Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Getting Started
• Method 2 of 4: Getting Started
• Method 3 of 4: How to structure your essay
• Method 4 of 4: How to Recheck the Structure

Even if you are already writing your hundredth essay, you should know how to properly structure information in your work. In order for the text to convey your thoughts to the reader, it must have a clear, well thought-out structure. The most important thing in an essay is the thesis, which sets the direction of the entire work. In this article, you will learn how to properly format an essay or essay.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Getting Started

1. 1 Determine the type of essay. As a rule, all essays consist of main parts: an introduction, which introduces the reader to the topic; the main part in which the topic is revealed; a conclusion that summarizes everything said.However, there are types of essays that require a different structure.
   • For example, in some essays for a university, the thesis must first go, then 3-4 paragraphs of the main text supporting the thesis, and a conclusion in which conclusions are drawn.
   • If you are writing an essay on a work of fiction, the thesis may appear only at the end, and the rest of the text may gradually lead to the key idea.
   • If in an essay you need to compare two points of view, you can consider one point of view in one paragraph, and then compare it with another in the next. You can also compare and contrast everything in one paragraph, and so on for each item.
   • You can arrange information in chronological order, especially when it comes to essays on a historical topic. This will be useful if the chronology supports your idea or if you are telling a story.
   • If in an essay you need to convince the reader of something, you can use one of the following schemes:
     • The essay begins with a thesis, and the rest of the text provides arguments.
     • First, arguments are presented that lead the reader to the thesis. In this case, the thesis is presented as the correct and only possible point of view.
     • First, the pros and cons of the chosen topic are compared, different views on the topic are described, and at the end a conclusion is drawn.
2. 2 Read the text of the assignment carefully. If you have been given a subject for an essay, read the text carefully. It is important to understand what the instructor wants from you before getting started.
   • If you choose the topic yourself, you can ask the instructor if the topic that you took is suitable.
   • Ask questions about anything you don't understand. It's better to make sure you get it right than to waste valuable time on unnecessary work. If you are polite, the instructor will be happy to answer all your questions.
3. 3 Set yourself a challenge. The structure of the essay depends on the task you are facing. As a rule, the essence of the assignment is described in the text of the assignment. Pay attention to the following words: "describe", "analyze", "compare". The text of the assignment will help you understand what your task is and what is the purpose of writing an essay.
4. 4 Think about your reader. If you are in school or university, your teacher will be your audience. However, it is also important to think about who you are reaching out to, especially if your audience is not described in the assignment.
   • Are you writing an essay for a school newspaper? The students of the school will be your audience. However, if you are writing for a local newspaper, all the townspeople will be your readers; people who agree and disagree with you; people for whom the topic is relevant; any other population group.
5. 5 Get started as early as possible. Don't put off writing your essay until the very end. The sooner you get to work, the easier it will be for you to write an essay. Give yourself enough time to work through all parts of the essay.

Method 2 of 4: Getting Started

1. 1 Write thesis. The thesis should be your personal observation. It can be a strong statement, an interpretation of a particular work or event, or any other statement that does not reflect a common knowledge or summarize what has been said in another work.
   • The thesis will be the pivotal point of your work. It will give your readers an idea of ​​what the essay is about.
   • The thesis should reflect one of the possible points of view - other people may disagree with it. This may scare you, but it's important to remember that a good thesis should be one that you can argue with. Otherwise, you will just talk about what everyone agrees on and what is not worth wasting time on.
   • Include your main points in your thesis. For example, your work is about finding similarities in two literary works. In your thesis, describe the main points in general terms.
   • Think if you can answer the question "So what?" A good thesis should explain why you think the topic is important. If your friend in response to the wording of your thesis says "So what?", Can you answer him?
   • It is not uncommon for educators to expect to see at least three arguments, but you shouldn't push yourself into those boxes if you don’t want to.
   • Reread the thesis. If in the process of writing you have new thoughts that were not reflected in the thesis, go back to the thesis and rewrite it.
2. 2 Review the required information as required. It is impossible to start structuring if you do not already know what to write about. If you are lacking in information, find the sources you need before starting work.
   • If you have the opportunity to speak with a librarian, do so. The librarian will help you find trusted sources of information and guide you in the right direction.
3. 3 Write down all the ideas you have. Often, aspiring writers make the mistake of skipping the brainstorming phase when trying to write an essay outline. You will most likely fail because you just don't know what you will be writing about yet. Try a couple of brainstorming techniques to figure out your topic.
   • Try to write whatever comes to your mind. There is no need to stop or correct yourself. Just write for some time (say, 15 minutes) whatever comes to mind when you think about this topic.
   • Write down your key thought, circle it, and write other thoughts around the topic. Look for connections between them and combine them.
   • Try to consider the selected topic from 6 positions: describe, compare, find an association, analyze, apply, decide whether you are for or against.
4. 4 Return to thesis. After studying the materials and brainstorming, you may have a new perspective on the topic. Go back to the thesis and edit it.
   • If your topic was originally too broad, now you can narrow it down. A too broad topic is difficult to cover even in a dissertation, so try to choose a narrower topic. This will allow you to come up with a concrete plan.

