Thursday 9 May 2019

The basics of writing an effective essay

Every student will be asked to write an essay about either personal topics or academic ones. But regardless of the topic, essay writing is one of the very first literary pieces students make in their academic lives. However, teaching students how to write effective essays isn’t a topic that is covered all too often. According to comparative literature student John Eilermann, students are often taught basics like the parts of an essay but not much about what makes an essay effective. Here are some tips to help you write a more effective essay.

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The first thing you’d want to do when writing an essay is to form an outline. This isn’t the same as the parts of the essay which includes the introduction all the way down to the conclusion. The outline lets you arrange the thoughts and ideas you want to add in your essay. This helps the piece flow better from one paragraph to another. If you don’t plan your essay’s outline, the end result could be filled with abrupt jumps from one thought to another.

It also helps to write your thesis statement separately from your essay. This statement can guide you at any point of your writing. The thesis statement is the main thought you want to explore. With a clear thesis statement, it’s easy to notice if you are veering away from the topic.

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Lastly, knowing the conclusion of your essay is just as important as the thesis statement. From here, you can build the entire argument and make it fit to the conclusion. According to John Eilermann, the conclusion should also reward the reader in terms of informing or evoking emotions.

John Eilermann is from St. Louis, Missouri. The vastness of the field he is taking up keeps him busy, which he really doesn’t mind. He believes that comparative literature will offer him an abundance of opportunities once he graduate. For more reads on literature, visit this website.