How to write an essay

Title
Introductory paragraph:
Thesis statement: the main idea for the whole
essay, and it frequently shows (directly or
indirectly) the number and the content of the
body paragraphs of the essay.
Notes:
The thesis statement must be statement,
not question.
It must be a complete sentence.
It is an opinion, it cannot be a simple
statement of fact.
It must state the controlling idea.
It should have only one controlling idea.
Topic sentence: the subject of the essay ,what
the essay is about.
Controlling idea: It is what you are going to
talk about the topic.
 Predictor: tells the reader how many body
paragraph will be in the essay and what their
content will be.
Body paragraph: it depends on type of the essay
Topic
Major-minor
Conclusion
Conclusion:
There are three ways to write a concluding
paragraph:

We need at least five sentences to write a

concluding paragraph.
It usually begins with: In short, In conclusion ….
Three sentences should be depended on the
bodies paragraph (Main ideas of the bodies)
Summary:
Restate the three topic sentences in different
words.
Final comment
Types of introductory:
Funnel: General to specific

Story: tell a story that is related to what you are

talking about.

Historical background: write information or a

historical brief about the main idea that you talk
about.

Facts: Write facts or statistics that are related to

the topic.
 The Two 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.

Introdctory paragraph must be story, and in the end of it called " thesis statement" which contains
the porpuse or the goal of writing this Essay.

Each body paragraph must contain one explicit general idea with considering puncuation marks and
subordinating conjunction.

The Essay is ended by " conclusion ", as an opinion or The effect of the story.

Note: Narritive Essay has to be in present simple even it is past, to make Essay more Realistic.

Example :

Earthquake!
October 17, 1989, was a day that I will never forget. It was the day I experienced my first
earthquake. I had just gotten home from school and was lying on the living room sofa watching
the news on TV. My little brother was in his room playing, and my older sister was in the
kitchen preparing our dinner. Our parents were still at work.

At exactly 5:04 P.M., the earthquake struck. Our apartment started shaking violently as if it
were a small wooden boat being tossed by giant waves in the ocean. At first, none of us
realized what was happening. Then my sister yelled, "Earthquake! Get under something!" I was
too stunned' to move, but the shaking was so strong that I soon fell off the sofa onto the floor. I
half rolled, half crawled across the floor to the dining table and got under it. My sister was
sitting on the floor in the kitchen, holding her arms over her head to protect it from falling
dishes. She yelled at my little brother to get under his desk, but he wanted to be near us. He
tried to get out of his room, but he kept falling down. The earthquake lasted less than a minute,
but it seemed like a year to us

At last, the shaking stopped. For a minute or two, we were too scared to move. Then my
sister and I cautiously got up and went to help our little brother, who was crying. As soon as he
saw us, he began to calm down. There was no electricity, so I looked for my transistor radio and
turned it on. Unfortunately, it didn't work because the batteries were too old. Next, we
checked the apartment for damage, but we didn't find any We felt very lucky, for nothing was
broken and no one was hurt. After a while, we started worrying about our parents. I tried to call
them at work, but the phone lines were busy.

Two hours later, our parents finally arrived home. They were unhurt, but they had had to
walk home because the electric streetcars were not working. We were so happy to see them!

Our first earthquake was an experience that none of us will ever forget, but it taught us a
lesson, too. Now we keep emergency supplies such as fresh batteries for my radio available,
and we have an emergency plan for communication with one another.

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.

Example :

Havasu Canyon

There is a canyon' in Northern Arizona that is the most beautiful spot on

Earth. It is called Havasu Canyon, and it is part of the Havasupai Indian
reservation. It is not easy to get there, for it is ten or fifteen miles from the
nearest road. You have to hike down a long, hot trail, or you can hire a
Havasupai guide to take you there on horseback. The trip takes all day. On
the trail down into the canyon, you see only rock, sand, and an occasional
lizard. It is very dry, for this is desert country. There is no water on the trail,
nor is there any shade. After eight miles or so, you begin to notice a few
green plants growing here and there, and after another mile or two, you
come to a creek. The water from this creek completely changes the
landscape. There are trees and green grass, and it is cooler.

At the end of the trail, you arrive at Havasupai village. It is a quiet place.
Dogs are sleeping in the streets, and the villagers are standing in the
doorways of their small homes silently watching you, a stranger, pass by.
They aren't smiling, yet they don't seem unfriendly.

