TYPES OF ESSAY

• Narrative essay
• Descriptive essay
• Expository essay
• Persuasive essay
DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
Developing the
five-paragraph
essay
Structure of The Five-Paragraph
Essay
 THE
INTRODUCTION
PARAGRAPH
 The Introduction Paragraph
• The introduction to an essay is a very
important section in an essay as it sets
the expectations of the reader.

• An introduction should have two parts:

i. General statements/background
information
ii. Thesis statement
General statements/background
information
Types of introduction:
•Introduce the main idea
•Grab the reader’s attention

Types of introduction:
•General-to-specific
•Definition/Explanation
•Set the scene
•Problem-solution
Exercise: Identify the type of the
Introduction
Exercise: Identify the type of the
Introduction
 Exercise: Identify the type of the
Introduction
Imagine a world without computers. Computers have become
dependable part of our lives; where imagining having a day go
by without using computer seems unnatural. The world
without computers would be the one where people have to
undergo many challenges. At present where the computer
has become the integral part of our world, the world without
computer would be troublesome. Computers are useful in
many aspects of life. In fact, the medicals who use computers
or with the help of the computer technology have discovered
the cures for many diseases, businessman could expand their
business globally and there would not be any computers
where people could talk easily with their distant relatives.
Exercise: Identify the type of the
Introduction
Tips : The don’ts when you begin your introduction
•Don’t apologise
e.g: I would like to apologise if my points are not enough
•Don’t use a signposts
e.g: In this essay I will discuss
•Don’t use false facts and examples
•Don’t show your weak knowledge about the topic
e.g: Actually, I don’t really know about this topic
Actually, I’m not sure about the advantages of TV
 Thesis statement
Thesis statement is the statement that has the sub-topics of the
whole essay and it is normally the last sentence of the introduction.
 THE BODY
PARAGRAPHS
 The body paragraphs develop the idea presented in the introduction.
There are three main parts of the body paragraph. A body paragraph
discusses a sub-topic of the whole essay.

A body paragraph should have 3 parts:

•A beginning (Topic Sentence)
•A middle (Supporting Details)
•An end (Concluding Sentence)
TOPIC SENTENCE
 TOPIC SENTENCE
1. TV is a source of information and also a
source of entertainment
• A topic sentence cannot have 2 or more
topics/ideas, it should focus on only one topic
• One benefit of TV is it is a source of
information
2. Do you think TV is a source of information?
3. Is one of the benefits of TV is its function as a
source of information?
• A topic sentence should not be a question
4. TV is a source of information because TV
provides news of the current events in the
world and also useful information through
some channels like CNN and National
Geographic
• A topic sentence should not include
supporting details. It should NOT tell WHY TV
is a source of information, but it should just
tell that TV is a source of information.
• One benefit of TV is its function as a source of
information
• One benefit of TV is its function as a source of
information
5. There are some benefits of TV and one of the
benefits that is obvious and surely all people
know is TV as a source of information to
people
• A topic sentence should not be too long
• One benefit of TV is people can get a lot of
information from it
• 6. A source of information.
• 7. Can get a lot of info.
• This is not a complete sentence.
• TV can give a lot of information to people
• TV is a source of information
 It is undeniable that parents should bear
some responsibility for the actions of their
teenaged children. This is particularly true
when they are absent from the home and not
in a position to control their children. The
argument is that if they were at home, then
they would be able to make certain that their
children did not join gangs and spent their
time on socially acceptable activities.
 Indeed, it is very often the case that
teenagers who come from hardworking
families spend their time on schoolwork and
conduct themselves well. In fact, the teenagers
who do create social problems by, for example,
getting drunk or painting graffiti come from
homes where parents are unemployed. This
can also be said that working parents are in
fact setting a good example to their children.
Other factors that lead to teenagers getting into
trouble relate to the educational system. This is
due to the fact that many teenagers leave school
aged 16 and do not find work because of lack of
qualifications. As a result, they spend time on the
street with nothing productive to do. Likewise,
social problems with teenagers can be the
consequence of poor discipline at school with
teachers failing to control their classes.
 SUPPORTING DETAILS
• You can write supporting details using:

S – statistics
A – anecdote
E – examples
R – reasons
A - authority
 STATISTIC
• Statistics:

