What is the best way to write an essay ?
An essay is an article about a scientific, cultural or philosophical subject, but is less formal than for example a thesis. The aim of an essay is to convince, inform or inspire the reader. But how do you do this, and how do you actually write an essay? You can read about this below.
Choose a subject
Sometimes you will be assigned a subject, so you know what you need to write about. If this is not the case, it is important to pick a subject that you have a strong opinion on and that you understand well. If you pick something you are not that interested in, it will be harder to come up with good arguments. It is also a good idea to read up on the subject beforehand. This will save you time while writing the essay as you won't have to look up as much.
Start on paper
To create a good structure it is handy to first make an outline of your essay. An essay consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion. You can make an outline by listing what you want to say, using keywords, for each of your paragraphs. Afterward, you can expand your essay using this set-up.Captivating introduction
The introduction is the first part of the text your reader reads and is therefore important for whether they will continue to read the rest of your essay. Make sure that your first sentence is captivating, makes your reader curious, and stimulates them to read further. In the introduction, you also explain what you are going to talk about in your essay. A tip is to write your introduction last, as then you will have all the information on the subject which makes it easier to introduce your arguments.Writing style
Try to be original and to use a diverse vocabulary. An essay is not as formal as a thesis, but it is still a serious text. Don't try to be too funny, but keep it professional. However, it is important to not make the text too difficult as this might lead to the reader not understanding what they are reading.Closing sentence
Similar to the introduction, you have to include a captivating sentence to your conclusion. This closing sentence has to motivate your readers to take actions that will convince them even more of your message.Sources
At the end of an essay, you list the sources you used. Keep in mind that the sources (almost) always have to be written in the APA style. If you are unsure how to do this, you can use the APA generator on the Scribbr website.
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