Showing posts with label essay writing examples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label essay writing examples. Show all posts

Descriptive Essay - How to write a descriptive essay

Write about a person who has worked hard to succeed in life.
 
This is an actual SPM examination question for the year 2008. Descriptive type essays are easy to write. You must use adjectives,adverbs,phrasal verbs and strong verbs to write an interesting description.

In the above question, we need to find the focus point, which is 'a person' and 'worked hard in life to succeed'. Once you know the focus point - you can start drafting your essay. It is always advisable to write about a person whom you know very well and one who is close to you, for example your father / mother / grandfather / uncle etc. Try not to write about someone you are not familiar with.

There are many ways to start an essay. In order to get a good grade for your essay, try to think and write something which is out of the box ( be different ) - try not to follow the norm.

Always remember, introduction paragraph is very important because it gives the first impression about your essay. A good introduction will get the reader's attention and cause him/her to keep reading your essay with interest.

Introduction Paragraph - Sample

              As I gazed at the photo frame hanging on the wall of my parents home, tears of sorrow filled my eyes; quickly, I took my handkerchief to wipe away my tears; I did not want anyone to notice them, it would only cause them sorrow. I could still hear him telling me - "Success does not come in a silver plate, you must work hard for it, my child".It is a mantra which I hold dear to my heart and which has brought me success which I never imagined I could ever achieve.They were the words of a man who not only preached them but practiced them as well and proved to those who mocked him that only through hard work can a person succeed in life.

          He was born in Kelantan, in a small fishing village near the famous Sabak Beach.He was the eldest son in his family of five. He was a good natured and a hard working man.He became a fisherman very early in his life; to be precise at the age of 15 he was already an expert fisherman. His fishing fraternity called him 'Bob Ikan', because he was an expert in pin-pointing the exact location where fish could be found in abundance.All the praises just made him humbler. He was born into poverty, but never once was he grumpy nor glum.In contrast, he was always cheerful and affable towards others. Everyone in his village loved him and respected him.... 


* If you notice, in this intro I did not mention the person who I am referring to. This is just to build up the suspense for the reader. The reader will be making guesses as to who am I refering to. I will only mention the person in the closing paragraph.

In this style of writing - you must not give out any detail about the person in all your 'BODY' part of your essay. In the 'BODY' part, slowly build up his/her character and how his/her hard work had made him/her to succeed in life.You must know how to write them in a way which will keep the reader guessing -  'ALL THE BEST'

SPM ESSAY - HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE ESSAY

To write a cool attention grabbing narrative essay needs the right spices, just like cooking a curry masala. The first thing about writing narrative essay is creative imagination. You need to be creative and different. Think out of the box and let loose your imagination. See it through like a movie plot before you write down on your paper.




Read The Question Carefully

In SPM public examination, the question for narrative type of essay either starts with " Write a story beginning with: " or " Write a story ending with: ". In the year 2010 it was "Beginning", so there is a big chance this year 2011 it would be "Ending".

For example, if the question says "Write a story beginning with: It had been raining all day", then you start your essay with the given phrase.The same goes for question which has "Ending with", you write the phrase at the ending of your essay. I prefer the "Beginning" type because it gives you more freedom to create your plot.


Draft Your Plot

For narrative essay use the [PLOT] technique instead of using the [Intro-Body-Conclusion] technique. Draft your plot carefully. Put in some twists and turns in your story. Have an element of surprise. Keep your readers glued to their seat. Build your story scene by scene like in a movie. Give a big impact in your climax scene and let the audience make the conclusion....that would surely cause them to have some sleepless nights itching to know the end......(surprise--surprise)

Literary Devices

Use Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Idioms, Contrast, Flashback, Imagery etc to tell your story. This technique will help readers to have a vivid picture in their mind. Every character or scene you tell can come alive to the readers and help them flow along with the story.


Grammar And Punctuation

Take care of your grammar, make sure to use the correct English Grammar when writing your essay. A strong grammar will help you to relate your story to your readers. Readers need to know what you are telling them. This is only impossible if you are able to use proper grammar and punctuation. Use your tenses properly when dealing with story telling. A story can start in the PRESENT TENSE flashback into the PAST TENSE and zoom into the FUTURE TENSE. There are also the PRESENT PERFECT AND PAST PERFECT tenses which you might need to use.


Creativity And Imagination

Be creative and arrange your story line carefully. Imagine that you are a director directing a movie. As a director you have a responsibilty to make sure your movie is a Box Office Hit. The same goes with your story, make sure it is one of a kind story, totally different from the rest of your friends essays. Sorry to say this but most of the essays are stale and does not have the extra edge which screams for attention.


HOW TO WRITE IT....?

You can use the 7P Essay Structure Tehnique to write a story.

  1. First Paragraph - Exposition (Beginning of your story) - 40-50 words
  2. Second,Third and Forth Paragraph - Events - 40-50 words
  3. Fifth Paragraph - Climax - 40-50 words
  4. Sixth Paragraph - Anti-Climax - 40-50 words
  5. Seventh Paragraph - Ending - 40-50 words

Tips

* Focus on one event / incident for every paragraph
* Don't write two or three events / incidences in one paragraph
* Try not to use the phrase "In conclusion" when you end your story.
* Make sure your Essay is more than 350 words, roughly 350-400 words
* Marks will be deducted if your essay is less than 350 words.

*Narrative - Beginning
*Narrative - Ending
*Narrative - Tips (1)

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