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11 Rules for Essay Paragraph Structure (with Examples)

How do you structure a paragraph in an essay?

If you’re like the majority of my students, you might be getting your basic essay paragraph structure wrong and getting lower grades than you could!

In this article, I outline the 11 key steps to writing a perfect paragraph. But, this isn’t your normal ‘how to write an essay’ article. Rather, I’ll try to give you some insight into exactly what teachers look out for when they’re grading essays and figuring out what grade to give them.

You can navigate each issue below, or scroll down to read them all:

1. Paragraphs must be at least four sentences long 2. But, at most seven sentences long 3. Your paragraph must be Left-Aligned 4. You need a topic sentence 5 . Next, you need an explanation sentence 6. You need to include an example 7. You need to include citations 8. All paragraphs need to be relevant to the marking criteria 9. Only include one key idea per paragraph 10. Keep sentences short 11. Keep quotes short

Paragraph structure is one of the most important elements of getting essay writing right .

As I cover in my Ultimate Guide to Writing an Essay Plan , paragraphs are the heart and soul of your essay.

However, I find most of my students have either:

• forgotten how to write paragraphs properly,
• gotten lazy, or
• never learned it in the first place!

Paragraphs in essay writing are different from paragraphs in other written genres .

In fact, the paragraphs that you are reading now would not help your grades in an essay.

That’s because I’m writing in journalistic style, where paragraph conventions are vastly different.

For those of you coming from journalism or creative writing, you might find you need to re-learn paragraph writing if you want to write well-structured essay paragraphs to get top grades.

Below are eleven reasons your paragraphs are losing marks, and what to do about it!

Essay Paragraph Structure Rules

1. your paragraphs must be at least 4 sentences long.

In journalism and blog writing, a one-sentence paragraph is great. It’s short, to-the-point, and helps guide your reader. For essay paragraph structure, one-sentence paragraphs suck.

A one-sentence essay paragraph sends an instant signal to your teacher that you don’t have much to say on an issue.

A short paragraph signifies that you know something – but not much about it. A one-sentence paragraph lacks detail, depth and insight.

Many students come to me and ask, “what does ‘add depth’ mean?” It’s one of the most common pieces of feedback you’ll see written on the margins of your essay.

Personally, I think ‘add depth’ is bad feedback because it’s a short and vague comment. But, here’s what it means: You’ve not explained your point enough!

If you’re writing one-, two- or three-sentence essay paragraphs, you’re costing yourself marks.

Always aim for at least four sentences per paragraph in your essays.

This doesn’t mean that you should add ‘fluff’ or ‘padding’ sentences.

Make sure you don’t:

a) repeat what you said in different words, or b) write something just because you need another sentence in there.

But, you need to do some research and find something insightful to add to that two-sentence paragraph if you want to ace your essay.

Check out Points 5 and 6 for some advice on what to add to that short paragraph to add ‘depth’ to your paragraph and start moving to the top of the class.

• How to Make an Essay Longer
• How to Make an Essay Shorter

2. Your Paragraphs must not be more than 7 Sentences Long

Okay, so I just told you to aim for at least four sentences per paragraph. So, what’s the longest your paragraph should be?

Seven sentences. That’s a maximum.

So, here’s the rule:

Between four and seven sentences is the sweet spot that you need to aim for in every single paragraph.

Here’s why your paragraphs shouldn’t be longer than seven sentences:

1. It shows you can organize your thoughts. You need to show your teacher that you’ve broken up your key ideas into manageable segments of text (see point 10)

2. It makes your work easier to read.   You need your writing to be easily readable to make it easy for your teacher to give you good grades. Make your essay easy to read and you’ll get higher marks every time.

One of the most important ways you can make your work easier to read is by writing paragraphs that are less than six sentences long.

3. It prevents teacher frustration. Teachers are just like you. When they see a big block of text their eyes glaze over. They get frustrated, lost, their mind wanders … and you lose marks.

To prevent teacher frustration, you need to ensure there’s plenty of white space in your essay. It’s about showing them that the piece is clearly structured into one key idea per ‘chunk’ of text.

Often, you might find that your writing contains tautologies and other turns of phrase that can be shortened for clarity.

3. Your Paragraph must be Left-Aligned

Turn off ‘Justified’ text and: Never. Turn. It. On. Again.

Justified text is where the words are stretched out to make the paragraph look like a square. It turns the writing into a block. Don’t do it. You will lose marks, I promise you! Win the psychological game with your teacher: left-align your text.

A good essay paragraph is never ‘justified’.

I’m going to repeat this, because it’s important: to prevent your essay from looking like a big block of muddy, hard-to-read text align your text to the left margin only.

You want white space on your page – and lots of it. White space helps your reader scan through your work. It also prevents it from looking like big blocks of text.

You want your reader reading vertically as much as possible: scanning, browsing, and quickly looking through for evidence you’ve engaged with the big ideas.

The justified text doesn’t help you do that. Justified text makes your writing look like a big, lumpy block of text that your reader doesn’t want to read.

What’s wrong with Center-Aligned Text?

While I’m at it, never, ever, center-align your text either. Center-aligned text is impossible to skim-read. Your teacher wants to be able to quickly scan down the left margin to get the headline information in your paragraph.

Not many people center-align text, but it’s worth repeating: never, ever center-align your essays.

Don’t annoy your reader. Left align your text.

4. Your paragraphs must have a Topic Sentence

The first sentence of an essay paragraph is called the topic sentence. This is one of the most important sentences in the correct essay paragraph structure style.

The topic sentence should convey exactly what key idea you’re going to cover in your paragraph.

Too often, students don’t let their reader know what the key idea of the paragraph is until several sentences in.

You must show what the paragraph is about in the first sentence.

You never, ever want to keep your reader in suspense. Essays are not like creative writing. Tell them straight away what the paragraph is about. In fact, if you can, do it in the first half of the first sentence .

I’ll remind you again: make it easy to grade your work. Your teacher is reading through your work trying to determine what grade to give you. They’re probably going to mark 20 assignments in one sitting. They have no interest in storytelling or creativity. They just want to know how much you know! State what the paragraph is about immediately and move on.

Suggested: Best Words to Start a Paragraph

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: Writing a Topic Sentence If your paragraph is about how climate change is endangering polar bears, say it immediately : “Climate change is endangering polar bears.” should be your first sentence in your paragraph. Take a look at first sentence of each of the four paragraphs above this one. You can see from the first sentence of each paragraph that the paragraphs discuss:

When editing your work, read each paragraph and try to distil what the one key idea is in your paragraph. Ensure that this key idea is mentioned in the first sentence .

(Note: if there’s more than one key idea in the paragraph, you may have a problem. See Point 9 below .)

The topic sentence is the most important sentence for getting your essay paragraph structure right. So, get your topic sentences right and you’re on the right track to a good essay paragraph.

5. You need an Explanation Sentence

All topic sentences need a follow-up explanation. The very first point on this page was that too often students write paragraphs that are too short. To add what is called ‘depth’ to a paragraph, you can come up with two types of follow-up sentences: explanations and examples.

Let’s take explanation sentences first.

Explanation sentences give additional detail. They often provide one of the following services:

Let’s go back to our example of a paragraph on Climate change endangering polar bears. If your topic sentence is “Climate change is endangering polar bears.”, then your follow-up explanation sentence is likely to explain how, why, where, or when. You could say:

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: Writing Explanation Sentences 1. How: “The warming atmosphere is melting the polar ice caps.” 2. Why: “The polar bears’ habitats are shrinking every single year.” 3. Where: “This is happening in the Antarctic ice caps near Greenland.” 4. When: “Scientists first noticed the ice caps were shrinking in 1978.”

You don’t have to provide all four of these options each time.

But, if you’re struggling to think of what to add to your paragraph to add depth, consider one of these four options for a good quality explanation sentence.

>>>RELATED ARTICLE: SHOULD YOU USE RHETORICAL QUESTIONS IN ESSAYS ?

6. Your need to Include an Example

Examples matter! They add detail. They also help to show that you genuinely understand the issue. They show that you don’t just understand a concept in the abstract; you also understand how things work in real life.

Example sentences have the added benefit of personalising an issue. For example, after saying “Polar bears’ habitats are shrinking”, you could note specific habitats, facts and figures, or even a specific story about a bear who was impacted.

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: Writing an ‘Example’ Sentence “For example, 770,000 square miles of Arctic Sea Ice has melted in the past four decades, leading Polar Bear populations to dwindle ( National Geographic, 2018 )

In fact, one of the most effective politicians of our times – Barrack Obama – was an expert at this technique. He would often provide examples of people who got sick because they didn’t have healthcare to sell Obamacare.

What effect did this have? It showed the real-world impact of his ideas. It humanised him, and got him elected president – twice!

Be like Obama. Provide examples. Often.

7. All Paragraphs need Citations

Provide a reference to an academic source in every single body paragraph in the essay. The only two paragraphs where you don’t need a reference is the introduction and conclusion .

Let me repeat: Paragraphs need at least one reference to a quality scholarly source .

Let me go even further:

Students who get the best marks provide two references to two different academic sources in every paragraph.

Two references in a paragraph show you’ve read widely, cross-checked your sources, and given the paragraph real thought.

It’s really important that these references link to academic sources, not random websites, blogs or YouTube videos. Check out our Seven Best types of Sources to Cite in Essays post to get advice on what sources to cite. Number 6 w ill surprise you!

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: In-Text Referencing in Paragraphs Usually, in-text referencing takes the format: (Author, YEAR), but check your school’s referencing formatting requirements carefully. The ‘Author’ section is the author’s last name only. Not their initials. Not their first name. Just their last name . My name is Chris Drew. First name Chris, last name Drew. If you were going to reference an academic article I wrote in 2019, you would reference it like this: (Drew, 2019).

Where do you place those two references?

Place the first reference at the end of the first half of the paragraph. Place the second reference at the end of the second half of the paragraph.

This spreads the references out and makes it look like all the points throughout the paragraph are backed up by your sources. The goal is to make it look like you’ve reference regularly when your teacher scans through your work.

Remember, teachers can look out for signposts that indicate you’ve followed academic conventions and mentioned the right key ideas.

Spreading your referencing through the paragraph helps to make it look like you’ve followed the academic convention of referencing sources regularly.

Here are some examples of how to reference twice in a paragraph:

• If your paragraph was six sentences long, you would place your first reference at the end of the third sentence and your second reference at the end of the sixth sentence.
• If your paragraph was five sentences long, I would recommend placing one at the end of the second sentence and one at the end of the fifth sentence.

You’ve just read one of the key secrets to winning top marks.

8. Every Paragraph must be relevant to the Marking Criteria

Every paragraph must win you marks. When you’re editing your work, check through the piece to see if every paragraph is relevant to the marking criteria.

For the British: In the British university system (I’m including Australia and New Zealand here – I’ve taught at universities in all three countries), you’ll usually have a ‘marking criteria’. It’s usually a list of between two and six key learning outcomes your teacher needs to use to come up with your score. Sometimes it’s called a:

• Marking criteria
• Marking rubric
• (Key) learning outcome
• Indicative content

Check your assignment guidance to see if this is present. If so, use this list of learning outcomes to guide what you write. If your paragraphs are irrelevant to these key points, delete the paragraph .

Paragraphs that don’t link to the marking criteria are pointless. They won’t win you marks.

For the Americans: If you don’t have a marking criteria / rubric / outcomes list, you’ll need to stick closely to the essay question or topic. This goes out to those of you in the North American system. North America (including USA and Canada here) is often less structured and the professor might just give you a topic to base your essay on.

If all you’ve got is the essay question / topic, go through each paragraph and make sure each paragraph is relevant to the topic.

For example, if your essay question / topic is on “The Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears”,

• Don’t talk about anything that doesn’t have some connection to climate change and polar bears;
• Don’t talk about the environmental impact of oil spills in the Gulf of Carpentaria;
• Don’t talk about black bear habitats in British Columbia.
• Do talk about the effects of climate change on polar bears (and relevant related topics) in every single paragraph .

You may think ‘stay relevant’ is obvious advice, but at least 20% of all essays I mark go off on tangents and waste words.

Stay on topic in Every. Single. Paragraph. If you want to learn more about how to stay on topic, check out our essay planning guide .

9. Only have one Key Idea per Paragraph

One key idea for each paragraph. One key idea for each paragraph. One key idea for each paragraph.

Don’t forget!

Too often, a student starts a paragraph talking about one thing and ends it talking about something totally different. Don’t be that student.

To ensure you’re focussing on one key idea in your paragraph, make sure you know what that key idea is. It should be mentioned in your topic sentence (see Point 3 ). Every other sentence in the paragraph adds depth to that one key idea.

If you’ve got sentences in your paragraph that are not relevant to the key idea in the paragraph, they don’t fit. They belong in another paragraph.

Go through all your paragraphs when editing your work and check to see if you’ve veered away from your paragraph’s key idea. If so, you might have two or even three key ideas in the one paragraph.

