Professional Documents
Culture Documents
7th grade8th grade9th grade10th grade11th grade12th gradeElementary SchoolMiddle SchoolHigh SchoolCollege
There are four main types of essays: narrative, descriptive, expository, and argumentative. Each has a
unique purpose. Some tell a story, some are descriptive, and others attempt to alter opinions. One of
the best ways to understand each type is to review a batch of essay examples.
Narrative Essays
Narration means you're telling a story from a certain viewpoint, and there is usually a reason for the
telling. All narrative essays have characters, setting, a climax, and most importantly, a plot.
The plot is the focus of the story and is usually revealed chronologically, but there are sometimes
flash-forwards and flashbacks. If you're looking to write a personal narrative essay, here are some
tips to get you started.
When writing a narrative essay, remember to:
Include sensory and emotional details, so the reader will experience the story, not just read
about it.
Allow the story to support the point you're making, and make reference to that point in the
first sentence.
Write in the first or third person.
The following is an example of a famous narrative written by John Updike, Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu.
"The afternoon grew so glowering that in the sixth inning the arc lights were turned on--always a
wan sight in the daytime, like the burning headlights of a funeral procession. Aided by the gloom,
Fisher was slicing through the Sox rookies, and Williams did not come to bat in the seventh. He was
second up in the eighth. This was almost certainly his last time to come to the plate in Fenway Park,
and instead of merely cheering, as we had at his three previous appearances, we stood, all of us, and
applauded."
Descriptive Essays
Descriptive essays describe the traits and characteristics of people, objects, events, and feelings in
intricate detail. What's being described will be thoroughly examined. For example, if you were
describing roses, you might want to detail:
Their origin
Their appearance
Their color
Their fragrance
When you write a descriptive essay, you want to involve the reader's senses and emotions. For
example, you could say, "I got sleepy." Or, you could write, "While I waited for Santa, my eyelids
grew heavy, the lights on the tree began to blur, and my head began to droop." The second excerpt
provides vivid detail, allowing readers to feel like they're there.
A student at Roane State Community College managed to spice up a first visit to a diner. Watch how
descriptive things get.
"When entering the door at Lou's, two things are immediately noticeable: the place is rarely empty
and seems to consist of a maze of rooms. The first room, through the door, is the main part of the
restaurant. There is another, rarely used, dining room off to the right. It was added during the oil well
boom of the seventies. Through the main dining room is yet another room; it guards the door leading
into the kitchen. This room contains the most coveted table in the place. The highest tribute Lou can
bestow on anyone is to allow them access to seats at this table. This table is the family table; it is
reserved for Lou's, and her daughter Karen's, immediate family and treasured friends."
Like the diner essay above, this sample excerpt from a student at St. Cloud State spruces up
something as everyday as a local pawn shop.
"Billy Ray's Pawn Shop and Lawn Mower Repair looked like a burial ground for country auction
rejects. The blazing, red, diesel fuel tanks beamed in front of the station, looking like cheap lipstick
against the pallid, wrinkled texture of the parking lot sand. The yard, not much larger than the end
zone at General G. Patton High School on the north end of town, was framed with a rusted metallic
hedge of lawn mowers, banana seat bicycles, and corroded oil drums. It wasn't a calico frame of
rusted parts, but rather an orchestra of unwanted machinery that Billy Ray had arranged into sections.
The yellow-tanked mowers rested silently at the right of the diesel fuel. Once red, now faded orange,
mowers stood at attention to the left. The oil barrels, jaded and pierced with holes, bellared like
chimes when the wind was right. The bikes rested sporadically throughout the lot. In the middle of it
all was the office, a faded, steel roof supported by cheap two-by-fours and zebra paneling. Billy Ray
was at home, usually, five blocks east of town on Kennel Road."
Expository Essays
Expository essays compare, explore, and discuss problems. While there's a bit of a storytelling
element to them, their purpose is greater than that. It's always to explain some integral concept to the
reader. As such, they inform, describe, and explain.
When writing an expository essay, the text needs to:
Be concise and easy to understand.
Offer different views on a subject.
Report on a situation or event.
Explain something that may be difficult to understand.
This sample expository essay from Thoughtful Learning relies heavily on facts and statistics to
explain the important concept of cheating.
"Did you know that 7 out of 10 students have cheated at least once in the past year? Did you know
that 50 percent of those students have cheated more than twice? These shocking statistics are from a
survey of 9,000 U.S. high school students. Incredibly, teachers may even be encouraging their
students to cheat! Last year at a school in Detroit, teachers allegedly provided their students with
answers to statewide standard tests."
Argumentative Essays
In an argumentative essay, the writer is trying to convince the reader of something. He or she will
demonstrate the validity or falsity of a topic. The writer's position will be backed up with evidence,
including statistics or the opinion of experts. In these essays, the writer isn't merely offering an
opinion, but making an argument for or against something, and supporting that argument with data.
To write an argumentative essay, it's important to research and back up what you say in the text. For
more detail, here are some argumentative essay writing tips.
Essay By Example dives deeply into an argument touting the benefits of online gaming.
"Online games aren't just a diversion, but a unique way to meet other people. As millions of gamers
demonstrate, playing online is about friendship and cooperation, not just killing monsters. These
games are a viable social network because players focus on teamwork, form groups with like-minded
people and have romantic relationships with other players. Massively Multiplayer Online Games
(MMOGs) feature millions of players interacting in the same environment. The games are social in
nature as they allow players to band together and complete missions based on a story line, or test
their skills by fighting against each other. At the start of the game, the user creates a fictional
character, and customizes its physical appearance. Since many games involve combat, players also
outfit their characters with armor and weapons, as well as choose their "profession." Many popular
game titles like World of Warcraft and Everquest follow a fantasy theme, so most professions have
magical abilities like healing other players or raising undead minions. While the process seems
simple, players may spend hours agonizing over the perfect look for their character, from their armor
color to the type of skills to use in battle. Once their character is created, the player is free to explore
the vast, digital world and interact with other players; however they must pay on average $15 a
month for game content. MMOG users are mostly male - usually between the ages of 18-34 -
although titles like World of Warcraft have a healthy population of female players as well. With
millions of players, there are plenty of people to adventure with."