What to Do When You Are on a Test and Have to Write an Essay About a Topic That You Dont Know About

Despite the fact that, as Shakespeare said, "the pen is mightier than the sword," the pen itself is non enough to brand an effective writer. In fact, though nosotros may all like to think of ourselves as the next Shakespeare, inspiration alone is not the key to effective essay writing. You see, the conventions of English essays are more formulaic than you might recall – and, in many ways, information technology tin can be as simple as counting to five.

Steps to Writing an Essay

Follow these seven steps for the all-time results:

Read and sympathize the prompt: Know exactly what is beingness asked of you. Information technology's a practiced thought to dissect the prompt into parts.
Programme: Brainstorming and organizing your ideas will make your life much easier when y'all go to write your essay. It's a skilful idea to make a web of your ideas and supporting details.
Employ and cite sources: Do your research. Use quotes and paraphrase from your sources, but NEVER plagiarize.
Write a Typhoon: Ernest Hemingway once said, "The first draft of annihilation is always crap." While the truth behind this statement is debatable, drafts are always a skillful place to get whatsoever of your "crappy" ideas out of the way and are often required by professors and instructors.
Make a strong thesis: The thesis (main argument) of the essay is the most important affair y'all'll write. Make information technology a strong point.
Respond to the prompt: One time yous have worked out whatever kinks in your draft, you can start writing the terminal draft of your essay.
Proofread: Read your response carefully to make sure that there are no mistakes and that you didn't miss anything.

Of grade, every essay assignment is unlike and it's important to exist mindful of that. If one of these steps isn't applicable to the essay you are writing, skip it and motility to the next 1.

The Five Paragraph Essay

Though more than advanced bookish papers are a category all their own, the basic loftier schoolhouse or college essay has the following standardized, five paragraph structure:

Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: Body 1
Paragraph iii: Body 2
Paragraph iv: Trunk three
Paragraph 5: Conclusion

Though it may seem formulaic – and, well, it is - the idea behind this structure is to make it easier for the reader to navigate the ideas put forth in an essay. Yous see, if your essay has the same structure as every other one, whatever reader should exist able to quickly and easily observe the information well-nigh relevant to them.

The Introduction

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The principle purpose of the introduction is to nowadays your position (this is also known as the "thesis" or "argument") on the issue at hand but constructive introductory paragraphs are and so much more than that. Before you even go to this thesis statement, for example, the essay should begin with a "hook" that grabs the reader'due south attention and makes them want to read on. Examples of effective hooks include relevant quotations ("no man is an island") or surprising statistics ("three out of 4 doctors report that…").

But then, with the reader's attending "hooked," should you motility on to the thesis. The thesis should be a clear, one-judgement explanation of your position that leaves no incertitude in the reader'southward mind nigh which side you lot are on from the beginning of your essay.

Following the thesis, you should provide a mini-outline which previews the examples you lot volition employ to support your thesis in the rest of the essay. Not simply does this tell the reader what to await in the paragraphs to come but it as well gives them a clearer understanding of what the essay is about.

Finally, designing the last sentence in this way has the added do good of seamlessly moving the reader to the start paragraph of the torso of the newspaper. In this way nosotros can see that the basic introduction does not need to be much more than than three or four sentences in length. If yours is much longer you might desire to consider editing information technology downward a chip!

Here, by way of case, is an introductory paragraph to an essay in response to the following question:

"Do we learn more from finding out that we take made mistakes or from our successful actions?"

"No man is an island" and, every bit such, he is constantly shaped and influenced by his experiences. People learn past doing and, appropriately, acquire considerably more than from their mistakes than their success. For proof of this, consider examples from both scientific discipline and everyday feel.

The Torso Paragraphs

The middle paragraphs of the essay are collectively known as the body paragraphs and, every bit alluded to above, the main purpose of a body paragraph is to spell out in detail the examples that support your thesis.

For the starting time body paragraph you lot should employ your strongest argument or most significant case unless another more obvious start signal (equally in the instance of chronological explanations) is required. The first sentence of this paragraph should be the topic sentence of the paragraph that direct relates to the examples listed in the mini-outline of introductory paragraph.

A one sentence torso paragraph that merely cites the example of "George Washington" or "LeBron James" is not plenty, however. No, following this an effective essay volition follow upwards on this topic sentence by explaining to the reader, in detail, who or what an example is and, more than chiefly, why that example is relevant.

Even the most famous examples need context. For instance, George Washington's life was extremely complex – by using him as an example, do you intend to refer to his honesty, bravery, or maybe even his wooden teeth? The reader needs to know this and information technology is your job every bit the author to paint the appropriate picture for them. To exercise this, it is a skilful idea to provide the reader with 5 or six relevant facts about the life (in general) or event (in particular) you believe most clearly illustrates your point.

Having washed that, yous then demand to explain exactly why this example proves your thesis. The importance of this step cannot exist understated (although information technology clearly can be underlined); this is, after all, the whole reason yous are providing the example in the first identify. Seal the bargain by direct stating why this example is relevant.

Here is an case of a body paragraph to continue the essay begun in a higher place:

Accept, by style of example, Thomas Edison. The famed American inventor rose to prominence in the late 19th century because of his successes, yes, but even he felt that these successes were the result of his many failures. He did not succeed in his work on one of his most famous inventions, the lightbulb, on his starting time attempt nor even on his hundred and first endeavor. In fact, information technology took him more than 1,000 attempts to brand the first incandescent bulb but, along the fashion, he learned quite a deal. Equally he himself said, "I did not fail a thousand times merely instead succeeded in finding a thousand ways information technology would not piece of work." Thus Edison demonstrated both in thought and action how instructive mistakes can be.

