“Life's short! Eat dessert first!

― Dr. J. Davis Mannino

Professor of Psychology

Overview

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, is well traveled and is well written about! Life's road is also littered along the way with casualties of those who attempted the journey but never finished. Many of these casualties never mastered the basics of writing. The written essay, in particular, has been the demise of many who did not take the time to master its basics--basics which required nothing more than effort and practice. Those who follow the rules of writing will enjoy a greater level of personal and professional success. Take it from someone who failed college English twice and had to learn the hard way! What follows is my A Student Guide to Writing An Essay. Please take the time to read, study, practice and utilize this guide. You will find life easier if you do. Trust me.

One of the most important skills taken from a college education is the ability to write an essay. The level of proficiency will enhance or haunt college life as well as personal and professional life.

Essay writing skill is an important skill in a behavioral science course. The essay needs to be analytical rather than descriptive. That is, one must prove a central thesis--a theory supported by facts in an argument fashion. The writer has to demonstrate the ability to explain concepts and other information in a critical manner. It is not enough to summarize and describe ideas. An argument must be developed in a logical and sequential manner. Convincing evidence must support the thesis. The purpose of any introductory course is to encourage a student to analyze and write critically about what they have read and discussed in class. An essay which is difficult to understand, violates rules of grammar and spelling, fails in logic and argument will never present its point. No matter how much relevant information is within an essay or how well the student knew the topic area, the essay will fail if that student fails to use the elements necessary for a good essay.

Introduction and Thesis Statement

An introduction should be clear and well organized. Often, the rest of the essay will follow along "more naturally" if you do. Present in a clear and concise manner all issues you wish to address. Briefly state chronologically what you wish to accomplish in the "body of the essay." A good introduction often serves as a mini outline for the entire essay.

The thesis statement is critical, as it presents the major point of the essay. The thesis statement is a brief argument outlining the logical flow of your argument that will support your position. If you have a clear thesis, you are well on your way to having a clear essay. All essays have a thesis. Think of the introduction as a road map that drives the rider (reader) along the road of your essay. To write a good introductory paragraph you: (1) need to supply relevant background material on your topic, (2) propose your main idea and (3) indicate the direction this development will proceed.

The Body

Develop an opening paragraph fully. The success of a good essay often follows from a good opening paragraph. Remember organization. The body of an essay is nothing more than a logical sequence of the introduction presented in the same order which it was stated in the introduction. The real difference between the body and the introduction is that the body brings in supporting information to back up the argument. Each point is given it own time and effort in a thoughtful, concise, and cohesive paragraph. There are two parts to each paragraph in the body. The first is a topic sentence that leads off each paragraph. This topic sentence informs the reader of the main idea to be discussed in that particular paragraph. The second part contains sentences that provide specific facts and examples all in support of the topic sentence.

Lastly, the paragraph should display a natural flow, (continuity) and logical linkage (coherence). The order in which you present ideas and argument should make sense and be in a smooth sequential order. Each paragraph builds upon the previous one. Connections between paragraphs need a process of connection achieved through the use of transitional words and phrases. (See end of guide for examples). Think of transitional usage as kind of "red flag" for alerting the reader to different aspects of the essay's argument.

Make sure argument points are relevant to the essay. If not sure, ask these questions. (1) Does the argument point support the essay thesis? (2) Is the argument point supportive of the evidence presented in the topic sentences? A test of sound organization is to see if you can switch paragraphs around. I you cannot without affecting natural flow (continuity), you've done your job. To test logical linkage (coherency) in a paragraph, turn each topic sentence into a question. The body of the paragraph should help answer the question?

At this juncture, I believe it wise to comment about quoting from textbooks or other readings. Remember to summarize material you use. Do not copy word for word. A test of one's ability to grasp and understand course work is the ability to express thoughts in ones own words. Also it is important not to overly quote from a source or other reference material. When you do quote. make sure to cite within the body of the essay. Direct quotes are to be paced within quotation marks, using APA style. Quoting material without citation is, generally speaking, reason enough for failure. One should also be well versed in the rules regarding plagiarism as stated in the Santa Rosa Junior College Catalog.

Another point to remember is to define terms prior to using them in a routine manner. This is especially true of conceptual terms (i.e., nature versus nurture) where the writer must no assume the reader knows what the concept means. Take a sentence or two to explain oneself. Finally make a point, support the point and move on. Avoid repetitious overworking of a point. This comment cannot be overstated enough in short essays.

