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HOW TO DO AN ESSAY

The document provides a comprehensive guide on how to write an essay, detailing the steps from understanding the prompt to planning, structuring, and developing arguments. It emphasizes the importance of clarity, coherence, and formal language, while offering useful phrases and sentence starters for various parts of the essay. Additionally, it includes tips for crafting effective introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions.

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Claudia Buitrago González
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0 views5 pages

HOW TO DO AN ESSAY

The document provides a comprehensive guide on how to write an essay, detailing the steps from understanding the prompt to planning, structuring, and developing arguments. It emphasizes the importance of clarity, coherence, and formal language, while offering useful phrases and sentence starters for various parts of the essay. Additionally, it includes tips for crafting effective introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions.

Uploaded by

Claudia Buitrago González
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Essay

1. Understand the Prompt

 Analyze the Question: Break down the essay prompt to ensure you understand
what is being asked. Identify key terms and concepts.

2. Plan Your Essay

 Brainstorm Ideas: Jot down your thoughts, arguments, and examples related to
the topic.
 Outline: Create a clear outline with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a
conclusion.

3. Structure Your Essay

 Introduction:
o Hook: Start with an interesting fact, quote, or question to grab attention.
o Background Information: Provide context to the topic.
o Thesis Statement: Clearly state your main argument or the purpose of
your essay.
 Body Paragraphs:
o Topic Sentence: Start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that
introduces the main idea.
o Supporting Details: Include evidence, examples, and explanations to
back up your points.
o Coherence: Use transitional phrases to ensure your paragraphs flow
logically from one to the next.
 Conclusion:
o Restate Thesis: Summarize your main argument or findings.
o Summarize Main Points: Briefly recap the key points from your body
paragraphs.
o Final Thought: End with a strong closing statement, reflection, or call to
action.

4. Develop Your Argument

 Clarity: Ensure your arguments are clear and directly related to your thesis.
 Evidence: Use relevant examples, statistics, quotes, and research to support your
points.
 Counterarguments: Address potential counterarguments and refute them
effectively.

5. Language and Style

 Formal Tone: Use formal language appropriate for academic writing.


 Varied Vocabulary: Use a range of vocabulary to express your ideas more
precisely.
 Sentence Structure: Vary your sentence structure to maintain reader interest.
 Introduction

1. Hook/Attention Grabber:

 "In today’s rapidly changing world, ..."


 "It is widely acknowledged that ..."
 "A growing body of research suggests that ..."

2. Background Information:

 "Recent studies have shown that ..."


 "Historically, ..."
 "Over the past few years, ..."

3. Thesis Statement:

 "This essay will argue that ..."


 "The purpose of this essay is to ..."
 "In this essay, I will discuss/examine/analyze ..."

4. Outline of Main Points:

 "Firstly, this essay will examine ... Secondly, it will discuss ... Finally, it will
consider ..."
 "This essay is structured as follows: ..."

Body Paragraphs

1. Topic Sentence:

 "One important aspect is ..."


 "Firstly, it is important to consider ..."
 "A significant issue is ..."

2. Supporting Details:

 "For example, ..."


 "This can be illustrated by ..."
 "A case in point is ..."

3. Explanation/Analysis:

 "This indicates that ..."


 "This suggests that ..."
 "As a result, ..."

4. Transition Phrases:

 "Furthermore, ..."
 "Moreover, ..."
 "In addition, ..."
 "However, ..."
 "On the other hand, ..."
 "Conversely, ..."

5. Concluding Sentence:

 "Therefore, ..."
 "Thus, ..."
 "In summary, ..."

Conclusion

1. Restate Thesis:

 "In conclusion, ..."


 "To sum up, ..."
 "Overall, ..."

2. Summarize Main Points:

 "This essay has discussed ..."


 "The key points made in this essay are ..."
 "To recap, ..."

3. Final Thought/Call to Action:

 "It is essential that ..."


 "Future research should focus on ..."
 "Ultimately, ..."

Useful Phrases and Sentence Starters

Introducing an Idea:

 "It is often argued that ..."


 "There is no doubt that ..."
 "Many people believe that ..."

Presenting an Argument:

 "One reason for this is ..."


 "The main argument in favor is ..."
 "An important factor is ..."

Giving Examples:

 "For instance, ..."


 "Such as ..."
 "To illustrate, ..."
Presenting a Counterargument:

 "On the contrary, ..."


 "However, it can also be argued that ..."
 "Despite this, ..."

Expressing Cause and Effect:

 "As a result, ..."


 "Consequently, ..."
 "Therefore, ..."

Adding Information:

 "Additionally, ..."
 "Moreover, ..."
 "Furthermore, ..."

Concluding an Argument:

 "In light of these facts, ..."


 "Considering these points, ..."
 "In summary, ..."

Example Phrases for Cohesion and Coherence

To show sequence:

 "First and foremost, ..."


 "Secondly, ..."
 "Finally, ..."

To add information:

 "Additionally, ..."
 "Moreover, ..."
 "Furthermore, ..."

To compare:

 "Similarly, ..."
 "In the same way, ..."
 "Likewise, ..."

To contrast:

 "However, ..."
 "On the other hand, ..."
 "Conversely, ..."
To emphasize:

 "Indeed, ..."
 "In fact, ..."
 "Undoubtedly, ..."

To clarify:

 "In other words, ..."


 "That is to say, ..."
 "To put it simply, ..."

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