You’re going to have to get those additional key ideas, rip them out, and give them paragraphs of their own.

If you have more than one key idea in a paragraph you will lose marks. I promise you that.

The paragraphs will be too hard to read, your reader will get bogged down reading rather than scanning, and you’ll have lost grades.

10. Keep Sentences Short

If a sentence is too long it gets confusing. When the sentence is confusing, your reader will stop reading your work. They will stop reading the paragraph and move to the next one. They’ll have given up on your paragraph.

Short, snappy sentences are best.

Shorter sentences are easier to read and they make more sense. Too often, students think they have to use big, long, academic words to get the best marks. Wrong. Aim for clarity in every sentence in the paragraph. Your teacher will thank you for it.

The students who get the best marks write clear, short sentences.

When editing your draft, go through your essay and see if you can shorten your longest five sentences.

(To learn more about how to write the best quality sentences, see our page on Seven ways to Write Amazing Sentences .)

11. Keep Quotes Short

Eighty percent of university teachers hate quotes. That’s not an official figure. It’s my guestimate based on my many interactions in faculty lounges. Twenty percent don’t mind them, but chances are your teacher is one of the eight out of ten who hate quotes.

Teachers tend to be turned off by quotes because it makes it look like you don’t know how to say something on your own words.

Now that I’ve warned you, here’s how to use quotes properly:

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: How To Use Quotes in University-Level Essay Paragraphs 1. Your quote should be less than one sentence long. 2. Your quote should be less than one sentence long. 3. You should never start a sentence with a quote. 4. You should never end a paragraph with a quote. 5 . You should never use more than five quotes per essay. 6. Your quote should never be longer than one line in a paragraph.

The minute your teacher sees that your quote takes up a large chunk of your paragraph, you’ll have lost marks.

Your teacher will circle the quote, write a snarky comment in the margin, and not even bother to give you points for the key idea in the paragraph.

Avoid quotes, but if you really want to use them, follow those five rules above.

I’ve also provided additional pages outlining Seven tips on how to use Quotes if you want to delve deeper into how, when and where to use quotes in essays. Be warned: quoting in essays is harder than you thought.

Follow the advice above and you’ll be well on your way to getting top marks at university.

Writing essay paragraphs that are well structured takes time and practice. Don’t be too hard on yourself and keep on trying!

Below is a summary of our 11 key mistakes for structuring essay paragraphs and tips on how to avoid them.

I’ve also provided an easy-to-share infographic below that you can share on your favorite social networking site. Please share it if this article has helped you out!

11 Biggest Essay Paragraph Structure Mistakes you’re probably Making

1.  Your paragraphs are too short 2.  Your paragraphs are too long 3.  Your paragraph alignment is ‘Justified’ 4.  Your paragraphs are missing a topic sentence 5 .  Your paragraphs are missing an explanation sentence 6.  Your paragraphs are missing an example 7.  Your paragraphs are missing references 8.  Your paragraphs are not relevant to the marking criteria 9.  You’re trying to fit too many ideas into the one paragraph 10.  Your sentences are too long 11.  Your quotes are too long

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Self-Actualization Examples (Maslow's Hierarchy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Forest Schools Philosophy & Curriculum, Explained!
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Montessori's 4 Planes of Development, Explained!
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Montessori vs Reggio Emilia vs Steiner-Waldorf vs Froebel

4 thoughts on “11 Rules for Essay Paragraph Structure (with Examples)”

Hello there. I noticed that throughout this article on Essay Writing, you keep on saying that the teacher won’t have time to go through the entire essay. Don’t you think this is a bit discouraging that with all the hard work and time put into your writing, to know that the teacher will not read through the entire paper?

Hi Clarence,

Thanks so much for your comment! I love to hear from readers on their thoughts.

Yes, I agree that it’s incredibly disheartening.

But, I also think students would appreciate hearing the truth.

Behind closed doors many / most university teachers are very open about the fact they ‘only have time to skim-read papers’. They regularly bring this up during heated faculty meetings about contract negotiations! I.e. in one university I worked at, we were allocated 45 minutes per 10,000 words – that’s just over 4 minutes per 1,000 word essay, and that’d include writing the feedback, too!

If students know the truth, they can better write their essays in a way that will get across the key points even from a ‘skim-read’.

I hope to write candidly on this website – i.e. some of this info will never be written on university blogs because universities want to hide these unfortunate truths from students.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Regards, Chris

This is wonderful and helpful, all I say is thank you very much. Because I learned a lot from this site, own by chris thank you Sir.

Thank you. This helped a lot.

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Unity and Coherence

Like all effective writing, essays must have unity.  They must clearly stay focused on one purpose: proving the thesis.  All the sentences in each paragraph and each paragraph must work together to achieve that purpose.  It is critical for each sentence in each paragraph to start with a topic sentence that states a reason why the thesis is right and that the rest of the sentences in the paragraph support that topic sentence.

Essays must have coherence.  Each sentence must flow smoothly and logically into the next.  Each paragraph must flow smoothly and logically into the next.  Words and word groups called  transitions  must be used to link one sentence to the next and one paragraph to the next.

See Unity and Coherence in Essays in Related Pages on the right side bar for more information.

Word Use (Appropriate Language)

Generally speaking, use of Standard English vocabulary and grammar is expected.  These types of papers should not sound as though you were talking casually to a friend.  Don’t use slang, for example, such as  ok.   Also, while we use second person (you, your) in informal speech, formal academic writing should not use second person since the reference is not specific.  Here’s an example.  You should know where your children are.   The reader may not have young children or any children at all.  Here’s an example with clear reference.   Parents of young children should know where their children are.

Instructors will vary about accepting the use of first person (I, me, my, we, us, our) in essay writing.  While first person may be appropriate in journal writing or reaction papers, typically, instructors will require third person (not first or second) in formal essays and research essays. Be aware of requirements for any particular assignment.

Formal academic essays should not include sentences that refer to yourself or the paper.  Don’t use statements such as “In the opinion of this writer (referring to yourself)….” or “This paper will show….”

For more information on language use, see Appropriate Language in Related Pages on the right sidebar. 

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13 Rules for Writing Good Essays

To write a good essay, you have to make your message clear..

Posted March 7, 2018 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

To write a good university essay you have to make your message clear. This means organizing your key points, supporting them with a series of evidence-based arguments, and wrapping it all up at the end so the reader knows what they've learned. To do this well, you need to take the reader's perspective. If you can see what might trip them up as they read your work, then you can avoid pitfalls that will confuse or bore them. Here are some tips to help you avoid the easy pitfalls. Once understood, these rules can be broken. But if you're unclear on how to approach your writing, these tips can help.

1. Your opening paragraph should clearly describe what you are going to discuss in the essay. These three things are vital: What’s the thesis (or problem), why is it important, and how are you going to address it? If you have each of those items in your opening paragraph your reader will know what they are reading, why they are reading it, and what they can expect to get out of it.

2. Organize the essay so that it covers a set list of subtopics that each support your main thesis. If it's a long essay, you should break it up into sections with headings that focus on specific subtopics. Introduce these topics in the opening paragraph of the essay (see 1 above). Overall, you want to organize information so it is easy to understand and remember.

3. Start paragraphs with opening sentences that explain what the paragraph is going to say. Then write sentences that follow one from the other and are easy to read. Avoid paragraphs that are too long, that read like lists, or that have no main thesis. Summarize complex paragraphs with concise sentences that explain what the paragraph said.

4. Create transitions between paragraphs so that one paragraph follows from the next. You are trying to make it all easy to understand for your reader. The more organized your writing, the more clearly you will understand and communicate your own ideas.

5. Make your sentences work. Avoid long sentences. When in doubt, break long sentences into smaller sentences. Avoid sentences that are repetitive and don't provide new information. Throw away weak and empty sentences ("Angioplasty is an important procedure." "Emotions are a central element in people's lives."). Sentences also need to be crystal clear. You can check for clarity by making sure they read well. Read them out loud to yourself or have someone else read them out loud to you.

6. Explain novel terms (jargon) when you introduce them . Don’t assume your reader knows what terms mean. Avoid jargon except where it communicates key concepts. Imagine the reader knows less about the topic than you do.

7. In science writing, you can use synonyms for key concepts only when you are first explaining them. After that, use the same word every time to refer to the idea. For example, you might want to write, 'affect,' and then 'emotions,' and then 'feelings.' If you use different words every time you refer to an idea, your reader will get confused. Define a term and then use it consistently.

8. Be careful when you use words like ‘this’ or ‘that’ or ‘their’ or ‘those’ or 'these' or 'they.' These words are often not as tightly connected to what they reference as you think. Check every one of them and see if you can rewrite it more clearly. When you use *these* words carelessly, your reader will need to think more to understand what you are referring to. *That* will break the flow and make it harder to understand what you're actually try to say. *They* (the readers) won't know who you're referring to. By simply stating what you are referring to specifically, you make your writing clear. It is better to be repetitive than unclear.

9. Use concrete information. Concrete information is powerful, is appealing, it is easier to understand, and it sticks in people's memory . Concrete information includes things like examples, statistics, quotes, facts, and other details. The more sentences that go by without communicating new concrete information or ideas that develop your thesis, the more likely your reader is to get bored .

10. If you have an interesting idea, check to see if someone else has already had it. If they have, cite them. Chances are someone has at least hinted at your clever insight, and you can use them as a springboard to say something even more interesting. This will demonstrate scholarship and an understanding of the broader context.

11. Make sure everything is relevant. Don’t include random facts that are not relevant. Don't include extra words that you don't need ("actually," "very," "in many ways," "the fact that"). Don't include paragraphs that have lots of cool facts if they aren't related to your central thesis. These slow down your reader and confuse them because they expect to hear content that is related to your theme. After you write a first draft (where you are just trying to get ideas down on paper), see what you can cut out to focus your argument on what matters.

12. The very best essays provide their own critique. End with something like this before the final summary: Provide criticism of your key point (appropriately referenced). Then provide criticism of the criticizer that you referenced (with another reference). If you can do this well, then in most instances you will have demonstrated thorough understanding of the issues. After this, provide your conclusion.

13. In the conclusion, take a position, make a prediction, or propose some future actions (an experiment, an implication, a new question to be addressed, etc). Summarize your thesis and the evidence you’ve provided in a concise way without being wishy-washy.

You might also be interested in my top 10 job interview tips or top 10 science-based study skills.

Follow me on Twitter .

Thomas T. Hills, Ph.D. , is a professor of psychology at University of Warwick.

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3.2: There is no one-size-fits-all essay structure, but there are useful patterns

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(1000 words)

Understand the limits of the #5paragraphessay 

You might be familiar with the five-paragraph essay structure, in which you spend the first paragraph introducing your topic, culminating in a thesis that has three distinct parts. That introduction paragraph is followed by three body paragraphs, each one of those going into some detail about one of the parts of the thesis. Finally, the conclusion paragraph summarizes the main ideas discussed in the essay and states the thesis (or a slightly re-worded version of the thesis) again.

This structure has some benefits

• It helps get your thoughts organized
• It is a good introduction to structuring an essay, letting students focus on content rather than wrestling with a more complex structure.
• It familiarizes students with the general shape and components of many essays
• It is an effective structure for in-class essays or timed written exams.

By adding a "But" to statements, we can begin to see alternatives

• It helps get your thoughts organized, BUT it also constrains your thinking, forcing you to start on a new idea with each paragraph rather than giving you the time to develop your ideas
• It is a good introduction to structuring an essay, letting students focus on content rather than wrestling with a more complex structure, BUT wrestling with the structure of an essay forces you to understand the relationship between your ideas
• It familiarizes students with the general shape and components of many essays, BUT it lulls students into a false sense of comfort that all essays can follow this pattern
• It is an effective structure for in-class essays or timed written exams, BUT you will NEVER do these kinds of writing again after you graduate

The substantial time you spent mastering the 5paragraphessay form was time well spent; it’s hard to imagine anyone succeeding with the more organic form without the organizational skills and habits of mind inherent in the simpler form. But if you assume that you must adhere rigidly to the simpler form, you’re blunting your intellectual ambition. Your professors will not be impressed by obvious theses, loosely related body paragraphs, and repetitive conclusions. They want you to undertake an ambitious independent analysis, one that will yield a thesis that is somewhat surprising and challenging to explain.

What follows are some strategies for developing an effective essay structure. In the sections that follow, you'll learn more about the specific parts of essays: introductions, thesis statements, body paragraphs, and conclusions. 

Organically structured essays

Compare these two essay formats. One follows the standard 5paragraphessay form. The other shows a paper on the same topic that has the more organic form expected in college. The first key difference is the thesis. Rather than simply positing a number of reasons to think that something is true, it puts forward an arguable statement: one with which a reasonable person might disagree. An arguable thesis gives the paper purpose. It surprises readers and draws them in. You hope your reader thinks, “Huh. Why would they come to that conclusion?” and then feels compelled to read on. The body paragraphs, then, build on one another to carry out this ambitious argument. In the classic five-paragraph theme it hardly matters which of the three reasons you explain first or second. In the more organic structure each paragraph specifically leads to the next.

