English Department English DepartmentWriting an EssayWriting an Essay CPI Tino Grandío CPI Tino Grandío

What's an essay?An essay is a type of text which develops an idea or tells a story. It's longer that a paragraph and it usually contains three parts:

1. Introduction2. Development3. Conclusion

Part 1: IntroductionThe introduction should be a short paragraph, maybe just a sentence. You should introduce the topic and catch the reader's attention.

Part 2: DevelopmentIt's the most important and longest part of the essay. You should organize your ideas and put them in order: If telling a story or describing an experience, chronological order and past tenses should be your choice. (You may use past simple and occasionally other past tenses.) In an argumentative text try to mention both sides in a balanced way and give your reasons when choosing one of the sides. You may even mention your personal experience to back your opinion. When describing a process try to be organized and remember that passive structures are the best.

Part 3: ConclusionThis is the last part of your essay and you should summarize your ideas in a short paragraph. Try to leave a good final impression and link it to the introductory paragraph.

ConnectorsConnectors are a very important element in your essay. They make your essay cohesive and help you organize your ideas.These are some very important ones:

• And, but, or, so, because• First, first of all, next, then, later on, in addition, after that, finally• Although, however, either ... or..., neither... nor..., whereas, despite, since, in order to,

therefore• On the one hand... on the other hand... ,in contrast to... , in comparison to, more + adj +

than, (not) as... as, the same as, (just) like, not only... but also...• In my opinion, I think that, I believe that

Language• Be consistent with tenses. For instance, if you decide to write in the past simple, don't

use other tenses unless it's necessary; you may also need some past continuous or past perfect forms as well.

• Don't repeat the same vocabulary all the time; try to use synonyms or equivalent expressions. Reading the same words over and over again sounds too repetitive.

• Don't use contractions. Contractions are used in informal contexts.

Some advice• Always read the instructions you are given: length, topic, time, etc.• Spend a couple of minutes thinking before you write (you may even write an outline)

and another couple of minutes at the end to read and check for mistakes.