and importance. The task of
writing an essay may seem daunting, but given the appropriate amount of time to write it and
learning what the criteria is, essays become a lot easier to tackle.
Examples:
On the following page, there are examples of introductory paragraphs for each type of essay that
will help with getting started.
Research:
Batteries come in many shapes and sizes. Some are no larger than a pill while others are too
heavy to lift, but most batteries have one thing in common: they store chemical energy and
change it into electrical energy. The cell is the basic unit that produces electricity. A battery has
two or more cells, but people often use the word battery when talking about a single cell, too,
like a dry cell. A dime-sized battery in a watch is a cell. Cells act like pumps to force electrons to
flow along conductors.
Argumentative/Persuasive:
In the twenty-first century, most citizens of the modern world have practically forgotten how
important it is to connect with nature. Despite all the technological advances and scientific
inventions that make us believe we have nothing in common with the rest of the animal
kingdom, we are still part of the planet, whether we realize it or not. Needless to say, back when
humanity’s main achievements were the invention of the round wheel, or specific tools for
farming and agriculture, human beings were dependent on nature. Now, with the technological
revolutions and discoveries that made our past history, we seem to pay little attention to nature,
getting more and more disconnected from it every day. However, the links we have with nature
cannot disappear. There are a number of key reasons in favor of the concept that people should
try to connect with nature more than they do today.
Analysis:
The idea of a human mission to Mars has been capturing the imagination of the scientific
community and popular culture for decades, manifesting itself in cinema, literature, and art.
Conceptualizations of how this mission would be planned, funded, and executed have waxed and
waned since the space race of the mid-20th century. What has never been disputed is the fact that
an expedition to Mars is a momentous undertaking, with high risks and unknown rewards. When
a mission takes place, it will most likely result into settling a human base on the Red Planet, with
a scientific base that may perform exploitation, and contribute to further colonization or even
terraforming.
Compare/Contrast:
Health care has always been one of the key factors for a successful society. Medicine itself has a
history spanning thousands of years, and specialized establishments for treating the sick have
also existed for a long period of time. Simply stated, hospitals are institutions that cater to the
patients by providing them with appropriate conditions and continuous care as they undergo
medical treatment. All these services are geared towards restoring the patient’s wellbeing.
However, technological and scientific progress has made treatment options possible that weren’t
available a hundred years ago making a large contribution to health care. Thus, there are key
differences between hospitals today and a century ago. These differences include improved
surgical techniques, safer use of anesthesia, and safer childbirth procedures.
Descriptive:
Bryce remembered the smell that permeated in the air that evening: a combination of the gingery
sweetness of wildflowers, hazelnut crust, and ripe raspberries. The Smell of a hot summer
evening, when the sun had already hidden its rays for the night, but the Earth was breathing out
the steam of the day fever. That July, two years ago, was particularly hot, humid, and promised
to be boring for Bryce Gordon. Having finished his second year in college and planning to spend
the summer working in the local amusement park, Bryce was not anticipating any glory.
Moreover, most of his college friends had moved out of campus for the summer and traveled
back to their homes while he was in Grindson for the whole summer since this was where he
grew up and spent every summer of his life. The goal for the season was to simply stay in town
and try to survive the heat of the Central Texas prairie.
Evaluation:
One of the most ambiguous movies shot by Stanley Kubrick is The Shining, a horror film that
tells the story of a family that has moved into a hotel called “Overlook,” which was inhabited by
ghosts. Throughout the movie, the plot develops around the Torrence family: Jack,
Wendy, and their son Danny. Kubrick based the movie on a novel written by Stephen King. The
literary source is rather thrilling and intriguing; however the movie can provide the audience a
gruesome depiction of the events from the novel and is recommended for all film majors learning
adaptation techniques.
Narrative:
It was mid-April on a beautiful day. I felt unsure about the rash decision I had just made to
change high schools on a whim. I spent the majority of my previous year-and-a-half in high
school scraping by in terms of academia; I knew a change needed to be made, or I’d never
graduate. As I walked into my new educational institution, a flood of emotions flowed through
me. This really meant that my old life was over. I left everything I knew to make something of
my future. This was my new beginning, and I was determined to do my best.
Exposition:
Computers once had a singular purpose: to solve mathematical equations. Rapid advances in
computer technology have altered the way in which people interact with computers, as well as
the functionality of these intelligent machines. With the advent of a worldwide and nearly
universally accessible Internet, the way in which we interact with each other has also changed
drastically. People from all over the world can instantaneously exchange both business and
personal information. Internet commerce has become a huge part of the daily lives of millions, as
well as social networking and streaming media. Most recently, portable electronics capable of
nearly all internet-related tasks have become a common possession for the average middle-aged
American. The unlimited free exchange of information has changed, and it is continuing to shift
society at large in a profound way.
Classification:
In the early twentieth century, close to twenty-six million people attended nickelodeons weekly.
Gross receipts totaled close to 100 million dollars yearly. The frequent movie watchers were
immigrants, the working class, or the unemployed. All could understand the silent films;
however, the middle and upper class did not attend the early film showing as they would not
have been caught dead in the disreputable nickelodeons. During the silent picture era, movie
studios produced three main categories of films. The western, slapstick comedy, and romance
genres were used repeatedly during early motion picture production.