How do you write each type of essay?

Answer 1

There are many types of essay - click on the Related Questions and Links for even more information!

Here are the types of Formal Essay (essays written as an assignment or for publication - an informal essay is one that you write just for your own enjoyment, and it does not have to follow formal rules to be a good essay):

• Argumentative or Persuasive Essay - you try to convince the reader that your opinion is correct. Give lots of facts in your essay, and try to make emotional connections that will stir the reader to believe you.
  
• Cause and Effect Essay - you explain how one thing causes other things to occur. You will need lots of facts and information.
  
• Classification Essay - you group things into categories or explain how things fit into categories. Pick one reason why you are putting things into this category and give facts to explain each example.
  
• Comparison (Compare and Contrast) Essay - you explain how two things are alike and how they are different. You will just need to list all the similarities and differences.
  
• Critical Essay - you do a critique of another writer's work. This will include a summary of the work, the main topics that were covered in the work, the author's conclusion or main thesis, your evaluation on whether the author used truth or opinion as facts, your evaluation on whether the piece was well written (include all of your reasons), and your opinion of the work as a whole (did you like it or not?).
  
• Deductive Essay - you will take facts and make a conclusion from them. You will need a premise or topic idea (a fact, such as "all websites contain information"); evidence to support that idea (you then list all the websites that you discover which contain information); and a conclusion drawn from this evidence ("therefore WikiAnswers Website contains information").
  
• Definition Essay - you will explain what a word, term, or phrase means. You just need to look up the term and write about what it means.
  
• Exploratory Essay - This is just freewriting - you start an essay without having any sort of end in mind, just write for the sake of writing. Blogs are usually exploratory essays or informal essays. Start with a question and write whatever you think about it.
  
• Expository Essay - you present facts without criticism or judgment. You will need to include just facts - or report just other people's opinions - without saying whether they are good or bad.
  
• Narrative Essay - you describe something or write a story. You will need vivid descriptions and specific details. You need to make a specific point with your essay, but also make it full of memorable details. Use personal memories to help connect with the reader.
  
• Personal Essay - you write an essay telling who you are. Depending on what the assignment is (an application or just a short essay for grade school), you will need to include your goals, beliefs, hopes and dreams, educational and work background, and skills.
  
• Research Essay - you spend time doing research and present your facts and conclusions. You will need many, many facts and will need to say where you got the facts from. Include a thesis statement telling what the essay is about.
  
• Responsive Essay - you examine a work of literature and discuss points found in it. You will need a good understanding of literary terms in order to find and discuss points.