In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school. In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner. Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as
As mentioned in the first article in this series, students writing an essay as part of an assignment or an ESL/EFL examination often find it difficult to elaborate on the topic they have been given. One cause which can only be remedied by reading newspapers, academic journals or discussing current affairs and a variety of subjects with others, is a lack of ideas. The other is not knowing how to expand an argument, but fortunately this can be solved by putting into play the various types of supporting sentences available.
Let's see what these six types of sentences are.
Supporting Sentences
After writing the topic sentence of your paragraph (read specifics about this here), there are a number of sentences you can use to support the points you make in a (main body) paragraph.
The first four types of sentences are an absolute must-know. All students, regardless of why they are writing an essay, can and must use them to expand their topic sentence. The last two are more suited for the purposes of longer assignments which students can prepare at home after undertaking research, though it is not impossible for ESL/EFL test-takers to employ them under timed conditions.
Not all of these types of sentences will suit each main body paragraph. One paragraph might have a combination of three of these, while another paragraph four. Some paragraphs might have all six of them. Additionally, each category is not a separate sentence per se: it goes without saying that one sentence may include two types, say, an explanation with examples or an argument combined with a quote by a renowned scientist. Learning to balance and vary your paragraphs by mixing and matching sentences is what makes a good essay (naturally, this applies to what grammatical structures or vocabulary you use as well).
Let's turn to these supporting sentence types one at a time, then see how it all fits together by looking at an example.
Arguments
After writing your topic sentence, the first thing you do is clarify the argument you want to present to your reader. It was already hinted in the previous post that the number of arguments you will include in one main body paragraph will depend on how the topic sentence has been formulated. If you say that there are two disadvantages to living in a city rather than in the countryside, then you must include two distinct arguments to back what you say.
Explanations
Having stated your argument, you need to support it, by explaining to your readers
a) what you mean in a clear way
b) how the argument is valid
What you're doing, in fact, is briefly stating your argument to introduce it, then using more space, so to speak, to state the details pertaining to this argument, easing your readers gradually down your train of thought.
Examples
Once you've discussed the facts concerning your argument, you need to illustrate to your readers how what you say is upheld by stating real-life instances. Nothing is more convincing than putting situations into words that readers can relate to or have experienced themselves. It doesn't matter what field your examples come from, as long as they
a) show the practical application of your argument (which is an idea and therefore theoretical)
b) support the validity of your argument
For example, if you can draw on examples from the educational, economic, artistic, personal or political domains, then you are sure to reinforce your position.
Causes / Results
In some cases, you will run out of things to say about an argument quickly, probably because the argument is self-explanatory, uncomplicated, straightforward. One way to extend your paragraph would then be to talk about the reasons behind what you've just said or its implications, and by doing so you manage to solidify the argument's tenability.
For instance, saying that pollution is harmful is self-evident. By mentioning the causes that aggravate the contamination of our planet and the impact pollution has on the environment, you are in fact proving your point.
Statistical Information
This type of supporting sentence is quite likely the strongest weapon in a student's arsenal to prove definitively that what has been stated as argument is a scientifically proven fact. Being able to refer to surveys, studies or other experimentational findings helps persuade readers more easily, so whenever possible, do research to find studies whose results could back a specific argument you've made.
This of course means that students writing an essay as part of an examination in English are at a disadvantage, since it is impossible for them to remember and state the sources of research findings on any given topic. Students writing an assignment at home, however, have the internet at their fingertips or their local library nearby with myriads of resources to choose from, so facts arising from scientific labor should be incorporated in such essays.
Quotations
Like statistical info, learning famous quotes by heart to suit each essay topic is inconceivable, to say the least. You can compile a list of 20 famous last words or unforgettable sayings by famous people but chances are in an exam you won't get a topic to match anything on your list. At home, things are much simpler and including a line from a famous person is a writing technique teachers recommend students employ in assignments.
Applying what we've just said
Having revealed the various types of supporting sentences, let's see what they would look like in practice.
Essay Topic: Living in the countryside is better than living in a large city.