Beyond the village, a trail leads to the top of a steep cliff overlooking
Havasu Canyon. Your first view of the canyon takes your breath away.'
Directly in front of you, the trail disappears straight down the two hundred-
foot cliff. There are deep steps cut into the rock, and there is a strong chain
bolted to the cliff. You have to hold the chain when you climb down, or you
might fall. On your right, you see a beautiful waterfall. Water is falling
straight down into a bright blue-green pool below. Directly across the
canyon, hundreds of small waterfalls are gushing from the cliff face, and
little green ferns9 are growing everywhere. Below, the water in the pool is
cascading from one bright turquoise" pool into another until it disappears
into the trees on the left. As you view this scene, you can only think that
Havasu Canyon is truly a magical place.
A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. Some
clauses can stand alone as a sentence. This kind of clause is an
independent clause.

Independent clause (main clause)

An independent clause is a complete sentence , it contains a subject

and verb and expresses a complete thought in both context and
meaning.

Ex. The door opened

Dependent clause (subordinate clause)

A dependent clause is a part of sentence , it contains a subject and a

verb but does not express a complete thought. Dependent clause
often begins with a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun
that makes the clause unable to stand alone.

Ex. The door opened because the man pushed it.

The subordinating conjunctions are which, who, before, and because.

The first two signal a dependent adjective clause, and the last two
signal a dependent adverb clause.
There are different kinds of dependent clause

1.dependent adjective clause

which can work twenty four hours a day.

who cannot work around the clock.

2. dependent adverb clauses

before the company installed robots

because production meets buyers' demands

3. dependent noun clauses

that robots are here to stay .

whether they assemble watches or lift automobile parts .

Dependent adverb clauses:

Dependent adverb clauses tell why, when, or where or introduce an

opposite idea.

They begin with one of these subordinating conjunctions:

1. To tell why: because, since, as

because all of their needs are taken care of

since all of their needs are taken care of

as all of their needs are taken care of

2. To tell when and where: when, whenever, since, while, as soon as,
after, before, wherever
When they are separated from their natural predators whenever the
animals are sick

since modern zoos have been in operation

while zoo animals are living in a protected environment

as soon as they become sick

after animals pick up airborne diseases of humans

before they become bored wherever they wander within their

habitats

3. To introduce an opposite idea: although, though, even though

although animals inmodern zoos live in safe, artificial habitats

though animals in modern zoos live in safe, artificial habitats even

though animals in modern zoos live in safe, artificial habitats

Pronoun Reference When the subject or object of the independent and

dependent clauses refer to the same noun or pronoun, put the
pronoun reference in the last clause.

Comma Rule If a dependent adverbial clause comes at the beginning

of the sentence, it is followed by a comma and the independent
clause.

independent clause + dependent adverb clause(we do not need a

comma)

Ex. Veterinarians give the animals prompt medical attention

whenever they are sick.

dependent adverb clause + independent clause(we need a comma)

Ex. Whenever the animals are sick, veterinarians give them prompt
medical attention.

Note: A prepositional phrase

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a
preposition and ends with a pronoun, noun, or noun phrase.

Prepositional phrases express time, place, possession, and some other

things. A prepositional phrase usually tells where, when, how, why, or
whose.

from Mexico City in the morning

of my sisters around the room

Kinds of sentences
A sentence is a group of words that contains at least one
subject and one verb. A sentence expresses a complete
thought.
There are four kinds of sentences in English: simple sentences,
compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-
complex sentences.
The first type is a simple sentence:
A simple sentence has one subject and one verb and includes a
complete meaning. The subject tells who or what did
something. The verb tells the action (or condition).

Eg: students study hard.

Note: the subject can be either singular(I , He, She ,It)
Eg. She plays piano
or plural(we ,you ,they) Eg. They went Damascus
there are some words refer to singular subjects (One,
Neither, Much, Each, Either)
One (of my brothers) is a musician.
Neither (of my parents) is living.
Much (of my time) is spent in the library.
Each (of my brothers) wants his own car.
Either (of my sisters) is able to baby-sit for you tonight.
there are some words refer to plural subjects(Both,
Several)
Both (of my parents) are teachers.
Several (of the teachers) speak my language.
The second type is a compound sentence:
A compound sentence is composed of two simple sentences
joined together by a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English: and, but,
so, or, for, nor, and yet.
Use and to join sentences She was often sad, and
that are alike sometimes she, didn't eat her
food.
Use but to join sentences At first, Blanchette was very
that are opposite or show happy about this decision,
contrast. but soon the enclosure
appeared very small in front
of the big mountain
Use so to join sentences One summer night,
when the second sentence Blanchette decided to leave
expresses the result of for the mountains, so the
something described in the next morning, she jumped
first senten out of the enclosure and ran
awa
Use or to join sentences that You can tie me with a longer
give choices or alternatives rope, or you can build a
special enclosure for
Use for to introduce a reason John would not take the
or cause ; for has the same exam, for he was not
meaning as because prepared for it
Use yet when the second part They aren't smiling, yet they
of the sentence says don't seem unfriendl
something unexpected or
surprising. yet has the same
meaning as but.
Nor means "not this and not There is no water on the trail,
that"; use nor to join two nor is there any shad
negative sentences.
NOTE: The word order after She didn't talk, nor did she
nor is like a question. The move. (She didn't talk. She
helping verb (is, does, did, didn't move.
can, will, etc.) comes before
the subject of the part of the
sentence introduced by nor

