Essay

An essay is a short non-fiction, non-imaginary work about a subject. It has many purposes
A. Three main parts:
1. Introduction - Opening part if 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 encouraged or motivated to continue reading.
An effective body should:
 Reader's Attention
 Introduction of the topic of the essay
 Introduction of the main idea (thesis or claim of the essay)
 Introduction of the purpose if the essay (Discourse Modes: Argumentation,
Narration, Description, and Exposition)

2. Body - An essay includes the body paragraphs, which develop the main idea (thesis
or claim) of the essay.
An effective body should:
 Explain, illustrate, discuss or provide evidence to support the main idea
(thesis or claim) of the essay.
 Discuss only one aspect of the main idea (whenever you move on to a new
supporting point, start a new body paragraph);
 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 (Clarity and coherence can be achieved through the use of transitions.)

3. Conclusion - An essay ends with a brief conclusion, which brings the essay to a
logical end.
An effective conclusion should:
 Remind readers 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 Essays:
1. Formal Essay - Known as an impersonal essay. The content is informative and scientific in
nature the writer uses the "aesthetic" approach in language and style.
2. Informal Essay - It is called familiar or personal essay. It expresses personal experience and
observations. Entertainment.
Elements of an Essay:
 1. Audience - Refers to when the essay is intended for
2. Purpose - Refers to the intention or goal in writing the essay
3. Subject - topic discussed in the essay
4. Point of View - How ideas are told to the reader
5. Theme - It refers to the lesson or message if the essay
6. Mood - It refers to the feeling which the writer would like reader to experience or get
from the literary work
7. Tone - It is the attitude if the writer towards the subject.
8. Style- This is the special way in which the ideas of the essay are developed
No plagiarism. Acknowledgement of the materials. MLA or APA styles
Principles of Effective Writing
I. What makes a good writer? (Outside of poets, maybe):
 Having something to say
 Logical and clear thinking
 A few simple, learnable rules of style (the tools we’ll learn in this class)

II. Clear Writing

 Starts with a clear thinking
 Before writing, ask yourself: “What am I trying to say?”
 When you finished writing, ask: “Have I said it?”
 Once you know what you’re trying to say then pay attention to your words
 Today’s lesson: Strip your sentences to just words that tell and show
 Four Discourse Modes:
1. Argumentation - Tell
2. Exposition - Tell
3. Narration - Show
4. Description – Show
 “The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest
components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could
be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that’s already in
the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is
doing what—these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the
strength of a sentence. And they usually occur in proportion to the education
and rank.” – William Zinsser in On Writing Well, 1976
III. Principles of Effective Writing
1. Word
 Reduce dead weight words and phrases
 Get rid of
 Example 1: The expected prevalence of mental retardation, based on the
assumption of a normal distribution of intelligence in the population, is
stated to be theoretically about 2.5%
 Modification: “The expected prevalence of mental retardation, if
intelligence is normally distributed, is 2.5%”
 Example 2: This paper provides a review of the basic tenets of cancer
biology study design, using as examples studies that illustrate the
methodologic challenges or that demonstrate successful solutions to the
difficulties inherent in biological research.
 Modification: This paper reviews cancer biology design, using examples
that illustrate specific challenges and solutions.
 Hunt down and cast out all unneeded words
 Very, really, quite, basically, generally. These words seldom add anything
useful. Try the sentence without them and see if it improves
  Watch out for the verb “to be”
Often “there are: is extra weight
 Example: There are many students who like writing
Modification: Many students like writing.
 Examples of Dead Weight Phrases:
o In the event that
o In the nature of
o It has been estimated that
o It seems that
o The point I am trying to make
o What I mean to say is
o It may be argued that
o For the most part
o For the purpose of
o In the manner of speaking
o In a very real sense
o In my opinion
o In the case of
o In the final analysis
Clunky Phrase Equivalent
All of the three The three
Fewer in number Fewer
Give rise to Cause
In all cases Always

In close proximity to Near

A majority of Most
A number of
Are of the same opinion Agree
At the present moment Now

Wordy Pointed
In spite of the fact that Although
In the event that If
New innovations Innovations
One and the same The same
Period of four days Four days
Personal opinion Opinion
Shorter/longer in length Shorter/longer
2. Learn to Cut your words
 Be vigilant and ruthless
 After investing much effort to put words on a page, we often find it hard to
part with them
 Example 1: Brain injury incidence shows two peak periods in almost all
reports: rates are the highest in young people, and the elderly
 Modification: Brain injury incidence peaks in the young and the elderly
3. Follow: Subject + Verb + Object (Active voice!)
 The passive voice:
In passive voice sentences, the subject is acted upon; the subject doesn’t
act.
Passive verb: A form of the verb “to be” + the past participle of the main
verb
 Example 1: President Kennedy was shot in 1963
 Active voice: Oswald shot President Kennedy in 1963
 Example 2: The agent is AWOL” –Sin and Syntax
 e.g. “Mistakes were made.”
 .:. Nobody was responsible
 The Active Voice is Direct, Vigorous, Natural, and Informative
4. Use strong verbs and avoid turning verbs into nouns
 A sentence uses one main verb to convey its central action; without that verb
the sentence would collapse
 The verb is the engine that drives the sentence. Dull, lifeless verbs slow the
sentence down
 Compare: “Loud music came from speakers embedded in the walls, and the
entire arena moved as the hungry crowd got to its feet
 With: “Loud music exploded from speakers embedded in the walls, and the
entire arena shook as the hungry crowd leaped to its feet.
 PICK THE RIGHT VERB
The WHO reports that approximately two-thirds of the world’s diabetics are
found in the developing countries, and U that the number of diabetics in these
countries will double in the next 25 years
The WHO estimates that two thirds of the world’s diabetics are found in
developing countries, and projects that the number of diabetics in these
countries will double in the next 25 years.
5. Eliminate negatives; use of positive constructions
 Example 1: He was not often on time
 Modification: He usually came light
 Example 2: She did not think that studying was a sensible use of one’s time
 Modification: She thought studying writing was a waste of time
6. Parallel Construction
 Not Parallel: If you want to be a good doctor, you must study hard, critically
think about the medical literature, and you should be a good listener
 Parallel: If you want to be a good doctor you must study hard, listen wel, and
think critically about the medical literature
 Parallel: If you want to be a good doctor, you must be a good student, a good
listener, and a critical thinking about the medical literature