ING182U-COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND ACADEMIC REPORTING II
Chapter 4: Essay Types: Classification Essay, Process Essay, and Sample Essay Analyses
Introduction
In this chapter, two types of essays, classification (1) and process (2), will be shown in terms of their basic characteristics and organisations. Some sample essays will be given in order to teach how to write well-organised division and classification and process essays.
Classification Essay
The simplest way to describe a classification essay is as a formal piece of writing intended to highlight your aptitude for classification and generalisation. In another saying, classification essay is a type of developing an essay by arranging people, objects, or ideas with shared characteristics into particular classes or groups.
Classification
The term classification, within the framework of writing ability, is also used for one of the essay types that are expected to be acquired by the foreign language learners. Along with the similarities with the other essay types, the classification essay has its own distinctive features. These features can be generally categorised under the titles of vocabulary, content / coherence, and rhetorical organisation. Before mentioning the components of the classification essay one by one, it will be beneficial to observe the organisation as a whole.
Organisation for Classification Essay
Organising ideas and information clearly and logically in an essay so that readers can understand and follow the writer’s thinking is an important stage of the writing process, but it is often more difficult than it appears. Ideas tend to come out in whatever order they occur to the writer when they write, and it is not always easy to turn a first effort into a cohesive, coherent order. Organising is the process of deciding what information belongs together, what should come first, second, etc., and creating a logical flow from one idea or topic to another. Moreover, making these decisions can be difficult.
Depending on the type of essay—its subject, whether it will be a research essay or a personal essay, how lengthy it will be, etc.—the order of the content will vary somewhat. However, there are several characteristics that are common to the majority of expository writing styles that can be used as a general organising principle for essays. The introduction, the body, and the conclusion are the three main components that are used to split most essays and many other types of writing. These three components are quite consistent in terms of aim and the kind of information they contain, even if the length and number of paragraphs for each section may vary significantly from essay to essay.
As you can see in the figure (p. 121), a division and classification essay consists of five paragraphs. The first paragraph is called “Introduction”, and the next three paragraphs are designed as “body paragraphs”, and the last paragraph is the “Conclusion” paragraph of the classification essay.
Components of Introduction Paragraph
Starting an essay can occasionally be the most challenging step. You may already have a plan and know what you want to write, but you still find it difficult to start writing. You are not the first person to struggle with essay beginnings, and you most likely will not be the last one. Writing a book, creating a poem, or generating a written study for a scientific journal cannot be written in the same way as an essay. Writing an essay is a special procedure that calls for logical sequencing, supporting your arguments with credible sources, and using compelling language. However, it also has a crucial characteristic with all other forms of writing.
Initially, you, as an essay writer, must grab the attention of your readers within the first few phrases by writing a hook sentence. From this point of view, the first component, which is the starting sentence of both your introduction and essay, of the introduction paragraph is listed as a hook. The hook, the opening sentence of introduction, is written as an interesting start because you try to persuade the reader to go on reading your essay by catching her / his attention. Therefore, as a hook sentence, a writer can prefer an attractive question, a catchy phrase, quote, song lyrics, a tongue twister, or an exclamatory sentence (An exclamatory statement is a sentence that conveys a lot of emotion).
For example: Do you know that the types of books the people prefer say a lot about them?
The second component of an introduction paragraph includes at least two sentences which are defined as background information. Along with the coherence with the hook sentence, background information should be more specific than the hook. In addition, this component gives general information about the topic in order to inform the reader in a general framework.
Components of Body Paragraphs
The body part of a classification essay consists of three paragraphs. It is the most detailed part of the essay because your main idea should be adequately developed in the body. Each body paragraph should have one main point or assertion that is backed up by supporting details and research on the subject (i.e. academic books and journal articles). The body paragraphs work as the foundation of your argument. Body paragraphs are chunks of text that provide evidence to support an essay, report, or story’s thesis. Three primary parts make up a strong body paragraph: a suitable transition for the paragraph, a topic sentence (or “key sentence”), and supporting details such as research, reports, features, experiences, or statistics. This arrangement helps your paragraph stay on topic and provides a clear, concise flow of information. Since there are three body paragraphs in a classification essay, the generating process of each paragraph is expected to be the same. As mentioned above the first element of a body paragraph is a suitable transition for the type of essay. This
means that a writer should start each body paragraph by writing a transition as a signalling word.