A Word on Transitions

You may have noticed that, though the higher up paragraph aligns pretty closely with the provided outline, there is one big exception: the first few words. These words are instance of a transitional phrase – others include "furthermore," "moreover," but too "by contrast" and "on the other hand" – and are the hallmark of good writing.

Transitional phrases are useful for showing the reader where one department ends and another begins. Information technology may be helpful to see them as the written equivalent of the kinds of spoken cues used in formal speeches that point the end of one set of ideas and the start of another. In essence, they pb the reader from i department of the paragraph of some other.

To farther illustrate this, consider the 2d body paragraph of our example essay:

In a similar way, we are all like Edison in our own way. Whenever nosotros larn a new skill - be information technology riding a wheel, driving a car, or cooking a cake - we acquire from our mistakes. Few, if any, are gear up to go from training wheels to a marathon in a single twenty-four hour period but these early experiences (these so-called mistakes) tin can help us ameliorate our functioning over time. You cannot make a cake without breaking a few eggs and, also, we learn by doing and doing inevitably means making mistakes.

Hopefully this example not only provides another example of an effective body paragraph merely also illustrates how transitional phrases tin be used to distinguish between them.

The Decision

Although the conclusion paragraph comes at the end of your essay it should not be seen as an afterthought. Every bit the final paragraph is represents your final risk to make your case and, as such, should follow an extremely rigid format.

One way to think of the conclusion is, paradoxically, equally a second introduction considering it does in fact comprise many of the same features. While it does not demand to be too long – four well-crafted sentence should be enough – it tin can make or break and essay.

Effective conclusions open with a concluding transition ("in conclusion," "in the stop," etc.) and an innuendo to the "hook" used in the introductory paragraph. After that yous should immediately provide a restatement of your thesis statement.

This should be the fourth or fifth fourth dimension you accept repeated your thesis so while you lot should utilize a multifariousness of word selection in the torso paragraphs it is a acceptable thought to use some (just not all) of the original linguistic communication y'all used in the introduction. This echoing effect not only reinforces your statement but also ties it nicely to the 2d primal element of the conclusion: a cursory (two or 3 words is plenty) review of the three primary points from the trunk of the newspaper.

Having done all of that, the final element – and terminal sentence in your essay – should be a "global statement" or "call to action" that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come up to an terminate.

In the finish, then, ane thing is articulate: mistakes do far more than to help us learn and improve than successes. Every bit examples from both science and everyday feel tin can attest, if we treat each mistake not as a misstep but as a learning feel the possibilities for self-improvement are limitless.

Taken together, then, the overall construction of a five paragraph essay should expect something like this:

Introduction Paragraph

An attention-grabbing "claw"
A thesis statement
A preview of the three subtopics yous will talk over in the body paragraphs.

First Torso Paragraph

Topic sentence which states the first subtopic and opens with a transition
Supporting details or examples
An explanation of how this example proves your thesis

Second Body Paragraph

Topic judgement which states the 2d subtopic and opens with a transition
Supporting details or examples
An explanation of how this case proves your thesis

Third Body Paragraph

Topic sentence which states the third subtopic and opens with a transition
Supporting details or examples
An explanation of how this instance proves your thesis

Concluding Paragraph

Concluding Transition, Reverse "hook," and restatement of thesis.
Rephrasing primary topic and subtopics.
Global statement or call to action.

More tips to make your essay shine

Planning Pays

Although information technology may seem like a waste of time – specially during exams where time is tight – it is about always meliorate to begin a fleck before beginning your essay. This should enable you to notice the best supporting ideas – rather than but the first ones that come up to mind – and position them in your essay appropriately.

Your all-time supporting idea – the one that well-nigh strongly makes your case and, simultaneously, almost which you have the most knowledge – should go first. Even the best-written essays can neglect because of ineffectively placed arguments.

Aim for Variety

Sentences and vocabulary of varying complexity are ane of the hallmarks of constructive writing. When you are writing, try to avoid using the same words and phrases over and once more. Yous don't have to exist a walking thesaurus simply a trivial variance tin can make the same idea sparkle.

If you lot are asked almost "coin," you could try "wealth" or "riches." At the same fourth dimension, avoid beginning sentences the slow pattern of "subject + verb + directly object." Although examples of this are harder to give, consider our writing throughout this commodity equally one big example of sentence construction multifariousness.

Practice! Practice! Practice!

In the cease, though, remember that skillful writing does not happen by accident. Although we accept endeavored to explain everything that goes into effective essay writing in as clear and concise a way every bit possible, it is much easier in theory than it is in practice.

As a upshot, we recommend that you lot exercise writing sample essays on various topics. Fifty-fifty if they are non masterpieces at first, a bit of regular do will soon change that – and make you improve prepared when information technology comes to the real thing.

General Practise'south and Don'ts

Do: Utilize transitions to offset new thoughts and paragraphs.

Don't: Start a new thought without a transition or overuse transitions.

Do: Use paragraph structure to organize thoughts and claims.

Don't: Write one big paragraph without any sort of organization.

Practice: Use quotes and paraphrase to back up your claims.

Don't: Plagiarize.

Do: Use active vox, meaning verbs and activeness words.

Don't: Use passive voice or I/my. Try to avoid words like "accept" or "be", and never use I or my unless the essay is being written in the narrative class.

Exercise: Use vivid and descriptive words to bring your essay to life.

Don't: Misuse words that you don't know the pregnant of.

At present that you've learned how to write an effective essay, bank check out our Sample Essays so you can see how they are done in practice. If you need a professional opinion on edits to your access essay, learn nearly EssayMaster to see if they're the right choice for you.