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"Learn to Write Well in English"How to write a really good essay...Where to start What to do Pronunciation Grammar Vocabulary ConversationReading Writing Listening Speaking Study materials Tuition |
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What is an essay?An essay is a short piece of writing on a particular subject. How do I write an essay ?In order to write an essay, you need a title and a minimum of three to five paragraphs. What is a paragraph ? A paragraph is a
small part of an essay (or other piece of writing) that covers a
certain point and that often begins with an indented first line.
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English Writing Software
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Firstly,
you should introduce the topic that you are writing about; next give
between
one and three paragraphs discussing this topic; and lastly, bring the
discussion to a close.
TIP:
Choose a subject that interests you.
If you enjoy writing about it then it will interest the reader The format is as follows:
A paragraph
can have any number of sentences
from one to twenty; but the
general rule is keep it short, between three and seven. As with the
whole essay, each paragraph should have an introduction, a body and a
conclusion.
1. Start
with your title. This should grab the reader’s attention and give the
subject
of the essay in an exciting way. You may use something called a Topic
Sentence
(or ‘hook’) for your title although some people prefer to use this
later, at
the beginning of a paragraph. The important thing is that the reader is
interested enough to want to read more.
2. The
introduction paragraph must have a good opening line saying why your
topic is
important, (another attention grabber) and the rest of the essay must
limit
itself to this topic. Explain here what you are going to be writing
about. It
may be that you are providing information on a subject, or giving
different
points of view about something, but this is where you introduce the
subject of
the essay to your reader.
3. If you are writing about one subject only, then your first body
paragraph is
for giving the important details. Add any relevant facts or figures,
giving
examples where possible, to support your main idea.
If you are writing about more than one subject, you will need a new paragraph for each one. Don’t forget that each paragraph must have an introduction, a body and a close.
4. The
second body paragraph should give the minor (less important) details,
following
on from the previous paragraph. If you are writing about more than one
subject,
then this is where you will talk about subject number two.
5.
In the third body paragraph, it can be a good idea to give an
alternative
point of view, especially if you are arguing the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of a
subject.
You have given your main thoughts backed up by the less important
details and
now you can give someone else’s opinion on the subject. This is not a
rule but
just an idea that works quite well.
6. Your
last paragraph must be your conclusion. Sum up (add together) the ideas
that
have been given and re-state the main points. Your last sentence should
bring
the subject to an end. One good way to do this is to refer back to your
‘opening line’ so that the subject travels ‘full circle’.
Here is an example of a 5 paragraph essay. Each paragraph has 3 sentences: Great Holidays on Spain’s Costa del Sol
Every
year thousands of Britons and northern Europeans come to Spain for
their
holidays. There are many, many holiday places all around the coasts of
Spain,
some quite developed and some still very rural. The Costa del Sol is
possibly
the most popular of them all.
Here on
the southern coast of Spain we enjoy all year round sunshine. They say
as many
as 325 days out of the 365 each year, so that even in the winter the
tourists
are able to wear their shorts and summer t-shirts. We also have great
food,
good wine, and the local people are both easy-going and friendly. Although, since the advent of the euro, the prices have risen considerably, the cost of living is still pretty reasonable compared with the rest of Europe. One can live very well in Spain, particularly in the south. One can afford to eat out often, sit at the roadside cafes drinking the wonderful Spanish coffee every day, buy clothes reasonably cheaply at the local markets and generally enjoy a less expensive existence.
There are
those, of course, who still prefer to holiday in more up-market areas
such as
Paris, Rome or New York. There are the holiday-makers who prefer
cruises, and
many who like to travel further afield to places such as Goa, Hawaii
and the
Caribbean. However, problems with many places include the
risk of
violence or theft, things which are very seldom present here on the
Costa del
Sol. When all is said and done, regardless of your personal taste in holidays, be they sportive (such as skiing or football for example), lazy (such as sunbathing on a golden sandy beach), gourmet (there are more bars and restaurants per square mile here than anywhere I have ever been) or cultural (museums, historical buildings, art, theatre, etc.) Spain has it all and more. In fact, Spain offers many, many benefits to foreign tourists. Is it any wonder then, that every year thousands of Britons and northern Europeans come to Spain for their holidays? Susie Kay ©
PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism means copying what someone else has written and putting your name to it. Never copy anyone else's work without their permission. Here on this site, we have used several pieces of work by other authors and each time we have printed the author's name. For example: "What is written without effort is read without pleasure" - Samuel Johnson The next page is about Listening, which is very important for learning Pronunciation.
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