Four types of essays explained

The four types of essays you may be familiar with are: descriptive, persuasive, narrative, and narrative. Before you begin the research and planning, it is important to understand which type of essay your assignment falls under. How you structure your essay, how you write, how you use evidence, how you use it, and what tone you use will all be affected by the essay type. This is particularly important for university and school students: A narrative essay won’t get many marks if it is meant to be persuasive.

It can be frustrating to remember styles and genres, but you can take some comfort in knowing that you are ready for the real world. It’s true, real life. Writing is a common skill in many professions. It’s crucial that you meet the needs of your audience or readers. A sales pitch in business is persuasive. However, this style would not be appropriate for a feasibility study or cost analysis. There are certain rules that apply to all writing types, but each essay type has its own requirements to impress their audience: clients, casual readers, or your examiner.

1.      Expository essays

Expository essays are not as intimidating as they sound. You are basically presenting a balanced argument. You could write a typical academic essay to test your knowledge of a topic in your course or a more general issue.

This is where the word “balanced” comes in: even if your beliefs are strong, it’s important to not appear biased. It’s better to avoid using personal pronouns or personal opinions.

Define it, then break it down

It is important to define your topic as clearly as possible. If there are any terms in your topic or title that could be read in different ways, it is important to clarify what you mean. If your expository essay is based on a subject, it can be helpful to define its scope. This will help you to break down your topic into smaller, more manageable pieces. This will allow you to create a clear plan with only one topic per section or paragraph.

Analyze, back up

It is crucial to have evidence. We don’t mean that “8 of 10 writers make their statistics”. This type of essay requires the most research and reading. The more information you have, the better you will be able to make a decision between the evidence. Proper referencing is also important. This will ensure that your writing looks more professional and reliable.

Avoid merely summarizing your sources. Although it is true that some context can be helpful, such as the background of the writer or other background information, it’s not necessary. But, simply summarizing it in your own words does not demonstrate your abilities. Analyze and evaluate are more important than simply describing.

It’s possible to power it through

An expository essay should lead to a strong but balanced conclusion. Although you might have your own opinions, your conclusion should be clear once the essay has been completed. Here you can express your opinion based on the evidence. This is where you can make a strong, balanced closing statement.

2.      Persuasive essays

Persuasive essays writing is used to persuade a reader to believe or do something. This is what we see all the time in the real world. We see ads trying to convince us to buy their products or politicians asking for our votes.

You’re most likely to persuade your reader to believe in something in academia.

• Clear message

Your message must be consistent and clear in a persuasive essay. It is important to consider alternative viewpoints and counterarguments, but only to show that they are wrong. This could undermine your argument. Assume that you are having a debate and your opponent will be responding right after. Is there anything they could choose to use against you?

• The genre meets you

Persuasive writing can be described as one of the most basic styles. You can find thousands of persuasive methods that you could use to enhance your persuasive essay by doing a quick internet search. These techniques are certainly useful and many are so familiar that most of us already know them: lists, rhetorical questions, emotive language, etc. Variable sentence lengths Highly effective. You must ensure that persuasive essays still demonstrate a sense of academic depth. Avoid what is commonly called “empty rhetoric”, or what is basically what it says on its tin. Without supporting evidence and details, all kinds of rhetorical techniques are useless.

• Tone

Also, it’s worth taking a moment and reflecting on your tone.

Reader! Do you want to fail your next assignment or would you rather? What would it feel like to be kicked out of your course because you wrote a poor essay? Would you feel disappointed and unable to achieve your career goals?

You would have probably closed this tab quickly if we had started the blog in that way. Maybe you’d have continued reading because your curiosity was piqued. It’s technically a good opening for a persuasive piece. It’s got direct address, rhetorical queries, different sentence structures, emotive languages, and grabs attention. However, the tone is totally wrong. It is too aggressive and strong. It’s unrealistic because of the exaggeration (“cast out”, “dreams broken”) It is important to carefully consider your tone. Consider your audience before you decide on the tone and style that will engage them best.

