TYPES OF ESSAY

Narrative Essays

In a narrative essay you tell a story, but you also make a point. So, it is like a story told for a reason.    

All narrative essays follow the author’s main purpose of telling a personal experience or anecdote that constitutes the topic of the essay.

Narrative essay, though written in the author’s point of view, should be engaging to the readers.

It should have a clear and focused intent that is written in the essay’s introduction.

Elements of Narrative Essays

he focus of a narrative essay is the plot, which is told using enough details to build to a climax. Here's how: It is usually told chronologically. It usually has a purpose, which is usually

stated in the opening sentence. It may use dialogue. It is written with sensory details and vivid

descriptions to involve the reader. All these details relate in some way to the main point the writer is making.

Tips on writing Narrative essays

When writing a narrative essay, remember that you are sharing sensory and emotional details with the reader. Your words need to be vivid and colorful to help the reader

feel the same feelings that you felt. Elements of the story need to support the point you are

making and you need to remember to make reference to that point in the first sentence.

You should make use of conflict and sequence like in any story.

You may use flashbacks and flash forwards to help the story build to a climax.

It is usually written in the first person, but third person may also be used.

Remember, a well-written narrative essay tells a story and makes a point.

Examples of narrative essays

Learning can be scary

This excerpt about learning new things and new situations is an example of a personal narrative essay that describes learning to swim.“Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was learn how to swim. I was always afraid of the water, but I decided that swimming was an important skill that I should learn. I also thought it would be good exercise and help me to become physically stronger. What I didn't realize was that learning to swim would also make me a more confident person.

Cont….

New situations always make me a bit nervous, and my first swimming lesson was no exception. After I changed into my bathing suit in the locker room, I stood timidly by the side of the pool waiting for the teacher and other students to show up. After a couple of minutes the teacher came over. She smiled and introduced herself, and two more students joined us. Although they were both older than me, they didn't seem to be embarrassed about not knowing how to swim. I began to feel more at ease.”

The Manager. The Leader

The following excerpt is a narrative essay from a story about a manager who was a great leader.  Notice the intriguing first sentence that captures your attention right away.“Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.”

The Climb

This excerpt from the climb also captures your attention right away by creating a sense of mystery. The reader announces that he or she has "this fear" and you want to read on to see what that fear is.“I have this fear. It causes my legs to shake. I break out in a cold sweat. I start jabbering to anyone who is nearby. As thoughts of certain death run through my mind, the world appears a precious, treasured place. I imagine my own funeral, then shrink back at the implications of where my thoughts are taking me. My stomach feels strange. My palms are clammy. I am terrified of heights.

Cont…

Of course, it’s not really a fear of being in a high place. Rather, it is the view of a long way to fall, of rocks far below me and no firm wall between me and the edge. My sense of security is screamingly absent. There are no guardrails, flimsy though I picture them, or other safety devices. I can rely only on my own surefootedness—or lack thereof.”

Disney Land

The following narrative essay involves a parent musing about taking her kids to Disney Land.“It was a hot sunny day, when I finally took my kids to the Disney Land. My son Matthew and my daughter Audra endlessly asked me to show them the dream land of many children with Mickey Mouse and Snow-white walking by and arousing a huge portion of emotions.

Cont…

Somehow these fairy tale creatures can make children happy without such “small” presents as $100 Lego or a Barbie's house in 6 rooms and garden furniture. Therefore, I thought that Disney Land was a good invention for loving parents.”

Expository Essay

One type of essay, an expository essay, gives information to the reader that is not clouded by the writer’s opinions. It may compare, discuss, analyse, or tell a story. The main focus is to explain the facts.

Tips on Writing an Excellent Expository Essay

The wording needs to concise and clear. Write the essay in the second person perspective

(you). Decide on your method of development: define,

compare and contrast, analyze, cause and effect, or classify. This will define your writing style and is one of the most important tips on writing an excellent expository essay.

Write a thesis statement and have topic sentences for each paragraph.

A successful essay will have the important points emphasized, will be factual and not subjective, and have valid information.

Conclusions can restate the argument, summarize your facts, or give the next step needed to further the research.

Keep your writing concise and brief. Each paragraph should cover one topic and

each sentence should present a new idea. Use transitory words and sentences to make

your essay flow smoothly. Connect sentences with words like: however, for example, or such as. Connect paragraphs by having the topic sentence refer back to the preceding paragraph or the thesis statement.

Why teenagers runaway from home

Adolescence is the time when a person is no longer a child, but not an adult either. This, in connection with hormonal imbalances and social adaptation, often causes teenagers to do things which they later regret, or which cause inconveniences and regular disturbances to their parents. One of such things is running away from home. Although in a number of cases it can be caused by a harmful environment or a traumatizing experience, it also happens even in prosperous and harmonious families.

