The job of an essayist is to arrange a series of logical ideas into a persuasive argument. This is why great essays take a linear form, providing each idea in an orderly manner so that the reader can appreciate the argument and/or thesis statement.
How do you successfully structure an essay?
To ensure that the essay has a neat structure, the writer must make logical arguments. The structure is primarily determined by the theme or topic of focus. This is because the topic being focused on dictates the facts the readers ought to be fed and in what succession.
Every essay should have a structure that is best suited to the thesis statement or main point being put forward. In other words, there are no fixed formulae.
Most academic essays include several types of information, and these facts are situated in specific parts of the essay. It all depends on what is important to the main issue the essay is trying to address. This is no easy feat to accomplish. Writing essays require a lot of thought and logical planning. It isn’t enough reason to throw in the towel and resort to searching for ‘write my essay’ or ‘type my essay’ on Google or any other search engine.
Structuring an essay is a skill that can be easily learned.
The different parts of the essay can be viewed as a set of questions that might arise in the reader’s mind. Below are some important questions that dictate the structure of the essay.
- The ‘What?’ Questions
One of the foremost questions the reader usually asks is ‘what’. For instance, the reader might wonder what evidence is there to show that your main idea might be true. Your job is to satisfy the reader’s curiousity by scrutinizing your evidence and showing the depth and certainty of your main point. Be sure to do this early , in the introduction section of the essay. Keep your examination clear and precise. This will help you maintain the much needed balance required to complete a stronger essay.
- The ‘How?’ Question
Another question that often comes up in the reader’s mind is how. Is the thesis statement true in all cases? If yes, how true is it? And how does the main point hold up in the face of a counterargument? To what extent and in what manner (how) do the main points of the essay hold up when the evidence is examined from another perspective?
A well-written academic essay should have one or more sections where the question ‘how’ is being addressed. Every essayist must answer how questions in every section where the argument in the essay is complicated. Typically, longer essays will most likely have more ‘how’ questions.
- The ‘Why?’ Question
Why is your main point essential? Why should the reader care? This part of the essay explains the wider implications of your thesis statement.
For most readers, it is important to know what is at stake in your main point. Answering these questions gives your readers a clearer and wider understanding of your essay. They appreciate its importance.
The ‘why’ question can be answered in the introductory section or the conclusion or both. Essentially, it is best to fully answer the why question in the conclusion.
Essayists who omit answers to the why question risk confusing their readers. No serious writer wants his or her essays to be perceived as an incomplete, pointless, or total waste of time.
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