Types of Essays

1. Types of Essays

2. Argumentative/Persuasive • Win the reader over to your way of thinking • Keep the audience in mind • Knowing your audience you can choose the best DEFENSE • Ask yourself: • What arguments would appeal to them? • What do my readers know about the topic? • You will not only argue and defend your main points, but be ready to respond to any possible counter-arguments the opposition might raise.

3. Example of Argumentative/Persuasive See worksheet

4. Cause and Effect • Explores why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects) • Give reasons and explanations for: • Behaviors • Events • Circumstances • Presentation/Essay must be factual and believable • Thesis statement must explain whether you will be discussing causes, effects or both.

5. Example of Cause and Effect See worksheet

6. Compare and Contrast • Used to examine two or more subjects and the similarities and/or differences between them • Task of this essay is to clarify something unknown by analyzing it to something with which the readers is familiar • It is important that your thesis statement clearly states whether you will be comparing (giving similarities), contrasting (showing differences), or both

7. Example of Compare and Contrast http://www.eslbee.com/contrast_vacation_at_beach_or_in_mountains.htm

8. Descriptive • Task is to describe something to your audience • Allows the reader to fully experience the object, event or situation • Sensory details, figurative language, a powerful vocabulary can create an image in the reader’s mind • May use “I” in your writing

9. Example of Descriptive   The place that I feel most comfortable is my hometown of Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach is in California about forty miles south of  Los Angeles. It is known as the surfing capital of the world and the best beach in Orange County.       I relax as I watch the surfers gently glide over the tumbling ocean waves. Seeing the tall palm trees sway in the wind is calming to me as I watch the rolling sand dunes. The pier, as red as a ruby, stands out to me among the deep blue ocean. As I lay on the sand, I see kites rise above the clouds and soar gracefully in the wind. The fisherman cast their line off the pier hoping to feel a tug and reel in a big fish.       The sounds of Huntington Beach are that of  harmony. Seagulls peacefully chirp as they soar overhead searching for food. The howling wind whistles through the beach like an arriving train. As the crash of the waves thunder through my ears, it brings me back to reality while I day dream. The sound of oil rigs across Main Street sound like a steady drum keeping the beat in a orchestra of sounds.       Everything on Huntington Beach has its own unique feel. The salty air blowing on my face feels wet and cool as it passes by. The feeling of the grainy sand is comforting to my feet as I walk across the shore. When I plunge into the ocean's salt water, it feels refreshing to my skin like a glass of water on a hot day.       Huntington Beach is my most comfortable place mainly because of the sights, sounds, and the unique feel of everything mentioned in this essay. When I'm there, I feel totally relaxed as if I were in my own little world. Most of all, Huntington Beach is my most comfortable place because it is my favorite place to be on the earth.

10. Expository • Teaches or informs your reader about a subject • Can do the following: • Explain how something works • How to do something • The steps in a procedure • Why something is the way that it is • Reader should have a better understanding of the subject after reading your paper

11. Example of Expository http://www2.asd.wednet.edu/pioneer/barnard/wri/essay_model.htm

12. Literary Analysis • Paper focuses on the analysis of a literary work • Your thesis statement should be your opinion about one or more aspects of the text • You are required to use evidence from the text to support and/or prove your own ideas • It is ESSENTIAL that you know how to choose quotes from the text, as well as how to use them in your paper • Literary work can be: • Article • Another essay • Poem • Short story • Novel, etc…. .

13. Example of Literary Analysis http://teacherweb.com/IA/HarlanCommunityHighSchool/MrsPeterson/Litanalysisexample.pdf

14. Reflective/Narrative • You are writing about your own personal experiences and/or telling a story about what was learned from that experience • It does not seek to find answers or draw conclusions about an event • It does seek to explore the discoveries you made about yourself through the event • Using “I” is acceptable