English 8 Essay Writing
Transition
A word, phrase, or sentence that connects paragraphs or sentences; designed to help essay flow smoothly
formal essay
An essay that uses academic language, logical organization, and serious purpose.
Challenge
An interesting question, quotation, vivid image, call for action, warning, or suggestion to the reader; leaves the reader thinking about your essay and shows up in the conclusion
Tone
Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character
Inference
A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning
Formality
Determined by the audience and/or assignment, informs your choice of words for an essay
informal essay
Essays where you can use I, you, me, etc., generally features less academic and more opinion based or narrative writing.
Evidence
Examples, facts, statistics, sensory details, quotes or anecdotes that support the topic sentence of a body paragraph
Restated Thesis
In the conclusion, this statement reminds readers of your position/opinion on the topic in different words.
Focus Statement
Included in your intro with emphasis on introducing the topic or subject of your essay in complete sentence form; must be written in the form of a statement
Thesis Statement
Meaty sentence that tells the reader what your position/opinion on the topic is and what your essay will cover (a road map); must be written in the form of a statement
Purpose
Reason you are writing your essay (to express yourself, to inform your readers, to entertain, to describe, to analyze, ect.)
Flow
The efficiency of an essay; paragraphs and ideas are well-connected
Introduction
The first paragraph of an essay; includes hook, explanation of topic (focus statement), and thesis statement
Topic Sentence
The first sentence of a body paragraph; supports your thesis statement and introduces the focus of the body paragraph
Hook
The first sentence of your essay; should grab the reader's attention; can be a question, exclamation, powerful statement, or a well-known quote or saying
Title
The name of your essay; should capture your audience's interest
Audience
The reader(s) of your essay
Body Paragraph
A paragraph of support for the thesis; must have topic sentence, evidence and/or examples, and explanations of your evidence
Conclusion
The last paragraph of an essay; includes a restated thesis and a challenge for the reader or something for them to think about
