WRITING

AN ESSAY
ELC231 | WEEK 1 & 2
The Three Parts of an Essay
General statements Restatement or summary of the
Thesis statement main points; final comment

Introduction Body Conclusion

A. Topic
B. Topic
C. Topic
sentence
Sentence
sentence
o Support
o Support
o Support
o Support
o Support
o Support
o Support
o Support
o Support
 (Concluding
 (Concluding
 (Concluding
sentence)
sentence)
sentence)
UNITY AND COHERENCE
◦ An essay must have the elements of unity and coherence.
◦ Unity
◦ Discusses only one main idea from beginning to end.
◦ E.g. if the essay is about the advantages of owning a compact car, discuss only that. Do not include the disadvantages.
◦ Coherence
◦ Sentences in the essay must ‘hold together’; the movement from one sentence to the next must be logical and smooth. There
must be no sudden jumps.
◦ Coherence is achieved in four ways:
◦ Repetition of key nouns.
◦ Use of consistent pronouns.
◦ Use of transition signals / discourse markers.
◦ Arrangement of ideas in logical order.
Sample Paragraph: Gold
◦ Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two characteristics. First of all, gold has a
lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewellery,
coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain
beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as
the day it was made 25 centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its
usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of
industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most recent use of
gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection
when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only
for its beauty but also for its utility.
◦ Topic Sentence (TS) : Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two characteristics.
◦ Supporting Detail 1 (SD 1) : First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion.
◦ Sub-supporting Details for SD 1 : Therefore, it is suitable for jewellery, coins, and ornamental
purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a
Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago.
◦ Supporting Detail 2 (SD 2) : Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and
science.
◦ Sub-supporting Details for SD 2: For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial
applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits.
Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection when they go outside spaceships in space.
◦ Concluding Sentence (CS) : In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its
utility.
Gold: Unity & Coherence
◦ Unity: Coherence:
◦ The content is all about gold and its Repetition of Consistent Transition Logical order
two characteristics. key nouns pronouns signals
◦ There is no ‘mixed-up’ of ideas, i.e. Gold it First of all, TS
other precious metal like silver or therefore, for
example, SD1 + SSDs
bronze, etc. are not included in this
another, in for SD1
paragraph. The focus is only on gold. conclusion
SD2 + SSDs
for SD2

CS
Sample Essay: Dealing with Feelings
INTRODUCTION
Public emotional outbursts are rampant nowadays. There are cases of | General statements
road bullies and public display of violence; there are cases of intelligent
individuals who lose control of their tempers and continuously abuse their
subordinates. Fortunately for schoolchildren in Malaysia, there has not
been any incidence of public shootings. These emotional outbursts stem
from the emphasis our society places on intelligence quotient (IQ), while
often ignoring the importance of emotional quotient (EQ). A person with
high EQ handles his emotions well, without panicking and getting stressed
unnecessarily. The person with high EQ is not prone to depression.
Emotional quotient consists of five elements, i.e. self-awareness, self- Thesis statement
regulation, intrinsic motivation, social skills and empathy. |
 BODY 1

The first element of EQ is self-awareness. Self- | Topic sentence

awareness is defined as a person’s ability to identify and (TS)
recognize his mood, emotions and motivation, and the | Supporting detail
effects of these aspects on other people in his life. For (SD)
example, a person who experiences a setback will be able | Sub-supporting
to monitor his behavior appropriately. A person with high detail 1 (SSD 1)
EQ will realise that he experiences different emotions in | SSD 2
different situations. He is also aware that his emotions and
behavior may affect his family members and people around | SSD 3
him.
 BODY 2

The second element of EQ is self-regulation. A | TS

person with high EQ will weigh his decisions carefully
and monitor as well as control his negative impulses, |
before taking any action. When having a bad day or SD
when experiencing negative feelings, the person is aware |
SSD 1
that he is experiencing negative emotions. Thus, he is
able to restrain himself from making any silly mistakes or | SSD 2
hasty decisions. He is able to make accurate decisions, as
he detaches his emotions from his decisions. | SSD 3
 BODY 3

The third element of EQ is intrinsic motivation. A | TS

person with high EQ will possess the determination and
persistence to pursue a goal, which go beyond status and | SD
money. A person with high EQ pursues his goal | SSD 1
relentlessly. For example, a student with high EQ will
persevere to achieve an ‘A’ in a subject by revising his | SSD 2
lessons regularly, meeting his lecturers often and studying
consistently, even when his friends are partying and
having a good time.
 BODY 4

The fourth element of EQ is social skills. A person with | TS

high EQ will have the ability to build and manage
networks of relationships, as he has effective social | SD
skills. He possesses many relationships from different
social networks, including offline relationships. He is | SSD 1
able to sustain old relationships and nurture new
relationships. He depends on his social contacts to | SSD 2
succeed in his personal life and business negotiations.
| SSD 3
 BODY 5

The final element of EQ is empathy. Empathy is the | TS

ability to identify and relate to the emotions, thoughts and
feelings of others. A person needs to be empathetic in | SD
order to sympathise with others. A person who cannot
put himself in other people’s situations will not be able to | SSD 1
understand and relate to the person well. For example, an
empathetic leader will try to understand the feelings and | SSD 2
thoughts of his subordinates, before enforcing any rules
or regulations.
 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, a person needs to have high EQ to be | Concluding

successful, as the person needs to communicate with other statement
human beings at work or at school. A person needs to be
aware of the five elements of emotional quotient – self- | Restatement
awareness, self-regulation, intrinsic motivation, social of the thesis
skills and empathy. If you feel that your EQ level is statement
unsatisfactory, do not worry as you can increase your EQ
as you grow older. Proper training and efforts can help | Final
you to develop your EQ. comment
References
◦ Amizura Hanadi, M.R., Latisha Asmaak, S., Noorazalia Izha, H. & Nur Fairuz Wahida, I. (2015).
Integrated Language Skills: Reading. Selangor: Oxford University Press
◦ Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. (2006). Writing Academic English (4th ed.). New York: Pearson Longman