How to write an essay

What is an essay?

An essay is a formal piece of writing in which

a topic is considered.

It is a piece of writing about a particular

subject.
 Parts of an essay

● Introduction

● Supporting paragraphs (body)

● Conclusion
 Introduction

● 1 paragraph

● Give a presentation of the topic and

present ideas you are going to deal
with later on.
 Body
The number of paragraphs will depend on how
many ideas you are going to develop.

● Present your viewpoints in separate

paragraphs supported by reasons and
examples.

● Each viewpoint needs to be clearly stated in

the topic sentence of the paragraph.
 Conclusion

● 1 paragraph

● It comes at the end of your essay, after you

have finished developing your ideas.

● It summarizes or restates the main idea.

 Opinion Essay

It is a formal piece of writing that presents

your opinion on a topic which must be clearly
stated and supported by reasons and
examples.

You can also include the opposing viewpoint in

another paragraph.
 Structure of an opinion essay

1. An introductory paragraph in which you state

the topic and your opinion.

2. A main body which consists of several

paragraphs, each presenting a separate
viewpoint supported by reasons and/or
examples. You can also include a paragraph
giving the opposing viewpoint with reasons.

3. A conclusion in which you restate your opinion

using different words.
 Main Connectors
CONTRAST REASON
In comparison – but – on (the) one Because – since – as - because of ,
hand – on the other hand – otherwise due to – thanks to

EMPHASIS
CONTRAST
As a matter of fact, – in particular – Of
However, – Nevertheless, – Although
course, In fact

