1

1.
Narrative essays
Narrative essays tell a story and often are the most personal type of essay you may write. They allow you
to exercise creativity and imagination, and you can base them on a particular prompt, such as the first
time you drove a car by yourself, or a more open-ended prompt, like a time you overcame a fear. You
may submit a narrative essay, usually called a personal statement, for college or graduate school
applications.
You can use literary techniques in narrative essays to create an essay that reads like fiction. To do this,
consider including metaphors, analogies, alliteration, imagery and dialogue. A narrative essay generally
has an opening that gets the reader's attention and provides enough background information for the
story to make sense. A conclusion helps summarize the main point of your essay or reiterate your goals.
For example, if you’re writing a narrative essay for a job application, you could conclude by summarizing
how your experience solidified your desire to become a lawyer.
2. Descriptive essays
Descriptive essays provide a detailed description of your subject. This may be a person, place, thing or
event. Descriptive essays, like narrative essays, allow for a more creative approach to writing. Unlike
narrative essays, which provide a complete story, descriptive essays often focus only on the subject.
When writing a descriptive essay, consider including vivid imagery and incorporate actions, thoughts,
sensory details and emotions to immerse the reader instead of simply explaining the situation or events.
You can do this by using strong action verbs and unique, descriptive adjectives. This can make your
writing more engaging and help the reader feel more involved and connected to your essay and its
characters.
3. Expository essays
Expository essays explain a topic neutrally. Writers use expository essays to demonstrate their
knowledge or expertise in a certain area. Teachers often assign expository essays to test their students'
understanding of a topic. These essays often avoid emotion or opinion and instead focus on factual
information. For instance, if you're writing about environmental conservation, try to avoid claiming
someone should do something or taking a stance on a controversial issue. Expository essays can take
different formats, but they typically include:
An introduction with a thesis statement explaining exactly what the essay will discuss
The body that details the facts of the subject, often citing sources
A conclusion that summarizes the main points
4. Definition essays
Definition essays are a type of exposition essay that defines a term or idea. These essays typically
examine complex or abstract topics and provide in-depth analysis and explanations. For instance, a
definition essay might discuss what existentialism is or the meaning of quantum physics. Definition
essays are common in academic and research settings.
5. Process essays
Process essays are another type of exposition essay that describes how to do something or how
something works. You can write a process essay in chronological order to maintain organization and
clarity. Process essays usually contain the following elements:
Introduction: Introduce the process you will describe.
Body: These paragraphs describe each step in chronological order. Consider using transition words that
signal where you are in the process.
Conclusion: Finish your essay with a conclusion that summarizes the process to help the reader
remember the most important idea of the document.
6. Compare and contrast essays
Compare and contrast essays discuss two subjects and detail the similarities and differences between
them. These essays include an introduction, at least one paragraph to explain the subjects' similarities, at
least one paragraph to discuss differences and a conclusion. Compare and contrast essays are common
in academic settings. An example of a compare and contrast essay is one describing the similarities and
differences between bees and wasps.
7. Argumentative essays
Argumentative essays try to convince the reader to take a certain side based on the information the
writer presents. Argumentative essays rely on facts rather than emotion to sway the readers. For
instance, an argumentative essay may discuss why companies should offer wellness packages as part of
their benefits plan. The essay can incorporate research about how regular exercise increases productivity
and how people who eat well and work out take fewer sick days.
Argumentative essays avoid first- or second-person statements. Rather, they support one side of an
argument and may argue against other sides using objective information. You can use phrases like
"Research suggests" or "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" to present the
facts that support your argument.
8. Persuasive essays
Persuasive essays aim to persuade readers to have an opinion or take a side using facts and emotional
appeals. To support an argument or cause, persuasive essays can include moral and emotional reasoning
to connect to the reader.
For example, a persuasive essay about the previous topic of companies including wellness packages in
employee benefits may include appeals to employers' satisfaction with providing an extra perk for their
employees. It also could discuss employers' responsibility to ensure their employees have access to
features that keep them healthy or how excited and grateful employees are for the new benefits.
9. Cause and effect essays
Cause and effect essays detail why certain events or situations led to other events. Writers create a clear
connection between the two sets of events or circumstances and explain what features of the initiating
event created the subsequent incidents. Cause and effect essays are types of expository essays, so they
state facts and avoid subjective opinions. A cause-and-effect essay may examine how Charles Darwin's
scientific discoveries led to the origin of new theories of social science, for instance.
10. Critical essays
Critical essays provide an in-depth analysis of a topic. They can critique paintings, books, movies, plays or
restaurants. Many college courses, especially literature and humanities courses, require critical essays as
a way to test students' ability to think critically and identify evidence from a specific work that validates
their observations. Critical essays use facts from the subject to justify an opinion. For instance, in a movie
review, a writer could note a movie uses boring dialogue. They then could support that observation by
citing specific lines from the film.

1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1.

A conclusion that summarizes the main points

Introduction: Introduce the process you will describe.

6. Compare and contrast essays

10. Critical essays

You might also like