Types (patterns) of Essays

Narration

A narrative essay tells a story and uses the tools of fiction: selection of important, telling details; logical order of events (such as those in plot), which may or may not add an element of suspense; transitions to make time and events; a narrative point of view, which affects how readers view events; and even dialogue. These essays, while non-fiction, may read like short stories, but the characters and events are derived from real life. The overall purpose is to illuminate or explain.

Description

Description is either objective (factual, not an impression or opinion) or subjective (filtered through the writer's perspective and his/her opinion). Subjective description begins in fact. Careful description helps readers see things more clearly, understand abstract concepts more simply, and appreciate ideas and events in a more personal way. Imagery and sensory language nearly always engage the reader emotionally. In such an essay, the writer hopes to present a single, dominant impression.

Classification

The author divides the subject into categories or other systems to analyze the material, such as types, sizes, number, appearance, prevalence, etc. The system needs to be logical and consistent throughout the essay.

Cause and Effect

The writer wishes to explain why. Types of causes are the immediate causes, which are the encountered first, and the ultimate causes, which are the basic, underlying factors that explain the more apparent causes. Examples: Mom was late for work today because she overslept (immediate cause). She didn't sleep well because she was worrying about her annual employment review and hoped her boss would not bring up the obvious dip in quarterly sales, which she was not prepared to explain was due more to the economic recession than her ad campaign (ultimate cause.) In writing a logical cause and effect essay, the writer must consider all possible relevant factors. There must be evidence for all assertions and attention to objectively.

Process Analysis

There are two kinds of processes: a set of directions, that is, how to do something; and an information process, which explains how something is done or how it works or operates. A process analysis essay can be written in chronological order, that is, the order of the steps in the process (first, next, after that, finally). Some processes are more complicated and require a different approach. A historian who writes about how civil rights activists registered voters would not be necessarily follow a chronology of events.

Analogy

To explain something abstract or complex by showing its similarity to something simpler and more concrete. For the analogy to be effective, the writer should assume that the reader is familiar with the subject. The main purpose of the analogy is to explain.

Exemplification (Illustrating by use of examples)

Uses examples to put abstract or complex ideas into a simpler, more concrete form. To support an argument, a writer must choose a clearly typical example or present several examples that represent the situation fairly. Examples must be relevant or pertinent to the argument.

Definition

When terms in need clarification because they are ambiguous, abstract, unusual, or otherwise not generally understood, the write will seek to define them for the reader, especially if the overall explanation relies on the understanding of these terms. These are several ways to define them. One is through exclusion or differentiation, which shows what is not meant by the term, also called clarification by negation. Writers can also give examples to illustrate the definition. This type of essay, or extended definition, will most likely do more than simply define. The writer seeks also to bring about a greater sense of understanding on an important topic or issue. For example, an essay defining the word "nerd" might be funny and informative, but could also challenge basic stereotypes.

Comparison and Contrast

When we show, in writing, the similarities and differences between two subjects, we are asking readers to look more closely at each. Sometimes the writer looks only to suggest how two things are alike (for example, how Iraqis are similar to U.S. citizens, which brings understanding.) Or, she may never want to show the superiority of one thing over another (such as contrasting the nutritional value of eggs from free-range chickens with those cooped up in large commercial poultry farms). See Chapter 17 for more on comparison and contrast.