ILLUSTRATION
ADDITION
For instance – for example …
Also – Furthermore, – Moreover, –
besides –
SEQUENCE
First – next – then – finally – at last –
RESULT – SUMMARY eventually – in the end…- Firstly –
So – Therefore, - as a result – Secondly- thirdly…
Consequently
 Useful Expressions
● Many people claim that…
● It is true that….
● This is not an exaggeration … even though…
● I tend to disagree/agree with …
● In my view…
● As far as I am concerned,
● I can understand…, However, …
● Personally I am in favor of…..
● In conclusion,
● To conclude,
 DON'Ts
When children are young the only teacher they
have are their parents. Parents teach children basic
skills that are needed in the real world and
important to for a child's development. While some
people argue that parents are the best teachers, I
believe that parents are not the best teachers
because they are unable to be objective when it
comes to their children and try to force their own
morals and values on their children. It is not
possible for parents to make objective decisions
about their children. Parents often believe their
children can do no wrong. For example, a parent
may immediately blame the other child if theirs gets
into trouble at school for fighting. If children never
learn to face the consequences of their actions,
they will not be able to handle the issues that occur
in the real world. In conclusion, while parents play a
significant role in the development of their children,
they are not the best teachers. A parent's lack of
objectivity will detrimentally affect a child's
development when children are not held
accountable for their actions. Parents may also
push their morals and values on their children
against their wishes. These problems can seriously
hold back a child's overall development.
When children are young the only teacher they
have are their parents. Parents teach children
basic skills that are needed in the real world and
important to for a child's development.
While some people argue that parents are the
best teachers, I believe that parents are not the
best teachers because they are unable to be
objective when it comes to their children and try
to force their own morals and values on their
children.
It is not possible for parents to make objective decisions about
their children. Parents often believe their children can do no
wrong. For example, a parent may immediately blame the
other child if theirs gets into trouble at school for fighting. If
children never learn to face the consequences of their actions,
they will not be able to handle the issues that occur in the real
world.
In conclusion, while parents play a significant role in the
development of their children, they are not the best
teachers. A parent's lack of objectivity will detrimentally
affect a child's development when children are not held
accountable for their actions. Parents may also push
their morals and values on their children against their
wishes. These problems can seriously hold back a
child's overall development.
 DON'Ts
When children are young the only teacher they have are their
parents.
Parents teach children basic skills that are needed in the real
world and important to for a child's development.
While some people argue that parents are the best teachers,
I believe that parents are not the best teachers because they are
unable to be objective when it comes to their children and try
to force their own morals and values on their children.
It is not possible for parents to make objective decisions about
their children. Parents often believe their children can do no
wrong.
For example, a parent may immediately blame the other child
if theirs gets into trouble at school for fighting.
If children never learn to face the consequences of their actions, theydetrimentally affect a child's development when
will not be able to handle the issues that occur in the real world.
n conclusion, while parents play a significant role in the
development of their children, they are not the best teachers.
When children are young the only teacher they have
are their parents. Parents teach children basic skills
that are needed in the real world and important to for a
child's development. While some people argue that
parents are the best teachers, I believe that parents
are not the best teachers because they are unable to
be objective when it comes to their children and try to
force their own morals and values on their children.
It is not possible for parents to make objective
decisions about their children. Parents often believe
their children can do no wrong. For example, a parent
may immediately blame the other child if theirs gets
into trouble at school for fighting. If children never
learn to face the consequences of their actions,they
will not be able to handle the issues that occur in the
real world.
In conclusion, while parents play a significant
role in the development of their children, they are not
the best teachers. A parent's lack of objectivity will
children are not held accountable for their actions.
Parents may also push their morals and values on
their children against their wishes. These problems
can seriously hold back a child's overall development.
 DOs
When children are young the only teacher they have are
their parents. Parents teach children basic skills that are
needed in the real world and important to for a child's
development. While some people argue that parents are
the best teachers, I believe that parents are not the best
teachers because they are unable to be objective when it
comes to their children and try to force their own morals
and values on their children.
It is not possible for parents to make objective decisions
about their children. Parents often believe their children
can do no wrong. For example, a parent may immediately
blame the other child if theirs gets into trouble at school
for fighting. If children never learn to face the
consequences of their actions, they will not be able to
handle the issues that occur in the real world.
In conclusion, while parents play a significant role in the
development of their children, they are not the best
teachers. A parent's lack of objectivity will detrimentally
affect a child's development when children are not held
accountable for their actions. Parents may also push their
morals and values on their children against their wishes.
These problems can seriously hold back a child's overall
development.
When children are young the only teacher they
have are their parents. Parents teach children basic
skills that are needed in the real world and important to
for a child's development. While some people argue
that parents are the best teachers, I believe that
parents are not the best teachers because they are
unable to be objective when it comes to their children
and try to force their own morals and values on their
children.
It is not possible for parents to make objective
decisions about their children. Parents often believe
their children can do no wrong. For example, a parent
may immediately blame the other child if theirs gets
into trouble at school for fighting. If children never
learn to face the consequences of their actions,they
will not be able to handle the issues that occur in the
real world.
In conclusion, while parents play a significant
role in the development of their children, they are not
the best teachers. A parent's lack of objectivity will
detrimentally affect a child's development when
children are not held accountable for their actions.
Parents may also push their morals and values on
their children against their wishes. These problems
can seriously hold back a child's overall development.
 This means...
● Write in different paragraphs. One paragraph is
NOT an essay.

● Do not leave any spaces before or between

sentences if you are not starting a new paragraph.
Write in block or indented style.

● Remember that one sentence is NOT a paragraph.

Develop full paragraphs in your essays.
 General tips for writing
● Read the topic carefully and write about it exactly
as it is presented. A good writer reads and rereads
the topic before starting to put down ideas.

● Organize your response very clearly. You should

think of having an introduction, a body and a
conclusion. Use transitions words to help the reader
understand.

● Whenever you make a general statement, be sure

to support it with details, examples and/or
reasons.
 Guide for self-editing

1. Did I complete the task?

2. Did I use proper essay format?
3. Did I respect word count?
4. Did I clearly express my ideas?
5. Did I make grammatical errors?
6. Did I use words correctly?
7. Did I repeatedly use the same word/grammar structure?
8. Did I organize my ideas clearly and coherently?
 Now it is time to put
everything into practice!