Essay Writing Tips

Essay Writing Tips The last sentence is a broad statement relating to the significance of the argument. The first sentence links the conclusion to the discussion in the previous paragraph. At first, chocolate, a derivative of the cacao bean, was consumed as a drink, only later achieving mass popularity in tablet or bar form. However, chocolate’s inherent popularity does not equate to it possessing healthy properties, as suggested by the title. The realities of chocolate are more down to earth; a number of these realities will be addressed in this essay. Chocolate has chemical properties that can influence mood and there is possible evidence for some positive impacts of chocolate on cardiovascular health. Yet, such positive attributes are counterbalanced somewhat by the argument that, in some instances, chocolate can be viewed as a drug rather than a food. Moreover, there is the possibility of some correlation between over-consumption of chocolate and obesity. The first two articles have been cited 90 times and 103 times respectively, suggesting that they might be good sources for your essay. The links to the right indicate that you can access the articles through your university website. The best place to start (assuming you haven’t already been given a prescribed reading list!) is by using an academic database. If you are not sure how to use a database, then book an appointment with your subject librarian at your institution. ‘Compare’ often appears with ‘contrast’ in essay questions.ContrastShow the differences between two sets of information or arguments. Correct all of these on your first draft unless you are making drastic changes which require a significant amount of rewriting. If you choose to use a printed copy of your writing, you might find it useful to use a different pen so that the corrections and alterations are clearly visible. Check sentence structure, spelling and punctuation as you revise. There are over a dozen types of essays, so it’s easy to get confused. However, rest assured, the number is actually more manageable. Once you have brainstormed your ideas and done some initial research, start putting them into a logical order as part of the essay planning process. Brainstorming helps you to see what you know about the topic. Brainstorming, researching and planning are cyclical, which means that each process helps the other processes and you might want to do each process more than once. To read about essays in greater detail, download this PDF or Word document. Your paragraphs should be balanced â€" keep to the rule of no less than 3 sentences per paragraph. Scope â€" where you outline what exactly is going to be covered in relation to your argument.2. Main bodyEach paragraph should focus on one idea only. Writing your introduction last means you are more likely to have a tighter fit between the introduction, main body and conclusion because you already know what your essay will be about. Concluding sentenceThe Concluding Sentence should echo the main point of the paragraph and function as a bridge to the next paragraph.N.B. Paragraphs should be balanced â€" keep to the ‘no less than 3 sentences per paragraph’ rule. Elaboration and examplesElaboration of the main point should add more detailed information in relation to the topic sentence. Essays help you discover more about a topic and write a reasoned analysis of the issues in question, using a range of external sources to support your position. You also need to check spelling, sentence structure and punctuation. Thus, it will be argued that despite chocolate’s positive effect in some cases on mood and the cardiovascular system it has also been linked to addiction and obesity. Leave yourself enough time to look at your essay more than once. For a 1000 word essay you need at least three days to redraft your essay. Essays also sometimes begin with an issue, outline the scope and then move on to end the introduction with the thesis statement. Sometimes, particularly in very short essays, the essay will begin with an issue rather than a background statement. ‘Contrast’ often appears with ‘compare’ in essay questions.CriticiseEvaluate an argument or a text to see if it is good. ‘Criticise’ does not mean you have to be negative.CritiqueEvaluate an argument or a text to see if it is good. ‘Critique’ does not mean you have to be negative.DefineExplain the meaning of a word or a term, especially in the context of your essay. There is no set model for an essay, but the English for Uni website presents one popular way to do it. The following example is based around a 1000 word discussion essay.