ENGLISH 2 MEETING 11

Essa
y
Paragrap
h

Sentences

WRITING AN ESSAY
Word
s

Meliza Aprela Yati. M.Pd

Politeknik Caltex Riau
WHY WRITE ESSAYS?

• Essay writing has important skills development and educational functions. It allows

you to practice and develop transferable skills that are valuable to you not only while
you’re a student but also when you graduate and have to write in a professional role.
• These transferable skills include reading and note-making, critical thinking and
analysis, organizing ideas, arguing a case, and communicating effectively with a
reader.
• It encourages you to develop a formal, disciplined approach to writing that
communicates clearly and with authority.
• It gives you a focus for exploring and consolidating what you’re learning.
• It allows you to develop and organize your thinking about key concepts and issues in
the course you’re studying.
 Essay Writing
Words become a sentence
Sentences become a paragraph
Paragraphs become an essay

An effective paragraph needs:

Simple, compound and complex sentences

An effective essay needs:

Several strong paragraphs with good
transitions
3
 ESSAY
• An essay is a non-fiction and non-imaginary work about a
subject.
• A piece of writing that is long enough to cover many topics and
present different viewpoints.
• An essay is a piece of writing that usually has five or more
paragraphs.
• An essay is written about one topic that has several main
points.
• An essay is an extended piece of writing that presents and
supports a thesis or proposition.
• Essays all rely not only on the validity of the facts they
communicate but also on the selection, critical evaluation,
organization, and presentation of these facts.
 • Descriptive
• Narrative
Types • Cause and Effect
of • Compare and Contrast
Essay • Process
• Expository
• Persuasive/Argumentative
Elements of an Essay
• Audience - It refers to whom the essay is intended for.
• Subject - It is the topic discussed in the essay.
• Purpose - It refers to the intention or goal in writing the essay.
• Point of view - It is the how the ideas are told to the reader
• Theme - It refers to the lesson or message of the essay.
• Mood - It refers to the feeling which the writer would like the reader to
experience or get from the literary work.
• Tone - It is the attitude of the writer towards his/her subject
• Style - This is the special way in which the ideas of the essay are
developed.
ESSAY
 ESSAY
1. "What?"  The first question to anticipate from a reader is "what": What evidence shows
that the phenomenon described by your thesis is true? To answer the question you must
examine your evidence, thus demonstrating the truth of your claim.
2. "How?"  A reader will also want to know whether the claims of the thesis are true in all
cases. This section usually comes after the "what," but keep in mind that an essay may
complicate its argument several times depending on its length, and that
counterargument alone may appear just about anywhere in an essay.
3. "Why?"  Your reader will also want to know what's at stake in your claim: Why does
your interpretation of a phenomenon matter to anyone beside you? This question
addresses the larger implications of your thesis. It allows your readers to understand
your essay within a larger context. In answering "why", your essay explains its own
significance. Although you might gesture at this question in your introduction, the fullest
answer to it properly belongs at your essay's end. If you leave it out, your readers will
experience your essay as unfinished—or, worse, as pointless or insular.
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Essay ?

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Essay Structure
• an introductory/beginning paragraph that
introduces the essay’s thesis or ‘big idea’,

• middle paragraphs/body that support this

thesis and convince the reader of its validity,

• a concluding paragraph that restates the

thesis and draws together the threads of the
argument presented in the essay.
Three Main Parts

• Introductory Paragraph
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.
The introduction has two main purposes: to draw the reader in and
make him/her want to read more and to prepare the reader for the
direction that the essay is going to take.

The introduction usually has three parts:

1. The hook (or dramatic opener) consists of several
sentences that pull the reader into the essay.
2. The transitional sentence connects the hook to the
thesis statement.
3. The thesis statement is one or two sentences that
states the idea or the main point of the topic
Hooks (dramatic openers) are used to grab your reader’s attention at the
beginning of a paragraph or in a report or essay. The hook is often a short
sentence and is placed before the topic sentence. You can also use another very
short sentence at the end of the essay or report to remind the reader of the
opening. These would frame your essay. Here are some examples of some hooks
that you could use.