Yes, But, So: a different kind of 5paragraphessay

Consider the example above again. Imagine writing about about the problem of 5paragraphessays. You could write that essay in the 5paragraphessay format.

Thesis: The three problems with 5paragraphessays are X, Y, Z.

Body Paragraph 1: X is a problem ... 

Body Paragraph 2: Y is a problem ...

(you get the idea)

Where does this essay take you? What big idea does it leave you with? Instead, you can use a pattern like Yes, But, So

Body Paragraph 1: Yes, many people like 5paragraphessays because ...

Body Paragraph 2: But, there are problems with 5paragraphessays ...

Body Paragraph 3: So, instead of writing 5paragraphessays, students should...

But wait! What about my thesis? In this paper, the "So" is your thesis. You might not know what your "So" is when you start. Writing a draft of an essay should be an act of discovering your ideas (Composition scholars refer to this as Writing to Learn). Very very very often, even when you start off with a clear sense of your main point, you'll end up having by the end of the essay a much clearer statement of your point than you did when you started. 

Thesis: (Reasons and Importance) 5paragraphessays don't encourage critical thinking or prepare students for real world writing situations, (Stance) so instead students should be encouraged to experiment with different essay forms. 

Or, Students should be encouraged to write essays that encourage critical thinking and prepare them for real world writing situations. 

The Yes, But, So pattern has another advantage: it follows the pattern of stories.

Stories begin by telling you how things are. "Once upon a time, there was a ..."

But, something happens that causes a change

So, the hero of the story has to solve the problem 

Consider the example of a rhetorical analysis assignment: Analyze the rhetorical strategies used in a newspaper opinion essay. Last chapter, you were introduced to the three rhetorical appeals (Logos, Ethos, and Pathos). So, you might want to write a 5paragraphessay

Thesis: the opinion essay uses Logos, Pathos, and Ethos to make a good argument

Body Paragraph 1: The opinion essay uses Logos . . .

The Yes, But, So pattern can still work here.

Body Paragraph 1: Yes, the essay is effective at times...

Body Paragraph 2: But, it's not as effective when it ...

Body Paragraph 3: So, my overall judgement of the essay is ...

If you look carefully, you will see the Yes, But, So pattern repeated over and over again. Even the organic essay structure follows Yes, But, So.

Finally, it is useful because it can expanded or contracted to fit nearly any size. It can even be a single sentence

I think we should eat pizza, but you think we should eat tacos, so we should go to the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

[adapted from From Competence to Excellence (Guptil) and The Word on College Reading and Writing (Babin, et al)]

Understanding the Different Types of Essays Used in Academic Writing

Writing a wonderful piece of essay has become crucially important to get academic success. Nowadays, essay writing is so common that at some point of time, each one of us might have written an essay- whether its for professional purpose, for college admission tests or simply for a school assignment.

Before you start to write my essay online , you must choose its type as it will help you in writing promptly and rightly. With so many types of essays, students often get confused and fail to manage the variations.

To help them out, here we are exploring different types of essays that they might find helpful in various academic stages of their life. You can choose any of them depending upon its objectives.

Table of Content

• 1. Introduction
• 2.1 Expository Essay
• 2.2 Persuasive Essay
• 2.3 Narrative Essay
• 2.4 Analytical Essay
• 3.1 Definition Essay
• 3.2 Cause and Effect Essay
• 3.3 Reflection Essay
• 3.4 Critical Analysis Essay
• 3.5 Descriptive Essay
• 3.6 Argumentative Essay
• 3.7 Compare and Contrast Essay
• 4. Here is How you can Explore Different types of Essays Easily?

Four Major Types of Essays for Academic Writing Purposes:

Every writer has to face different challenges in completing their essay writing assignments at various stages of academic life. Although there are several types of essays such as explanation essay , discursive essay, reflective essay, illustration essay , we have presented four major types of essays here. You can take a definitive look at it to know about it in details:

1. Expository Essay

An expository essay is the most time-consuming of the different types of essays that exists in the academic field. It includes a brief explanation of any idea or theme. You can expand these expository essays by fulfilling some its common yet specific requirements, like a proper investigation of an idea, its comprehensive and systematic explanation, a detailed assessment of evidences, and a brief statement about an idea.

Features that an effective Expository essay must possess:

• It should have a distinct thesis statement and an extinct statement of intent.
• Address your thesis or answer the question in no-frill approach.
• Support your thesis, claim or answer with factual evidences.
• It must have brevity and conciseness.

While writing expository essays, its first paragraph should be the shortest as there you need to state your intent, thesis and research question clearly. For writing the first paragraph, a maximum of 200 words is sufficient.

Contrary to this, the body of the succeeding paragraphs will have larger word count. These paragraphs should be crucial enough to possess all the essential details required for supporting your thesis statement. But make sure to keep it straightforward and factual.

At last, there will be a concluding paragraph where you need to summarize your main ideas and emphasize your point without dwelling it much.

2. Persuasive Essay

When different types of essays are compared, the persuasive essay is the toughest among them. This is because here you need to influence the readers using logical reasoning and insist them to look from the writer’s point of view. To get useful and comprehensive tips on how you can insist your readers through your arguments, you can follow some persuasive essay examples .

It is a challenging task to write persuasive essays as you have to be convincing and eloquent in proving your argument to be imperative.

Few qualities that a persuasive essay must have:

• Your reasoning should be valid.
• Include only factual evidences to prove your arguments
• Try to sustain the interest of the readers
• The essay conclusion can be forceful, yet it must be convincing to readers.
• There should be a natural progression of ideas in the entire body of the essay.
• Avoid using fillers as it might discredit the argument of your topic.

While writing persuasive essays, you can even use transitional devices to give more cohesive and coherent look to your sentences. It is important that your writing should be concise, to-the-point and follow a progressive phase.

Moreover, if you want to include compelling arguments and its related substantial evidences to your essay, then it could be a bit lengthy. Thus, the essay length could be of 2,000 words or more, depending upon your essay topics and requirements.

3. Narrative Essay

Generally, a narrative essay is based upon real-life experiences. If you don’t know how to write a narrative essay , then know that it is all about recalling a particular day of your life or a particular incident of your life that your target readers might find interesting. As this essay is like a story-telling, it is written from the point-of-view of first person. A unique feature of narrative essay is that while writing this, you don’t need any reference or help from external sources. You can follow some narrative essay examples to get concise idea upon it.

Some characteristics that these narrative essays possess are:

• It contains sensory details, emotions, personal experience, as well as vivid imageries.
• Includes every essential element that a story must have like setting, characters, plot, themes, tone, style, etc.
• Helps in developing the creative approach of a student.
• You can even add some dialogues or anecdotes into the narrative to make it look more realistic.
• The type of language used here is evocative or descriptive.

In order to write a full-bodied narrative essay, you must need at least 1000 words as you have to be descriptive while sharing your personal feelings and experiences. At times, these narrative essays can be considered as a concise version of a novel, where every particular section of the essay represents a different chapter in the story.

Finally, try to conclude your essay with a personal statement or a proper conclusion. Doing this will make your essay memorable for the readers. You can also refer to some narrative essay examples to get a clear idea on how to write it more effectively.

4. Analytical Essay

In an Analytical essay, you examine, analyze as well as interpret the core components of any idea, event or any works of art like paintings, book, films, plays, poems etc. and present your arguments respectively.

Some popular characteristics of Analytical essay are discussed below:

• In the introduction, the argument should be presented in such a way that it highlights the text that you are considering here.
• A proper analysis of the text should be done. Make sure that it should be relevant to the arguments that you are presenting and it should meet the author’s goals and their illustrations.
• It must sustain the interest of the readers
• Present a personal response to the essay, either positive or negative. You should formulate your opinion on the basis of a through comprehension of the text.

A common literary analytical essay can range from 500 words to 700 words. It should not be that much lengthy but it must cover all the main points of the essay. Moreover, the overall essay should concentrate upon the text analysis.

Some helpful tips that will help you in writing a perfect analytical essay:

• Avoid using first person in the writing
• Never use colloquialisms or informal language in the writing.
• Try to avoid the use of contractions
• Always try to analyze the story, do not retell it.
• Analyze critically and sometimes your personal responses might not be positive.

Some Other Types of Essays for Academic Writing Purpose:

Apart from the four major types of essays that are popular with academic writers, there are some more types of essays that exist. Few of them are given below:

1. Definition Essay

  A definition essay, as the name suggests, is a type of essay that defines different ideas, things, and perceptions. Though this is one of the simplest types of essays, yet here the definitions are not copied from any dictionary. But sometimes plagiarism might exist as in these sorts of essays, you need to include both the official definition as well as that of one based upon individual understanding. For example, you can define ‘school bullying’, ‘justice’, etc.

2. Cause and Effect Essay

A cause and effect essay is a type that makes readers understands that everything is quite inter-related to each other in this universe. Likewise, one thing is the cause and the other thing is the effect of that particular cause.

In these types of essays, a writer tries to draw a parallel between some events or subjects by certainly specifying the reasons for the things to occur and simultaneously its consequences that will take place. A popular example of that could be the ‘Cause and effects of the Civil War in US.’

3. Reflection Essay

In a Reflection essay, the writer needs to focus on their personal opinions and responses about the analyzed topic. Here the writer explains the main topic of the essay and it is based upon credible facts and evidence. Thus, it has a domain of subjectivity on one side.

4. Critical Analysis Essay

A critical analysis essay often deals with a complete understanding of the covered material. Here the writer needs to select a piece of text from any scholarly article or any chapter of the book that is related to the topic. Then he/she should analyze, write, and interpret the modified results in your personalized way.

5. Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay  is one of the original types of essays that are written by giving a detailed analysis of any literary piece or any events. Here a detailed description is provided for describing the topic that might include many descriptive words. Some of the popular literary tools that writers use while writing any descriptive essays are allegories, metaphors, analogies, personifications, similes, etc.

The main motive behind writing such essays is to visualize things, whether it is the description of any personal experience or sharing emotions, etc.

6. Argumentative Essay

A basic style of writing an argumentative essay is to present some arguments in such a way that it looks favorable to a certain literary text or any events, incidents, etc. While writing any argumentative essay topics , there is an additional body paragraph that represents arguments contrary to the previous paragraphs. For example, in an argumentative essay, you could take a stance on whether renewable energy is the best solution to our energy needs, and provide evidence to support your position.

7. Compare and Contrast Essay

In this compare and contrast essay category, either you need to make a comparison or a contrast between two similar or different things. In addition to this, you can also mention both similarities as well as differences between the selected events, locations, and people.

This essay helps you to know more than a single topic at a time. Also, you will have a better understanding of different topics in a single essay by mentioning both similarities as well as differences.

8. Process Essay

A Process essay generally involves a process of either making or doing anything. The main thought behind writing such essays is that after going through the essay the readers will get a complete idea of how to do or make any particular thing.

After going through this article, hope you have got a clear-cut idea on the different types of essays and how you can focus upon writing any of them. While writing essay, always keep in mind to keep your article succinct.

Here Is How You Can Explore Different Types of Essays Easily?

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• Knowledge Base
• How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

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Table of contents

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

• Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
• Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
• Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
• Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
• Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
• Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

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An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

• Make a claim
• Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
• Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
• Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

• Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
• Cite data to support your claim
• Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
• Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

• Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
• Highlight the problems with this position
• Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
• Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

• Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
• Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
• Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
• Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

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A comprehensive guide to essay writing

Essay writing improves comprehension and aids in the learning process. it clarifies ideas and information which you can use for writing. keep reading to know more about essay writing and what you can do to improve your writing skills., table of contents, you must have a thesis for your essay, argumentative essay, admissions essay, persuasive essay, compare-and-contrast essay, personal essay, expository essay, brainstorming, proofreading, key takeaways.

A literary piece that expresses the author’s viewpoint on a subject, whether it be scholarly, editorial, or even amusing, is referred to as an ‘essay.’ Although there are countless ways to approach essay writing and an infinite number of themes, it has been proven that effective essay writing ‌adheres to a set structure.

Below, we go over that structure and how to use it with any kind of essay you write. Let’s  begin with the foundation of every effective essay-the subject.

Before beginning to write your essay, you should think about your argument, type of essay, and audience. Your thesis or the central idea of your essay is the most important of these.

The main argument you are attempting to make is summarized  in your thesis statement. For instance, Bertrand Russell’s essay ‘In Praise of Idleness’ makes the argument that people prioritize labor too highly and disregard leisure time. 

The best approach is to introduce your argument early in your essay, , possibly even in your title. . You should restate it frequently throughout the essay, particularly while summarizing  your main points in the conclusion.

