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The essay

The essay . Writing class . August 2011. What is an essay?. An essay defines a word, term, or concept in depth by providing a personal commentary on what the specific subject means.

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The essay

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  1. The essay Writing class August 2011

  2. What is an essay? • An essay defines a word, term, or concept in depth by providing a personal commentary on what the specific subject means. • a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative. • The word essay derives from the French infinitive essayer, "to try" or "to attempt". In English essay first meant "a trial" or "an attempt", and this is still an alternative meaning. The Frenchman Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) was the first author to describe his work as essays; he used the term to characterize these as "attempts" to put his thoughts into writing.

  3. Parts of an essay

  4. Funnel Introduction The introductory paragraph, or introduction, is the first paragraph of an essay. It has two functions: (1) It attracts the reader’s interest, and (2) it introduces the topic of the essay. Give the reader background information about the topic of the essay. Go from general to specific ideas. General statements • Is the last sentence in an introductory paragraph that contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what the essay is going to be about. statement

  5. Body of the essay • It’s made up of one or more paragraphs. Each body paragraph has a topic sentence and several supporting sentences. It may or may not have a concluding sentence. Each body paragraph supports the thesis statement. Paragraph 1 Topic sentence -support -support -support (concluding sentence) Paragraph 2 Paragraph 3 Paragraph 4

  6. The concluding paragraph is the last paragraph of the essay. It has three purposes: • It signals the end of the essay • It reminds the reader of your main points. • It leaves the reader with your final thoughts on the topic.

  7. Outline of an essay • Title "The Benefits of Running" • Introduction • Running is becoming an extremely popular sport for all ages. • Running is a great form of exercise because it helps people control their weight, develop muscles, and improves mental and physical performance. • Body • Weight control • Aids self-control • Burns calories • Encourages a healthy diet • Muscular Development • Improves tone • Enhances contours • Increases strength • Psychological well-being • Aids sleep • Inhibits depression • Intensifies vitality • Conclusion • Benefits of running make it an excellent exercise. • People who want to improve their health should consider running.

  8. Title ______________________________ • Introduction • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • Body • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • ______________________________ • Conclusion • ______________________________ • ______________________________

  9. Choose one of the following topics and complete the sample outline • When should parents let teens make their own decisions? • Are we too dependent on computers? • Is homework harmful or helpful? • Should students be allowed to grade their teachers? • Is competition good? • Are test scores a good indication of a school's competency? • Is child behavior better or worse than it was years ago? • Do violent video games cause behavior problems? • When should parents let teens make their own decisions? • Should cigarette smoking be banned?

  10. Informational resources • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/essay • http://www.northland.cc.mn.us/owl/doing%20the%20definition%20essay.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essay#Definitions • http://www.xtec.es/~vfeliu/writing/hwr.htm#intro • http://www.greenriver.edu/tutoring_resources/wc/modules/Organization_Module_Essay1.pdf

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