QUESTION What is more valuable than gold? (essay on friendship)

Possible closing: A man with many friends is rich.

AN IMPERATIVE Look into the heavens and count the stars if you can.
(a command) (Report on outer space)

Possible closing: We will always wonder about the size and

greatness of our universe.
QUOTE: “Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!” (Report on the Gold Rush)
Possible Closing: Many people during the Gold Rush thought they were going
to get a lot of gold; instead, a lot received a new home instead!

STATING A FACT In 1850, 92 percent of California was male.

OR OPINION: (Report on the Gold Rush)
Possible closing: Now a 160 years later, the gold is gone and so are the men who
came to mine it.

ANECDOTE: Bob Ellis was sad to leave his family in New York, but gold fever
was strong in his blood. (Report on the Gold Rush)
Possible closing: Bob Ellis didn’t win a fortune in gold mining, but he did earn
enough money to bring his family to California.
A very basic thesis statement is one or two sentences at
the end of the first paragraph that tells the reader the
main idea of your essay.

A thesis statement should do these three things:

1.It should clearly express what the essay is about.
2.It should make a discussible point.
3.It should indicate the structure of the essay.

Here is an example of a thesis statement for an essay about

why a dog would make a great pet. My three major points
will be that dogs are loyal, easy to train, and make good
companions. (these are your topics for the BODY of the
essay). Here is an example of a thesis statement that I
could use for my essay.

Thesis Statement: A dog would make a great pet for me

because they are very loyal, they are easy to train, and
they make good companions.
Introductory Paragraph:
Thesis statement Example

• Bad: Everyone should exercise.

Why should I? What's in it for me?

• Good: Americans should add exercise to their daily morning

routine because it not only keeps their bodies at a healthy
weight but also reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

- Here, we've made several specifications i.e. Americans (not

everyone), the morning routine (not the evening), weight
maintenance, and high blood pressure prevention. Your
research actually becomes easier when you have very specific
objectives.
Introductory Paragraph:
Thesis statement Example

• Bad: Reading can develop a child's analytical mind.

- Words like "can," aren't strong enough. This thesis statement
begs the question of how? If you're about to write several
paragraphs (or pages) about a topic make sure you can
confidently defend every point you make.
• Good: Reading develops a child's mind by fostering
comprehension skills, increasing vocabulary, and exposing
them to new worlds they might not otherwise encounter.
- Now, we've not just stated that reading is good, we've
provided a sampling of all the benefits we're about to bring to
light in our paper.
Now you are ready to put the introductory paragraph together.
Remember that the transitional sentence acts like a bridge to make
a smooth connection between the hook and the thesis statement.
You don't always need to include a transitional sentence, but you
should always evaluate your introduction to see if one is necessary.

Here's an example of an introductory paragraph for the "favorite

pet" essay using a quotation for the hook.

HOOK The author Aldous Huxley once said, “To his

dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant
popularity of dogs.” As I consider the pet I
TRANSITION would like to have share my life, it’s Huxley’s
quote that sums up why a dog would be the best
choice. Because of its sense of loyalty, its ability
THESIS to protect you and its great companionship, a
dog is the perfect pet.
 HOOK : dramatic opener to grab your
reader’s attention or clickbait

No more broken hearts. The wait is over.

Summer has finally here and perfect time to transitional sentence connects
the hook to the thesis statement.
make ice cream offering a delicious sensation
to cool down your heart. Only two simple
ways to make ice cream, mixing and freezing

THESIS STATEMENT : this sentence

is topic sentence that will be
explained in Body/ Middle paragraph
Now, thinking about introductory
paragraph for your essay and
write it!
Note: Attention to parts of introductory paragraph