Writing Essays

Writing Essays Now, down the left side of the page, under the topic, write Roman numerals I, II, and III, sequentially. The following are useful steps for developing an outline to organize ideas for your essay. Get started by drawing a circle in the middle of a paper just big enough to write in. The following are useful steps for developing a diagram to organize ideas for your essay. Use the Deakin Assignment Planner to get a better idea of the time required to complete your essay. Linking words clarify for the reader how one point relates to another. An essay flows cohesively when ideas and information relate to each other smoothly and logically. Summarise your argument and draw on some of the main points discussed in the body of the essay, but not in too much detail. Each main point should be relevant to your essay question or thesis statement. Provide background information about the topic. Introduce and define some of the key concepts discussed in the essay. Don’t go into too much detail in the introduction. For further details and examples, download the Guide to essay paragraph structure from this page. Here are some ideas for structuring your essay. Always check the assignment criteria and other information in your unit site for specific requirements. If you are not sure, ask your lecturer or tutor. As you learn the English language, make a serious effort to practice your grammar and sentence structure. One way to spot improper grammar in your own writing is to read each sentence backwards . This way, you won’t be fooled by how the words sound when you read them in your head. Also, by arguing for the opposite side of your opinion, you will learn which points you need to better address in your essay. You will learn more about the topic, and you will gain more vocabulary words to enrich the essay. A strong essay is one that covers a lot of content in a succinct (short, to-the-point) way. This process of acting like a reporter will give you valuable quotes, resources and vocabulary to begin the writing process. A thesaurus is another valuable tool when writing an essay. A thesaurus tells you synonyms, or words that have the same or a similar meaning to the word you look up. It’s important because it can add some volume to your essay and increase the impact of your words. Is everything in the correct tense (past, present, future, etc.)? If you’re writing about plurals, are the possessive nouns plural? Expository - Also known as explanatory essays, expositories provide explanations of something. Analytical - An analytical essay paper breaks down an idea or issue into its its key components. It evaluates the issue or idea by presenting analysis of the breakdown and/or components to the the reader. If you're expected to choose your own topic, then the first step is to define the purpose of your essay. Does every sentence end with a punctuation mark ? Reading the text backwards make you focus on the rules of grammar instead of the flow of the sentence. You can also get further advice from a Writing Mentor or a Language and Learning Adviser. Use the Guide to essay paragraph structure and the Essay paragraph planner on this page to plan your next essay. Lastly, there are some fantastic online resources that can help improve your writing. For instance,Hemingway Editorcan review your document to find any confusing or wordy sentences. You can rewrite these to make them easier to understand. Once you have a thesis, think about your main topic and find words that relate to it in different ways. Then, branch out your list to words that aren’t as closely related to your main topic. If writing an essay sounds a little bit scary, just think of it as a chance to improve your writing skills.