Essays come in a variety of forms, each with its own function/purpose. Let’s look at some of the major essay types and their general structures.
The Descriptive Essay
In this essay, the writer sets out to describe something. It could be a place, a person, a thing, a concept, an experience, or anything the writer wants the reader to imagine clearly in his/her mind. What is central to this essay is the element of ‘showing’ the thing described using vivid descriptors like adjectives and adverbs, as well as analogies, similes, and more. It can include a personal bias, but should not aim to pass judgment or necessarily persuade.
The structure is quite flexible. You need an introduction to tell the reader what you are about to describe, but as the body is just a presentation of sense items, there is no ‘logical’ frame to follow. As your aim is only to show something, you will not reach any conclusion.
The Narrative Essay
This essay type often tells a story of a person’s experience. It can be personal or written about others. It employs descriptive language to place the reader in a context, and it can also be persuasive. The language is less formal, which makes it more engaging, even entertaining, and should present the writer’s ‘voice’. There is less focus on being informative, though it can accomplish this aim as well. A common structure is the reflective essay, where one looks back on a particular experience, person, place, etc. in the past tense.
This essay does not have to follow any standard essay format; it can be creative in both content and delivery.
The Expository Essay
This essay aims to explain something or demonstrate the writer’s knowledge of a topic. In other words, it aims to inform. There are several variations of this type of essay. For example, a writer may want to explain a cause and effect relationship; compare and contrast two things, places, etc.; explain how something works; showcase the chronological development of an invention or ideology, and so on. The writer should generally stick to objective facts, meaning that a personal opinion is not a central aim of the writing. The skills used in this type of essay are similar to those of a summary or report, but with greater detail and in-depth perspectives.
Subtypes
Compare/Contrast
Problem & Solution
Cause & Effect
Process
Critical Analysis/Critique
Definition
The structure for this essay type can include an introduction to establish the topic, to provide background information, to suggest why this topic is worth discussing, etc. This is followed by the body that elaborates on the information, and ends with a discussion. As this essay aims to provide information, there is no need for a conclusion. However, the discussion can look at impacts, suggestions for further research, explanations of why some areas of the research are incomplete, etc.
The Persuasive Essay
This essay has a very specific purpose: it wants to change the reader’s mind, or at the very least, to convince the reader to adopt a certain viewpoint. The writer has a particular target reader in mind and often utilizes rhetoric to create an emotional reaction in the reader and then provide solutions to problems that arise from this reaction. When reading such essays, it is important to realize that the writer has an agenda and to be on guard against claims that are biased even when they appear to be delivered objectively.
This essay effectively uses rhetorical and literary devices like anecdotes, metaphors, rhetorical questions, anaphora, and others to draw the reader in. Once the reader is engaged, he/she is more open to the influence of the ideas. The structure is more flexible as the structure itself can be a rhetorical device if used effectively.
The Argumentative Essay
Many readers confuse this type of essay with a persuasive essay. The argumentative essay, however, does not aim to create an opinion for a reader or modify an existing opinion—it simply aims to present a view and then defend it with supporting evidence. It is subjective in its approach in that the writer carefully chooses the support provided, yet objective in that the writer does not necessarily want the reader to agree with the argument, but rather to concede that the argument is a valid one.
This is a common essay type in academic contexts. It usually follows the standard Introduction, Body Conclusion structure.
Mixed elements
Writing tip:
Know what your aim is and decide on an approach before you start writing. Using the wrong essay type can weaken your efforts.
