How to Write an English Essay?
English academic essays differ in their nature as the VPA syllabus incorporates an argumentative, contrasting, narrative, persuasive writing style, and more.
The tone in these essays differs as the narrative one allows the writer to be more creative and test their storytelling techniques. On the other hand, the argumentative or persuasive goal is to assess and sharpen students’ critical thinking.
But, every English essay has one thing in common – a designated structure.
Regardless of the type, each English essay consists of three key structural elements – an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
Once you master the three components, you will easily shift the tone to match the essay type accordingly.
Writing an English Essay
English essays are pretty straightforward and concise. To create an excellent essay you need to start with deep research. You must first know the subject thoroughly before you start writing on it.
After you have researched the topic enough to write on it, start to narrow your thinking into a more organized whole. The best practice to apply here is brainstorming. Read your title and jot down everything that comes to your mind.
Then, start asking questions. The answers to those questions will essentially give your essay its tone.
The answer to why you think in a certain way will form your opinion about the topic. Once you form your idea, all you have to do is find strong arguments to support your thesis. In doing so, make sure that the arguments you provide should present that you’ve examined the topic issue from at least 3 perspectives.
After you complete the pre-writing steps, you’re ready to start your assignment.
Let’s see how to begin your essay.
How to Write an English Essay Introduction?
The introduction is crucial in an essay. It’s what will either attract readers’ attention or repel them from reading onward. To avoid losing readers, a good opening hook is a must.
An intro hook should come in the very first sentence of your introduction. It should be attractive. It should be relevant. It should engage. Now, depending on the essay type you can be creative and begin your intro with a rhetorical question, or state the issue right away as you do in academic essays.
But, to play it on the safe side, you don’t need lingual embellishments to be interesting. Instead, offer a surprising statistic, or share a relevant truth on the topic, supported with facts.
Following the hook, briefly familiarize your reader with the topic. Here, make sure not to over-explain since intros should be clear and to the point. Lastly, explain what the essay will discuss so you can smoothly transition to the content body.
How to Write an English Essay Body?
The body of an English essay should elaborate on your thesis in detail. However, you shouldn’t do a far and wide elaboration, since you want your conciseness to be visible as a skill. To structure the English essay body, divide it into several components where you’ll discuss your ideas. Ideally, you should have at least 3-4 paragraphs to debate.
Now, in each paragraph, be selective with your words, and implement your ideas strategically. Namely, reiterate the essay topic and ask yourself – “How does this paragraph correspond to the essay topic?”
It’s important for the essay body to reflect the topic, otherwise, you’re derailing from its initial writing purpose.
Write an opening line of your paragraph and share detailed argumentation on the topic you are elaborating on.
In the next paragraph, do the same. But, this time, make sure you examine the topic from a different angle. That will give the notion that you fully understand your assignment and that you took the time to examine the problematic from different viewpoints.
Repeat this layout for the other main body paragraphs and halt when done – you still have a conclusion to write. In English essays, conclusions matter just as much as the intro and body do.
How to Write an English Essay Conclusion?
The conclusion of an English essay should leave an imprint in the reader’s mind.
It should be also short – around 120 to 130 words for a 1,000-word long essay.
To invest those 120 words wisely, firstly, reiterate your thesis in a new style. Think of the perspective you haven’t examined yet or as much in the text. The easiest way to do this is to underpin another shocking truth that will impact the readers’ perception.
The conclusion cannot be boring. Think of an idea that will provoke a response – the final argument should be your boldest exhibition of words, and remembered well after reading the essay.
English essay conclusions can end with a cliffhanger if the essay format allows it, but it’s best if you use statistics as the final say.
If you still struggle to write an English essay, you can always hire a custom writing company for a more professional take on your assignment.