Thus, your thesis is supported by the remainder of your essay. Whatever gets the task done can be used, including empirical data, testimonies, logical inferences, or even persuasive speech. The key is to expand on your initial idea 

Types of essay

Essays exist in a wide variety of styles, just like any other genre of writing. As with admissions essays , the type is sometimes specified by the assignment, and other times it is decided by the thesis. It is useful to be aware of your possibilities, therefore the following are core essay types-

Argumentative essays present or support a viewpoint. When writing your first essay, keep in mind that this is the most common type of schoolwork.

The majority of universities need an admissions essay with your application, which usually discusses why you are interested in their institution.

An essay written to persuade or convince the reader of a particular topic is what is meant by the term ‘persuasive essay.’ It is similar to an argumentative essay in that both firmly support a certain point of view, but the distinction is that persuasive essays must convey their case and persuade the reader, while argumentative essays must only give their case.

A compare and contrast essay is more effective than an argumentative or persuasive essay when you wish to provide equal attention to two opposite topics.

Like David Sedaris’ writings, personal essays frequently contain anecdotes or true accounts of the authors’ lives. The thesis might be flexible or interpretative as they frequently adhere to narrative structures.

An expository essay provides in-depth explanations on a certain subject to increase reader knowledge. With one significant exception, explanatory essays won’t allow you to have a prejudice, unlike argumentative and persuasive essays.

The essay writing process

It’s important to use an effective writing process,  whether you are writing an essay, research paper, term paper, novel, short story, poem, screenplay, a blog post about essay writing, or anything else. Even if you like to write in a stream-of-consciousness style for your first draft, you still need to have an organized method so that you can edit and polish it.

It is recommended to use the conventional five-step writing method for creating essays:

It is usually beneficial to brainstorm your ideas before starting to write. Try to come up with as many ideas as you can for your essay based on the prompt or your argument.

You will incorporate your essay format, which is discussed below in the preparation step. Find any supplementary reference or empirical support right away. The style manual you are using will determine how you should format your citations. The three most popular academic style manuals are MLA, APA, and Chicago, and each includes specific guidelines for citing sources of any kind, including books, articles, websites, speeches, and YouTube videos.

In this phase of the essay-writing process, you sit down and write your first draft. This is your first draft, not your final draft, so don’t feel pressured to make everything flawless. Instead, permit yourself to make mistakes. You won’t see the big picture if your attention is on perfecting every single phrase.

Your second draft, third draft, and, if necessary, your twelfth draft are all included in the revisions stage. Discuss all the finer points and details that you skimmed over in the initial draft. Be careful of your word choice, clarity, and more complex writing strategies. 

After completing all the modifications, it’s time for the finishing touches. Check your essay for typographical flaws, formatting problems, and grammatical mistakes.

• Writing essays helps students learn and enhances comprehension. It simplifies concepts and details that you can utilize in writing. Effective essay writing follows a set structure which also helps in creative writing.
• You should consider your argument, essay type, and audience before starting to write. The most important of these is your thesis or the main idea of your essay.
• Whether you are writing an essay, research paper, term paper, novel, short story, poem, screenplay, blog post about essay writing, or anything else, it is essential to follow an effective writing process.

Did you find this blog informative? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Click here to contact us for more information on essay writing. We would be happy to assist you with your queries.

Liked his blog? Read next: Don’t miss these 5 statistical facts – Social media essay.

Q1. What are 3 good topics for an essay?

Ans- Writing about yourself is the easiest way to write an essay. You can also write on the topics given below or choose a similar one-

• My Favorite Teacher.
• My Aim in Life.
• My Favorite Game

Q2. How many paragraphs is an essay?

Ans- There is no specific rule stating that an essay must have a certain number of paragraphs. It is argued that an essay must have a minimum of 3 or 5 paragraphs, but you can write as many numbers paragraphs unless the word count is specified. 

Q3. How do you write a 100-word essay?

Ans- A 100-word essay is a rather brief composition. However, it should be carefully planned. There should be four to five clear paragraphs in your article. An introduction, two or three body paragraphs, and a conclusion are required.

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ENGL001: English Composition I

Argument requirements.

How will you inform or persuade your audience? For example, is your purpose of your research paper to offer background information or to frame an argument so your audience will render a judgment regarding an historical event or current practice? Perhaps you are writing to persuade your audience to change its previous beliefs or to act in a certain way to improve their lives or help them avoid a certain danger.

What information does your audience need to know to make a decision or render a point of view? What opinions do they already have about your topic? How will you persuade them – do you want them to simply agree with your argument, or are you trying to provoke them to act in a certain way?

These study materials review how you can present your argument to your readers. You may also wish to review  Research Writing and Argument  from Unit 1.

According to rhetoricians Timothy W. Crusius and Carolyn E. Channell, "Argument is the process of making what we think clear to ourselves and to others. It takes us from a vague, private viewpoint to a clearly stated position that we can defend publicly in speech or writing". They add, "Argument in this sense of seeking clarity has a two-part form or structure: (1) the statement of an opinion and (2) the statement of one or more reasons for holding that opinion" (3). In other words, they say, "Argument is not in itself an end or purpose of communication, It is rather a means of discourse, developing what we have to say".

When you don't know your audience personally, assume that:

• They are thoughtful people of good will who might be persuaded by clear and cogent arguments.
• They are not as familiar with the material as you, so you will need to explain concepts and terms as well as what the problem/issue is.
• They have not read the texts you have in class, so you need to provide background information and establish context for what you say.
• They do not know your thesis, so you must tell them your thesis early in the essay so they will know how to interpret what you say.
• Some of your readers are skeptical about your thesis before they read your essay.
• Some of your readers are undecided about the issue.
• Because some of your readers do not know you personally, you must prove to them that you are a thoughtful, intelligent person who has carefully considered all sides of the issue before writing the essay.
• You must explain your opponents' major arguments and then demonstrate that their arguments are flawed (in other words, refute them).
• If an opponents' point is not flawed, you must concede the point explicitly and then try, if possible, to minimize the importance of that point.
• You must treat your opponents and readers with respect, showing that you realize that they too are intelligent people of good will.
• You must explain your reasons and evidence fully, always giving the credentials of authorities that you quote.
• At least one of your readers is your professor, and he/she probably has particular goals for any writing assignment – for example, he/she probably wants you to demonstrate knowledge of some particular material, the ability to analysis and interpret that material, the ability to manipulate that material into a convincing argument. To accomplish these tasks, you need to explain concepts and show your logical thought processes (how you got from point A to point R); think of it as analogous to doing a math problem – the professor wants to see your "work" (the process you used to get to the answer), not simply the answer itself.

Your ultimate goal is to win belief rather than simply win the argument. So your argument's primary goal is always to persuade readers that your position is the most viable, logical, moral, and practical. This can be accomplished:

• by accommodating your readers (some of whom are always skeptical).
• by exploring both sides of the argument.
• by revealing the flaws in the assumptions, reasons, and evidence of the opposition (for example, by refuting the opposition's main points).
• by explicitly stating and exploring your own assumptions and major reasons for adopting your position.
• by supporting and proving your reasons with explicit evidence.
• by using various types of evidence including expert testimony, statistics, logical demonstration, personal experiences, real life examples (from current affairs or history), fictional examples (from novels, plays, movies, TV), hypothetical examples, legal documents and concepts, codes of conduct.
• by using logical, ethical, and emotional appeals.
• by using all the resources of rhetoric.

Your topic must be a thorny one, one that is complicated and for which there is no easy solution. If you cannot see the value of arguments on both sides of the issue, select another issue. If you are not personally conflicted about the issue, select another topic. Writing this essay should help you clarify your ideas and to recognize the difficulties of finding any answer to the issue: Do not select a topic about which you believe you already know the truth and "have the answer"- such a topic will result in a high-school-level essay. Ideas must be developed, explored, examined, analyzed, and prodded.

• You must engage with the opposition.
• You should "stay with" each idea beyond your mere assertion of it.
• You need to consider and explore the implications of your idea and see at what point you might no longer support that idea (for example, "turn the other cheek" is a saintly idea, but does it have a limit? Does it mean, for instance, that if Q murders someone, we should "turn the other cheek" and not punish him and, in fact, should offer ourselves as his next victim?).
• You also need to consider what opponents to your thesis would say about your idea, what objections they would raise to it, and then you need to answer those objections – do all this within your argument so your readers can follow the process.
• You need to prove your assertions with evidence (for example, expert testimony, statistics, facts, hypothetical and real life examples, logical demonstration).
• Part of accommodating your audience is explaining all relevant concepts (for example, if you invoke a concept such as utilitarianism, you must summarize explain the concept to your readers).
• Your essay must have a clear and explicit thesis (your position on the issue) and must demonstrate a clear awareness of the opposition's counter-thesis.
• In a full-fledged argument, your argument must explain both sides of the issue, building a case for your position by refuting and conceding the major points of the opposition as well as by giving your reasons and the evidence that supports them. In other words, you are making a claim (your position, your thesis) and arguing that it is true; conversely, you are producing reasons for the advocates of a competing claim (the counter-thesis) to abandon it in favor of yours. In yet other words, you must understand both positions well enough to appreciate the strengths and shortcomings of each.
• If it helps, think of yourself as a defense attorney. You and the prosecutor have the same information (for example, eyewitness accounts, forensic evidence) and know that there are conflicts (for example, various accounts of where the accused was at the time of the crime). Yet each of you creates a different interpretation – you draw different inferences and conclusions from the same data.
• Your essay must be logical and must effectively use various types of evidence.
• The ideas must be well developed- there must be evidence to support them and your exploration of the implications and limitations of your ideas.
• Your essay should cause us to think about the issue more deeply than we ever have before.
• Your essay must be interesting.
• It must consider nuances of the issue, not merely trot out the same old arguments that you encountered in high school. It needs to display your critical thinking and analytical skills.

Your Position/Thesis

Most of us begin the argument process about a topic with our minds already made up, our position in mind (perhaps we are even totally committed to that position). Almost inevitably, that initial position is based on our core beliefs, upon unproven assertions and assumptions, and our position is rather general and sweeping. For example, we might feel that "all welfare should be abolished immediately". That is a very sweeping generalization. What can we do to deepen and refine that thesis?

• One of the major purposes of doing research is to test our thesis against the best arguments of the opposition. For instance, our anti-welfare position might be based on the unproven belief that anyone receiving welfare is a lazy bum who doesn't want to work.
• When our library research reveals evidence that some people on welfare are mentally incapable of holding a job, we might alter our position slightly to "We should abolish all welfare except that given to mentally incompetent people who have no one else to help them". Then, of course, we need to define the concept of "no one else to help them"- does that refer only to immediate family members? To charity groups?
• But then we discover that many of the people that we assumed were "lazy bums" are actually holding full-time jobs but still cannot afford even to feed their families. They do not have the education or training to get jobs that pay above minimum wage. Perhaps our thesis is modified again to be "Welfare payments should go only to poor people who hold full-time jobs and those who are mentally incapable of working and have no one else to help them".
• And then we learn that many of the biggest American corporations receive huge subsidies called "corporate welfare" and that the companies receive such gifts basically because they are already rich and hence have a great deal of political power. How does this new information impact on our thesis?
• This active engagement with the opposition refines and deepens our thesis. Now our thesis might be metamorphosed into "People or companies should receive welfare payments only when they can prove serious need". And we would have to suggest ways that "serious need" could be "proven".

Research has three primary purposes in writing: provide factual information, provide arguments for your position, and provide arguments against your position.

• Crucial, but least important, is research intended to provide background information (the current situation, pending proposals or laws, suggested solutions, statistics).
• Research that locates the logic behind your position and the reasons and extrinsic evidence (for example, testimony, data) for your position is very important. Rarely can any one person think of all the reasons for supporting a position or find all the relevant evidence supporting those reasons. Even more rarely can only one person think of all the different strategies for approaching an issue or for attacking counter-theses and counter-positions.
• Similarly, research is crucial that locates not only your opposition's arguments (for example, major points, the moral and practical reasons for supporting it, evidence) but also the opposition's underlying assumptions.
• Your essay must use appropriate research. Consult the reference librarian for help in locating sources.
• Your essay must use all the resources available to you – not only extrinsic proof (statistics, expert testimony, legal documents and concepts) but also intrinsic proof (for example, hypothetical examples, historical and fictional examples, probabilities, analogies, maxims, commonplaces, logical demonstration).
• Use the MLA in-text citation format and a Works Cited page.
• Internet sources must be evaluated very carefully. There are five criteria for evaluating all sources: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage.

Arrangement

The essay must have an effective, clear, and logical structure. It must use transitional words, phrases, and devices to make explicit connections between ideas and between paragraphs. The organization exists to present your ideas in the most effective manner possible to your readers.

