Elements of Writing and Essays

• Essay – A short, nonfiction work about a particular subject that may be written in one or more of the following styles:

• Expository essay – presents information, discusses ideas, or explains a process

• Persuasive essay – tries to convince the reader to do something or to accept a particular conclusion

• Narrative essay – tells a true story

• Personal narrative – tells a true story about the author; usually focuses on one very brief but very important moment in the author’s life

• Descriptive essay – presents a portrait, in words, of a person, place, or an object; few essays are purely descriptive

• Point of View (P.O.V.) – the perspective from which the essay is written, sometimes referred to as the “person” of the essay.  If the essay is not a narrative, usually a personal narrative, the author should avoid using first person pronouns (I, me, we); most essays should avoid second person pronouns (you). 

• Pronouns:  Words that take the place of nouns.  Common pronouns include it, he, she, we, they, us, me, I.

• Antecedents: The noun that is replaced by a pronoun.  In a paragraph, you must have an antecedent before you can have a pronoun.  For example, you cannot write (italics indicate pronouns), “He is a great writer.  They study him because they can learn from his descriptive writing.” We do not know who “he” is, or who “they” are.  Instead, you should write (italics indicate pronouns, bold indicates antecedents), “Poe is a great writer.  Students study him because they can learn from his descriptive writing.” 

• Sentence – a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought

• Paragraph – A group of sentences that explain a single idea.  Should start with a topic sentence (see below) and include clear examples, details, and/or explanations.

• Counter-Argument - A statement by an author within an essay that recognizes there might be opposition to the author's thesis that the author refutes.  For example, if the author is arguing that there should be a later curfew in Holmdel on Halloween, she might write, "Some people might say having a later curfew on Halloween is a bad idea because kids will be in danger if they are walking around after dark.  However, this is clearly false, because..."  This allows the author to take away the opposition's objections, giving the author's argument more credibility in the eyes of the reader.

The following terms apply specifically to Expository Essays:

• Introductory Paragraph (or Intro) – The first paragraph in an essay; the intro paragraph should get the reader’s attention with a hook relevant to the topic of the essay.  This paragraph should end with a thesis statement.  Information used in the intro CANNOT be re-used later in the essay. 

• Hook – A sentence (or group of sentences) that get the attention of the reader.  The hook has to be related to your thesis.  The hook begins the introductory essay.  There are many different ways to hook the reader’s attention – a question (that must be answered by the author), a quotation about the topic of the essay, an unusual or interesting fact about the topic, a hypothetical situation…

• Thesis statement (or Thesis) – a sentence at the end of the intro paragraph that clearly states the main focus of the essay.  The thesis is usually the last sentence of the intro paragraph.  The thesis should be the writer’s opinion about a topic stated as a fact. 

• Body Paragraph – A paragraph between the intro and the closing that provides information and/or clarification of the topic identified in the thesis.  The body of the essay should explain or prove how the thesis is true by providing examples, details, and explanations that support your three main reasons why your thesis is true.

• Topic sentence – The first sentence of a body paragraph that gives the reader a basic idea of the topic to be discussed in that paragraph.  The topic sentence should be a reason why the thesis is true.  It should be followed by clear examples, details, and explanations.

• Concluding paragraph (or Conclusion or Closing) – The final paragraph of an essay.  There are several different ways one can organize a closing; however, one should NEVER begin a closing with “In conclusion” or any similar phrases.