ESSAY

Essay is a type of prose that briefly analyzes or evaluates a topic. Its purpose is your own
opinion based on research and personal knowledge, depending on the type of essay, you
can also find a conviction in the reader.

Keep in mind that an essay is usually judged according to three criteria:

1. Relevant and well-documented content.

2. An appropriate and well-organized argument.
3. The correct and idiomatic use of language.

The steps in preparing an essay are:

1. Make a list of ideas. Once done, try to find a logical order for it and sort it by
categories.
2. Make an outline [outline]. This allows you to present all the ideas as well as the
central arguments in a visual way.
3. Write the first draft [draft], and then as many as necessary.

An essay consists of 3 fundamental parts: introduction, knot or body, and conclusion. Next
we will see each of those parts in detail.

Introduction

Introduction consists of generating ideas on a specific question and not on a very broad
topic. Therefore, the subject will have to be limited and focused, that is, organized
according to a certain perspective and by means of a series of questions that the writer asks
himself.

The introduction, which will not extend more than one paragraph, will contain the
following parts:

 First, a brief general introduction to the subject.

 Then the interpretation of the implications of the question as well as the order that
the essay will follow
Body

The development of the aspects indicated in the introduction takes place. In general, each
aspect mentioned will occupy a paragraph of the essay.

It is a very important section of the essay as it demonstrates the writer's organization and
argumentation.

There are different organization strategies, depending on the purpose, the writer will use
one or another argumentation strategy:

 The analysis. It consists of the description of parts or components of an entity.

 Comparison and contrast. It serves to point out similarities and differences
between two or more sets or entities.
 Definition. Clarification of a term or concept that the reader may not know.
 The cause and the effect. Examine an object or phenomenon and look for its
origins and consequences.

Conclusion

The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay and should collect the ideas that were
presented. The conclusion begins with a brief summary of the essay and ends with a phrase
that draws the reader's attention to the key point of the article. This last sentence should
reflect well the focus of the essay and often serve to place the central idea in a broader
context.

Once the essay is finished you should review it. This review consists of two fundamental
steps:

 In the first review you should observe the content and organization of the essay, see
if it communicates its purpose to the reader and if there is cohesion between the
parties.
 In the second revision you should look at the grammatical aspects. Among them,
pay attention to punctuation marks, accentuation, gender agreement, spelling of
words, and aspects of grammar. [ CITATION Yol16 \l 12298 ]
 ARGUMENTATIVE PARAGRAPH

An argumentative text is a textual organization focused on judgment and taking a position

on some controversial issue. Said action implies that the assumed position will be defended
through a series of reasons. That is why this type of writing aims to express opinions or
refute them in order to persuade or convince a receiver.

It is the idea that is being reflected on and that expresses the author's point of view on a
certain topic. It should be noted that it is the central issue that will control the entire writing
and therefore it has to express and synthesize the purpose of the text, therefore it is very
important that the reader can identify it so that the intention is clearly communicated.

The arguments are the facts, evidence or data that structured through the author's reasoning
will be supported.

Argumentative texts have some features:

1. They present a dialogical situation, that is, there are at least two actors who do not
share the point of view.
2. They are intended to persuade, convince or demonstrate.
3. The topics they address are controversial, this means that they have at least two
possible solutions.
4. They demand a democratic and symmetrical situation in which the actors have the
same conditions to make their point of view known

In general, the different types of arguments are used intermixed, depending on the
communicative purpose sought. In the case of argumentative texts, arguments based on:

 Based on data and facts. In both cases, the information is irrefutable, since it rests
on demonstrable facts or statistical data.
 Based on definitions. Defining is capturing the essential, real features of the
defined object, in order to point out what constitutes it. The definition for
argumentative purposes is personal, expanding freely according to the need of the
topic.
  Defining the meaning: Defining a word is delimiting the meaning, using words
to explain another.
 Defining a notion: Defining a notion is giving a specific explanation to a
precise word in a given context.
 Based on comparison and contrast.
 Comparison: It is used to indicate the similarities between two or more facts,
which at first glance may not have common elements.
 Contrast: It is used to point out the differences between two events that, despite
the similarity between them, are latent
 Based on descriptions and narrations. Telling or narrating stories, experiences or
anecdotes can be an effective persuasive resource, since it triggers inference
processes from a particular fact to a more general one
 Based on cause-effect logic. Explaining the cause of a phenomenon implies giving
the reasons why this event occurs, answering the why of them. The causes can be
immediate and underlying

Structure

Introduction. The topic is presented, it will be pointed out explicitly through a sentence
with full meaning.

Development. Facts are presented through the narration of stories, experiences,

testimonies, observations, figures or surveys that allow the thematic conditions in which the
argument will unfold.

Then, the arguments are presented to defend the position stated above. The arguments can
be of different types, depending on the purpose pursued.

Conclusion. In general, the final part of the argumentative text validates the hypothesis, be
it explicit or implicit. The main idea is retaken, observing the conclusive scope that has
been achieved with the exposition of the arguments. It is also possible to ask questions or
propose possible solutions to a certain problem associated with the thesis or main idea of
the text. [ CITATION Álv15 \l 12298 ]
Bibliography

Díaz, Á. (2015) What is an argumentative text? Obtained from

https://cla.univr.it/personale/lettori_cel/materiale_didattico/Benavente/C2-LM/C2-LM_Qu
%C3%A9%20es%20un%20texto%20argumentativo.pdf

Gamboa, Y. (2016). GUIDE FOR WRITING THE TEST. Obtained from

https://www.unipiloto.edu.co/descargas/archivo_administracion_de_empresas/guia_ensayo
s.pdf