Purpose: This essay wants the reader to agree with the writer’s opinion, and so tries to convince the reader as strongly as possible that the writer’s beliefs are correct. The essay may use strong language, and be openly very biased, or it may be subtler, and present the opinions as simply the most logical way to understand the topic.

Useful language:

Purpose: This type of essay discusses the similarities and differences between two things (places, people, ideas, choices, beliefs). It can focus on just the similarities (compare) or just the differences (contrast) or do both in the same piece of writing. The writer may have a balanced or neutral opinion, or may be very biased and try to convince the reader while comparing or contrasting.

Useful language:

Purpose: The function of this essay is to describe, or illustrate how something looks, feels, smells, tastes, sounds, makes the writer feel, or simply what something is or how something happened. This essay is full of adjectives and detail, and aims to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. It is often combined with a narrative, and helps tell a story in a vivid and lifelike

Useful language:

• Materials? metal, glass, wood, cotton, silk, flesh, fur, rock…
• Adjectives for things? enormous, miniscule, colorful, intricate…
• Adjectives for people? vivacious, introverted, arrogant, awkward…
• Adjectives of sense? salty, bright, deafening, aromatic, smooth…

Purpose: This is essentially a ‘short story’ but is sometimes referred to as an essay. It is less formal than argumentative or compare and contrast essays, and can be written from the writer’s personal perspective (first person, using ‘I’). It may describe several events and characters, or focus on one of each in greater detail. It is often combined with a descriptive style, and tries to engage or entertain the reader.

Useful language:

Match these extracts to the essay type:

• ….He sat waiting in the car nervously, staring out into the rain. Eventually, a large black car drove up and parked in front of the house. A woman and two men got out and ran quickly to the front door…
• …It is, therefore, logical to conclude that the only reasonable solution is to accept that differences between men and women are largely due to gender stereotypes. I believe…
• …The bazaar is a cocktail of curious smells, blinding colors and deafening sound. Overhead the straw ceiling lets sunlight in through it’s many cracks and holes…
• …Studying at academies in the evening is therefore very common. On the other hand, the sales figures of private study books, CDs and computer programs are rising steadily, suggesting many people also like to…

Now scroll down for the answers.

• 1 = Narrative
• 2 = Argumentative/Persuasive
• 3 = Descriptive
• 4 = Compare/Contrast

Look carefully at the verbs in the essay question - they will give you direction regarding what type of essay you are required to write. For example, ‘Justify’ ‘Present your argument’ and ‘Support your preference’ all tell us that the essay should be argumentative/persuasive. ‘Discuss the similarities/differences’ or ‘evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each’ tells us we should compare/contrast.

Writing Topic

You’ve read about different types of essays in the lesson for Week 3. Now it’s your turn to try your hand at writing several different styles. For your assignment this week, write a compare/contrast essay.

The following is your topic:

As you read in Week 3’s lesson, the compare/contrast essay outlines the similarities and differences between two things, people, concepts, places, etc. The essay can be an unbiased discussion, in which you don’t take sides, or an attempt to convince the reader of the benefits of one thing over the other. It can also be written simply to entertain the reader, or to arrive at an insight into human nature. Feel free to focus on both the similarities and the differences, or just the similarities, or just the differences.