Different Types of Essays Everyone has to write in College

13 Jul 2023

Types of essays

Writing a paper is very important for everyone especially students in college. It is also very useful to know the types of essays writing and how to write them. In college, the teachers give many writing assignments, and this makes essay writing important. You could be given assignments to write essays on different subject areas and topics. This is not restricted to any particular subject. Writing essays tests the student’s abilities.

An important thing to note is there are a majority 4 types of essays that exist. They are Narrative, Descriptive, Expository, and Persuasive Essays. These are the most common types. Knowing how to write them effectively will help you ace your assignments. However, aside from these types, there are other kinds too.  Below, are detailed descriptions of these essay types.

Descriptive Essay

This is among the type of college essay that paints a picture with words. This essay does not just aim to describe but communicates a deep meaning through descriptions. It entails the use of perfect colorful words and sensory detail to enable the reader to feel the emotion of the paper.  These essays are evocative. For example, they stir emotions like anger, hate, envy, love, passion. It also involves the use of figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, hyperbole which aid in-depth description.

Argumentative Essay

This type of essay borders around a firm standpoint. An argumentative thesis shows that an opinion, theory or hypothesis about a particular phenomenon is right. Naturally, it is not easy to argue a point to the very end and stand firm to your opinion. Therefore, writing an argumentative thesis isn’t that easy either.  This type of essays writing involves the act of forming reasons, drawing conclusions, making inductions, and applying all that has been gathered to discussing the case or opinion. Argumentative papers must start with an assertion statement which must be reviewed critically and then finally, based on your own opinion, you argue the point.

Cause And Effect Essay

As the name implies, cause and effect papers have to do with why things happen (cause) and the consequences of the things that happen (effect). This is a very common method of organizing and discussing ideas. The main qualities of this thesis include having a cause and an effect. To be able to identify an effect, there must be a cause. Transition words are also very key in writing cause and effect essays.

Compare and Contrast Essay

Making a comparison between two things is one of the easiest ways to structure an essay. To write this paper, you must first determine what the similarities and differences are and know which is more significant. It is easier to discuss either the similarity or difference alone, but you can also discuss both. It is important to use comparative words in this essay to signify how much more a thing differs from the other.

Definition Essay

This kind is very basic. It describes what a particular term means and everything that surrounds that term. For example, a paper on glass or trees. These require definitions and relevant information to buttress the essay properly. In this essay, it is important to tell the reader what term is being defined, present clear and basic information, and finally, use understandable facts, examples, or anecdotes so the reader can relate. It is important to stick to the topic being defined.

Narrative Essay

This is expository and offers you the chance of writing freely and expressively.  This type of essay is told from a defined point of view. It also entails the use of vivid and precise verbs to tell a story from the writer’s experience. It may also use dialogue to tell the story vividly. Narrative papers are very basic and don’t involve any higher thinking. These essays can be found in fiction novels. They are not very common with college papers.

Critical Essay

A critical essay involves a detached evaluation of a phenomenon which can be either positive or negative. It weighs the coherence of the reading, the completeness of the data before it is then either accepted or rejected. The main qualities are that the paper is informative, it clearly distinguishes between facts and feelings, does not require attacking the work in view, and it employs a serious and objective tone. It uses a claim and evidence approach to specifically make points.

Process Essay

A Process essay is simply a how-to paper. It is a type of essay that details steps and procedures that must be followed to achieve the desired product or to learn a particular skill. This essay is often written chronologically as they follow a step-by-step process.

Expository Essay

Simply put, an expository essay is a paper that requires concrete research and supporting evidence to be able to discuss a point of view or argument. This paper must be structured to have purpose, organization, evidence, and a thesis.

Persuasive Essay

This essay seeks to persuade by utilizing logic and reason to depict an idea is more credible than another. It tries to persuade the reader about a certain viewpoint. This essay requires strong facts and evidence to buttress a point. It is important to be well informed in This essay so it will be easy to support one’s position by evidence.

It is important to know how to write the best essay, especially in college. Many take-home assignments given by teachers that teach subjects like history and English would mostly be papers. This is why it is important to know the different types of writing and also know how to write them.

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