Essay Writing

M: We're going to spend the rest of the month writing different kinds of essays. First though, we need to talk about what makes an essay good. There are certain things that every essay, despite what you'll be writing about, needs to have. Okay, so who can tell me one thing that an essay must have? W: Um, doesn't every essay need an introduction? M: Of course. Every essay must have an introduction. In the intro, you'll talk about the focus of your essay. You might also talk about some of your arguments or subtopics. But if you do, you have to make sure that you're very brief about them. Your introduction shouldn't be more than a paragraph. So what else does an essay need to have? W: A conclusion? M: Absolutely! If you're introducing your topic at the beginning, you must conclude your argument at the end. The conclusion talks about similar things as the introduction, but it's not exactly the same. Here, you have to wrap up your topic. You have to make sure that the reader is convinced that your point of view is right. Yes, do you have a question? W: So what happens in the middle? M: The middle's the most important part! That's where you tell your reader all the reasons that he or she should agree with you. That's where you really get to show off what you know.