Running away is considered to be a serious problem in developed countries – in the U.S., in particular. According to the National Runaway Switchboard – an organization that provides psychological assistance to children who already have run away from home, or are planning to do so – approximately one teenager out of seven (the range of age is 10-18 years usually) will at least once run away, or make an attempt. Currently, there are up to three million children and teenagers living on the streets in the U.S. (Kids Health).

Specialists distinguish between episodic and chronic running away. Episodic running away mostly occurs after some significant event that has happened to a teenager, and directly or indirectly affected their decision to leave home. It may also be connected to a teenager’s attempt to avoid some consequence, humiliation or embarrassment. Chronic running away is a more serious and complicated problem. It may be a part of acting out, or of a teenager’s strategy to gain power over the members of his or her family – a kind of manipulation or revenge. It is like a threat, “If you make me do that, I’ll run away.” In fact, this is their main problem-solving skill: if something goes wrong, they run away, thus feeling that a problem disappears (EmpoweringParents.com).

Although it is impossible to get into another person’s mind, the good news for parents is that there are ways to detect is something is wrong with their teenager. Usually, potential runaways demonstrate a drastic change in their usual behavioral patterns, or the way they live. For example, a teen might suddenly stop eating (or on the contrary, begin to overeat), sleep all day, spend all their time outside with friends or on their own, and so on. It is important to remember that sudden mood swings mean restlessness – something is worrying such a teenager, and they might be planning a runaway act.

Then, teenagers may start behaving in a rebellious way: breaking things at home, fighting (with peers or even family members), using explicit vocabulary, and so on. Sometimes, they might disclose their intentions, or give a hint to their parents about what they want to do (for example, “If I was not around anymore, you’d start caring about me/wouldn’t even care, and so on). Also, a teen may start accumulating money and possessions to live on while away from home. Keeping a bag with packed things in a closet is a direct sign that a teen is planning an escape (National Runaway Safeline).

Teenagers running away from homes pose a significant problem for developed countries – in particular, the U.S. Up to three million teenagers aged 10-18 live homeless because of committing a runaway. Usually, the cause of a teenager running away is specific (in this case, it is considered an episodic act). However, if a teen uses running away to manipulate their family members or solve problems, then it is considered chronic. Fortunately, parents can usually notice signs that their teenager is preparing an escape: misbehavior, rebelling, hints, and the accumulation of money and possessions may be the signs of a planned runaway.

Major cause of stress among students

Youth is often considered to be the best period of life. However, from a certain viewpoint, youth is also one of the most difficult periods in the life of an individual; the reason for this is the lack of experience, maximalism, treatment from adults, their expectations, and so on. And certainly, one of the hardest periods in youth is college. College is a perfect stress environment, as it usually incorporates multiple major stress factors, and throws it at a student all at once.

College freshmen are, perhaps, the most vulnerable category of students. This is due to the fact that they face the social challenges that involve leaving their whole support structure – friends, parents, hometown, habits – behind. Freshmen have to create new social networks, deal with having to solve their problems on their own, without parents’ assistance, and so on. Naturally, this leads to stress. Additionally, bad roommates, their homework load, part-time jobs, and dealing with the dynamics of young adult relationships is incredibly difficult for young people yet in their teen years (About Health).

Lifestyle is also one of the major factors causing stress in students. Whenever we say “student life,” we usually imply unhealthy eating habits, late night parties, alcohol, a lack of sleep in favor of extensive studying and social activity, and so on. No doubt, all this negatively affects the physical (and psychological) health of students. Chronic fatigue causes students to feel exhaustion, and negatively influences their performance or attendance in class. They have less energy for academic exercises, and may choose to skip classes or do homework less thoroughly, which can become an additional stress factor on its own (Livestrong.com).

Poor work and priorities organization is yet another scourge for many young men and women living and studying on campuses. They are on their own now – no teachers, parents, or relatives are going to tell them what, how, and when to do. Because of the lack of experience, students cannot figure out what to pay attention to, and what is not urgent at the moment; how to organize their routine; how to spend less time doing mundane tasks; how to keep a balance between private and academic life, and so on. This causes frustration, poor performance, and stress. Effective ways to help it might be keeping records on what and how you do. After you see how much time this or that activity takes, you can start planning (IFR).

Being young is not only fun, but also stressful, especially when you are a college student. New social challenges combined with the absence of a habitual support network (like family or old friends), poor and unhealthy lifestyle, and the lack of organization, often cause frustration and stress in students. The stereotype that youth is the greatest time in one’s life might simply be a fallacy.

