Essay Types: Example Essay, Opinion Essay and Sample Essay Analyses

Exemplification refers to using examples to illustrate or explain a general point or an abstract

Concept.

In writing, examples have many functions such as explaining and clarifying, adding interest and persuading the reader.

Some points to consider when using examples in writing are the number of examples, relevancy of examples and choice of examples.

An example essay consists of three main parts, namely introduction, body and conclusion.

An introduction paragraph begins with a generalisation about the topic and ends with the thesis statement.

Body paragraphs (also known as supporting paragraphs or developmental paragraphs) consist of a topic sentence, which presents the main point of the paragraph, and examples that support the topic sentence and thus the thesis.

The body paragraphs could be organised in three different ways:

1. each body paragraph may develop a different example about the topic,
2. each body paragraph may present a point illustrated by several brief examples,
3. each body paragraph may deal with an aspect of an extended example developed throughout the paper.

Within each paragraph, you can arrange examples

• chronologically,
• in order of increasing complexity, or
• in order of importance.

The conclusion paragraph of an example essay restates the thesis and reinforces the main idea of the essay.

In example essays, the most frequently used transitions include for example, for instance, in fact, namely, specifically, that is, and thus.

An opinion essay is a piece of written work in which the writer tells what they think or feel about a topic, and support this opinion or feeling with facts and examples.

Unlike other types of essays, the opinion essay can rely on the writer’s opinion rather than relying on hard facts only. Another distinctive characteristic of an opinion essay is the use of such personal expressions as “I think” and “I believe”.

The hook could be a general statement, a question, a quotation, an anecdote, personal experience and refutation. You can also make use of an unexpected fact or statistics as the hook. In addition, humour or a combination of humour with an anecdote may be employed to grab the reader’s attention in the introductory paragraph.

The thesis statement is a clear statement of the writer’s opinion and the reasons that support this opinion. The thesis statement should give a clear image of the essay.

A good thesis statement:

• must state the writer’s position on the topic,
• should include only one controlling idea,
• should be a complete sentence, not a phrase,
• should be a statement, not a question,
• should give an opinion rather than a simple

fact or statement,

• should not announce what the essay will be

about.

The purpose of the body paragraphs of an opinion essay is to support the opinion stated in the introductory paragraph (thesis statement) with reasons and examples. That is why they are also called supporting paragraphs or developmental paragraphs.

Concrete support can be established by using facts, statistics, illustrations and personal experience in addition to examples.

Linking words for emphasis are:

Undoubtedly, Indeed, Obviously, Generally, Admittedly, In fact, Particularly / In particular, Especially, Clearly, Importantly, Actually

In addition to the restatement of the thesis and the summary of the main points, the concluding paragraph may also include a final comment about the topic, a prediction, a recommendation and a possible solution. However, it should not mention a new opinion.

Words and phrases that can be used in the conclusion paragraph are as follows:

In conclusion, ...............

To summarise, ...............

To sum up, ...............

To conclude, ...............

To put in a nutshell, ..............

Shortly / Briefly, ..............

Consequently, ...............

As a result, ...............

When everything is taken into account/consideration, ..............