• All academic essays have a beginning, middle, and end – but that fact is not particularly useful in helping us organize our ideas.
• It helps if we think in terms of sections.
• It should establish some connection between audience and rhetor (in other words, it should "predispose" audience to listen via ethos).
• It establishes a sense of kairos for the readers (urgency).
• It should hook the readers' attention.
• It should announce your topic (the question your essay will answer or the issue that it will explore).
• It should reveal what your approach to the topic will be.
• It should establish what your primary tone will be.
• It should usually start very close to your thesis (never start with "Since the beginning of recorded history...").
• It often establishes the nature of the larger issue (your topic is an example of this larger issue – for example, the larger issue for the topic of abortion might "What are the limits of government intervention in our private decisions?" or it might be "How do we decide whose rights are more important when there is a conflict between the rights of different individuals?" or it might be "Do the ends always justify the means?"). When you establish this in the introduction, you will return to this larger issue in your conclusion.
• It often forecasts what the organization of the essay will be.
• It gives your readers the relevant background information that they will need in order to understand the issue before you start the argument.
• It includes up-to-date information about the current situation (for example, pending legislation, proposed solutions).
• It defines key terms that you will use and that readers might not know.
• It explains why this situation/issue is a problem and for whom, explains any key concepts that are needed to understand the complexity of the issue, and it defines any key terms your readers might not know.
• It states your position (thesis/claim).
• It states your reasons for supporting your position.
• It gives your evidence for each reason.
• It anticipates your opponents' objections to your reasons and respond to those objections.
• It explains your opponents' main reasons and evidence for supporting that position.
• It refutes (or occasionally concedes) those reasons and evidence.
• Some modern rhetoricians advocate a dramatic, back-and-forth presentation of pros and cons rather than saving all the refutation for the last major body section.
• Peroratio (Conclusion) – This section demonstrates again the "full strength" of your argument. Modern rhetorical theory suggests that your conclusion should never be only a summary or repetition of your major points, although often you might touch on the major points you've made. Your conclusion should always include a "discovery", an opening up toward the world beyond the limits of your argument essay:
• an explanation of some interesting implication of your position/thesis that you haven't yet discussed explicitly.
• and/or an indication of what future thinking must be done.
• and/or a suggestion of what new issues arise if your solution/position is adopted.
• and/or an exploration of the implications of your argument and thesis for the larger issue that you mentioned in the introduction.

The essay must demonstrate a grasp of the basic concepts and uses of rhetoric (for example, audience accommodation, stasis, kairos, the commonplaces, logos, pathos, ethos, urgency, stylistic devices).

Style Guidelines

• Write all college papers in academic English (assume that your readers are thoughtful professionals or pre-professionals).
• Write reader-friendly prose (for example, make connections between ideas explicit).
• Make your prose concise, precise, accurate. clear, explicit, and interesting.
• Use vivid and figurative language, particularly when developing pathetic proofs.
• Display a sense of craft by varying sentence structures, sentence lengths, and First Elements.
• Read your prose aloud to hear its rhythm.
• Use memorable phrasings to state key ideas.
• Use the stylistic resources of rhetoric and display a literary impulse.
• Use correct grammar and mechanics.

Essay Level

On the essay level, academic prose tries to remain relatively objective. For example, "Avoid the first-person singular – I, me, my – and related phrases – in my opinion, I think, I believe; they are rarely used, and, in much academic prose, they are actively avoided (exception: you should use first-person singular when you are discussing an experience that happened to you or when you are writing a persuasive personal essay)

• Use the first-person plural: we, our, us – these words are often preferred to the more formal and more distancing third person impersonal one (which should be avoided unless a professor or journal editor specifically requests that you use it). Using first-person pronouns has at least two added benefits- it connects you and the reader and it helps you avoid excessive use of the passive voice.
• Avoid the second person you whenever possible- it drags your readers into your essay and thus, paradoxically, often pushes them away from your idea (for example, by assigning ideas to your readers that they really don't believe – "Although you see abortion as murder, ..."). It is always better to be more specific: say either "Pro-life advocates see abortion as murder" or "Opponents of abortion see it as murder".

Paragraph Level

On the paragraph level, academic prose requires that each paragraph develop one idea fully. In addition,

• Give every paragraph an explicit topic sentence (95 percent of the time this is the first sentence in the paragraph). At times, however, there may be reasons for making it the last sentence in your paragraph.
• Make sure that every sentence in that paragraph directly explains, supports, proves, illustrates, or qualifies the idea in the topic sentence. Nothing else belongs in that particular paragraph. Putting tangential material in a paragraph destroys coherence.
• Develop each paragraph fully – in other words, a paragraph that contains only two or three sentences is probably under-developed (unless it is a transitional paragraph or is summarizing ideas that came in earlier paragraphs).

Sentence Level

On the sentence level, academic prose requires complete sentences at least 98 percent of the time.

• Use variety in sentence length (some sentences should be short, some medium, some long).
• Use variety in sentence structure (there should be a mixture of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences).
• Use variety in First Elements.

On the word choice level (diction), academic prose should sound professional but not pompous.

• Use the "invisible contractions" (for example, those contractions that contain not, such as don't and can't).
• Avoid other contractions (for example, use I am and we could have, not I'm or we could've).
• Avoid slang or catch-phrases from advertisements or songs.
• Avoid jargon whenever possible (if you must use the specialized terminology of your discipline for an audience that may include non-specialists, always define the terms).
• Never use a word found in a thesaurus without first checking the nuances of its meanings in a good dictionary. 

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Essays come in many different styles, depending on the purpose and field of study. However, all essays follow the same general structure and include the same components. Effective essays are well-written, well-organized and well-argued. This guide outlines the basics of essay writing.

Types of essays

Essays are sometimes referred to as  papers, research essays, research papers, and scholarly papers . The purpose of all essays is to develop ideas and/or theories using critical and analytical thinking and other strategies. Different writing situations may require a specific style of essay. The organizational structure and the content will depend on the purpose of the essay and its audience. Although the organizational structure may vary, the general components of the essay are consistent. All essays include the same basic parts (title page, introduction, etc.).

Tip:  

You may have been taught to write all essays with five paragraphs. This format will not work for all types of written assignments because essays come in different lengths and are written for different purposes. Students in elementary and high school are taught this format because it helps them to organize their essays in a logical fashion. Now, it is time to use different strategies to develop more complex essays. It still must be organized clearly and logically, but you can use more than five paragraphs.

Research essay

A research essay (also called a research paper) is based on research or evidence that you have compiled. All research essays have a  thesis statement which is proven using that evidence. Many students believe that a  thesis is the same as an  opinion . A research essay does not focus on your opinion; rather, you develop and prove your thesis using evidence and critical analysis to support your theory. First- and second-year essays will likely use secondary sources. For some courses, you may also be required to conduct primary research. An advanced research essay may require specific components in addition to those listed here, such as an abstract, methodology or data collection, data analysis, and others. Check the library resources for more detailed style guides on writing advanced papers.

Ensure you do enough research, but do not get stuck in the research process.

Argumentative and persuasive essays

All essays have some form of argument, but persuasive essays are written to convince the reader to support your argument. In a persuasive essay, you take a position, build an argument and support your argument with evidence. Unlike a research essay, your opinion may be emphasized; however, the best method of persuasion is to support your opinion with research and clear analysis. The difference between an argumentative essay and a research essay is in its primary focus. In a persuasive essay, your opinion or idea (main point/thesis statement) and the way in which you provide information that supports your point is the central focus. In a research essay, your analysis of the secondary sources and primary research is the focus. In business and technical writing, you may be required to propose to a client or a manager how and why a new piece of technology will improve productivity or why new research should be conducted.

Cause-and-effect essay

A cause-and-effect essay requires you to describe and analyze the causes of a particular event. In other words, you determine whether or not a cause-and-effect relationship actually exists, and then analyze how and why it happened. This is called a causal analysis.

Questions to ask:

• What effect(s) resulted? (Specify, but keep separate from the presumed cause)
• What conditions existed?
• Could these conditions have caused the effect(s)?
• What are the possible explanations? What might have happened? (These are your theories)
• Did the presumed cause(s) actually generate the effect(s)? (You are testing your theories)

In this type of essay, you must be very logical; do not let your opinions sway you. The most straightforward way to organize a cause-and-effect essay is chronologically, presenting the cause before the effect. In some cases, you can use reverse chronological order and present the effect first. In complex situations, there may be multiple causes and effects. In this case, organize your paper around the importance of your points. Depending on how you organize your paper, your analysis of the issues will change. The central focus is to describe and analyze the relationship between the cause(s) and effect(s). In technical and business writing, causal analysis is very common. You may be required to analyze why a product or a business failed or succeeded (such as the rise and fall of Nortel), or why a catastrophe happened (such as the Chernobyl accident), and so on.

Comparison essay

A comparison essay examines two or more ideas, issues, or concepts that are connected with one another. In a comparison essay, you highlight the differences and similarities, as well as explain the ways in which the concepts are connected. In technical and business writing, you might be required to compare two or more possible solutions or products and come to a conclusion about which one should be recommended to a superior or client.

Review essay

A review essay usually analyzes and discusses an event or source. There are many variations of this type of essay. You may be required to review one book or article based only on your reading of it without additional research (this assignment may be a book review). Sometimes, you are required to analyze several books and articles on a particular topic (this may be a  literature review ). Sometimes, you are required to review an academic book, but with additional research that allows you to have a broader understanding of the book as you analyze it. You may also review a film, television program, radio broadcast, or internet resource.

How do you determine which type of essay you have to write? Read your assignment instructions carefully. At a minimum, the name of the assignment will be the type: research essay, book review, case study, and so on.

Parts of essays

The formatting and components of a technical or business report are very different than for an essay. Be clear about what type of assignment you are doing and follow the correct guidelines.

While some professors may not require a title page, many do - even if the stylebook you are following does not. Often, a title page is not required for shorter assignments but is for longer essays. The title page is the first page of your work and typically includes; the title, the date of submission, the author of the work (i.e. you or you and your group members) and to whom the work is being submitted. You may also choose to include the course code and lecture section, in case the assignment is misplaced by your professor. However, there are variations in the details that should be included depending on which stylebook you are required to use. Some professors may want a title page that is formatted in a very specific way; check the assignment guidelines, and ask your professor or TA if you are unsure.

A table of contents is not required for essays.

Introduction

Every essay must have an introduction. The introduction tells the reader what you are going to discuss in your essay: purpose, thesis, and an overview of supporting evidence. Depending on the length of your essay, the introduction may also include an outline of the sections of your work. The introduction provides the reader with the theoretical framework of your writing, which provides the context for your arguments. Sometimes, it helps to write a draft introduction  after  you have written the draft of your body. Your introduction may change a few times as you rewrite your drafts and change your organizational patterns in your essay.

Body of essay

The body of your essay consists of the content. This is the meat of your essay. The body of your essay is where you express ideas, theories, and concepts, as well as providing an analysis of other people's work. Although headings can help you organize the body of the essay, few, if any, headings should be used in most academic essays unless the essay is very long. Instead of headings, use solid transition sentences to help the reader follow your argument. Check your assignment guidelines or check with your instructor or TA to see if headings are required or accepted.

Technical and business reports normally require headings throughout the report. Essays and research papers normally do not use internal headings.

Each section and each  paragraph  in the body of the essay should have a main point that relates to the thesis statement of the paper. Each paragraph should have a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning should introduce the main point of that paragraph, followed by discussion and analysis of (supporting or refuting) the main point, and ending a statement about how the paragraph relates to the paper as a whole and how the next section or paragraph is connected. You should include work, ideas, and concepts that go against your argument. Doing so helps the audience to understand the issues and allows you to show why your argument or theory is better. It shows that you have considered all perspectives of the issue. As you move from one idea, concept, or issue to the next, use transition sentences so the audience can understand how the ideas are connected. Each section of your essay does not have to be only one paragraph. The five-paragraph essay has been left behind! See the  research process , the  writing process , and the  editing process  for more help.

The conclusion of your essay brings together all your ideas in a concise manner. It is a  synthesis   of your ideas, not a summary of what you just said. Do not add new information in the conclusion. If it is important, go back and revise to ensure all new information is included in the body of the essay. Although your conclusion will reiterate what has been said, it should not be the same as the introduction. Your conclusion should address any implications or limitations (if this has not already been done) and discuss the importance of your topic or issue.

Every time you make a point or an argument, ask yourself: So what? If you can answer this question, you will have a strong topic and argument.

Proper Documentation

Proper documentation in all essays and reports is essential. Documentation, including  both citations and references , allows your reader to see and check the sources you have used in your essay or report. If you do not provide bibliographic information for all your information, you will be penalized for  plagiarism . Different documentation styles have different rules, but all styles include some form of citation and a list of references at the end of the paper. Do not forget to include a citation and reference whenever you paraphrase, summarize, or quote someone else. The only time a citation is not required is when discussing facts or ideas that are common knowledge. Common styles of documentation include  APA ,  MLA ,  Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) ,  IEEE , and  CSE , among others.

Getting started

Narrowing your topic.

