What is Essay?

Definition

Essay is a group of paragraphs that develop one thesis statement (which is the main the idea).

Elements of an essay

An essay contains three parts: (1) Introduction (or introductory paragraph); (2) Body (or few supporting paragraphs); and (3) Conclusion (or concluding paragraph). 

Organization of an essay

The Essay Layout

Introductory paragraph (Paragraph 1)	Hook: Draw readers' attention to the essay.
	Background information:  State the background, related information, or general concepts… about the topic.
	Thesis statement: List the specific topic, or sub-topics of the essay.
Body paragraphs	Paragraph 2 (Supporting idea 1) Transition, Topic sentence  Supporting sentences  Concluding sentence (optional)
	Paragraph 3 (Supporting idea 2) Transition, Topic sentence  Supporting sentences  Concluding sentence (optional)
	Paragraph 4 (Supporting idea 3) Transition, Topic sentence  Supporting sentence  Concluding sentence (optional)
Concluding paragraph (Paragraph 5)	Summary of main points / restatement of thesis statement
	Final thoughts

Types of essays

Depending on the writer’s purpose, we group essays into four main types:

1. Descriptive essay

It provides the description of a person or place.

2. Persuasive essay

It persuades the readers about something (i.e. have someone agree with your ideas or follow your ideas).

3. Narrative essay

It narrates or retells a story or a specific event.

4. Expository essay

It informs and explains about something. The expository essay is further grouped as:

• Illustration essay – It explains about something with supporting of examples.
• Process analysis essay – It teaches how to do thing or how thing happens.
• Cause and effect essay – It either shows causes or effects of something.
• Comparison and contrast essay – It shows similarities or differences of things.
• Definition essay – It defines something with definition and details.
• Classification essay – It puts thing into groups or classes.