Organising the essay

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 Scope of presentation
 Background
 Composition
 Types of essay
 In depth
 Background
 Instructions – to explain, describe,
explore, etc – text type
 Topics – subject matters, aspects to
cover
 Point of view – arguments, data,
samples, etc – to be pros or cons
 Background
 One topic
 One or more paragraphs
 State the aim at the beginning
 For you to say ideas about the
subject
 For you to present ideas you learned
with your own way
 If you quote one’s idea, state the
reference
 Background
 English essay is linear – start at the
beginning and finish at the end
 Every part contributing the main line of
argument without reducing or repeating
the idea
 The argument should be clearly expressed
 The idea to be presented in orderly fashion
 One paragraph one idea and directly leads
to the next para
 Paragraphs are tied together with
introduction and a conclusion
 Composition
 Introduction
Introductio
 general statements
about the subject
n  to provide a
Body background to your
essay
Conclusion
 to attract the reader’s
attention
 to explain why you are
writing the essay
 It may include a
definition of terms in
the context of the
essay, etc.
 Composition
 Introduction
 It should include a
Introductio statement of the
n specific subdivisions of
Body
the topic
 and/or indication of
how the topic is going
Conclusion to be tackled in order
to specifically address
the question
 It should introduce the
central idea or the
main purpose of the
writing.
 It should address the
question.
 Composition
 Body
Introduction
 One or more paragraphs of
ideas and arguments
 Each paragraph develops a
subdivision of the topic
Body  The paragraphs of the
essay contain the main
ideas and arguments of
Conclusion the essay together with
illustrations or examples
 The paragraphs are linked
in order to connect the
ideas
 The purpose of the essay
must be made clear and
the reader must be able to
follow its development.
 Composition
 Conclusion
 Should recall the issues raised
Introduction in the introduction and draw
together the points made in
the main body
Body  Explain the overall
significance of the
conclusions. What general
Conclusion points can be drawn from the
essay as a whole?
 Clearly signal to the reader
that the essay is finished
 Leave a clear impression that
the purpose of the essay has
been achieved, and that the
question has been answered.
 Types of essay
 The descriptive essay
 The argumentative essay
 Compare and contrast essays
 Types of essay
 The descriptive essay
 Description of object or place

 Describing a sequence of events

 Describing a process

 Describing and explaining

 Types of essay
 The argumentative essay
 The balanced view

 The persuasive essay

 The to what extent essay

 Types of essay
 Compare and contrast essays
 The contrast essay

 The compare essay

 The compare and contrast essays

 In depth
 Descriptive essay
 Description of object or place
- require you to state the appearance of
something, or
- to state the major characteristics of it
- Note the word state i.e. you are not asked
to comment on the subject or to give your
personal opinion of it
- Instructions / Questions are often
introduced by:
7. Describe ....
8. Narrate...
9. Tell....
 In depth
 Descriptive essay Introduction
major aspects of the subject..
 Description of
object or place
description of aspect A
- Plan

description of aspect B etc.

Conclusion
 Examples
1. An octopus appears to be just a
huge head with eight long, fearful
arms. Its head is soft and rubberlike.
Its eyes stick out on stalks so that it
can see in all directions. Its mouth is
on the underside of its body and has
powerful jaws shaped like a beak.
The long arms, or tentacles, have
double rows of suckers. These can
fasten onto objects with such suction
 Examples
2. The liver is the largest organ in the
body. It weighs a little more than three
pounds in an adult. It is wedge-shaped and
is situated under the diaphragm, mostly
on the left side of the body, where it is
protected by the lower ribs. Somewhat like
an intricate chemical factory, the liver
takes the particles of glucose (which come
from digested starches and sugars) and
changes them into another kind of
carbohydrate called glycogen , which it
then stores. When the body needs sugar,
the liver turns the glycogen into glucose
 Examples
3. The Léclanché cell consists of a
leakproof jacket containing a porous pot in
which there is a paste of manganese
dioxide and carbon granules surrounding a
carbon rod . The top can be sealed with
pitch. A zinc rod stands in a solution of
ammonium chloride, and is connected to
the carbon rod via a circuit and a light
bulb. The zinc dissolves in the solution,
setting up an electromotive force. The
ammonium ions migrate to the carbon
anode and form ammonia (which dissolves
in the water), and hydrogen ions. Torch dry
 Examples
4. A 12-volt car battery has six two-volt
cells connected in series. The cells have
anodes of brown lead oxide and cathodes
of porous grey lead immersed in sulphuric
acid. An electric current flows if the
electrodes are connected through a
conductor. When the battery supplies
current the sulphuric acid converts the
anode to lead sulphate, thus reducing the
strength of the acid. This process is
reversed during recharging. Each cell of
the battery is made of several anodes and
cathodes separated by porous insulators.
The cells are housed in a hard rubber case
and the various cells are interconnected
 Descriptive essay
- Language
2. Position
3. Structure
4. Colour
5. Composition
6. Size / Weight
7. Shape
8. Function
 Language
adjacent to
A is alongside B
below
 Position beyond
facing (diagonally)
parallel to
underneath
opposite
in the middle of
on the right of
on the left of
near
close to
touching
behind
in front of
under
on top of
above
below
level with
diagonally above
vertically below
 Structure
nailed
screwed
fixed
fastened
is linked to Y by Z
welded
tied
connected
attached
consists of
X contains Y and Z
includes
held in place
secured
by
supported
suspended
is Y
joined to
mounted
placed on
pivoted
 Color

dark
green.
light
blue.
X is pale
red.
bright
yellow.
dull
 Composition

metal.
steel.
alluminium.
an alloy of A and B.
cloth.
X is made of
silk.
china.
wood.
plastic.
glass.
 Size and Weight

length
height
6 cm
long width
X is 6 cm high X is in diameter
wide

6 Kg weight

length length
height width
6 cm 6 cm.
width height
The diameter of X is X has a diameter of

weight 6 Kg. weight 6 Kg.

 Shape
square
square
circle
round
rectangle
rectangular
X is is shaped like a triangle
triangular
semi-circle
semi-circular
hexagon
conical
X is in shape octagon
spherical
hexagonal
octagonal
oval
circular bulbous
irregular tapering
in shape.
concave
convex
cubical
cylindrical diamond-shaped
pyramidal kidney-shaped
spherical U-shaped
X is in shape star-shaped
tubular X is
spiral bell-shaped
hemispherical dome-shaped
.
conical mushroom-shaped
X-shaped
crescent-shaped
egg-shaped
pear-shaped
Y-shaped
 Function

metal.
steel.
alluminium.
an alloy of A
and B. measuring the
Thermometer temperature.
X is made of cloth. The
tripod
is used for
holding the
silk. beaker,

china.
wood.
plastic.
glass.
 Properties
light
tough
soft
elastic
malleable
flexible
soluble
a good conductor of electricity/heat
corrosion resistant
combustible
transparent
smooth
X is
heavy
brittle
hard
plastic
ductile
rigid
insoluble
a bad conductor of electricity/heat
not corrosion resistant
non-combustible
 Descriptive essay
 Describing a sequence of events.
- Describing a sequence of events is simply
telling a story
- State clearly when events happened or
how one event caused another.
- Questions may be introduced by:
5. Give an account of...,
6. Trace...,
7. Examine developments in...