Make sure that your topic is not too broad; such a topic might be the history of cars or the development of aviation. Trying to write about such a broad topic will lead to a very general, descriptive essay, with little analysis or critical thinking. You will likely miss important information. It is better to focus on a narrow topic that can be examined in more depth. At the university level, you must go beyond summarizing broad topics.

Using credible sources

Using sources that are valid, reliable, and current is essential to writing good essays. By using  credible sources  you help to maintain academic integrity . Assessing your sources, including books, articles and websites, requires you to determine, among other things, the qualifications of the author and the reliability of the author's research method. One trick is to check the sources used by that author and to see what other researchers in that field say about the issue. Using credible sources demonstrates that you are thinking critically about the topic or issue.

Do not use encyclopaedias, dictionaries, personal websites, or other non-academic sources. You are expected to use peer-reviewed journal articles and academic books in your research.

Including direct quotations

Direct quotations can be effective when used properly. However, many students use too many direct quotes or use them unnecessarily (e.g. to repeat an idea already expressed). Quotations are intended to place emphasis on your work.  Quotations  should be used sparingly and only when they add quality to your own work, such as when you cannot express someone else's idea as eloquently in your own words. If you quote generic statements and ideas or string together many quotes, your essay will not show off your own ideas, critical thinking, and analysis. You should always try to put your research into your own words; that is, you should paraphrase or summarize what you have found. As long as you understand the idea, you should have no problem putting it into your own words. All quotations, paraphrases, and summaries require  documentation (a citation in the body of the essay and a reference at the end). There are formatting rules for both long and short quotations, so make sure you follow those rules according to the style (APA, MLA, CMS, IEEE, etc.) you are required to use.

All documentation styles require a page number for direct quotes. All direct and indirect quotes require documentation: a citation and a reference.

Writing formally

Most university essays and reports require a formal tone and structure. However, every professor will have different standards. Some professors may allow you to use the first person when talking about your research: “In this essay, I argue that ….” Other professors will require that the whole essay be written in third person: “In this essay, the author argues …..” Always avoid slang and common sayings (colloquialisms), such as “dude” or “he put his foot in his mouth again.” Many of the expressions that you use in casual conversation or everyday speech are not acceptable in formal writing. What are some  common errors ?

This website is written in an informal tone using personal pronouns. Essays and reports are different!

Providing analyses

In any essay, you will need to analyze the topic or issues. When you analyze something, you are asking questions about the whole issue (and its parts) to gain a fuller understanding. Develop your own analysis of your sources by questioning what you are reading and writing down your thoughts about what each author or source is arguing. Your analysis of a topic, issue, or concept is the way that you think about and understand it. Your essay is the medium that you are using to express those thoughts and understandings.

The more you write, the better at it you will become.

20 Must-Read Best Essay Collections of 2019

Rebecca Hussey

Rebecca holds a PhD in English and is a professor at Norwalk Community College in Connecticut. She teaches courses in composition, literature, and the arts. When she’s not reading or grading papers, she’s hanging out with her husband and son and/or riding her bike and/or buying books. She can't get enough of reading and writing about books, so she writes the bookish newsletter "Reading Indie," focusing on small press books and translations. Newsletter: Reading Indie Twitter: @ofbooksandbikes

View All posts by Rebecca Hussey

Calling all essay fans! For your reading pleasure, I’ve rounded up the best essay collections of 2019. It was a fabulous year for essays (although I say that about most years, to be honest). We’ve had some stellar anthologies of writing about disability, feminism, and the immigrant experience. We’ve had important collections about race, mental health, the environment, and media. And we’ve had collections of personal essays to entertain us and make us feel less alone. There should be something in this list for just about any reading mood or interest.

These books span the entire year, and in cases where the book isn’t published yet, I’ve given you the publication date so you can preorder it or add it to your library list.

I hope this list of the best essay collections of 2019 helps you find new books you love!

About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of the New York Times , edited by Peter Catapano and Rosemarie Garland-Thomson

This book emerged from a  New York Times series of personal essays on living with a disability. Each piece was written by a person in the disabled community, and the volume contains an introduction by Andrew Solomon. The topics cover romance, shame, ambition, childbearing, parenting, aging, and much more. The authors offer a wide range of perspectives on living in a world not built for them.

Black is the Body: Stories from my Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard

Emily Bernard’s essays are about her experiences of race. She writes about life as a black woman in Vermont, her family’s history in Alabama and Nashville, her job as a professor who teaches African American literature, and her adoption of twin girls from Ethiopia. It begins with the story of a stabbing in New Haven and uses that as a springboard to write about what it means to live in a black body.

Burn It Down: Women Writing about Anger , edited by Lilly Dancyger (Seal Press, October 8)

Women’s anger has been the source of some important and powerful writing lately (see Rebecca Traister’s  Good and Mad and Soraya Chemaly’s  Rage Becomes Her ). This collection brings together a diverse group of writers to further explore the subject. The book’s 22 writers include Leslie Jamison, Melissa Febos, Evette Dionne, and more.

The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang

The Collected Schizophrenias is a collection of essays on mental and chronic illness. Wang combines research with her personal knowledge of illness to explore misconceptions about schizophrenia and disagreements in the medical community about definitions and treatments. She tells moving, honest personal stories about living with mental illness.

The Collector of Leftover Souls: Field Notes on Brazil’s Everyday Insurrections by Eliane Brum, Translated by Diane Grosklaus Whitty (Graywolf, October 15)

This volume collects work from two of Brum’s books, and includes investigative pieces and profiles about Brazil and its people. She focuses on underrepresented communities such as indigenous midwives from the Amazon and people in the favelas of São Paulo. Her book captures the lives and voices of people not often written about.

Erosion: Essays of Undoing by Terry Tempest Williams (Sarah Crichton Books, October 8)

This volume collects essays written between 2016 and 2018 covering the topic she has always written so beautifully about: the natural world. The essays focus on the concept of erosion, including the erosion of land and of the self. They are her response to the often-overwhelming challenges we face in the political and the natural world.

The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America ,  edited by Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman

This volume brings together an amazing group of writers including Chigozie Obioma, Jenny Zhang, Fatimah Asghar, Alexander Chee, and many more. The essayists are first and second generation immigrants who describe their personal experiences and struggles with finding their place in the U.S. The pieces connect first-person stories with broader cultural and political issues to paint an important picture of the U.S. today.

Good Things Happen to People You Hate: Essays by Rebecca Fishbein (William Morrow, October 15)

In the tradition of Samantha Irby and Sloane Crosley, this collection is a humorous look at life’s unfairness. Fishbein writes about trouble with jobs, bedbugs, fires, and cyber bullying. She covers struggles with alcohol, depression, anxiety, and failed relationships. She is honest and hilarious both, wittily capturing experiences shared by many.

I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution by Emily Nussbaum

This book contains new and previously published essays by  New Yorker  critic Emily Nussbaum. The pieces include reviews and profiles. They also argue for a new type of criticism that can accommodate the ambition and complexity of contemporary television. She makes a case for opening art criticism up to new forms and voices.

I’m Telling the Truth, But I’m Lying by Bassey Ikpi

Bassey Ikpi’s essay collection is about her personal experiences dealing with Bipolar II and anxiety. She writes about struggling with mental health even while her career as a spoken word artist was flourishing. She looks at the ways our mental health is intertwined with every aspect of our lives. It’s an honest look at identity, health, and illness.

Little Weirds by Jenny Slate (Little, Brown and Company, November 5)

These pieces are humorous, whimsical essays about things that are on Jenny Slate’s mind. As she—an actress and stand-up comedian as well as writer—describes it, “I looked into my brain and found a book. Here it is.” With a light touch, she tells us honestly what it’s like to be her and how she sees the world, one little, weird piece of it at a time.

Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays   by Leslie Jamison

Here is Jamison’s follow-up essay collection to the bestselling   Empathy Exams . This one is divided into three sections, “Longing,” “Looking,” and “Dwelling,” each with pieces that combine memoir and journalism. Her subjects include the Sri Lankan civil war, the online world Second Life, the whale 52 Blue, eloping in Las Vegas, giving birth, and many more.

My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education   by Jennine Capó Crucet

Crucet grew up in Miami, the daughter of Cuban refugees. Here she explores her family’s attempts to fit into American culture and her feeling of being a stranger in her own country. She considers her relationship to the so-called “American Dream” and what it means to live in a place that doesn’t always recognize your right to be there.

Notes to Self: Essays by Emilie Pine

Emilie Pine is an Irish writer, and this book is a bestseller in Ireland. These six personal essays touch on addiction, sexual assault, infertility, and more. She captures women’s experiences that often remain hidden. She writes about bodies and emotions from rage to grief to joy with honesty, clarity, and nuance.

Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World by Zahra Hankir (Editor) and Christiane Amanpour (Foreword)

This collection gathers together 19 writers discussing their experiences as journalists working in their home countries. These women risk their lives reporting on war and face sexual harassment and difficulties traveling alone, but they also are able to talk to women and get stories their male counterpoints can’t. Their first person accounts offer new perspectives on women’s lives and current events in the Middle East.

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison

Picking this up is a fitting way to pay tribute to the great Toni Morrison, who just passed away last summer. This book is a collection of essays, speeches, and meditations from the past four decades. Topics include the role of the artist, African Americans in American literature, the power of language, and discussions of her own work and that of other writers and artists.

Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie

Kathleen Jamie is a poet and nature writer. These essays combine travel, memoir, and history to look at a world rapidly changing because of our warming climate. She ranges from thawing tundra in Alaska to the preserved homes of neolithic farmers in Scotland and also examines her own experiences with change as her children grow and her father dies.

Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom

As of this writing,  Thick  was just longlisted for a National Book Award in nonfiction. McMillan Cottom’s essays look at culture and personal experience from a sociological perspective. It’s an indispensable collection for those who want to think about race and society, who like a mix of personal and academic writing, and who want some complex, challenging ideas to chew on.

White Flights: Race, Fiction, and the American Imagination   by Jess Row

White Flights is an examination of how race gets written about in American fiction, particularly by white writers creating mostly white spaces in their books. Row looks at writers such as Don DeLillo, Annie Dillard, David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen, and more to consider the role that whiteness has played in the American literary imagination.

The Witches Are Coming   by Lindy West (Hachette Books, November 5)

The Witches Are Coming  is Lindy West’s follow-up to her wonderful, best-selling book  Shrill .  She’s back with more of her incisive cultural critiques, writing essays on feminism and the misogyny that is (still) embedded in every part of our culture. She brings humor, wit, and much-needed clarity to the gender dynamics at play in media and culture.

There you have it—the best collections of 2019! This was a great year for essays, but so were the two years before. Check out my round-ups of the best essay collections from 2018 and 2017 .

You Might Also Like

Personal Essays: What, How, Who, and Why by Michael Naghten Shanks

Michael Naghten Shanks

• 7 February 2024

What is the personal essay? The personal essay is the freest form of literature: this also makes it the hardest to define. Broadly speaking, it can be broken into two sections: narrative and opinion. It is an account of your experience. It is your thoughts on a subject. The best essayists are able to weave these sections together.

I see the personal essay as an attempt to write about my thoughts and then to question myself as to why I am thinking those thoughts. Each person will define it differently.

It differs from biography/memoir because it places no real importance on chronology.

A personal essay wants the essayist’s considered reflections, whether they relate or not. This fragmentary nature makes it ideal for writing about and during times of transition and confusion.

How do I write a personal essay? You simply start writing. You write your way into it, letting one thing lead to another, never knowing where you are going or how you will end. Only by writing the words will you start to discover what it is you are writing about.

A personal essay can be written on any subject. Common themes include: relationships (family, friends, lovers), childhood, travel, nature, isolation, hobbies, idleness, illness, writing, and mortality. The subject is not the important thing; it is your treatment of it. Personal essays are concerned with the process of judging, not the judgment reached. You need to be aware of your prejudices and reveal them to the reader: doing so will help give the essay a conscience.

The reader wants to see your point of view – what you think and why you think it. Your point of view is shaped by your experiences, your personality, and your writing style. You are constantly revealing yourself to the reader. The things that irritate or make you happy, the times in your life of pain or humour: these are the buildings materials of your personal essay. I is the most important word in the personal essayists’ vocabulary. Take responsibility for it.

Allow time for reflection before you attempt to analyze. The ability to linger on and draw out a point is a highly valuable commodity for the personal essayist.

Write in your own voice, in your own writing style. The personal essay is a dialogue between the thinker who thinks, the writer who writes, and the reader who reads. The use of wit, humour, and irony will help give the essay a conversational tone. By displaying your individuality, you widen the readers’ view of who you are.

The essayist must be a good storyteller. Storytelling devices constantly pop up in good essays: descriptions of people, places, incidents, conversations, and conflicts all add up to help shape and communicate the essayist’s seemingly random thoughts into a consumable narrative.