How to make a compound sentence:

1. A compound sentence is two independent clauses joined
together by a comma and one of the seven coordinating
conjunctions: and, but, so, or, nor, for, yet.
Ex. Tom loves Erica, and she loves him.
Jack loves Jean, but she loves Ronald.
2. Another way to make a compound sentence is to join the
two independent clauses with a semicolon. Notice that the
first word after a semicolon is not capitalize.
Tom loves Erica; she loves him.
Jack loves Jean; she loves Ronald
3. A third way to make a compound sentence is to join the two
independent clauses with a semicolon + sentence connector +
comma. A sentence connector is a word such as however or
therefore.
Here is a list of frequently used sentence connectors and their
approximate meanings.
Sentence Connector Meaning
moreover and
furthermore and
however but
otherwise or, in the sense of "if not
Therefore so, in the sense of "as a result
Tom loves Erica; moreover, Jean doesn't love Jack; therefore, she
she loves him. won't marry him.

The third type is Complex sentences:

A complex sentence is a sentence that contains
an independent clause and at least one dependent
clause.

Ex. when you study hard ,you learn more.

We connect between this clauses by using connector called

subordinating conjunction

Subordinating Conjunction!
TIME:
 After He goes to school after he
finishes work.
As Several overcrowded busses
passed as they were waiting.
As soon as She felt better as soon as she
took the medicine.
Before Before you apply to college, you
have to take an entrance exam.
Since It has been a year since I left
home.
until We can't leave the room until
everyone finishes the test.

when When you start college, you

sometimes have to take a
placement test.
whenever Whenever I don't sleep well, I
feel sick the next day.
while Several overcrowded busses
passed while we were
waiting.

REASON:
Because Jack excels at sports
because he trains hard.

Since Since she works out daily,

Jill is in great condition.
As As they want to compete in a
marathon, they run every day.
To tell where:
 where I can never remember
where I put my house
keys.
wherever wherever A baby animal
follows its mother
wherever she goes

To make a contrast:
although I love my brother
although we disagree
about almost
everything.
even though even though I love my
brother even though
we disagree about
almost everything.
though though I love my
brother though we
disagree about
almost everything.
while My brother likes
classical music, while
I prefer hard rock.
whereas whereas He dresses
 conservatively,
whereas I like to be a
little shocking.

Kinds of complement
The complement completes the meaning of the verb or
adds more information to the sentence. There are many
types of complements. A complement in a simple
sentence may be a noun, pronoun, adjective, or adverb.
Subject Verb Complement
I study English, (noun) I
don't understand you. (pronoun) His girlfriend
is smart, (adjective) It isn't
raining now. (adverb)

A complement may also be a noun phrase, a verb

phrase, or a prepositional phrase.
My father owns his own business, (noun
phrase)
My girlfriend wants to get married, (verb
phrase)
The students are reading in the library,
(prepositional phrase)

A complement may also be a combination.

I study English at Greenhills College, (noun
+ prepositional phrase)
She wants to get married soon. (verb
phrase + adverb)

Summary of Punctuation Rules

Use Commas Example
1. To separate items in a I'm taking Spanish, English,
series of three or physics, and economics this
more items semester.
The teacher will read your
paragraph, make comments
on it, and return it to you.
 2. Before a coordinating We are bringing sandwiches,
and Tom is bringing soft
conjunction in a
drinks to the picnic.
compound sentence. We don't need to bring
raincoats, for the sun is
shining brightly.