Method 3 of 4: How to structure your essay

1. 1 Make a list of the facts you want to include in your essay. Your thesis will help you understand which way to go. If you decide to compare the two topics, you will need to describe how they are similar and how they differ.
   • Decide the order in which you place your arguments. If you want to address three questions, you should rank them from hardest to easiest. This will keep the reader interested in your topic. Conversely, you can build up tension by starting with the simplest.
2. 2 Don't let your sources of information dictate the structure of your text. Do not think that you have to repeat the structure of the source of information in your essay. For example, many aspiring writers try to describe the plot of a novel by arranging their arguments in the order in which the episodes they want in the book go. It is better to highlight the main idea in each paragraph and develop it, even if you have to deviate from the order in which the information is presented in the source.
   • For example, if you are describing the madness of Hamlet, you can give examples from several different passages of text. Even if these scenes are scattered throughout the work, if you look at them all together, it will be more useful to the reader than a sequential analysis of all the scenes.
3. 3 Write key sentences for each paragraph. These suggestions will help you structure your text. Each paragraph should only talk about what the key sentence says. If you add new thoughts there, the essay will be difficult to read.
   • Each of the key sentences should lead to your thesis. Do not use too general phrases that are not related to your topic.
   • Try to make sure that the key sentences describe what the paragraph is about. Many aspiring writers neglect this, rendering key sentences useless.
   • Compare the two key sentences: "Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743" and "Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 and became one of the most important people in America by the end of the 18th century."
   • The first sentence may not describe the entire paragraph. It gives the reader a fact, but does not explain what that fact means. The second sentence describes the context and helps the reader understand what will be discussed next.
4. 4 Use connecting words and sentences. To make your essay easy to read, use words and phrases that tie parts of the text together. Start paragraphs with the words "at the same time" or "as opposed to ...".
   • Auxiliary words make the text more logical. For example, the phrase "Despite its many advantages, this place has many drawbacks that prevent it from becoming the best cafe in the city", will let the reader understand how this paragraph relates to the previous one.
   • You can use linking words within paragraphs. They can combine thoughts, making it easier to perceive.
   • If you find it difficult to connect pieces of text using auxiliary words, this means that your text has poor structure. Try to reread the text to see how best to arrange the paragraphs.
   • Search for lists of helper phrases or make your own.
5. 5 Write a convincing conclusion. Again, repeat your thesis in other words and summarize everything that was said. To make your conclusion interesting, explain what thoughts your conclusions lead to.
   • You can go back to your original thought and add another level of meaning. The conclusion may hint at how important it was for the reader to read your essay in order to understand what is in the thesis.
   • In some essays, it is appropriate to conclude with a call to action or appeal to the reader's emotions. Such essays are used to convince the reader of something.
   • Avoid phrases like "In conclusion". They sound too formulaic.

Method 4 of 4: How to Recheck the Structure

1. 1 Try to leave only the main thing again. Very often, as you write, the accents in the text shift, and this is normal. This makes the text deeper and more interesting. However, this may cause your essay to lose its clear structure. To get your text back to its original state, try highlighting key messages to understand how the text looks now and how it should be.
   • You can do this on a computer or on paper.
   • Reread the essay, highlight the main points of each paragraph in a couple of words. You can write them out on a separate sheet or add a comment to the document in a text editor.
   • Analyze your keywords. Is the order in which you place your thoughts logical? Does your text jump from one thought to the next?
   • If you find it difficult to highlight the main point of a paragraph, it means that the paragraphs are too complex and confusing. Try to break each of them into several.
2. 2 Divide the text into paragraphs. If you can't figure out which order to arrange your paragraphs in, print your essay and cut it into pieces. Try to combine paragraphs in different order. Has it gotten better this way?
   • You can also use this technique with key sentences if the transitions between paragraphs look inconclusive. Ideally, each paragraph should have only one variation of the previous and subsequent paragraph. If you can stack the paragraphs in any order and the text is still readable, you are probably doing something wrong.
3. 3 Change something. Don't feel obligated to stick to your original plan. Perhaps changing the order of the paragraphs will be helpful for your essay. Swap fragments of the text several times, change key sentences and transitions, if necessary.
   • For example, you might think that having the least important argument at the beginning makes your essay lightweight. Try reordering to fix this.
4. 4 Remove the excess. Throwing away what you've spent hours of your work on can be tricky, but it should be done if a piece doesn't fit your text. Don't get too attached to your work and throw away what gets in the way of logical transitions.
5. 5 Reread the essay out loud to identify clumsy or illogical passages. Perhaps in some place the text suddenly changes direction, or in some part there is unimportant information. Underline with a pencil or marker the places that sound bad and redo them.