Writing an essay or a composition proves to be challenging enough. So, here are some tips and strategies on how to organize your writing, easily and quickly, in order to get full marks for the organization aspect of your essay / composition when you sit for an English exam. Read on to familiarize yourselves with the basic types of essays and advice on how to structure them.
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Types of Essays
Essays can be broadly categorized into two types:
1. Factual//Expository Essays
Factual essays present bare facts with accuracy and they do not require any imagination. They require logical presentation but in an interesting manner to retain the reader’s attention. They normally do not have the writer’s opinion or feelings.
Examples of such essays are:
- Importance of Sports
- Preparing for exams
2. Imaginative Essays
Imaginative essays require the student to imagine a particular situation or an event and then express it in an interesting manner, which may be serious or light hearted in nature. The ideas have to be original in such essays and a number of styles can be introduced. There is absolute freedom of thought and expression in such essays.
Some examples are:
- If I had wings
- The great escape
Imaginative essays can be further categorized as:
- Narrative Essays:
- Descriptive Essays:
- Argumentative Essays
- Reflective Essays
- Critical Essays
- Short Story
A. Narrative Essays
A narrative composition contains the narration of an event or a series of events in a comprehensive manner. The word ’narrate1 means to give an account of, to relate what you have seen and witnessed- something from your own experience.
Examples of such essays are:
- A train accident
- A memorable wedding
B. Descriptive Essays
Essays of this type portray a vivid description of some person, place or thing. The observatory skills of the writer and an interesting presentation of the same make such essays interesting.
Examples of such essays are:
- A dream
- Your favorite vacation
C. Argumentative Essays
These essays convey the views of the writer for or against a particular idea. They are argumentative and persuasive in nature. A frank opinion considering both sides of the subject should be given and it should be backed by facts and logical reasoning. The strengths of the subject should be highlighted and the weakness of the opposing side should be exposed.
Examples of such essays are:
- Should Private coaching institutes be banned?
- Cell phones are becoming a nuisance
D. Reflective Essays
These essays reflect on the thoughts and ideas of the writer on particular subjects. In such essays the thinking of the writer has to be conveyed on abstract topics and this is more difficult than writing essays based on visual and factual experiences.
Examples of such essays are:
- Walking in the Rain
- A friend in need is a friend indeed
E. Critical Essays
Critical essays are compositions that offer an analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of an argument, a political situation, a social phenomenon, a historical event, a written text, a literary work, a movie, or a performance subject. The writer expresses his opinion in such essays. To write such an essay you should be fully conversant with the facts and have knowledge about all the aspects of the subject.
Some examples are:
- Write about a recently released book or film
- Critically analyze the Report on Poverty in India
F. Short Story
A short story is a brief work of literature usually written in narrative prose. A short story features a small cast of named characters, and focuses on a self- contained incident which forms its plot. The story should be original and concise and the ideas should flow smoothly and the description should be as real as possible.
Examples of titles of short stories are:
- The Brave Soldier
- The Haunted Cottage
Importance of Categorizing Essays
Essays are categorized to help us in forming our thoughts before attempting to write the essay. It helps us to improve the composition and also helps us to understand the types of compositions we are more comfortable with. For example, some people have a flair for descriptive writing while others are good at argumentative writing.