After writing a suitable transition, the writer should present a statement about the general content of the paragraph in the position of a topic sentence. Through this topic sentence, in the example of the classification the writer explains a type / kind /sort / classification of what s/he is writing about. However, this is not enough to inform the reader about the stated type / kind /sort / classification. Therefore, the writer should back up the topic sentence by writing a few sentences including supporting details such as features or examples for the stated type / kind /sort / classification. This makes the paragraph more detailed and informative about the subject. Starting with a transition, stating the topic sentence of the paragraph, and presenting the supporting details means that the body paragraph is completed.
Components of Conclusion Paragraph
Conclusion is the last paragraph of a classification essay. This paragraph includes for main elements: a concludin transition, restatement of the thesis statement, a short summary, and a closure sentence. At the beginning of the conclusion paragraph, as a signalling word giving the message that the last paragraph begins, the writer should use a concluding transition. This transition enables the reader to give the message that s/he will conclude all the statements in the body paragraphs, and complete the essay.
After concluding transition, in a well-designed conclusion paragraph, the writer is expected to restate the t statement by using different words from the statement in the introduction paragraph. In this regard, a hint can be put into practice. As stated before, there are two types of thesis statements: Stated and Implied. When you, as a writer, choose the stated thesis statement in your introduction paragraph, you can use the implied form of it in your conclusion paragraph. Or, you can do the other form: implied form in introduction and stated one in conclusion.
A short summary is another requirement that should be included in a conclusion paragraph. The writer summarises the body paragraphs by writing a few sentences. In this way, the body paragraphs are concluded, and the essay is prepared for the end.
As the last sentence of both the conclusion paragraph and the whole essay is called closure. A single sentence is enough to realise this requirement. The writer can prefer advice, prediction, suggestion, or opinion about the main idea of the essay. Hereby, the conclusion paragraph is finalised.
Process Essay
A rhetorical technique known as process offers detailed instructions or assistance. In academic writing, you may come across a lot of process essays of all kinds. These might range from the conventional process essay, in which you
select a topic and describe the process, to a lab report, in which you describe the procedure for carrying out a lab experiment. A process essay is formatted with the intention of giving the reader instructions or direction. Students related typically write process essays that describe how to carry out an action. The technical manuals or recipes of essay writing essay, are process essays.
Process
When the definition of process is searched in the dictionary, it is seen that this term is described as a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. Besides, such other words as course, operation, procedure, and proceeding are used in parallel with the word process.
The term process, within the framework of writing ability, is also used for one of the essay types that are expected to be acquired by the foreign language learners. Along with the similarities with the other essay types, the process essay has its own distinctive features. These features can be generally categorised under the titles of vocabulary, content g / coherence, and rhetorical organisation. Before mentioning the components of the process essay one by one, it will be beneficial to observe the organisation as a whole.
Types of Process Essay
Process essays can be divided into two categories: directional (showing how to do something) and informational (explaining how something works). A directional essay offers guidelines for getting a certain outcome (how to cook perfect grits). An informational hesis essay discusses a topic to the reader (how a rocket engine thesis works). For instance, directional analysis is used to describe
how a toy is put together in directions. Your audience is most likely unfamiliar with your method when you write a directional analysis. To prevent your reader from making a mistake, you must explain the procedure in clear, uncomplicated detail. Because your work is almost immediately translated into action by the audience, directional process analysis has a special relationship to them. Generally speaking, you can presume that your reader is working on your assignment while your words are being read.