Intimacy is one of the hallmarks of the personal essay. By sharing your experiences you offer the reader the chance to empathize, whether they have had similar experiences or not. Every personal essay must have a generalizing quality. This is a way to interest the reader. Another way to interest the reader is to tell them something that they know but have never voiced. Tell them things they could never imagine.

You have to be sincere. The reader needs to believe in the reality in which your topic is grounded. They need to know that you have given the topic considerable thought. You must give the reader your utmost intelligence and understanding. The best way to convince the reader of your sincerity is to reveal your potential for insincerity. Vulnerability is essential to the personal essay. Being honest on the page is hard, but if you can do it the reader will recognize and respect it.

Start humble and go from there. Keep questioning yourself until you find the limits of your understanding. By revealing your limits to the reader you can move beyond them. Most times you will end up discussing something you would never have attempted from the start. Any element of confession should be brief and blunt. Objecting to something that the majority of people support is a good way to demonstrate idiosyncrasy. As a personal essayist, if you can find a new angle from which to look at a stale topic you will be making it fresh. This is good both for the essayist and the readers because it keep everyone interested and questioning. Be wary of being self-righteous. Passion is great but not when it blinds you from being able to see the faults as well as the merits. The ego is a tightrope. If you present an essay that is too self-aggrandizing or self-hating then you risk losing the reader. Don’t forget that the essay is a craft, it takes careful thought and editing to make it worthy for the reader. The essayist’s aim should not be to win the reader’s love: at best it should be to earn their respect. The unspoken aim of the personal essay should be to examine the self in such a way that the reader feels less isolated. The only thing required of the essayist is that they give their own personal and honest portrait of the complexities of being human.

Who writes personal essays? James Baldwin, Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin, Jorge Luis Borges, E. M. Cioran, Joan Didion, Annie Dillard, Joseph Epstein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Hazlitt, Edward Hoagland, Michel de Montaigne, V. S. Naipaul, George Orwell, Richard Rodriguez, David Sedaris, Mark Twain, Gore Vidal, David Foster Wallace.

The list of essayists above contains some of my favourite essay writers. It also contains some names that people may associate more with fiction. Some are well known, some are obscure. They are all worthy of being read, for one reason or another. For the most part they are also older writers. Generally, the advice is you should wait until you know who you are before you start writing about who you were. Personally, I don’t believe in this. You are always in a state of becoming who you are. The earlier you start writing personal essays the more likely it is that you will experiment with the form. Experimentation and discovery is what the personal essay is all about. I hope you enjoy the search as much as I do.

Why should I write a personal essay? If you don’t do it, nobody else will. Your personal essay is your one chance to write something that is unapologetically subjective. It can reward in a way that writing other literature simply cannot offer. Personal essays are also a superb way to get you and your writing noticed.

(c) Michael Naghten Shanks

Michael Naghten Shanks (b. 1987) is a writer and editor of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.

His poetry has featured in various online and print publications, including 3:AM Magazine , Banshee , gorse , the Quietus , Poems in Which , Hennessy New Irish Writing , Hotel , Southword , Prelude , Poetry Ireland Review , The Manchester Review , The Tangerine , and The Well Review .

His fiction has featured as the Hennessy New Irish Writing winning story in The Irish Times , and in The South Circular , as well as the anthologies 30 under 30 (Doire Press, 2012) and New Planet Cabaret (New Island, 2013). His essays have appeared in gorse , Response to a Request , and Architecture Ireland .

About the author

His poetry has featured in various online and print publications, including 3:AM Magazine, Banshee, gorse, the Quietus, Poems in Which, Hennessy New Irish Writing, Hotel, Southword, Prelude, Poetry Ireland Review, The Manchester Review, The Tangerine, and The Well Review.

His fiction has featured as the Hennessy New Irish Writing winning story in The Irish Times, and in The South Circular, as well as the anthologies 30 under 30 (Doire Press, 2012) and New Planet Cabaret (New Island, 2013). His essays have appeared in gorse, Response to a Request, and Architecture Ireland.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write an a+ argumentative essay.

Miscellaneous

You'll no doubt have to write a number of argumentative essays in both high school and college, but what, exactly, is an argumentative essay and how do you write the best one possible? Let's take a look.

A great argumentative essay always combines the same basic elements: approaching an argument from a rational perspective, researching sources, supporting your claims using facts rather than opinion, and articulating your reasoning into the most cogent and reasoned points. Argumentative essays are great building blocks for all sorts of research and rhetoric, so your teachers will expect you to master the technique before long.

But if this sounds daunting, never fear! We'll show how an argumentative essay differs from other kinds of papers, how to research and write them, how to pick an argumentative essay topic, and where to find example essays. So let's get started.

What Is an Argumentative Essay? How Is it Different from Other Kinds of Essays?

There are two basic requirements for any and all essays: to state a claim (a thesis statement) and to support that claim with evidence.

Though every essay is founded on these two ideas, there are several different types of essays, differentiated by the style of the writing, how the writer presents the thesis, and the types of evidence used to support the thesis statement.

Essays can be roughly divided into four different types:

#1: Argumentative #2: Persuasive #3: Expository #4: Analytical

So let's look at each type and what the differences are between them before we focus the rest of our time to argumentative essays.

Argumentative Essay

Argumentative essays are what this article is all about, so let's talk about them first.

An argumentative essay attempts to convince a reader to agree with a particular argument (the writer's thesis statement). The writer takes a firm stand one way or another on a topic and then uses hard evidence to support that stance.

An argumentative essay seeks to prove to the reader that one argument —the writer's argument— is the factually and logically correct one. This means that an argumentative essay must use only evidence-based support to back up a claim , rather than emotional or philosophical reasoning (which is often allowed in other types of essays). Thus, an argumentative essay has a burden of substantiated proof and sources , whereas some other types of essays (namely persuasive essays) do not.

You can write an argumentative essay on any topic, so long as there's room for argument. Generally, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one, so long as you support the argumentative essay with hard evidence.

Example topics of an argumentative essay:

• "Should farmers be allowed to shoot wolves if those wolves injure or kill farm animals?"
• "Should the drinking age be lowered in the United States?"
• "Are alternatives to democracy effective and/or feasible to implement?"

The next three types of essays are not argumentative essays, but you may have written them in school. We're going to cover them so you know what not to do for your argumentative essay.

Persuasive Essay

Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative essays, so it can be easy to get them confused. But knowing what makes an argumentative essay different than a persuasive essay can often mean the difference between an excellent grade and an average one.

Persuasive essays seek to persuade a reader to agree with the point of view of the writer, whether that point of view is based on factual evidence or not. The writer has much more flexibility in the evidence they can use, with the ability to use moral, cultural, or opinion-based reasoning as well as factual reasoning to persuade the reader to agree the writer's side of a given issue.

Instead of being forced to use "pure" reason as one would in an argumentative essay, the writer of a persuasive essay can manipulate or appeal to the reader's emotions. So long as the writer attempts to steer the readers into agreeing with the thesis statement, the writer doesn't necessarily need hard evidence in favor of the argument.

Often, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one—the difference is all in the approach and the evidence you present.

Example topics of a persuasive essay:

• "Should children be responsible for their parents' debts?"
• "Should cheating on a test be automatic grounds for expulsion?"
• "How much should sports leagues be held accountable for player injuries and the long-term consequences of those injuries?"

Expository Essay

An expository essay is typically a short essay in which the writer explains an idea, issue, or theme , or discusses the history of a person, place, or idea.

This is typically a fact-forward essay with little argument or opinion one way or the other.

Example topics of an expository essay:

• "The History of the Philadelphia Liberty Bell"
• "The Reasons I Always Wanted to be a Doctor"
• "The Meaning Behind the Colloquialism ‘People in Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones'"

Analytical Essay

An analytical essay seeks to delve into the deeper meaning of a text or work of art, or unpack a complicated idea . These kinds of essays closely interpret a source and look into its meaning by analyzing it at both a macro and micro level.

This type of analysis can be augmented by historical context or other expert or widely-regarded opinions on the subject, but is mainly supported directly through the original source (the piece or art or text being analyzed) .

Example topics of an analytical essay:

• "Victory Gin in Place of Water: The Symbolism Behind Gin as the Only Potable Substance in George Orwell's 1984"
• "Amarna Period Art: The Meaning Behind the Shift from Rigid to Fluid Poses"
• "Adultery During WWII, as Told Through a Series of Letters to and from Soldiers"

There are many different types of essay and, over time, you'll be able to master them all.

A Typical Argumentative Essay Assignment

The average argumentative essay is between three to five pages, and will require at least three or four separate sources with which to back your claims . As for the essay topic , you'll most often be asked to write an argumentative essay in an English class on a "general" topic of your choice, ranging the gamut from science, to history, to literature.

But while the topics of an argumentative essay can span several different fields, the structure of an argumentative essay is always the same: you must support a claim—a claim that can reasonably have multiple sides—using multiple sources and using a standard essay format (which we'll talk about later on).

This is why many argumentative essay topics begin with the word "should," as in:

• "Should all students be required to learn chemistry in high school?"
• "Should children be required to learn a second language?"
• "Should schools or governments be allowed to ban books?"

These topics all have at least two sides of the argument: Yes or no. And you must support the side you choose with evidence as to why your side is the correct one.

But there are also plenty of other ways to frame an argumentative essay as well:

• "Does using social media do more to benefit or harm people?"
• "Does the legal status of artwork or its creators—graffiti and vandalism, pirated media, a creator who's in jail—have an impact on the art itself?"
• "Is or should anyone ever be ‘above the law?'"

Though these are worded differently than the first three, you're still essentially forced to pick between two sides of an issue: yes or no, for or against, benefit or detriment. Though your argument might not fall entirely into one side of the divide or another—for instance, you could claim that social media has positively impacted some aspects of modern life while being a detriment to others—your essay should still support one side of the argument above all. Your final stance would be that overall , social media is beneficial or overall , social media is harmful.

If your argument is one that is mostly text-based or backed by a single source (e.g., "How does Salinger show that Holden Caulfield is an unreliable narrator?" or "Does Gatsby personify the American Dream?"), then it's an analytical essay, rather than an argumentative essay. An argumentative essay will always be focused on more general topics so that you can use multiple sources to back up your claims.

Good Argumentative Essay Topics

So you know the basic idea behind an argumentative essay, but what topic should you write about?

Again, almost always, you'll be asked to write an argumentative essay on a free topic of your choice, or you'll be asked to select between a few given topics . If you're given complete free reign of topics, then it'll be up to you to find an essay topic that no only appeals to you, but that you can turn into an A+ argumentative essay.

What makes a "good" argumentative essay topic depends on both the subject matter and your personal interest —it can be hard to give your best effort on something that bores you to tears! But it can also be near impossible to write an argumentative essay on a topic that has no room for debate.

As we said earlier, a good argumentative essay topic will be one that has the potential to reasonably go in at least two directions—for or against, yes or no, and why . For example, it's pretty hard to write an argumentative essay on whether or not people should be allowed to murder one another—not a whole lot of debate there for most people!—but writing an essay for or against the death penalty has a lot more wiggle room for evidence and argument.

A good topic is also one that can be substantiated through hard evidence and relevant sources . So be sure to pick a topic that other people have studied (or at least studied elements of) so that you can use their data in your argument. For example, if you're arguing that it should be mandatory for all middle school children to play a sport, you might have to apply smaller scientific data points to the larger picture you're trying to justify. There are probably several studies you could cite on the benefits of physical activity and the positive effect structure and teamwork has on young minds, but there's probably no study you could use where a group of scientists put all middle-schoolers in one jurisdiction into a mandatory sports program (since that's probably never happened). So long as your evidence is relevant to your point and you can extrapolate from it to form a larger whole, you can use it as a part of your resource material.

And if you need ideas on where to get started, or just want to see sample argumentative essay topics, then check out these links for hundreds of potential argumentative essay topics.

101 Persuasive (or Argumentative) Essay and Speech Topics

301 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Top 50 Ideas for Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Writing

[Note: some of these say "persuasive essay topics," but just remember that the same topic can often be used for both a persuasive essay and an argumentative essay; the difference is in your writing style and the evidence you use to support your claims.]

KO! Find that one argumentative essay topic you can absolutely conquer.

Argumentative Essay Format

Argumentative Essays are composed of four main elements:

• A position (your argument)
• Your reasons
• Supporting evidence for those reasons (from reliable sources)
• Counterargument(s) (possible opposing arguments and reasons why those arguments are incorrect)

If you're familiar with essay writing in general, then you're also probably familiar with the five paragraph essay structure . This structure is a simple tool to show how one outlines an essay and breaks it down into its component parts, although it can be expanded into as many paragraphs as you want beyond the core five.

The standard argumentative essay is often 3-5 pages, which will usually mean a lot more than five paragraphs, but your overall structure will look the same as a much shorter essay.