You have decided to argue in favor of living in a large city, so in one main body paragraph you settle on stating one disadvantage of living in the countryside.
Main Body Paragraph: Disadvantage of living in the countryside #1 = lack of facilities (fewer facilities than those present in a large city)
Topic Sentence: One of the main reasons why city life is preferable to country living has to do with the facilities available in small country villages or towns.
Argument: The fact of the matter is that there is a lack of facilities that could make life easier, more comfortable and interesting for residents.
Explanation: Due to the smaller size of a town or village, having the same number of government services and commercial businesses that a city would have is highly unlikely.
Example: In other words, it is expected that there are fewer supermarkets, hospitals or clinics, cinema complexes, sports centers, libraries, schools, parks, restaurants and shopping centers.
Causes: The reason for this is because fewer inhabitants means less income for town planners to construct more on the one hand, and less demand for such facilities on the other. In a town of 5,000 inhabitants, how many football stadiums would you need to accommodate fans? In a remote village whose population barely reaches 500, could ten tavernas serving Mediterranean dishes be in the black for long? Chances are slim to none, unfortunately.
Results: The reason why this must be seen as a disadvantage, is because of the effect it has on people's lives. Fewer facilities restrict options for townsfolk, resulting in more repetitive routines due to the limited number of activities available or even higher health risks because of smaller, inadequately equipped hospitals.
Statistical Information: According to the 2018 National Health Profile complied by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of the Government of India, to take an example, the infant mortality rate in rural areas was higher than that seen in urban areas while life expectancy was higher in urban than rural areas.
Quotation: Though these might be health risks limited to a particular area of the world, the feeling of tedium related to the lack of options mentioned earlier is more global. As famous American stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce reportedly said, "I hate small towns because once you've seen the cannon in the park there's nothing else to do."
So, that's how it's done. Take each type of supporting sentence and write something, then put it all together. With more practice, you will be able to these combine sentence types to flow from one to the next more smoothly.
Don't lose hope. Elaborating an argument is possible as long as you take each bit and work on it separately, then bring everything together.
This is how the paragraph would look as a whole. See how long it is because each type of supporting sentence has been used? In this case, a concluding sentence is unnecessary. Instead, you would move on to your next main body paragraph.
One of the main reasons why city life is preferable to country living has to do with the facilities available in small country villages or towns. The fact of the matter is that there is a lack of facilities that could make life easier, more comfortable and interesting for residents. Due to the smaller size of a town or village, having the same number of government services and commercial businesses that a city would have is highly unlikely. In other words, it is expected that there are fewer supermarkets, hospitals or clinics, cinema complexes, sports centers, libraries, schools, parks, restaurants and shopping centers. The reason for this is because fewer inhabitants means less income for town planners to construct more on the one hand, and less demand for such facilities on the other. In a town of 5,000 inhabitants, how many football stadiums would you need to accommodate fans? In a remote village whose population barely reaches 500, could ten tavernas serving Mediterranean dishes be in the black for long? Chances are slim to none, unfortunately.The reason why this must be seen as a disadvantage, is because of the effect it has on people's lives. Fewer facilities restrict options for townsfolk, resulting in more repetitive routines due to the limited number of activities available or even higher health risks because of smaller, inadequately equipped hospitals. According to the 2018 National Health Profile complied by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of the Government of India, to take an example, the infant mortality rate in rural areas was higher than that seen in urban areas while life expectancy was higher in urban than rural areas.Though these might be health risks limited to a particular area of the world, the feeling of tedium related to the lack of options mentioned earlier is more global. As famous American stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce reportedly said, "I hate small towns because once you've seen the cannon in the park there's nothing else to do."
Click on the following links for more posts concerning essay writing:
1) The Overall Organization of an Essay
2) The Introductory Paragraph
3) The Main Body - The Topic Sentence
4) The Main Body - Concluding Sentence
Read a variety of sample essays by clicking on the image below
Looking for help with the oral exam? Click the image for tips and topics to improve your speaking skills.