Descriptive Essays

A descriptive essay simply describes something or someone by appealing to the reader’s senses: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste

Basic steps in writing descriptive essays

1. Select a subject Observation is the key to writing a good description. For example, if you are writing about a place, go there and take notes on the sights, sounds, and smells. A descriptive essay paints a picture for the reader, using descriptive devices and the senses. Create a thesis statement that informs the reader who or what you are describing. Examples: “The wooden roller coaster in Coney Island is a work of art.” “My bedroom is an ocean sanctuary.”

2. Select dominant detailsSelect only the details that support the dominant impression (your thesis statement). 3. Organize detailsThe paragraphs in a descriptive essay can be structured spatially (from top to bottom or from near to far) or chronologically (time order) or from general to specific.

4. Use descriptive wordsDo not use vague words or generalities (such as good, nice, bad, or beautiful). Be specific and use sensory, descriptive words (adjectives).

5. Draw a logical conclusionThe conclusion may also use descriptive words; however, make certain the conclusion is logical and relevant.

Burj Khalifa – World’s Tallest Building

Living in the 21st century means living in the age of technological wonders – considering, at least, that you are living in a first-world or second-world country. Technological progress manifests itself in the surroundings of a modern individual, starting from coffee machines and ending up with larger-than-usual skyscrapers. Speaking of the latter, they have evolved greatly from the times of the Home Insurance Building in Chicago – the first skyscraper ever built. Today, the most technologically advanced skyscraper is the famous Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The Burj Khalifa (or how it was called until 2010, Burj Dubai) opened on January 14, 2010. Even before the building construction was finished, starting from 2007 it had become the highest skyscraper in the world. Its exact height is 2,722 feet, or 829,8 meters, and it obviously can be seen from any point in Dubai. The number of floors, however, is a bit fewer than some might expect – Burj Khalifa totals in 163 floors, which is 16’2” (about 5 meters) for each floor.

Burj Khalifa looks like a stalagmite, which means that it resembles vertical minerals growing from cave floors. Stalagmites usually have a shape of a cone, and so does Burj Khalifa; if you look at it from a distance, it will remind you of a gigantic sharp cone made of glass and steel.

The most impressive aspect about Burj Khalifa is that it had been planned to be a so-called “city within the city”; this means that inside the tower you can find parks, alleys, districts, fountains, and so on. The glass of the tower’s surface always shines, because it is washed every single day, and the make of concrete of which the tower was built from was invented specifically for Burj Khalifa. There are three entrances to the tower, because it is so huge that one or two would not be enough. At the foot of the skyscraper, there is a big artificial lake that measures up to 12 hectares.

Inside, the building is as magnificent as it is from the outside. The interiors were projected by famous designers – for example, the interior of the Armani hotel, located on the floors from first to 39th, was designed by Giorgio Armani himself. The air inside Burj Khalifa is conditioned and flavored – it is said that the flavor was also designed exclusively for the tower; 57 elevators work 24/7 to transport visitors between floors.

Writing about Burj Khalifa is a thankless job. The existence of this building is a miracle itself – considering how it stands against the winds, gravity, and other natural forces. With a truly oriental luxurious scope, Burj Khalifa was designed and built to embody the impossible. And one can bravely state that nothing like this skyscraper has ever been built on Earth before.

Argumentative essays

The argumentative essay allows writers to express their opinion on a topic and support that opinion with strong logic and evidence.

Stages in writing argumentative essays

Prewriting Find a good topic Consider both sides of your topic and take a

position Gather evidence

Writing1. Introduce your topic and assert your side

As in any essay, the first paragraph of your argument essay should contain a brief explanation of your topic, some background information, and a thesis statement. In this case, your thesis will be a statement of your position on a particular controversial topic.

Tips for Your Essay:

Avoid emotional language Know the difference between a logical

conclusion and an emotional point of view Don't make up evidence Cite your sources Make an outline Be prepared to defend your side by

knowing the strongest arguments for the other side. You might be challenged by the teacher or by another student.

Example

Since the turn of the new century, a theory has emerged concerning the end of the world, or at least the end of life as we know it. This new theory centers around the year 2012, a date that many claim has mysterious origins in ancient manuscripts from many different cultures. The most noted characteristic of this date is that it appears to mark the end of the Mayan calendar. But there is no evidence to suggest that the Maya saw any great relevance to this date. In fact, none of the claims surrounding a 2012 doomsday event hold up to scientific inquiry. The year 2012 will pass without a major, life-altering catastrophe.

2. Present both sides of the controversy The body of your essay will contain the meat of your

argument. You should go into more detail about the two sides of your controversy and state the strongest points of the counter-side of your issue.

After describing the "other" side, you will present your own viewpoint and then provide evidence to show why your position is the correct one.

Select your strongest evidence and present your points one by one. Use a mix of evidence types, from statistics, to other studies and anecdotal stories. This part of your paper could be any length, from two paragraphs to two hundred pages.