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How To Write An Essay For High Intermediate Students. Mervat Mousli. What’s an Essay?. An Essay is a text made up of many paragraphs and is divided into: An introduction: the first paragraph and it talks about everything that we are going to mention later in the body.
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How To Write An Essay For High Intermediate Students Mervat Mousli
What’s an Essay? An Essay is a text made up of many paragraphs and is divided into: • An introduction: the first paragraph and it talks about everything that we are going to mention later in the body. • A body: it is made up of one paragraph or more and each paragraph talks about one idea in detail different from the other paragraphs of the body, if any. • A conclusion: the last paragraph and it reflects the introduction. It never gives new ideas or opinions or counter thoughts to what was mentioned before.
How to Write an Essay? First start with an outline!
The Essay Outline After reading and understanding the question, you need to write down your ideas: • Make a list of them all; • Keep the best ones – those you can talk in details about and give examples of. • Now put related ideas in groups and connect them together.
Example of an Outline Write an essay about the advantages and disadvantages of living in the city. • Many nice places to go to. • More friends. • Noise. • Better education. • Pollution. • Advantages: entertainment and education • Disadvantages: noise and pollution Step one Step two
Introduction Again! The introduction is the first paragraph and it talks about everything that we are going to mention later in the body. Thus we need to read over and over the points we listed and think of a comprehensive sentence. Now write down an introduction making sure that the comprehensive sentence is your last point.
Example of an Introduction Big cities are everywhere now in the world and the population in cities is increasing by the day. Most of the people, if you ask them, prefer to live in a city not in the country. Cities are not prefect though. A city is actually a combination of advantages and disadvantages. GENERAL SPECIFIC
Body Paragraph 1 A body paragraph is where you will talk about an idea in detail. You should have it somewhat like the following: • Start with an introductory sentence that gives the reader an idea of what he will read. • Now give your points every one with supporting sentences and examples • End with a concluding sentence that reflects what has been said and gives way to the next paragraph.
Example of Body Paragraph 1 Cities have many advantages especially if we are talking about entertainment and education. Entertainment is wide in scope in the city where you can find different options for different tastes. There are many cafes and restaurants, amusement parks, museums, movie theaters, etc.. Education is far better in the city than the country. Schools are taken care of and teachers are better paid so they teach better most of the time. The number of kindergarten, schools and universities are very big so education is available for everyone. These great advantages are not the only factors of the life in a city which has different disadvantages as well.
Body Paragraph 2 Same as paragraph one: • Start with an introductory sentence that gives the reader an idea of what he will read. • Now give your points every one with supporting sentences and examples • End with a concluding sentence that reflects what has been said and gives way to the next paragraph.
Example of Body Paragraph 2 Cities carry disadvantages in their definition for the noise and pollution are enough reasons for one to reconsider his choice of living in a city. Cities with all their comfort means are noisy. Cars and vendors make living in one really hard and noise is not actually good for one’s health. Pollution in all its kinds is there in a city. Air pollution is the worst because it is there as long as cars exist. Living in a city needs a lot of considering and one should weigh the advantages and disadvantages.
Conclusion • Highlight the main points you have argued. • Try to reflect your introductory paragraph. Paraphrase. • Do not mention new ideas or give opinions contrary to what you mentioned in your introduction and body.
Example of a Conclusion Living in a city is something wanted and sometimes wished for, yet cities have not only advantages but also disadvantages. The advantages are many like entertainment and education and the disadvantages are too like noise and pollution. All those who think a city is perfect need to think again.
Done? Not yet!
Remember While referring to your outline, construct full sentences and build your essay. Always refer to your thesis statement to make sure that you are sticking to your plan. Use the thesis statement to guide your revision. Refer to it at the end of every paragraph. If your thesis statement does not match the content and movement of each paragraph, you need to make serious revisions.
Remember A paragraph is made up of at least three sentences. The body, though, should be longer than the introduction/conclusion. Do not make it sound personal. Do not use “I”, “We” and “You”. Leave a distance to keep objectivity and trust, unless the essay is about a personal subject. × Cars and vendors make living in a city really hard and noise is not actually good for our health. Cars and vendors make living in a city really hard and noise is not actually good for one’s health.
Remember Review: Correct errors in: • Grammar • Spelling • Punctuation • Capitalized words
Remember Sleep on it. Read your essay later again, after at least 24 hours. Make necessary changes only. But remember to read carefully.
