How to write an essay

- Sentence 2 : restate the topic by your own words or rewrite the question - Sentence 3: thesis statement : State your opinion if you want to readers know directly your opinion - Or you

How to write an essay

1 Component

Consist of 21 sentences, about 12 words per sentence ( 21× 12 = 252 words )

 Three sentences for introduction

 Five sentences for paragraph 1

 Five sentences for paragraph 2

 Five sentences for paragraph 3

 Three sentences for conclusion

2 How to write an introduction

- Sentence 1 : mention the topic in a further and general way

Example :

+ Having a car has become an essential part of many people’s lives

+ The world today is characterized by the free flow of information and commodity

+ It has always been a controversial issue over whether general education or specific education is deemed more suitable for children

+ Television is a big influence in the lives of most of us

- Sentence 2 : restate the topic by your own words or rewrite the question

- Sentence 3: thesis statement : State your opinion if you want to readers know directly your

opinion

- Or you can write : “ This essay will discuss the problem clearly in details.”

Example :

+ In my opinion, it can be difficult ……

+ I strongly believe that ………

Modal introduction 1

It is quite common these days for young people in many countries to have a break from studying after graduating high school This trend is not restricted to rich students who have money to travel, but is also evident among poorer students who choose to work and become economically independent for a period of time

A modal introduction

Some people think that telephone and e-mail have made communication between people less personal, but I disagree If anything, they have made communication more personal That is because these types of

communication are easy, informal and inexpensive.

3 Write the body of the essay

- You should develop each paragraph for one supporting idea

- Remember to give examples and illustrations

4 Write the conclusion

A good conclusion will:

- Rephrase the question again but different from the sentence in the introduction

- Summarize the main ideas

- Give your opinion if you haven’t given it already

- Look to the future ( say what will happen if the situation continues or changes) but NEVER ADD new information

REMEMBER THAT A GOOD ESSAY MUST mainly MEET TWO REQUIREMENTS

a COHESION ( cố kết của bài luận) được đánh giá trên các tiêu chuẩn

 Transition words ( từ nối giữa các câu và các đoạn)

 Grammar and spelling

 Sentence variety ( simple and complex sentences )

b COHERENCE ( tính chặt chẽ bên trong bài luận)

Cách sắp xếp các ý tưởng chặt chẽ và logic

Your ideas can be stated clearly and strongly enough to persuade your readers ??

Conclusion example 1:

My view is that young people should be encouraged to broaden their horizons That is the best way for them to get a clear perspective of what they are hoping to do with their lives and why Students with such perspective are usually the most effective and motivated ones and taking a year off may be the best way to gain this

Example 2:

Some people think you have to meet face to face in order to have personal communication, but this isn’t so Telephones and e-mail make frequent communication convenient They help maintain personal

relationship.

TỪ NỐI DÙNG TRONG BÀI LUẬN ( TRANSITION WORDS)

1 CONCLUDING ( kết luận)

- To conclude,

- In conclusion,

- To summarize,

- In short,

- To conclude with,

2 ADDING IDEAS

- And

- As well as

- Moreever

- Furthermore

- In addition

- On top of that,

- Another point is

3 COMPARING

- Similarly

- Likewise

- As with

- Like

- Equally

- In the same way

4 CAUSE AND EFFECT

- Because

- Because of

- As a result of

- Consequently

- Therefore

- Thus

- Owing to

- Due to

2

5 SEQUENCING

- First, firstly, first of all

- Second, secondly

- Third

- Next

- Meanwhile

- Subsequently

6 ILLUSTRATING

- For example

- Such as

- For instance

- In the case of

- As shown by

- Illustrated by

- One example is …

7 QUALIFYING

- But

- However

- Although

- Unless

- Except

- Apart from

- As long as

- If

8 CONTRASTING

- Whereas

- Alternatively

- Unlike

- On the other hand

- Conversely

- Having said that

- Nevertheless

- However

9 GENERALISING

- Generally

- In general,

- Generally speaking,

- Overall,

- ON the whole,

- All things considered,

10 SPECIFYING

- In particular,

- Particularly,

- Specifically,

- To be more precise,

11 EXPRESSING YOUR OPINIONS

- In my opinion,

- Personally,

- From my point of view,

- From my perspective,

- I believe that……

- It appears to me that……

12 SUMMARY

- In short,

- On the whole,

- In other words,

- Overall,

- In brief,

13 Expressing certainty

- Certainly,

- Undoubtedly,

- Obviously,

- It is obvious / clear that…

- Definitely,

14 Expressing agreement

- In agreement that…

- In accordance with…

- Accordingly,

15 Affirming your ideas

- In fact,

- Indeed,

- Especially,

16 Confirming your ideas

- In other words,

- In short,

- In simpler terms,

- That is

- To put it differently,

- To repeat

Edited and written by Pham Xuan Huong

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