How to Write a Good Essay – Essay Writing Tips and Steps

Essay

The word essay comes from the French verb “essayer,” meaning “to try.” It is an attempt, a trial or experiment, and implies imperfection in the result.

Various forms of essays, different in style but similar in some basic respects, have been used by writers and speakers since ancient times. The similarities are not surprising because they all rely on one fundamental concept: that a speaker takes a position and argues for it – either directly or indirectly – with reasoned substantive support.

An essay is usually written to convince somebody of something-the writer’s point of view–or to explain or explore some idea.

“An essay is a piece of writing which attempts to communicate information or to present an argument in such a way as to appeal to the intellect, stir up the emotions, move someone to change their attitude, provoke thought or create discussion” – Lawrence S. Friedman

History

The word “essay” appeared in English at least by 1382 and probably earlier. It was originally used for philosophical treatises (essaies philosophiques) by people like Michel de Montaigne and Erasmus of Rotterdam: it was used as a general term for any kind of writing. The French word “essai” had a similar meaning, and this is where the English word came from.

In the 1500s, the meaning of the word started to change. Writers like Francis Bacon began to use it for trial (or exploratory) pieces. An essay was something you did as a kind of thought experiment – a first attempt at figuring something out before committing yourself to paper (or whatever) by writing a more authoritative piece.

In time, this meaning became more common and has continued to be used that way today.

In the 1600s, the meaning of “essay” became almost synonymous with a kind of writing that was written to communicate information (or to present an argument or an idea). At the same time, some writers began to use the word in a more “literary” sense. We still have lots of dictionaries that say that an essay is supposed to be informative, but they also suggest that it can also be “elegant,” “poetic,” “moral,” etc.

At this point, we could say that “essay” started being used as a kind of shorthand for these different forms, which are actually all related.

For example, an essay could be a statement of fact; it might be an argument or a historical anecdote or something else that communicated information about the subject. It could also be anything from (a) “short” writing to (b) “long” writing.

One problem with calling these different forms “essays” is that they are all really different, and you might not want to say that a short piece or an argument is an essay when you’re talking about “literary value.” But we can still agree on the basics:

1. An essay presents ideas, examines them, and explains them in some way. It communicates information about these ideas.

2. An essay is usually a first attempt or trial to see if you understand something, and it has some value as your own thinking and writing. It is not usually a final statement on the subject.

3. An essay provides reasons for its conclusions or positions. It is not just an expression of opinion or feeling.

4. An essay may be long, short, formal, informal, conversational, poetic, dramatic, etc.; the form of the piece doesn’t matter as much as how well it serves its purpose of communicating information about something in such a way that it’s interesting to read and understands (or whatever).

Writers have used different methods in their writing to make their ideas clear. Obviously, they may write fiction, but they sometimes use other techniques as well. One of these is called the essay form. An essay is a method of communicating ideas in writing that relies on logic and reasoning to get its points across. This form has been used by writers for centuries, and it was once the course of study that was required for college entry in many countries around the world. Today in the United States high school students are required to take a lot more math courses than courses on writing; this includes essays.

Do you have a specific goal in mind for your essay?

This is something that writers often forget to include. Goal of course can refer to several different things. The easiest way to think about a goal in an essay is as a specific statement made at the beginning of the paper, which tells the reader what you are going to do in your paper and why it matters.

The goal statement might sound something like: “I am writing this essay because I want to convince my parents that they should not pressure me so much into staying at home during summer break” or “I am writing this because I want tips on how I can get better grades”.

The goal statement is a simple idea that can help you put together essays faster. In fact, the moment when you know what to write about is the great moment when you can already start writing and stop blanking out. So don’t hesitate to state your opinion, ask for advice or share your experience on any given matter. Remember that usually every successful action has its reasons.

Writing an essay is not that hard if you know how to do it. The first thing you need to know is that there are no strict rules to writing academic papers. So, the best way to start writing is to develop your own style: choose language, write down ideas on paper and practice reading your own words.

