Academic essay

• Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, the learner should be
able to;
i. Define and essay and know its different
parts.
ii. Define a paragraph and know its different
parts.
iii. Write an essay.
 Definition
An essay is a group of paragraphs on a single subject. An
academic essay may be term papers or essay
assignments. Parts of an essay (Kirsner et al. 2009);
i. The introduction: Begins with a general background.
Writer lets the reader know what to expect. Provides
a brief overview of the paper’s main points. The last
line is the Thesis Statement.
ii. Body Paragraphs (To be discussed below).
iii. Conclusion. Begins with concluding statement and
ends concluding remarks.
 Thesis Statement
• Most important sentence in your paper.
• Contains the main idea of the paper; one idea.
• Introduces the main topic or argument on which the essay
is based.
• If someone asked you, “What does your paper say?” your
answer would be your thesis statement.
• Body paragraphs support this statement; the entire paper is
based on this statement.
• Thesis statement is interesting, engaging and clear;
understandable after one reading and should have no
mistakes (Rolls & Wignell, 2013).
 Examples of Thesis Statement
Essay Question: What is meant by the term digital
revolution? Discuss the impact of digital revolution
on traditional media in Kenya.
Thesis statement a: This essay will discuss the
positive and negative impact of digital revolution on
traditional media in Kenya.
Thesis statement b: This essay begins by defining
what is meant by digital revolution, and then
discusses the impact of digital revolution on
traditional media in Kenya.
 Body Paragraphs
What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a group of
sentences that develop one topic or idea.
It has three main parts (Long, 2012);
• Topic sentence
• Supporting sentences
• Concluding sentence
 Paragraphs
• Topic sentence: The first sentence of the
paragraph. It is called the topic sentence
because it states the topic or the subject of
the paragraph.
• Supporting sentences. These develop the
topic and make up the body of the paragraph.
This means that they explain the topic
sentence in detail. They give evidence,
statistics, examples, facts, etc. to do so.
 Paragraphs
• The last part is the concluding sentence. It
summarises the paragraph and/or adds a final
comment. It is the last sentence in a paragraph. It
restates the main idea of your paragraph. It restates
the main idea of the paragraph using different words.
• In its simplest and most basic form, a paragraph is a
group of sentences about one topic. Paragraphs are
the fundamental building blocks of texts. An effective
paragraph is logical, well-structured and clear.
 Paragraphs
• Example: Canada is one of the best countries in the
world to live in. First, Canada has an excellent health
care system. All Canadians have access to medical
services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a
high standard of education. Students are taught by
well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue
studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are
clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have
many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a
result, Canada is a desirable place to live.
 Transitional words
• From the above paragraph the transitional
words are in bold: First, second, finally, as a
result.
• To show addition: again, and, also, besides,
equally important, first (second, etc.), further,
furthermore, in addition, in the first place,
moreover, next, too
• To give examples: for example, for instance, in
fact, specifically, that is, to illustrate
 Some Useful Transitions
• To compare: although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even
though, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the contrary,
on the other hand, still, though, yet
• To summarise or conclude: all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in
short, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to sum up
• To show time: after, afterward, as long as, as soon as, at last, before,
during, earlier, finally, formerly, immediately, later, meanwhile, next,
since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when, while
• To show place or direction: above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere,
farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left (north, etc.)
• To indicate logical relationship: accordingly, as a result, because,
consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since, so, then,
therefore, thus
 Conclusion
• Begins with a concluding statement and ends
with concluding remarks.
• Summarises the findings of your paper.
• Reminds the readers of the paper’s main ideas
and wraps up your argument.
• Restates the thesis in different words/phrases.
 References
•Kirsner et al, (2009). Writing First; Practice in
Context, Fourth Edition, New York. Jersey: Prentice
Hall.
•Long, E., (2012). Resources for Writers with
Readings: Paragraphs and Essays, Third edition,
Pearson Education, Inc.
•Rolls, N. & Wignell, P. (2013). Communicating at
University: Skills for success. Darwin Australia,
Charles Darwin University Press.