What is an essay?

• An essay is a written collection of points, proof and explanations that are organized and divided neatly into paragraphs.
• Always remember that it is a written form of communication and therefore must be clear, organized and easily understandable to those reading.

What is the purpose of an essay?

• In this case, an essay is used to state and support an opinion with proof and explanation.
• Essays can be used to persuade others to agree with your opinion.

Why do we write five (5) paragraph essays?

• The first paragraph is the INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH. The last paragraph is the CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH. The middle THREE (3) paragraphs are the BODY PARAGRAPHS.
• Each body paragraph states and explains a different point to help you prove your opinion. An opinion is always stronger when it has more supporting facts!

What is the difference between OPINION and FACT? Which is stronger?

• An OPINION is one individual’s personal belief on a subject. Everyone is welcome to have an opinion, but not every opinion is based on fact. Opinions can be based on what a person has heard from others, and is therefore subject to bias.
• FACT is truth. Facts can be supported, upheld and proven by evidence. Therefore, fact is stronger than opinion.
• For this reason, make sure that you phrase and word your essays as if they are FACT, not simply OPINION.

How will learning how to write essays help me in the future?

• You need to write an essay on the OSSLT (Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test), and you need to pass the literacy test to graduate high school.
• If you go on to post-secondary education (university or college), there is a good chance you will need to be familiar with essay writing techniques.

Tips for Writing Formal Essays

DO NOT use complex language just because you think it makes you sound smart! Keep the diction simple and slightly repetitive to make your essay easy to understand. Remember, there’s no point to saying something if the audience can’t understand you! The best essays are the one’s that don’t make the reader wonder what you’re trying to say.

DO NOT use PERSONAL PRONOUNS (e.g. I, we, you, etc.). These suggest that your essay is merely an opinion instead of well-researched fact.

✗ I think Star Wars is the best movie of all time.

✓ Star Wars is the best movie of all time.

Formal literary essays are meant to express and support an opinion, they are NOT meant to be exciting! DO NOT use rhetorical devices or creative diction to make your writing sound more interesting. You are NOT telling a story!

In literary essays, write about events from your novel(s) in the PRESENT TENSE. Remember, these events can be re-experienced any time a reader chooses to open the novel(s) in question.

DO NOT use CONTRACTIONS.

✗ don’t, can’t, won’t, couldn’t, etc.

✓ do not, can not, will not, could not, etc.

DO NOT use SLANG or INFORMAL LANGUAGE.

✗ “The movie was sick!”

✗ “The man was acting like a jerk…”

✗ cuz, @, u, 2, re:, etc.

Avoid using VAGUE language in your essays. Be as specific as possible with your diction.

✗ stuff, things, guy, etc.

The best literary essays treat the material with which they are concerned as EVENTS, not simply texts, novels or stories. This strongly influences the diction used to write an essay.

✗ “In this quotation…”

✗ “This quotation proves…” [Quotations don’t PROVE anything; they SUPPORT. Your explanations do the proving.]

Always deal with your “reasons”/“proofs” in the same order as you’ve mentioned them in the introductory paragraph. For example, the first “reason”/”support” mentioned in the introductory paragraph should be the topic of the first body paragraph.

Each body paragraph should begin with a TOPIC SENTENCE telling the reader what the paragraph will be explaining and/or proving.

In a literary essay, DO NOT simply summarize your novel(s)!

If you are using quotations in your body paragraphs to prove your examples, make sure you only use ONE (1) quotation per example. Otherwise, your explanation gets confusing and your point/purpose can be lost. For example, if you have three (3) examples to prove a “reason”/”proof” in one body paragraph, you should use no more than three (3) quotations.

In your body paragraphs, be as DETAILED and SPECIFIC as possible when explaining and supporting your evidence/quotations. NEVER assume that the reader is going to make the connections you want him/her to. It is your responsibility to make sure the reader understands how your evidence/quotations prove your “reasons”/“proofs.”

✗ “Obviously, this quotation proves…” [Nothing is “obvious” until you explain it.]

✗ “This shows…” [An example/quotation doesn’t “show” anything on its own; the writer needs to explain HOW it “proves” what he/she wants it to.]

Use TRANSITIONS to move smoothly from one idea to the next and more easily communicate the relationship between the content of one sentence and the next.

✓ in addition, lastly, for example, therefore, etc.

Use KEY WORDS from your thesis and “supports”/”proofs” in your topic sentences, concluding sentences and concluding paragraph to help the reader see and make the connections.

A CONCLUDING SENTENCE at the end of each body paragraph should summarize a paragraph’s “reason”/”proof” and connect it back to the thesis. It should NOT be worded exactly the same as the topic sentence!

NEVER bring up new information in your concluding paragraph. Your concluding paragraph is simply intended to restate your thesis and “reasons”/”proofs” and wrap-up the essay.