Different Types of Essays

    Most essays entail analysis - close, careful study of a particular topic or issue. There are many different ways to analyze, such as classifying, comparing and contrasting, explaining causes and effects, exploring a topic's history or background, or describing a process. In fact, all these different methods of analysis can work to produce entire essays on their own. For instance, your instructor may ask you to write a comparison/contrast essay that compares and contrasts two similar topics. Or, you might be asked to write an essay that explains the effects of something: the effects of a war, of divorce, of peer pressure.

    Sometimes your instructor will ask you to take a stand on a controversial issue and argue your position. For an essay like that, you may be required to synthesize information from various sources in order to support your argument, or to explain a particular part of your subject.

    As you can see, there is hardly one "type" of essay that does not cross over into other areas. Rather, most essays require several different types of analysis. What's very important is that you understand what type of essay you're being asked to write.

Outlines

    Some students can compose an essay on the spur of the moment, moving smoothly and logically from one paragraph to the next. Most students, though, benefit from writing down a short plan of organization before they begin to write their essay-kind of like directions to follow as they write. This short plan of organization is called an outline. Working from an outline, even a rough one, helps writers keep on track, and reminds them of how to begin and where to end. Outlines help to organize essays, and well-organized essays can earn better grades.

Thesis Statements
    A thesis statement is a one- or two-sentence summary of a paper's purpose or point, and is usually located as the last sentence in your introduction. While sometimes you will be asked to summarize the major points of an article or book, or compare and contrast certain theories or issues just to demonstrate your understanding of them, usually you will be expected to write a paper that supports a thesis, which will be either argumentative or explanatory. A thesis should be limited in scope, and will help you organize your paper.

TRIAC: Paragraph and Paper Organization
TRIAC is a writing pattern you can use at the paragraph level for strong organization and effective argument. The same components in TRIAC paragraphs can give entire papers stronger organization. TRIAC has five parts:

T	Topic Sentence - The first sentence introduces the subject of a paragraph, essentially serving as a miniature thesis statement.
R	Restatement or Restriction - The second sentence can restate or restrict what wa written in the first sentence, making the subject more specific.
I	Illustration - This section of the paragraph consists of the illustrations (evidence, data, facts, quotes, etc.) that support your topic sentence. This section can contain several sentences.
A	Analysis - Here, you should explain, interpret, and contextualize the illustrations that have been made. Never leave illustrations by themselves; they are not effective without the writer analyzing them.
C	Conclusion - The final sentence (or two) might review what the paragraph has discussed, and/or reemphasize what the illustration and analysis suggest. This closing section may also evaluate the connections you've made in your paragraph. Keep in mind that you are also setting yourself up to move smoothly and logically into the next paragraph.

Remember: TRIAC can extend for two or more paragraph, if the analysis part runs long. Also, the illustration and analysis sections can be repeated several times if the paragraph is quite complex.
 

An Example, Sentence by Sentence, of a Paragraph Illustrating TRIAC:

(T)     Although vegetarianism has often been associated with issues
(T) of ethics and animal rights, for many people it is no more than a
(R) means to a healthier lifestyle.  A vegetarian diet can reduce the
(R) risk of health problems such as high cholesterol, arterial
(I) clogging, and even cancer.  Recent evidence indicates that people
(I) with diets rich in dark green vegetables had a 40% less chance of
(I) developing colon cancer.  In addition, cutting out meat can
(I) dramatically reduce saturated fat intake (Stewart and Cranshaw 8).
(I) Alice, a university student and seven year vegetarian, says, "I
(I) recognized my potential for cancer because of my genetic history;
(I) when my father's doctor put him on a strict no-meat diet, I decided
(I) it was time to give up burgers and pepperoni."  Choosing to cut
(A) out beef and poultry can help many people to become more aware of
(A) what they are consuming, and in turn lead to an overall healthier
(A) style of cooking and eating.  In addition, it is not necessary to
(A) become a vegetarian in the strictest sense of the word; for some
(A) people, it simply means cutting down on meat intake and increasing
(A) the amount of fruits and vegetables included in meals.  These
(C) adjustments alone can be beneficial without completely altering
(C) an individual's eating habits, and these changes may prevent a
(C) myriad of health problems later in life.