3.      Narrative essays

Narrative essay writing basically means telling a story. It can be fiction or a true story. For example, college applications might require you to describe a memorable experience, or a time that was challenging you.

Plan

To give your narrative essay structure, a good plan is important. It’s fascinating to see how narrative structure and plot can be applied to short stories, films, and novels. Although you may be familiar with many technical terms such as tension, resolution, climax and denouement, these terms can be very loosely interpreted. For example, a climax is not always a dramatic escape or shocking revelation. It is best to look at how these labels are applied to a movie you’re familiar with, or to the latest episode of a box set.

Your plan should be simple and not include too many events. This is especially important if your word limit is strict. You can’t squeeze the entire content of a novel onto a dozen pages. Worst-case scenario: Your writing will become a list.

Write like a pro

Write a narrative essay that engages the reader with imagery and vocabulary. There is always room for description.

Even if it isn’t a long paragraph, a few descriptive sentences will suffice to set the scene. It is important to use a narrative voice. You can adapt your voice to explore the thoughts of your characters, even in a simple third-person narrative. If used sparingly, dialogue can be very effective. A narrative essay that is too long and consists of lengthy conversations may be worse than one that does not advance the plot.

Be unique

Originality is the key. It is easy to copy something you have already seen or read, even accidentally. Make sure you aren’t proofreading that 3000-word masterpiece. Otherwise, you might get the feeling that you have rewritten the story of the Netflix movie you just watched.

This applies to your use of phrases. Avoid cliches. These phrases are phrases that have been used so often that they lose their meaning. It was dark and stormy. If it’s something you believe you’ve seen on The Simpsons, it is best to avoid.

4.      Descriptive essays

It is often the most difficult to plan a descriptive essay. Many people find it easier to plan a narrative. They can add new events and keep the story going. It is easy to get bogged down in descriptive writing. There are many ways to achieve structure. This will make your work more cohesive and allow you to add more ideas.

Movement

You could base your description on a trip. Even if you don’t use the first person to describe your scene, it is possible to imagine yourself moving through it, stopping at specific places each time.

Time passing

All of us know how a place changes at sunset. Some of us may have even gotten out of bed early enough just to see the sunrise. Even places that we are familiar with can change depending on the hour of the day. This goes beyond what we see. It also affects the mood and emotions that are evoked. You can also use time in many other ways to create contrasts, and allow yourself to use different vocabulary and imagery. You can contrast a place in different seasons or at tourist hotspots in peak and off-peak hours – or even in the past and present.

An eye for detail

You’ve probably viewed the websites of professional photographers. Their pictures are often a little different than those on my camera roll. For example, their fingers in front of the lens, people standing at an angle, and unexpected blurred images. Their eye for detail is what’s most remarkable. The wedding photographer can capture the moment the couple laugh and preserve it forever. A street photographer will be able to see the interesting architectural details, such as a child’s reflection in the shop window or an elderly man watching construction work.

Like these photos, a great descriptive essay will evoke realness through subtle details. Consider what details you can expand on and how many you can extend.

However, be careful not to make it a long list. The reader will soon get bored.

Summary: The golden rules of any essay

No matter what kind of essay you write, there are certain rules that will apply.

Accuracy

Be aware that spelling and grammar tests won’t pick everything.

Proofreading

Even if you are 100% accurate in your work, there are still things you can notice, such as awkward phrasing when reading aloud.

Balance

Overview vs. detail – A reader won’t feel engaged if they don’t see the larger picture. Equally, if your writing doesn’t provide enough detail, it will appear vague and general.

Readability vs. showing off – Let’s face it, you’re here to learn how to get top marks. Part of that is displaying your skills. There’s nothing worse than an essay with complex sentences and advanced vocabulary that you can’t understand.

The first step to getting top grades is understanding the essay type. Knowing the requirements for each type of essay will help you ensure that you are meeting them right from the beginning of your planning process.