EXPLORING THE ESSAY ESSAY

ESSAY  Written composition made up of a few

paragraphs that expresses the author’s
 Focused written composition, usually from
personal point of view.
the author’s personal point of view.
 Non-fictional and informative but can also Opinion essay
include narrative.
 Express what you think or feel about an
 Usually short about 500 words.
issue
Example:
Claim
 Essays in political issues
 Agreeing or disagreeing with an issue or
 Literature reviews
proposing a solution to an issue.
 Daily life
 Memories Evidence
 Reflections
 Reasons for your opinion
Basic structure is the 5 paragraph essay (not a rule,
just structure for beginners) UNDERSTANDING SLANTED LANGUAGE

1. Introduction Slanted language

 presenting the thesis statement or  The use of words that is either favorable or
claim unfavorable to the idea or person being
2. Two-three body paragraph discussed.
 Each presenting evidence to  Can lead an audience into feeling either
support the claim negatively or positively.
3. Conclusion
 Retelling of the thesis and summary Slanted language through word choice:
of the main points Negatively Neutral Word Positively Slanted
Academic essay Slanted Word Word
Annoyed, irritated Bothered Concerned
 Usually longer (2,000 to 5,000 Plot, scheme Plan Prepare
words) and more formal than Mistake, blunder Error Oversight
literary essays. Outdated, old Used Antique, pre-love
 Logical and factual, use of first
person POV is often discouraged.
Slanted language through sentence construction:
Types of essays
Negatively Neutral Positively Slanted
1) Descriptive essays Slanted Sentence Sentence Sentence
 Give details that allows the reader The Philippines The Philippines Despite the great
to create a mental picture of a Azkals suffered an Azkals scored 0 game by the Azkals,
person, place, object, or event. embarrassing and Real Spain won the
2) Narrative essays defeat under the Madrid scored match.
boots of Real 2.
 Use a retelling of events to talk
Madrid.
about change or development of a
person.
3) Persuasive essays WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY
 Try to convince the reader to accept
Paragraph 1: Introduction. State your topic. Add
an idea
description or context. State your claim/main idea.
Another term for “claim” is “thesis statement”
Paragraph 2: Elaborate evidence 1
 Tells your audience what you are
Paragraph 3: Elaborate evidence 2
going to talk about.
 Guides to focus your ideas Paragraph 4: Elaborate evidence 3
Q: Are all essays subjective? Paragraph 5: Conclusion. Rephrase your claim/main
idea in different words. Add statement to reinforce
- An essay can be objective, especially if it’s
your main idea.
an informative one like elaborating on
descriptions or explaining a process.

UNDERSTANDING AN OPINION ESSAY APPLYING SLANTED LANGUAGE

 Slanted language USING RESEARCH TO WRITE AN INFORMATIVE
ESSAY
 Trying to influence your thoughts and
opinions. A good informative essay uses research.
 Convincing citizens
Print and Online
Slanted positively
 Books, journals, magazines, newspaper
 Statement makes you feel light or happy.
Online
Slanted negatively
 Websites, videos, photos, presentations
 Statement angers you or upset you.
Wikipedia - Content is friendly to read, but validity is
UNDERSTANDING AN INFORMATIVE ESSAY not always reliable.

Informative essay Internet - Check for reliability

 Also known as an expository essay. Authority - is there an author? Is the author an

 Educates or informs the reader on a certain expert on the topic s/he is writing about? Is the
topic. author part of a recognized organization?
 Tells the audience a topic, describes an
Accuracy - Is it free from spelling and grammar
object, person, place, idea, experience,
errors? Has the content been reviewed by other
situation, etc.
experts? Does it have other sources?
 Often factual – usually answers the
question: who, what, where, when, why, Objectivity - Does the author present objective
and how. arguments? Is it clear when s/he is expressing
 Usually told in a chronological manner – personal opinions?
according to the sequence an event
happened. Currency - Are the information and website up to
 Do not give opinion nor persuade the date? Are the links working?
audience. URL - Is the web address personal or institutional
Forms of informative essay: ".edu" (school or university) or ".gov." (government)

Definition Compare and Process

Contrast
Meaning Similarities Sequence of steps
Characteristics Differences
Context/Situation
Examples
inf

Essay outline

Paragraph 1: Introduction: topic, claim/main idea

Paragraph 2-4: Body: evidence/supporting details.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

Process

 Necessary steps
 Step by step guide

Cause and Effect

 An auction causes an effect

 Results

Definition

 Examples
 Meaning

Compare and Contrast

 Similarities and differences