ASIA PACIFIC COLLEGE OF ADVANCED STUDIES

A.H. Banzon St., Ibayo, City of Balanga, Bataan

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT
ENGLISH PLUS
Week 14- LECTURE

ESSAY: ITS PARTS AND ITS TYPES

An essay is a piece of writing that is written to convince someone of something or to simply inform
the reader about a particular topic. In order for the reader to be convinced or adequately informed,
the essay must include several important components to make it flow in a logical way. The main parts
(or sections) to an essay are the intro, body, and conclusion. In a standard short essay, five
paragraphs can provide the reader with enough information in a short amount of space. For a
research paper or dissertation, however, it is essential that more than five paragraphs are present in
order not to overwhelm the reader with too much information in one paragraph.

Components of a Good Essay

1. THE INTRODUCTION
The introduction of your essay is the reader's first glimpse into your writing. Not only will it introduce
your topic, but it provides the reader with the structure of your essay. So, it needs to grab their
attention and clearly outline your arguments. It does this through using an opening hook and thesis
statement. For example:

Opening hook: If magical realism includes fantastical elements, why isn’t it considered fantasy?
Thesis statement: Magical realism creates a believable blend of mundane and fantastical through
real-world settings, fantastical elements, and flexible time boundaries.

Depending on the type of essay, it might also include other elements like overviewing the plot, but an
opening hook and thesis statement are the two most important parts.

● Must contain an attention grabber for the reader or at least make the essay sound interesting,
may begin with a quote about the particular topic
● Ensure that the intro moves from the general to the specific in regards to the topic
● Provides the reader with a “road map” of the essay in a logical order
● At the end there should be what is called a thesis statement, arguably the most important
component of the intro
● The thesis statement states the aim of the paper and may give insight into the author’s
examples and evidence

2. THE BODY
Body paragraphs take up most of the essay. Why? Because you use these to present and defend your
arguments or thoughts.
● Start Strong
 In a traditional essay, you should have at least 3 body paragraphs. The first body paragraph is
your strongest point. Then the second paragraph includes your next strongest point or
argument. Follow this structure to your last body paragraph, which should present the
weakest point you want to make. Using magical realism as an example, the strongest
argument would be real-world settings, then fantastical elements, and finish with flexible time
boundaries. Just like with a race, you want to start strong, but it is important to keep your
pace throughout the entire essay.

● Use Credible Research

For most essays, you’ll need to back up your theories and arguments with credible research
and examples. You can have the strongest essay in the world, but if it is created entirely on
fallacies without credible sources, then your beautiful words will get lost in that big fat “D” on
the paper. Therefore, you’ll need to know the difference between primary and secondary
sources, and how to use those resources to build your best argument.

● Topic Sentences
Essays should flow like a babbling brook over rocks. To make them flow, use topic sentences.
These outline what you will be discussing in the paragraph. Then, use transition words to flow
from one argument to the next.
Remember, don’t be a beaver when it comes to writing. Not using transition words and topic
sentences can cut off the flow of your essay just like a beaver dam.

❖ Includes the evidence and support of the paper in addition to the author’s ideas
❖ Paragraphs must include a topic sentence which relates the discussion back to the
thesis statement
❖ Logical ordering of ideas: 3 types of order 1. Chronological order---order of time, good
for narratives 2. Spatial order-good for descriptions of locations; top to bottom, e.g. 3.
Emphatic order-least important to most important; most common for college writing
❖ Ensure that transition sentences are present to create a good flow to the essay
❖ Include substantial examples and evidence to support your argument and remember
to cite, cite, cite!
❖ Make sure each example is relevant to your particular topic

3. THE CONCLUSION
The conclusion should restate your thesis. However, it’s important not to be too obvious when
restating your thesis. Still keep it creative like you did with the introduction and body
paragraphs. For a conclusion example, you might end with a concluding hook that still keeps
the reader thinking like, “Do you think magical realism is fantasy?” Think about your
conclusion as wrapping up your essay with a beautiful bow, since it’s a present for your
audience.
● This section should wrap all of your arguments and points
● Should restate the main arguments in a simplified manner
● Ensure that the reader is left with something to think about, particularly if it is an
argumentative essay
 Four Major Types of Essays
Distinguishing between types of essays is simply a matter of determining the writer’s goal. Does the
writer want to tell about a personal experience, describe something, explain an issue, or convince the
reader to accept a certain viewpoint? The four major types of essays address these purposes:

1. Narrative Essays: Telling a Story

In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life experience. While telling a story may
sound easy to do, the narrative essay challenges students to think and write about themselves. When
writing a narrative essay, writers should try to involve the reader by making the story as vivid as
possible. The fact that narrative essays are usually written in the first person helps engage the reader.
“I” sentences give readers a feeling of being part of the story. A well-crafted narrative essay will also
build towards drawing a conclusion or making a personal statement.

2. Descriptive Essays: Painting a Picture

A cousin of the narrative essay, a descriptive essay paints a picture with words. A writer might
describe a person, place, object, or even memory of special significance. However, this type of essay is
not description for description’s sake. The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning
through the description. In a descriptive essay, the writer should show, not tell, through the use of
colorful words and sensory details. The best descriptive essays appeal to the reader’s emotions, with
a result that is highly evocative.

3. Expository Essays: Just the Facts

The expository essay is an informative piece of writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. In
an expository essay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples.
Expository writing encompasses a wide range of essay variations, such as the comparison and
contrast essay, the cause and effect essay, and the “how to” or process essay. Because expository
essays are based on facts and not personal feelings, writers don’t reveal their emotions or write in the
first person.

4. Persuasive Essays: Convince Me

While like an expository essay in its presentation of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to
convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. The writer must build a
case using facts and logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, and sound reasoning. The writer
should present all sides of the argument, but must be able to communicate clearly and without
equivocation why a certain position is correct. 1

1 https://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/types-of-essays/