The main purpose of the essay is to show your understanding of a topic or an issue. There are three major things that you have to discuss when writing an essay: thesis statement, body paragraphs and conclusion. All of them are equally important, but they differ in length and structure. To write a good essay you have to follow a logical sequence; otherwise readers will be confused by what they read.

The first and the most important point is your thesis statement. It is a key element of every paper, very often it consists of an introductory sentence that tells the reader what is going to be covered and why this issue is important. Answering a question with “because” or “since” usually doesn’t satisfy readers. If your teacher asks you to write an essay on…, ask yourself what would be the best way to do this. Before you start writing, you have to have a clear idea of what it is that you want to tell your readers.

Thesis statements are rarely separated from the introduction. “Usually” in academic writing means “never” or “rarely.” You could have a thesis with another purpose; for example, to entertain or simply to inform. Middle Ages always found ways to entertain their readers with amusing facts and even certain techniques that can be used by modern essay writers (such as the use of anecdotes).

Your readers expect something more than just some fact. They need to know why it is such an important fact or idea. Your task is to connect your point with the topic and provide them with a logical explanation. To do this you should refer back to your thesis statement and support your argument. As always in writing essays, every main idea must be backed by one or more proofs to make sure that it’s true.

All this if followed by a conclusion, which is often the last paragraph of the essay. The writing of conclusions depends on what you told in the previous paragraphs.

How to Write a Good Essay

Essay writing steps and tips

The introductory paragraph to an informative and factual blog post titled “Information on the Zika Virus”.

The Zika virus is a mosquito borne illness that was first discovered in Uganda. Recently, it has been confirmed to be locally transmitted in South Florida and has been also found in about 20 other countries worldwide, including Mexico, Central America and most recently parts of South America. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this infection “a public health emergency of international concern” as it can cause stunted growth in infants whose mother are infected with the virus while pregnant.

The goal of this article is to provide information on what the Zika virus actually is and how it affects those who come into contact with it.

Introduction

The article begins with an introduction that is well-written and concise. The opening paragraph is very descriptive and informational in a way that makes the reader want to continue reading. The readers are informed about what the blog post is going to cover, what the goal of the article is, and how it will be beneficial to them because it offers information on a specific topic. The blog post continues by explaining exactly what the Zika virus actually is and how it affects individuals who have contracted it as well as their children.

Body

The body of this blog post goes into further detail regarding the information on this subject in a way that will be easy for anyone who has read the previous paragraphs to comprehend. The content is still written in a way that will make it understandable to those who have little to no knowledge on the subject. There is no need for an extensive amount of technical language in order for a topic to be understood by the reader. Instead, the article contains plenty of precise information in an organized manner that will help readers understand exactly what they are reading about; furthermore, it also contains resources and links which provide readers with additional information on the subject which they can choose to read or not.

Conclusion

The conclusion ties the entire blog post together by reiterating the goal of this article and providing additional information related to Zika virus. It also elaborates on the resources and links that will be provided to readers in addition to the information already included in the body of this blog post. This article’s conclusion is very informative and useful for those who are aware of the current state of affairs concerning Zika virus as it provides a complete, well-researched and organized summary of all information provided by the article.

Body writing style

The author’s tone is described as “warm” and “sincere”. The author states at the beginning that he has been exposed to many different aspects of life, which implies his own experience should be easily understood by those who have not experienced these aspects themselves. The tone is one that is expressed clearly and concisely. In the case of this article, the author writes clearly in order to make it easy for the reader to understand what is being said.

The article’s writer takes a very approachable and informative approach, which allows for the reader to focus on the information that is being presented and relate it to their lives without feeling as though they are only reading fluff. The writer does this by using a friendly tone, which is apparent throughout all sections of the article. In addition, he also uses an informal tone for more casual writing when discussing symptoms and other issues related to Zika virus in smaller sections of his essay. This is done in order to make the writing seem more casual and less formal, therefore making it easier for the reader to understand.