A fact or piece of data from a study of a large

quantity of numerical data
 ANECDOTE
• An anecdote is a short and amusing or
interesting account, which may depict a real
incident or person. An anecdote is always
presented as based in a real incident involving
actual persons, whether famous or not,
usually in an identifiable place
 EXAMPLES
• A number of things, or a part of something,
taken to show the character of the whole
 REASONS
• A cause, explanation, or justification for an
action or event
 AUTHORITY
• The right conferred by recognized social
person
1. (a) China has 267,000 square miles
(b) China is so big that you can find many
things to do
2. (a) Bully is a boy or girl who acts mean or
hurtful to others
(b) Bullies sometimes hit, kick, or push to
hurt people
 THE CONCLUDING SENTENCE
• The last sentence in a paragraph that
concludes the paragraph.
• It restates the main idea of the paragraph
• Keeps the reader focused on the discussion of
the paragraph
• When writing the concluding sentence:

i. Restate the main idea of the paragraph using

different words
ii. Change the sentence of the topic sentence by using
different words or different structure
iii.You can write the concluding sentence by using
words and phrases such as ‘therefore’, ‘ thus’, ‘as
mentioned before’ or ‘in conclusion’
1. The best way to enjoy holidays in Malaysia is by driving
(a) When you explore Malaysia by car, you can
experience all the beautiful sceneries the country
has to offer
(b) When you drive, you experience the different
smells of the restaurants, the vegetations and
sometimes the ocean
(c) You can stop and look in the windows of shops or sit
on a bench for a short while and talk to the local
people
(d) In a car, you can stop easily if you see something
interesting because you control the journey
2. I submitted my assignment late because something
happened to my computer
(a) I was almost finished writing my paper and I was
checking it for errors
(b) Suddenly, my computer screen went blank, and the
power was gone
(c) The accident made me lose many hours of work, so
I could not turn in my assignment on time
(d) Later, I learned that a construction worker nearby
had mistakenly dug up the power line and
disrupted the electricity
 THE
CONCLUSION
PARAGRAPH
 THE CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
• A conclusion should reinforce your thesis statement, help your reader
better understand what he or she has already read and provide a sense of
closure or ending for your essay. You should end your essay by leaving an
impact on the reader.
• When writing the conclusion paragraph:

i. use words such as 'in summary', 'in conclusion', 'in short', 'all in all', 'in
brief, 'in other words', 'on the whole', 'to conclude', 'to sum up' to begin
your conclusion
ii. you need to restate your thesis statement:
– use different words or sentences to restate your thesis
statement (not
exact same like the thesis statement in the introduction).
iii. you need to summarize your sub-topics:
– summarize your sub-topics and their main points only (no need
to me everything),
– show how important the sub-topics are and why they are
important to be mentioned again in the conclusion,
You need to make your finals comments that can leave some impacts on
the reader. You can make your final comments in the form of:

• Suggestions
e.g: Therefore, the government should increase the number of police
officers patrolling at the black areas so that crimes can be reduced.
Thus, the government should double the penalty for the traffic culprits in
order to reduce the number of accidents on the road.

• Prediction
e.g: If we do not start recycling now, the future generation will have to
live with rubbish.

• Quotation
e.g: As what many people say, ‘Prevention is better than cure’.
Example 1:
In conclusion, watching TV has more advantages
than disadvantages because TV is a source of
information and entertainment as well as a means
of socialization. Therefore, we should not have all
negative views towards watching TV as TV is a
beneficial and significant invention that can change
our lives in a positive way. It is important for us to
watch TV and without TV, it is difficult for us to
know what is going on in the world immediately, to
heal our boredom and sadness and also to build
good relationship with people. Thus, TV is such an
effective creation.
Example 2:

To summarize, there are three causes of stress among

university students such as their many assignments,
homesickness, and financial problem. University
students need to be aware of these reasons for their
stress as stress is detrimental. Proper time and money
managements can help prevent the students from
becoming stressed. Also, self-motivation is important to
be built so that the students will be aware of their
coming to the university that is to further their studies.
What is more important is: prevention is better than
cure and thus stress should be avoided before it is faced
by the students.
TRANSITIONS
EXERCISE 3

Read the following sentences and underline the transitides. Also, write the logical
relationship in the space provided.

1. _____________________
He passed the examination with flying colours despite the fact that
he did not put in much effort.

2. _____________________
Soccer teams need really good strikers to win championships.
Similarly, football teams need really good quarterbacks.

3.______________________
Some British car companies made inefficient, uninspired products for
decades. As a result, they are now going bankrupt.
4 .___________________
Properly inflated tyres can help your gas mileage. In fact, it is one
of the most effective ways to increase the performance of your
car.

5 .___________________
Adibah is a very strict teacher. That is to say she is often looking
over your shoulders watching everything you do.

6 .___________________
Luck is always on Irine's side. For instance, I once saw her win
RM100 on a horse race because she liked the name of the horse.

7.____________________
To summarise, transitions help improve the cohesiveness of one's
writing.
My favourite restaurants
 TASK
• General statement
• Thesis statement

• 1st body paragraph

topic sentence
• 2nd body paragraph
topic sentence
• 3rd body paragraph
topic sentence

• Restate thesis statement