All About Essays
An essay is a short piece of writing on a topic and presents the author's point of view on the matter. It is a pure non-fiction presentation of the writer’s outlook on the topic that is the focus of the essay.1 An essay should be structured in different sections that make it easy for the readers to read and follow the author's thoughts clearly. It is composed of the introductory paragraph, supporting paragraphs and the summary paragraph. The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of an essay. It brings the main idea of the essay. It captures the interest of the reader and notifies why the topic is important. Another important part of an essay is the main body or the supporting paragraphs. In these paragraphs, the main idea is discussed. The points are cited one by one to develop the main idea of the essay. Aside from the introductory and supporting paragraphs is the summary paragraph which comes at the end of the essay. In this paragraph, all the ideas in the supporting paragraph are explained through a conclusion. By reading this part alone, the reader should be able to understand the whole idea of the essay.2 Since an essay can describe, clarify, argue or analyze, it has different types.3The four major types of essays are narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive essays. In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life experience. When writing this type of essay, writers should try to involve the reader by making the story as vivid as possible. A well-crafted essay builds towards a conclusion or making a personal statement. The second major type on the other hand which is the descriptive essay, paints a picture with words. A writer might describe a person, place, object, or even memory of special significance. The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning through the description. This uses colorful words and sensory details. The third type is the expository essay. This essay is an informative piece of