Writing an essay is one of the most critical academic aspects you’re going to find. Most instructors (at any level) want you to be able to communicate your thoughts effectively. Therefore, the structure of an essay is just as important as the wording and grammar you use.
Though many people think so, writing essays isn’t just a hoop that you must get through to complete schooling. Many professors write essays throughout their lifetime and want students to do the same.
However, planning ahead is essential, so you need to give care and thought to the process. Of course, you also have to know the structure of an essay to ensure that you’re writing it correctly.
What Is an Essay?
Generally, an essay is a formal argument that you are trying to make to anyone who reads your words. It must be supported by evidence or logic, and often both. Each essay needs to have an intro, body, and conclusion. Of course, you can have subtopics and endless points to meet the word count and prove your point within the body.
The Introduction
Each paragraph and sentence you write are important, but the introduction might be vital here. It has to be near perfect so that people want to continue reading what you’ve written and learned from your research.
This is the point where you can make an excellent first impression. Instructors are likely to start grading from the moment they begin reading. They look at whether it’s interesting or dull, strong or weak, ineffective or effective. Usually, they come to their conclusion before they finish the intro.
It must tell the reader what the topic is and your stance on it. You can touch on some of the main points and provide an overview of your particular argument. Also, it’s important to show your thought process and that it’s coherent and logical.
The Body
Your essay must also have a body, and this is going to be the longest part of the entire piece. Even short essays have three or more full paragraphs, though a long essay can span many pages.
Each paragraph should be a point within your argument, relating to the topic. These paragraphs also have a structure. You can label them as topics within if you need to write multiple paragraphs to prove one point. It requires a signpost sentence, which dictates what you plan to talk about during that paragraph or section. The rest of the sentences expand on that point and back it up with appropriate examples.
The Conclusion
At the end of your essay, you need to sum everything up with a conclusion. Often, a single paragraph is enough, but it might take three or four in a longer discussion.
The conclusion’s goal is to summarize all of the main points in the argument and draw the final decision if relevant. Sometimes, you can even include other informational content to further the study.
Now isn’t the time to talk about new ideas about the topic. This is just the reminder of what you’ve already covered here.
How Do You Start?
Knowing the structure of an essay isn’t all. You’ve still got to begin writing it. For some, there’s no problem with this part, but others need to use a physical outline to help them stay on track.
Some professors recommend writing the body first because it can help you map out the main ideas. Then, you can write the introduction around the points you’ve already covered, as well as the conclusion.
If you’re having trouble, it’s always possible to seek help from the Homeworkmarket.com. Ask questions and get help writing your essays so that they sound great and help you get a better grade.