3. After a dependent Because the sun is shining

clause that comes brightly, we don't need to
before an bring raincoats.
independent clause in
a complex sentence. As soon as we arrived at the
park, the men started playing
soccer

(Don't use a comma when the (The men played soccer while
the dependent clause follows the women watched.)
independent clause

4. To separate extra- The Nile, which is the

information adjective longest river in the world,
in clauses from the is 4,160 miles long.
rest of the sentence.

The Amazon, the second

5. To separate extra- longest river, is 4,000
information miles long.
appositives from the
rest of the sentence

6. After most transition Finally, we arrived at our

signals at the hotel. However, our rooms
beginning of a were not ready.
sentence .
Our rooms, however, were
7. To separate sentence
not ready. Lions, for
connectors that
example, can outrun all
appear in the middle
but three animals.
of an independent
clause.

Use Apostrophes Example

1. . To replace missing She's always cheerful. They
letters in didn't answer the telephone
contractions.

He found a girl's jacket in

2. With s to show
the hall. He walked into
possession with
the girls' gymnasium by
nouns and indefinite
mistake.
pronouns .
 3. With s to form the The ice skater received
plural of numbers and three 1 O's and two 9.5's
letters. for her performance.
The teacher gave all A's and
B's last semester

Use Ouotation Example

Marks
To separate the exact She said, "I'll miss you."
words someone says or "I'll write you every day," she
promised.
writes from a reporting "I'll think about you every
phrase day,
" she continued, "and I'll
dream about you everynight."

There are three punctuation marks that you can use at

the end of a sentence: the period, the question mark,
and the exclamation mark.

Rules Examples
* Put a period (full stop) at My name is Jennifer Wong.
the end of a statement. I I don't like to give interviews
don't like to give interviews.

* Put a question mark at

What is your name?
the end of a question. Do you speak English?

3. Put an exclamation
It sure is hot today !
mark at the end of a
I'm crazy about soccer!
sentence to show strong
feeling.

CAUTION: Do not overuse exclamation marks. To

understand why you should not, compare these two
paragraphs
The telephone rang at midnight! I ran to answer it! I
didn't hear a voice! I said, "Hello! Hellol" There was no
answeri I was frightenedl
The telephone rang at midnight. I ran to answer it. I
didn't hear a voice. I said, "Hello? Hello?" There was no
answer. I was frightened!
The first paragraph has too many exclamation marks.
The second paragraph, with only one exclamation
mark at the end of the last sentence to show strong
feeling, is more effective.
Capitalization Rules
Here are some important rules for capitalization.
 RULES EXAMPLES
1. The first word of a sentence. Mother Teresa is admired for her
work all over the world.

2. The pronoun I. The nuns and I try to care for

poor, sick people throughout the
world.

3. Abbreviations and acronyms,

which are words formed from FBI USA UN UNICEF
the first letters of the words in IBM YMCA DDT
the names of organizations. AID

4. All proper nouns. Proper

nouns include

a. Names of deities. God Allah Shiva

b. Names of people and their jane P. Doe, Ph.D.

titles. Diana, Princess of Wales
Dr.jonas Salk
Professor Henry Higgins

BUT NOT a title without a name. the general, the prime minister
the math professor, the prince,
the king

c. Names of specific places you Gary, Indiana

could find on a ma Mediterranean Sea
North Pole
First Stree
 Monday Januar
D. Names of days, months, and Independence Day
special days Ramadan

BUT NOT the names of the

seasons.

Asian Caucasian American

E. Names of specific groups of Jehovah's Witness
people (nationalities, races, and Russian Moslem English Arabic
ethnic groups), languages, and
religions.

the Middle East the Southwest

f. Names of geographic areas. the North Jane's home is in the
South, but Tom comes from the
East Coast

Drive east for two blocks, and

BUT NOT the names of then , turn south.
compass directions

Business Administration 17B

g. Names of school subjects German 101 Chemistry IOA
with course numbers.
computer science, business
BUT NOT names of classes administration,economics,
without numbers, except German conversation,
languages. English composition

Golden Gate Bridge

h. Names of specific structures Park Plaza Hotel
such as buildings and bridges. the White House
Kensington Palac
 Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Names of specific organizations Sumitomo Bank
(businesses, clubs, school) International Students' Club
University of California
St. Mary's High School
American Heart Association

Introducing Myself
j. Titles of compositions, stories, Introduction to Academic Writing
books, magazines, newspapers, All Quiet on the Western Front
plays, poems, and movies. Star Wa

NOTE: Underline or italicize the

titles of books, magazines,
newspapers, plays, and movies.
‫نموذج امتحاني ‪:‬‬