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Essays
Essays – An essay is, in general, a piece of writing in which the author presents his or her own argument, and I would define it as ambiguous, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story.
Types –Persuasive (Argumentative) A persuasive essay is a type of essay where you have to try and convince the reader to agree with your point of view. It’s purpose is to present ideas and arguments in order to persuade the reader to agree with an opinion. Expository (Informative) A expository essay is a type of essay that requires you to inform the reader on a specific topic. It’s purpose is to research a topic, analyze evidence, elaborate on the topic, and present a clear and coherent argument about it.
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Definition or Description Process (How-to) Compare and Contrast Cause and Effect Analytical/Critical Analytical essays frequently focus on the way the article was written, such as how particular themes appear in a story. Its purpose is to make a claim or make an argument about what you're looking at. Evaluative Interpretive Narrative (Tells a story) Narrative essays are frequently descriptive, experiential, and personal, allowing the writer to express themselves creatively and, in many cases, movingly. The purpose is to tell the reader a story. Personal Statement/Anecdote Research A research essay is an essay in which you explain what you've discovered after thoroughly researching your topic. The purpose is to provide data from a variety of sources, including books, papers, interviews, and websites. Timed In a Timed essay you must demonstrate discipline knowledge by providing a writing sample in a short amount of time. The purpose is usually so teachers can grade students in a short period of time. Document Based Question (DBQ) Synthesis
Pre-writing/Prompt Analysis/Outlining
Before you start writing your essay you should always first come up with your thesis statement or have a general idea of what you will be writing about. It is also helpful to break down your body paragraphs and decide what information you will be including in each. After going over all the main ideas you will be discussing one final step before beginning your essay. In order to break down and analyze your prompt, the first thing you should be doing is reading it thoroughly so you can get a better understanding of what it’s asking. It’s also good to highlight key or main points and ask questions about parts you don’t understand. Once you have found your main points you can start writing your essay.
Researching/Evaluating of Sources
Work Cited Page –
MLA Format
MLA format refers to the format for scholarly writings and student research papers specified by the Modern Language Association ( MLA). It is concerned with the mechanics of writing, such as punctuation, quotation, and, most importantly, source documentation.
Example: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
APA Format
The APA format is one of several writing styles now in use for publications, papers, essays, and novels. A title page should be followed by an abstract, the main body, references, footnotes, visuals, and appendices in an APA-style publication.
Example: According to Jones (1998), "students often had difficulty using APA
style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).