Writing Effective Comparisonand ContrastEssays A Comparison and Contrast essay is an essay in which you emphasize the similarities and the differences. We use comparison and contrast thinking when deciding which university to attend, which car to buy, or whether to drive a car or take a bus or an airplane to a vacation site. Reference: http://www.eslbee.com/compcont.htm
Vacationing at the Beach or in the Mountains • People are always looking forward to their vacation period. There are many options where to choose. I think that the two most common places people choose for taking a vacation are the beaches and the mountains. Both places offer a variety of fun activities. The beach offers activities that the mountain cannot offer and vice versa. The mountain and the beach are totally different. The purpose of this essay is to contrast the climate, types of activities and locations of beaches and mountains. I’m going to discuss mountains first. The three aspects I’m going to discuss are climate, types of activities and location. Climate is always important in order to enjoy vacations. If a person dislikes cold weather, he or she might have a hard time in the mountains. The cold climate in the mountains is the first barrier to enjoying them, but the climate and the temperature of these zones also determine the types of activities they offer. Snow boarding, mountain climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and skiing are some activities people can enjoy when going to the mountains. There are many regions that have mountains where people can go and have a great vacation. Canada is a country located in North America and contains many mountain vacation sites where people can go and have fun. • I’m going to discuss the beach second. The three aspects I’m going to discuss are climate, types of activities and location. Warm climate is one of the most important features that the beach has. Sun and fun are two words that describe the beach. The temperature in those places is always hot. The sea and the warm climate determine the activities that are available at the beach. People can swim, play volleyball, play soccer, and ride water bikes. In most coastal sites, there are discos and restaurants where people can dance or party throughout the night. Mexico offers many amazing coastal sites to visit. Acapulco and Cancun are two of the most beautiful and famous beaches in the word. • It doesn’t matter what place a person decides to choose. The fun is 100% guaranteed. People often choose one of these two options to spend their vacations. Depending on what the person likes is what he or she will choose. I like the beach better than the mountains, but sometimes it is better to take a risk and try a different place to enjoy. (399 words)
Consuming Fresh Foods Instead of Canned Foods • Eating is an activity that we as humans do at least two times a day. We live in a world where the variety of food is immense, and we are responsible for what we eat. We decide what we are about to eat and how it will affect our bodies. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the differences between eating fresh foods instead of canned foods. The three main differences are flavor, health benefits, and cost. • The most notable difference between these two kinds of foods is their flavor. Fresh foods have great flavor and taste because they keep all their natural conditions. Canned foods however, lack a lot of its flavor characteristics because there are some other chemical products added to the natural foods. It is logical that the fresh foods will have a greater taste and flavor when consumed just because of the time in which they have been prepared. • Comparing both types of foods we notice another difference. There is a health factor that affects both of them. Canned foods lose some of the original fresh food nutrients when stored, and also it has to be tinned with many conservatives and chemical factors that prolong the shelf life and apparent freshness of the food but could also become toxic if consumed too often. • Yet another difference between these two types of foods is the cost. Canned foods are much more expensive than fresh foods. Here the benefit of buying tinned foods is that they are easier to find, for example, in a supermarket instead of the market like the fresh foods, and they require less work to prepare than fresh foods, just open and serve. • Here are the main three differences between buying fresh foods and buying canned foods. As we can see it comes down to a personal choice, based on the time each person has, the money and the importance he/she gives to his/her nutrition and health. Therefore it is important that you consider your possibilities and choose the best type of foods for your convenience and lifestyle. (347 words)
How to Write an Effective Comparison and Contrast Essay: Summary 1. Know what organizational style you are using. Whether you use the block arrangement or point-by-point arrangement, you should be able to identify it. Being able to identify your organization will not only help you in the organization of your own writing, but it will also help your reader follow the points you make. 2. State your organization. Remember the "straight line of development" that was discussed in the introduction requires that you "tell your audience what you are going to tell them; then tell them; then tell them what you told them." An important objective in academic writing is clarity, and stating your organization always contributes to clarity. 3. Keep your audience in mind. Be sure your reader can relate to your topic. After you finish writing, read your essay from the perspective of your audience. How will they respond to your ideas? Will they understand what you have written? Will they agree with your main point? Will the support appear logical to them?
Any questions? You may send me emails if you later have any questions or concerns. You can also ask for advise concerning the assignment.
Today’s class is over. Peace!
