Intro to Essay Writing

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

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At the end of the lesson you'll be able to:

• Identify the different parts of an argumentative essay
• Explain what a thesis statement is 
• Write an effective thesis statement
• Explain what a topic sentence is
• give tips on how to write a good essay

Argumentative Essay

What is an argumentative essay?

•  In an argumentative essay a writer tries to convince the readers of a certain point of view.
  
• The writer gives arguments for and (sometimes) against this point of view.
  
• An argumentative essay usually consists of 5 paragraphs: introduction, 3 body paragraphs, conclusion.
  

Aim of Argumentative Essay:

The aim is to give your opinion on a subject, give adequate support with specific arguments and examples, and counter any opposing views in a similar way. At the end of the essay your reader should understand your opinion on the subject and - if not already of the same mind before - set thinking.

Questions?

Let's do a little exercise!

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

More and more countries and cities ban smoking in public places. Even  though  people  continue  debating  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  smoking  issue,  the reality  is  that  a  ban  is  the  most  appropriate decision  in  case  of  smoking  in  public  areas.

First of all, smoking, even outdoors, can cause various health problems, such as bronchial infections and asthmatic attacks even in non-smokers.

Smoking hurts our environment. That’s a fact. In addition to the fact that smoking is harmful to you and your  family  members,  it  actually  hurts  our  ecosystem  with  all  of  its  inhabitants.  All  the  plastic  filters, cigarette butts, and other elements of smoked cigarettes tend to pollute waterways, soil, and beaches.

In  conclusion,  it  is  clear  from  everything  discussed  above  that  smoking  should  be  labeled  illega lin  all public  places  all  over  the  globe.  As  a  result,  this  would  improve  the  state  of  health  of  every  person  or animal, and that is more than enough.

In addition tit is important to mention the costs. The point is that smoking is like a financial trap for every person addicted to nicotine.

The order to write your essay

• Start writing your Essay Outline (see paper)
• Write the body of your essay: PEE (Point - Evidence - Examples)
• Write the introduction of your essay: Thesis Statement is final sentence of introduction
• Write the conclusion: Rephrase your Thesis Statement
• Choose a catchy title: no question

How to write an argumentative essay?

•  You start by thinking of a topic for your essay.
  
• What do you know already? -> Brainstorm
  
• (What do you want to know? -> Research)
  
• What is your position on this topic?
  
• Write a thesis statement
  

What is a thesis statement?

• A sentence in which you present the point of view of your essay.
  
• Characteristics of a thesis statement:
  

- Contains the topic of your essay

- Is not a fact, but a point of view on the topic

- A sentence at the end of the introduction

- Gives some specific arguments that will be explored in the rest of the essay.

• A thesis statement is not a question or an opinion (so, do not use I/we/I think)
  

Questions?

Review: What is a thesis statement?

Is this a good or a bad thesis statement:
"Pollution is bad for the environment"

1. Good
2. Bad

Good or bad?
"America's anti-pollution efforts should focus on cars because it would allow most citizens to contribute to these efforts and care about the outcome."

1. Good
2. Bad

Tips for writing:

• Do not use 'I' or 'you' (neutral tone)
• Avoid contracting words (don't)
• Be sparing with punctuation marks like exclamation mark, question mark, series of dots
• Do not repeat the same word, use synonyms
• Remember everything from your grammar classes, e.g. irregular verbs, tenses, word order, adjectives, adverbs

• Use complete sentences, including a subject, verb, and complements (objects, adverbials, etc.)
• Do not use informal language
• Do not start sentences with for, and, but, or, yet, so, because , etc.

DO – Pay Attention to Your Introductory Paragraph 

Because this is the first paragraph of your essay it is your opportunity to give the reader the best first impression possible. The introductory paragraph not only gives the reader an idea of what you will talk about but also shows them how you will talk about it. 

Try to introduce by using a "HOOK"

(something of a joke, a fact or anything that will grab the reader's attention)

DO NOT – I/My or you/yours

Unless it is a personal narrative, avoid personal pronouns like I, My, or Me. At the same time, try to avoid the use of second singular/plural person such as you and yours.

Try instead to be more general and you will have your reader hooked. 

Body of the paragraphs

Body paragraphs: 

• Topic sentence A;   followed by a 
• Supporting sentence B containing evidence and explanation;  followed by a
• Supporting sentence C containing evidence and explanation; etc.

DO – Tie Things Together

The first sentence – the topic sentence - of your body paragraphs needs to have a lot individual pieces to be truly effective. Not only should it open with a transition that signals the change from one idea to the next but also it should (ideally) also have a common thread which ties all of the body paragraphs together. For example, if you used "first" in the first body paragraph then you should use "secondly" in the second or "on the one hand" and "on the other hand" accordingly.

DO NOT – Be Too General

Examples should be relevant to the thesis and so should the explanatory details you provide for them. It can be hard to summarize the full richness of a given example in just a few lines, so make them count. If you are trying to explain why George Washington is a great example of a strong leader, for instance, his childhood adventure with the cherry tree (though interesting in another essay) should probably be skipped over.

Conclusion

• Rephrase your thesis statement; use other words
• Do not repeat your thesis statement! 
• summary of the main points;
• a final comment (if appropriate).

DO – Be Powerful

The conclusion paragraph can be a difficult paragraph to write effectively, but as it is your last chance to convince or otherwise impress the reader, it is worth investing some time in. Take this opportunity to restate your thesis statement with confidence; if you present your argument as "obvious" then the reader might just do the same. 

Also, find synonyms for the words used in your thesis statement.

DO NOT – Copy the First Paragraph

Do not use the same key words in the conclusion as you did in the introduction, try not to copy whole phrases word for word. Instead, try to use this last paragraph to really show your skills as a writer by being as artful in your rephrasing as possible.

Titles

1. Informative Title

2. Creative Title

3. Relevant and readable Title

Practice

• Write an essay on the following topic: Democracy versus  autonomy. To what extent do democracies in the West have a right to intervene in regions that do not share our values? 
• Write the outline of your essay (see paper for outline);
• Bring your outline on paper to our next class;
• Study the papers concerning Essay writing in your Dockinga Companion)