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Essay Basics
What is an essay?
That's a big question. There are many types of essays, but basically, an essay is
simply a group of related paragraphs written with a specific purpose in mind. That purpose
may be to entertain, inform, or persuade. An essay has an introduction, a body, and a
conclusion. Each part of the essay has its own purpose.
How do I begin?
You will begin your essays with an Introduction. In your introduction, you will
have an opportunity to give your reader a reason to keep reading. You will want to have a
catchy opening to your essay. In addition, the introduction will probably contain your
thesis statement--your main point.
What about the middle part?
The middle of your essay is called "the body." This is where you would
provide the evidence to support your main idea. Depending on the type of essay you are
writing, the body may contain points of an argument or examples to support your main idea.
The important thing you need to know about the body of an essay is that it is made up of
paragraphs. Each of your main points will be covered in its own paragraph with its own
topic sentence and support.
What about the ending?
Many people mistakenly believe that the conclusion of an essay must provide
conclusive answers for all the topics and/or problems that were discussed in the essay.
That is not necessarily so. Some--in fact, most--topics cannot be adequately resolved in
one short essay. Your conclusion may be one or two short paragraphs that serve as your
"good-bye" to your reader. What you want to do in your conclusion is to tie up
any loose ends and leave your reader with a sense that you have completed what you meant
to say.
Is it really that easy?
Yes and no. How's that for an answer? Good writing is not easy, but it is a skill
like any other that can be learned. Was riding a bicycle easy the first time you tried it?
With practice you got better. Now, you probably don't even think about it. You just climb
on and ride.
Tips for writing good essays every time.
Begin with good sentence construction. Make sure the sentences that comprise your
paragraphs are free of structural problems such as fragments, comma splices, and run-ons.
For a brush-up on sentence structure problems, visit the construction
zone. Good essays begin with good paragraphs. Paragraphs are constructed of
sentences. Good sentences are the building blocks of any writing.
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Copyright ©2006 Title V Co-Op and NMSU-Carlsbad
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