Organisation for Process Essay
Although it is a crucial step in the writing process, organising thoughts and information in a way that readers can understand and follow the writer’s reasoning is frequently harder than it seems. When a writer starts writing, their ideas often flow out in whatever order comes to them, and it can be difficult to put a first draft into a cohesive, comprehensible sequence. Making decisions about what information should go together, what should come first, second, etc. is the process of organising. It also involves developing a logical flow from one thought or topic to another.
Most essays and many other sorts of writing are divided into three basic sections: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Even though the length and number of
paragraphs for each section may vary greatly from essay to essay, these three elements are fairly consistent in their goals and the types of information they contain. The process essay’s first paragraph is referred to as the “introduction”, the subsequent three paragraphs are known as the “body paragraphs”, and the final paragraph is known as the “conclusion”.
Organisation for Process Essay
The first step in creating an essay is to use a hook sentence to draw readers in within the first few sentences. According to this viewpoint, the introduction paragraph’s first element—the opening line of both your introduction and essay—is referred to as the hook. The introduction’s hook, or first sentence, should be crafted as an intriguing introduction in order to compel the reader to continue reading your essay. As a result, a writer may prefer an intriguing query, a catchy phrase, a quote, song lyrics, a tongue twister, or an exclamatory term as a hook sentence (An exclamatory statement is a sentence that conveys a lot of emotion).
Components of Body Paragraphs
As in the other types of essays, three paragraphs make up the classification essay’s body. Since the body of the essay should appropriately develop your main topic, it is the most in-depth section of the essay. Each body paragraph should have one significant claim or assertion that is supported by relevant information and research (i.e. academic books and journal articles). The core of your argument is laid out in the body paragraphs. Body paragraphs are sections of text that offer proof to back up the thesis in an essay, report, or tale. A solid body paragraph is composed of three main components: a proper transition, the topic sentence (or “key sentence”), and supporting details like studies, reports, features, experiences, or statistics. With this structure, your paragraph has a clear, concise flow of information and stays on topic. Since a process essay has three body paragraphs, the creation of each paragraph is anticipated to follow a similar pattern. A good transition for the sort of essay is the first component of a body paragraph, as was already established. This indicates that a transition should be used as a signal word at the beginning of each body paragraph.
After crafting a good transition, the writer should use the position of a topic sentence to offer a remark about the general substance of the connected paragraph. The writer of the process essay discusses a step, attempt, action, stage, or phase of the issue by using this topic sentence in the example. The reader still needs more information to understand the specified step, attempt, action, stage, or phase. In order to support the topic sentence, the writer should produce a few sentences that include details such as features or examples that correspond to the specified step, attempt, action, stage, or phase. As a result, the paragraph becomes more in-depth and topical. The body paragraph is finished when it begins with a transition, states the topic sentence, and then provides the details that support it.
Components of Conclusion Paragraph
The final paragraph of a process essay is called the conclusion. This part consists of such components as a concluding transition, restatement of the thesis statement, a short summary, and a closure sentence. A concluding transition should be used at the start of the conclusion paragraph as a signal that the last paragraph is about to begin. The reader might convey through this transition that they will wrap up all of the body paragraph statements and finish the essay
After giving the concluding transition, the writer should restate the thesis using different words from the introduction paragraph’s thesis statement in a well- designed conclusion paragraph. Advice can be used in this situation. There are two varieties of thesis statements: stated and implied, as was previously mentioned. You can utilise the implied version of your thesis statement in your conclusion paragraph if you decide to use the stated version in your introductory paragraph. Alternatively, you might use the implied form in the introduction and the stated form in the conclusion. Another prerequisite for the concluding paragraph is a short summary. By writing a few sentences, the writer briefly summarises the body paragraphs. In this manner, the essay’s body paragraphs are summarised, and the conclusion paragraph is set up for the end. The final sentence of the whole essay and conclusion paragraph is referred to as closure. It only takes one sentence to satisfy this criterion. The main theme of the essay may be the subject of the writer’s preference for a tip, forecast, proposal, or opinion. The ending paragraph is now complete. The following figure demonstrates how a concluding paragraph is organised.