Different Types of Essays (Pre-Published)

Center for Writing Across the Curriculum, Dante 202 Types of Essays

The essay as a style of writing Just like the novel, the scientific report, or poetry, the essay is a style of writing that has definite characteristics. By definition, an essay is written in prose (paragraph format) and addresses a particular stance on a specific topic (Merriam-Webster). This stance is usually referred to as the “thesis.” Not every essay, however, is an argumentative essay. There are several distinct styles within the overarching category of “essays.” Because of the versatility of the essay, it is the most popular form of writing in college. This handout will explain the differences and similarities between each type so that you can choose the best way to frame your thesis.

Every paper has a point An essay should add something new and interesting to the discussion surrounding a topic. In the act of contributing something to the scholarly conversation, you are making a an argument (a point). Even when collecting past research on a subject, you are doing so for a reason, to reveal something.There are a number of ways to get this point across to your readers, each with its own particular purpose.

Four Types of Essays Remember: even though these essays use different approaches, they all hinge on a central point, a “so what?”. The “persuasive/argumentative” essay contains the most obvious type of opinion, but every essay must contain some sort of argument, even if it is subtle. Use the questions posed here to start considering ways to convey your point.

1. Narrative Tell a story about a real-life experience. What is the moral of your story? What does your story reveal about the subject? What did you learn from this experience? What effect did this experience have on your later life?

2. Descriptive Describe a person, place, object, memory, etc. What is the deeper meaning of your subject? Why is it important that we know about it in such detail? What do the details reveal about the subject?

3. Expository Expository essays are informative and provide a balanced analysis on a topic. They don’t try to persuade someone to take a side, but they do provide evidence for a specific stance. There are several types of essays that fit in this category: ● Cause and Effect: Why do we care about this topic? Why is it important that we recognize this particular cause and effect? ● Compare and Contrast: Are they more similar or different? Choose a side or explain why the two sides are equally similar and different. Why do we care that they are or are not? ● Problem and solution: Why is this an important problem? Why is this the best solution?

4. Persuasive/Argumentative These are the kinds of papers that you typically write for English and Seminar classes. The goal of this kind of essay is to convince your audience that your point of view is correct by using sound logic and examples. There are two major categories of persuasive/argumentative essays: ● Research papers: What does your research reveal about the topic? What new insights can be gained from the research you have gathered? Why should we care about this topic? What effect does this research have on other areas of study or “real-life” applications? How does your evidence prove or disprove a point? ● Analysis (Ex. Literary Analysis): What makes this text effective or ineffective? How does the author use tone, literary devices, themes, imagery, or other tools to get his/her point across? What judgments can you make about this text? How can its content be applied to other areas? Center for Writing Across the Curriculum, Dante 202

Deductive and Inductive Reasoning There are two main types of reasoning to get your point across to readers: deductive and inductive. The style you choose depends on your audience, your subject, and your personal writing style. Below the two types of reasoning are explained in the most general sense; they can take more nuanced forms depending on what is being argued.

Deductive reasoning Deductive reasoning begins with a generalization and then supports it with specific examples. This is most often used for in-class essays, since it allows you to demonstrate your ability to apply concepts. This can also be used for take-home essays, but you must use this style of reasoning deliberately (for a defined purpose). Deductive essays support a presupposed notion with facts.

Example (adapted from Cliff’s notes):

Prompt: Agree or disagree with the following and statement and provide supporting evidence for your stance: “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Support: 1. It is better to look dorky while wearing a helmet than to have brain damage from a crash. 2. It is better to cite all of your sources than be tried in the Honor Court for plagiarism. 3. It is better to assume that a snake is dangerous and stay away than to be bitten by a viper.

This example has chosen to “agree” with the statement. Thus, it assumes this statement to be true and then provides support for the statement using real-life examples.

Inductive reasoning Inductive reasoning is much more common in college-level take-home essays. Inductive reasoning presents a body of evidence and then draws a general conclusion based on the evidence.

Inductive reasoning is more open-ended than deductive reasoning. While deductive reasoning proves something that we already know to be true or false, inductive reasoning allows us to come to new conclusions based on the available evidence.

Example of Deductive vs. Inductive reasoning (taken from eHow):

Deductive Inductive If all llamas are mammals, and Edgar is a llama, If Edgar has a long neck, two-toed hooves, and has heavy, woolly then Edgar must be a mammal. fur, then we may infer that he is a llama.

Inductive reasoning does not prove that something is true; Edgar could actually be an alpaca! However, you can use the evidence that you have to convince someone that your point of view is reasonable. Using Inductive Reasoning in Your Essay: Inductive reasoning can be employed in an essay in two ways:

1. Most essays do not follow the flow of inductive reasoning; rather, they present the concise thesis (as discovered through the evidence) at the beginning, and then list and explain the evidence that led to that argument.

2. You can also write your essay to mimic your process of discovery, presenting evidence as you go and revealing your concise argument at the end.

Your readers will likely be expecting the first method, so be careful when you leave your thesis until the end. However, if used carefully, this can be a very powerful writing tool.