How to Write Great Essays

HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
CHAPTER 7
Timed Essay Writing Strategies
90
any overused language. Review the section on Informal and Overused Language in Chap-
ter 3 for more ideas on how to keep your word choice fresh.
BODY
In the body of your essay, you develop and illustrate the points you wish to make. It is where
you add the interesting details and examples that support your thesis and make your essay
stand out. Depending on the time you have to write, the body of your essay may be between
two and seven paragraphs, or more. No matter how long the essay, though, remember the
following advice:
■
Include only information that pertains to your topic (do not go off on tangents).
■
Illustrate or explain each point with appropriate details. Some essays may call
for personal experiences, while others may require historical examples. Don’t
simply state that something is true, prove it.
■
Organize your essay with multiple paragraphs.
■
Use transition words like “first,” “next,” and “then” (see below for more useful
transition words).
■
Qualify your answers for accuracy. If you can’t remember an exact date,
approximate—“late eighteenth century” is better than 1789 if 1789 is incor-
rect. If you want to quote someone, but forget their exact words, paraphrase—
“Thoreau noted that solitude was a great friend” is better than misquoting “I
never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
■
Take all the time you can to fully develop your ideas. If you stop writing too
soon, it may be because you haven’t explained yourself completely, or backed
up your assertions with examples.
Transition Words
These are useful when moving from paragraph to paragraph, or point to point. Transition
words help the reader follow your thoughts.
though
next
despite
another
on the contrary
in addition
nevertheless
moreover
on the other hand
conversely
similarly
yet
however
because
consequently
therefore
for this reason
as a result
after
afterwards, after this
subsequently
then
90

---

Timed Essay Writing Strategies
CHAPTER 7