An argumentative essay at its simplest structure will look like:

Paragraph 1: Intro

• Set up the story/problem/issue
• Thesis/claim

Paragraph 2: Support

• Reason #1 claim is correct
• Supporting evidence with sources

Paragraph 3: Support

• Reason #2 claim is correct

Paragraph 4: Counterargument

• Explanation of argument for the other side
• Refutation of opposing argument with supporting evidence

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

• Re-state claim
• Sum up reasons and support of claim from the essay to prove claim is correct

Now let's unpack each of these paragraph types to see how they work (with examples!), what goes into them, and why.

Paragraph 1—Set Up and Claim

Your first task is to introduce the reader to the topic at hand so they'll be prepared for your claim. Give a little background information, set the scene, and give the reader some stakes so that they care about the issue you're going to discuss.

Next, you absolutely must have a position on an argument and make that position clear to the readers. It's not an argumentative essay unless you're arguing for a specific claim, and this claim will be your thesis statement.

Your thesis CANNOT be a mere statement of fact (e.g., "Washington DC is the capital of the United States"). Your thesis must instead be an opinion which can be backed up with evidence and has the potential to be argued against (e.g., "New York should be the capital of the United States").

Paragraphs 2 and 3—Your Evidence

These are your body paragraphs in which you give the reasons why your argument is the best one and back up this reasoning with concrete evidence .

The argument supporting the thesis of an argumentative essay should be one that can be supported by facts and evidence, rather than personal opinion or cultural or religious mores.

For example, if you're arguing that New York should be the new capital of the US, you would have to back up that fact by discussing the factual contrasts between New York and DC in terms of location, population, revenue, and laws. You would then have to talk about the precedents for what makes for a good capital city and why New York fits the bill more than DC does.

Your argument can't simply be that a lot of people think New York is the best city ever and that you agree.

In addition to using concrete evidence, you always want to keep the tone of your essay passionate, but impersonal . Even though you're writing your argument from a single opinion, don't use first person language—"I think," "I feel," "I believe,"—to present your claims. Doing so is repetitive, since by writing the essay you're already telling the audience what you feel, and using first person language weakens your writing voice.

For example,

"I think that Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."

"Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."

The second statement sounds far stronger and more analytical.

Paragraph 4—Argument for the Other Side and Refutation

Even without a counter argument, you can make a pretty persuasive claim, but a counterargument will round out your essay into one that is much more persuasive and substantial.

By anticipating an argument against your claim and taking the initiative to counter it, you're allowing yourself to get ahead of the game. This way, you show that you've given great thought to all sides of the issue before choosing your position, and you demonstrate in multiple ways how yours is the more reasoned and supported side.

Paragraph 5—Conclusion

This paragraph is where you re-state your argument and summarize why it's the best claim.

Briefly touch on your supporting evidence and voila! A finished argumentative essay.

Your essay should have just as awesome a skeleton as this plesiosaur does. (In other words: a ridiculously awesome skeleton)

Argumentative Essay Example: 5-Paragraph Style

It always helps to have an example to learn from. I've written a full 5-paragraph argumentative essay here. Look at how I state my thesis in paragraph 1, give supporting evidence in paragraphs 2 and 3, address a counterargument in paragraph 4, and conclude in paragraph 5.

Topic: Is it possible to maintain conflicting loyalties?

Paragraph 1

It is almost impossible to go through life without encountering a situation where your loyalties to different people or causes come into conflict with each other. Maybe you have a loving relationship with your sister, but she disagrees with your decision to join the army, or you find yourself torn between your cultural beliefs and your scientific ones. These conflicting loyalties can often be maintained for a time, but as examples from both history and psychological theory illustrate, sooner or later, people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever.

The first two sentences set the scene and give some hypothetical examples and stakes for the reader to care about.

The third sentence finishes off the intro with the thesis statement, making very clear how the author stands on the issue ("people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever." )

Paragraphs 2 and 3

Psychological theory states that human beings are not equipped to maintain conflicting loyalties indefinitely and that attempting to do so leads to a state called "cognitive dissonance." Cognitive dissonance theory is the psychological idea that people undergo tremendous mental stress or anxiety when holding contradictory beliefs, values, or loyalties (Festinger, 1957). Even if human beings initially hold a conflicting loyalty, they will do their best to find a mental equilibrium by making a choice between those loyalties—stay stalwart to a belief system or change their beliefs. One of the earliest formal examples of cognitive dissonance theory comes from Leon Festinger's When Prophesy Fails . Members of an apocalyptic cult are told that the end of the world will occur on a specific date and that they alone will be spared the Earth's destruction. When that day comes and goes with no apocalypse, the cult members face a cognitive dissonance between what they see and what they've been led to believe (Festinger, 1956). Some choose to believe that the cult's beliefs are still correct, but that the Earth was simply spared from destruction by mercy, while others choose to believe that they were lied to and that the cult was fraudulent all along. Both beliefs cannot be correct at the same time, and so the cult members are forced to make their choice.

But even when conflicting loyalties can lead to potentially physical, rather than just mental, consequences, people will always make a choice to fall on one side or other of a dividing line. Take, for instance, Nicolaus Copernicus, a man born and raised in Catholic Poland (and educated in Catholic Italy). Though the Catholic church dictated specific scientific teachings, Copernicus' loyalty to his own observations and scientific evidence won out over his loyalty to his country's government and belief system. When he published his heliocentric model of the solar system--in opposition to the geocentric model that had been widely accepted for hundreds of years (Hannam, 2011)-- Copernicus was making a choice between his loyalties. In an attempt t o maintain his fealty both to the established system and to what he believed, h e sat on his findings for a number of years (Fantoli, 1994). But, ultimately, Copernicus made the choice to side with his beliefs and observations above all and published his work for the world to see (even though, in doing so, he risked both his reputation and personal freedoms).

These two paragraphs provide the reasons why the author supports the main argument and uses substantiated sources to back those reasons.

The paragraph on cognitive dissonance theory gives both broad supporting evidence and more narrow, detailed supporting evidence to show why the thesis statement is correct not just anecdotally but also scientifically and psychologically. First, we see why people in general have a difficult time accepting conflicting loyalties and desires and then how this applies to individuals through the example of the cult members from the Dr. Festinger's research.

The next paragraph continues to use more detailed examples from history to provide further evidence of why the thesis that people cannot indefinitely maintain conflicting loyalties is true.

Paragraph 4

Some will claim that it is possible to maintain conflicting beliefs or loyalties permanently, but this is often more a matter of people deluding themselves and still making a choice for one side or the other, rather than truly maintaining loyalty to both sides equally. For example, Lancelot du Lac typifies a person who claims to maintain a balanced loyalty between to two parties, but his attempt to do so fails (as all attempts to permanently maintain conflicting loyalties must). Lancelot tells himself and others that he is equally devoted to both King Arthur and his court and to being Queen Guinevere's knight (Malory, 2008). But he can neither be in two places at once to protect both the king and queen, nor can he help but let his romantic feelings for the queen to interfere with his duties to the king and the kingdom. Ultimately, he and Queen Guinevere give into their feelings for one another and Lancelot—though he denies it—chooses his loyalty to her over his loyalty to Arthur. This decision plunges the kingdom into a civil war, ages Lancelot prematurely, and ultimately leads to Camelot's ruin (Raabe, 1987). Though Lancelot claimed to have been loyal to both the king and the queen, this loyalty was ultimately in conflict, and he could not maintain it.

Here we have the acknowledgement of a potential counter-argument and the evidence as to why it isn't true.

The argument is that some people (or literary characters) have asserted that they give equal weight to their conflicting loyalties. The refutation is that, though some may claim to be able to maintain conflicting loyalties, they're either lying to others or deceiving themselves. The paragraph shows why this is true by providing an example of this in action.

Paragraph 5

Whether it be through literature or history, time and time again, people demonstrate the challenges of trying to manage conflicting loyalties and the inevitable consequences of doing so. Though belief systems are malleable and will often change over time, it is not possible to maintain two mutually exclusive loyalties or beliefs at once. In the end, people always make a choice, and loyalty for one party or one side of an issue will always trump loyalty to the other.

The concluding paragraph summarizes the essay, touches on the evidence presented, and re-states the thesis statement.

How to Write an Argumentative Essay: 8 Steps

Writing the best argumentative essay is all about the preparation, so let's talk steps:

#1: Preliminary Research

If you have the option to pick your own argumentative essay topic (which you most likely will), then choose one or two topics you find the most intriguing or that you have a vested interest in and do some preliminary research on both sides of the debate.

Do an open internet search just to see what the general chatter is on the topic and what the research trends are.

Did your preliminary reading influence you to pick a side or change your side? Without diving into all the scholarly articles at length, do you believe there's enough evidence to support your claim? Have there been scientific studies? Experiments? Does a noted scholar in the field agree with you? If not, you may need to pick another topic or side of the argument to support.

#2: Pick Your Side and Form Your Thesis

Now's the time to pick the side of the argument you feel you can support the best and summarize your main point into your thesis statement.

Your thesis will be the basis of your entire essay, so make sure you know which side you're on, that you've stated it clearly, and that you stick by your argument throughout the entire essay .

#3: Heavy-Duty Research Time

You've taken a gander at what the internet at large has to say on your argument, but now's the time to actually read those sources and take notes.

Check scholarly journals online at Google Scholar , the Directory of Open Access Journals , or JStor . You can also search individual university or school libraries and websites to see what kinds of academic articles you can access for free. Keep track of your important quotes and page numbers and put them somewhere that's easy to find later.

And don't forget to check your school or local libraries as well!

#4: Outline

Follow the five-paragraph outline structure from the previous section.

Fill in your topic, your reasons, and your supporting evidence into each of the categories.

Before you begin to flesh out the essay, take a look at what you've got. Is your thesis statement in the first paragraph? Is it clear? Is your argument logical? Does your supporting evidence support your reasoning?

By outlining your essay, you streamline your process and take care of any logic gaps before you dive headfirst into the writing. This will save you a lot of grief later on if you need to change your sources or your structure, so don't get too trigger-happy and skip this step.

Now that you've laid out exactly what you'll need for your essay and where, it's time to fill in all the gaps by writing it out.

Take it one step at a time and expand your ideas into complete sentences and substantiated claims. It may feel daunting to turn an outline into a complete draft, but just remember that you've already laid out all the groundwork; now you're just filling in the gaps.

If you have the time before deadline, give yourself a day or two (or even just an hour!) away from your essay . Looking it over with fresh eyes will allow you to see errors, both minor and major, that you likely would have missed had you tried to edit when it was still raw.

Take a first pass over the entire essay and try your best to ignore any minor spelling or grammar mistakes—you're just looking at the big picture right now. Does it make sense as a whole? Did the essay succeed in making an argument and backing that argument up logically? (Do you feel persuaded?)

If not, go back and make notes so that you can fix it for your final draft.

Once you've made your revisions to the overall structure, mark all your small errors and grammar problems so you can fix them in the next draft.

#7: Final Draft

Use the notes you made on the rough draft and go in and hack and smooth away until you're satisfied with the final result.

A checklist for your final draft:

• Formatting is correct according to your teacher's standards
• No errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Essay is the right length and size for the assignment
• The argument is present, consistent, and concise
• Each reason is supported by relevant evidence
• The essay makes sense overall

#8: Celebrate!

Once you've brought that final draft to a perfect polish and turned in your assignment, you're done! Go you!

Be prepared and ♪ you'll never go hungry again ♪, *cough*, or struggle with your argumentative essay-writing again. (Walt Disney Studios)

Good Examples of Argumentative Essays Online

Theory is all well and good, but examples are key. Just to get you started on what a fully-fleshed out argumentative essay looks like, let's see some examples in action.

Check out these two argumentative essay examples on the use of landmines and freons (and note the excellent use of concrete sources to back up their arguments!).

The Use of Landmines

A Shattered Sky

The Take-Aways: Keys to Writing an Argumentative Essay

At first, writing an argumentative essay may seem like a monstrous hurdle to overcome, but with the proper preparation and understanding, you'll be able to knock yours out of the park.

Remember the differences between a persuasive essay and an argumentative one, make sure your thesis is clear, and double-check that your supporting evidence is both relevant to your point and well-sourced . Pick your topic, do your research, make your outline, and fill in the gaps. Before you know it, you'll have yourself an A+ argumentative essay there, my friend.

What's Next?

Now you know the ins and outs of an argumentative essay, but how comfortable are you writing in other styles? Learn more about the four writing styles and when it makes sense to use each .

Understand how to make an argument, but still having trouble organizing your thoughts? Check out our guide to three popular essay formats and choose which one is right for you.

Ready to make your case, but not sure what to write about? We've created a list of 50 potential argumentative essay topics to spark your imagination.

Courtney scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT in high school and went on to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology. She is passionate about bringing education and the tools to succeed to students from all backgrounds and walks of life, as she believes open education is one of the great societal equalizers. She has years of tutoring experience and writes creative works in her free time.

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