Drafting an Essay Outline

Drafting an outline for an essay is not what you do while watching your favorite television show. Drafting an essay outline requires planning, research (reading), organization (note-taking), and thoughtful writing. Some key elements to drafting and organizing an essay outline are as follows:

1. Review the essay question carefully. Underline key words. Stay focused to your particular essay topic. Don't wander. Avoid the common error of "sinking your teeth" into only one aspect of an essay topic; thus devoting all your time and energy to a part of the essay question. The result is an essay only partially answered, if at all.

2. Choose an essay style and format carefully. For example, will the essay use compare and contrast, or will the essay use an argument approach? Will the essay questions best be served by answering a series of questions within the essay? Choose a series of broad headings, note your style and format, and then determine how each will relate to each other in your paragraph development. Remember flow and linkage!

3. Once you have a good sound structure, fill information from material that meets the needs of the essay and essay topic sentence. Read through useful textbook sections, gather important tidbits from lecture notes and other readings. Brainstorm and gather your notes and begin applying them to your previous efforts in your outline development.

4. Organize material and edit it. Work on a precise thesis and topic sentence. Begin to select from all the material gathered that material which "works." By "works," we mean material that contributes to the logical flow (continuity) and linkage (coherence) of the essay. Learning to be a selective and critical thinker is a sign of a good writer, especially an essay writer.

5. Draft the final essay outline by including the following.

a. Write essay thesis in one sentence.
b. Write essay theme/central idea of each main paragraph in one sentence.
c. Write under each topic sentence, main support points for each paragraph.
d. Write essay conclusion in a single sentence.

6. Evaluate essay quality by asking these questions.

a. Is the essay thesis clear?
b. Does the essay avoid vague and abstract language?
c. Does the essay lack clarity?
d. Is the essay too general?
e. Does the essay organization suggest what is to follow?
f. What essay style format is being used? (compare, contrast, argue, etc.)
g. Does each main topic sentence have logical flow (continuity) and linkage (coherence)?

It is frustrating to learn a new skill, such as writing an essay. Writing is difficult at first but becomes easier with practice and experience. The key to writing a good essay is to give yourself enough time to practice doing one or two essays using the outline form presented in this writing guide. A good outline will nearly always provide a payoff by showing you the writer what weaknesses need to be addressed and worked on further before writing an essay draft. Always use an essay outline format. Remember the road to hell . . .

. . . While we are on that road to hell, a comment about how instructors grade essays. The purpose of assigning essays is to allow an instructor a method of gauging your ability to demonstrate the following: knowledge, (use and recall of your new learning) comprehension, (interpret, paraphrase or restate information) application, (your ability to apply new concepts in new situations) analysis, (use of logic and critical thinking), synthesis, (your ability to combine ideas, and create innovative applications) and evaluation (to make judgments).

. . . and many of men and many of women have avoided the pains of hell, through the gift of gab and the fine turn of a pen . . . . Good luck and have some fun!

Transitional Words and Phrases

Use the following transitional words and phrases precisely. They’re not interchangeable.

1. Addition

also ..... likewise ..... furthermore ..... too ..... and ..... then ..... in addition ..... next ..... further ..... at the ..... same time ..... again ..... finally ..... by the same token ..... first..... besides ..... equally .....important ..... second ..... moreover ..... more than this ..... and ..... third ..... similarly.....

2. Contrast

But ..... contrarily ..... notwithstanding ..... yet ..... after all ..... on the contrary ..... still ..... contrariwise ..... on the other hand ..... however ..... nevertheless ..... at the same time .....

3. Result

hence ..... therefore ..... it follows that ..... thus ..... consequently ..... since this is true ..... then ..... accordingly ..... under these circumstances ..... so ..... wherefore .....

4. Alternation

or..... (as...so) ..... (not...but also) ..... nor ..... (both...and) ..... the one ..... else ..... (either...or) ..... on the other ..... otherwise..... (neither...nor) ..... on the one hand .....

5. Cause

for ..... because ..... now ..... that ..... as ..... inasmuchas ... owing to .....(the fact that) ..... since ..... seeing ..... that.....

6. Repetition, Exemplification & Intensification

in fact ..... in short ..... in other words ..... indeed ..... in brief ..... that is to say ..... for instance ..... that is ..... for example ..... namely ..... thus ..... to be sure.....

7. Purpose

that ..... so that ..... for this purpose ..... lest ..... in order that ..... with this end in view...

Copyrighted 1999 - 2019 - Dr. J. Davis Mannino - All Rights Reserved - DrMannino@aol.com

Distance Education office at Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA USA