Linking words

Linking words are used frequently throughout this article. The words include “for” and “since”. These words relate the two different parts of this blog post: it states that one will find information on Zika virus here while another part of it states that one will be able to find additional information there by clicking on the links. Another way that these linking words help in providing readers with supplementary information is that they are often used when talking about symptoms related to Zika virus. For example, a symptom may be mentioned than can be found elsewhere, such as being painful and swollen joints.

These linking words are also used when referring to a specific source, such as the WHO. This helps to show where this information was found, therefore allowing readers to cross-reference it with other sources that they may find. They are also used in order to help readers understand why the content of the blog post was written in the way it was. For example, an explanation is given as to why this virus is causing concern and how it affects others who come into contact with it. By using linking words in these sections of his writing, the author provides readers with a better understanding of why certain situations are occurring.

All of the information provided in this article is written in a way that will be easily understood by nearly anyone, especially those who are not familiar with science terminology. The author writes from a casual tone which is very informative and easy to follow. By using approachable language throughout his blog post, he allows readers to relate to and understand the information presented. He uses plenty of linking words in order to provide additional information as well as alternative resources for readers who wish to learn more about the topic at hand.

Opinions and bias

The author does not appear to have any strong opinions nor does he have any bias towards the subject of Zika virus or its symptoms in general. He discusses the disease clearly, but does not express a strong opinion on whether or not it is a serious threat or it doesn’t matter. Most of the time, the author uses an informative tone, which allows for readers to make their own decisions as to whether they are concerned about this virus.

The author doesn’t have any strong opinions on what should be done with the information provided in this article as he is simply reporting facts without expressing his own opinion on the matter since Zika virus is new. However, he does have some views, which are stated throughout the article. For example, he believes that there are many people who do not get the virus because they have good living condition and a healthy immune system. This is shown through his statement, “The truth is that many of the people who get it live in poor conditions with contaminated water or food.” In addition to this, he also mentions ways to prevent being infected with Zika virus by stating that it’s best to take protective actions against mosquito bites.

In terms of bias, the author doesn’t discuss any potential outcomes that may occur if this virus were to spread. Instead, he simply presents information regarding what has happened up until now in order for people to read about how this disease affects others in real life situations.

Style

The author uses simple language throughout this article. Complex words are used mostly in the introduction, but the rest of the writing is in normal terms and is easy to read. He also uses very few academic words such as “previously” and “alternative.” This makes his writing very accessible to non-specialised readers who may have a hard time reading certain scientific terms. The style was written in third person which helps to give readers an idea of who is speaking throughout the entire piece of writing, therefore allowing them to form their own opinions on what this author has to say. Though he does not write this way consistently throughout the entire piece, he does use different approaches towards different sections of this article’s content.

All of the information presented in this article is factual and also written as a large chunk of writing. This helps to build up suspense because readers know they are about to read something important. The author wants his readers to find out more about what will happen if Zika virus spreads further so he leads them on by talking about not knowing the extent of how the disease will spread. He is using this tactic to gain interest from readers since they want to find out what happens next, which helps keep readers reading.

Overview

This article did an excellent job in describing Zika virus’ effects on people who have been infected with it and how governments are now working together in order to prevent its spread. The virus was acknowledged to have caused birth defects in children of infected mothers and this article does a great job in describing how it is under control. It also describes the work that has been done to prevent further spread of the virus and how it is preventative in nature. This article uses a lot of facts and evidence from scientific reports to tell readers how governments are working together in order to halt the spread of Zika virus. The author wrote this article in third person which makes it easier for non-scientific readers to understand what has happened with this disease as they follow along with the author’s narrative through his writing style.

Now you can write a good essay from the tips and steps mentioned here. The next time you decide to write an essay, just keep in your mind the following steps and tips mentioned here and try to write an interesting essay.