From Paragraph to Essay

Thus far we have concentrated on writing paragraphs. This week we will turn our attention to the essay, where a main idea is developed in a number of paragraphs rather then just one. An essay can be three or five paragraphs long, or as long as a book. For obvious reasons, we will focus on the shorter version. We will return to paragraph writing next week, though, so that you don't spend too much time on writing but keep doing it regularly. I am putting this assignment in early because I am going to be in Berlin on Friday. The conference is on online learning, more commonly known as e-learning. I hope to find some partners for exchanges for this class as well as gain some new incentives. Anyone interested in this field is welcome to contact me for more information. Now to this week's assignment:

The overall design or structure of the essay is similar to that of the paragraph in many ways. Both the essay and the paragraph clearly introduce their topics and the position to be developed. Then they support this with enough details to convince their readers that what they are saying is true. However, while the paragraph uses only sentences to support the main idea, the essay uses paragraphs. Although both the paragraph and essay can end in a conclusion, it is optional in the paragraph but required in an essay. Because the position the writer will take toward that topic in an essay encompasses the entire essay including each of the controlling ideas (in the individual paragraphs), it is called the thesis statement. Every controlling idea in each paragraph is then directly related to the thesis statement. Also unlike the paragraph, in an essay the introductory paragraph normally first introduces the topic in one sentence and the thesis statement follows, usually at the end of the introductory paragraph. The following graphic depicts the similarities and differences in a typical English language academic essay.

The Process Analysis Essay

This week the kind of essay we will be writing is a process analysis. In process analysis, the writer describes how to do something or how something happens, by describing the steps or stages in the process. The writer breaks down the process into steps and describes the steps in detail in order to inform or persuade the reader about that process. This is a frequent rhetorical style used for many genres, such as sports, cooking, education and giving directions. It may be used to describe how to kick a penalty, bake a cake, or carry out just about anything that has a system to it. The following paragraph describes how to find a good apartment. Let's first look at the topic sentence:

There are several criteria to follow when a person is looking for a new flat.

The topic is clearly "looking for a new flat" and the controlling idea is that one should follow "several criteria". Now let's look at the paragraph to find out what they are:

There are several criteria to follow when a person is looking for a new flat. Firstly, a very important fact is that the apartment is located in the right district so that it is not too far from where the person works or studies. Travel time can make a big difference in a daily work schedule. Secondly, it is necessary to check that the price of the apartment is within an affordable range. It should not be over one-third of the person's income. Thirdly, the size and shape of the flat or room is important, because the person will have to fit all their furnishings in the given space, e.g. the bed, the wardrobe, the desk and the couch. Lastly, while viewing the apartment, it is important to check for what is included, such as whether there is a kitchen, a balcony, a basement storage area, a washing machine or anything else that is important to the person.

As we see they are listed in the order they should be carried out in. Now in the following essay, more detail has been added to each of the steps listed in the above paragraph. In addition, an introduction and conclusion have been added. To better organize the essay, the four steps have been grouped into two subgroups of when to do each of the steps: 1) steps one and two are when looking in the newspaper or Internet and 2) steps three and four are when visiting the apartment. Each of these steps is then written as a paragraph with a topic sentence. Here is the expanded paragraph:

How to Choose an Apartment

As everybody knows, it is extremely difficult to find the right apartment. However, finding the right apartment is very important because moving is not only very time consuming but also very expensive. So taking the time to search for one is essential but also knowing how to do it and what to look for are crucial criteria to making sure that the apartment a person chooses is worth the time and trouble.

When looking in the newspaper or Internet, the first things to look for are the location and price. It is very important that the apartment is located in the right district so that it is not too far from where the person works or studies. Travel time can make a big difference in a daily work schedule. It is a good idea to check and see if it is possible to take the train or if it is possible to go by bike. Even if the location is right, it is necessary to make sure that the person can afford the apartments that are located in that area because in some areas the apartments are more expensive than in others. If the apartments in one area are too expensive then the person should look for another area where they are affordable but still not too far from the work place or school. A good rule of thumb for the price of an apartment is that it is not more than one-third of the person's income.

Once the person has found an apartment at the right price and location, they should visit it to see if it is the right size and shape and that it has all the other extras they are looking for. The person will have to fit all their furnishings in the given space, e.g. their bed, wardrobe, desk and couch. Otherwise it can be very expensive if the person has to buy new furnishings. While viewing the apartment, they should also check to see what specials are included, e.g. is there a kitchen installed? If not are all the parts there so that an installation will not be too much trouble. This visit will also give the person the opportunity to see whether the apartment has a balcony, a cellar for storage or anything else they may want to have and to ask about the neighbours. It is important to try and match interests for noise or no noise with the neighbors living in the house, for example.

If a person checks to see that their new flat fulfils these criteria, then they are likely to feel more at home in their new flat. And once they have moved in, they will be very happy to know that they do not have to think about going through all that work again for a long time.

The content in the paragraph and essay are basically the same but the essay with its extended information is more interesting because it becomes clearer why it is so important to take ones time when looking for an apartment. Not only is the introduction more interesting but the conclusion adds an extra plus for the reader that the person will also be much happier and feel more at home.

Now it is your turn to pick a process analysis topic to write a short essay about. Here is a list of suggested topics to choose from:
1. Describe a sport, e.g. soccer
2. Describe how to find a summer job
3. Describe how to impress a date
4. Describe how to plan a party
5. Describe how to cook a meal
6. Describe how to prepare for a long trip
7. And the list goes on . . . (Your choice!)

Here is also a list of a few transitions you may want to use between paragraphs:

Try to pick something that interests you and/or may be helpful in your studies. Many topics need special vocabulary to describe them. It may be a good opportunity to pick up some needed vocabulary. Have fun!!

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