TYPES OF ESSAY WRITING

There are basically two (2) forms of writing: 

i. Letter writing; and 

ii. Essay Writing.

In the previous lessons, the focus was on letter writing: Formal and Informal. However, the focus shall be on essay writing in this lesson. Before we discuss the different types of essay writing, let's discuss the general characteristics or features of essay writing. They can be described as the 'must have' of essay writing. 

General Characteristics of Essay Writing

i. It must have an appropriate title. (I usually recommend that titles should be written entirely in capital letters so that you wouldn't have to underline it.)

ii. It requires an introduction - This will be the first paragraph. 

iii. It also requires a body, which can be broken down into three paragraphs, or more depending on the length of the essay. 

iv. Lastly, it requires a conclusion, which can be the summary of the entire essay. 

There are basically four (4) types of essay writing. They are: 

i. Narrative Essay;

ii. Descriptive Essay;

iii. Expository Essay; 

iv. Argumentative Essay. 

Each of these essay types are discussed below. 

Narrative Essay

Narrative essay got its name from the verb 'to narrate'. It basically tells a story or gives an account of an event, an incident, or an experience (which may be real or imagined). It describes what happened, how it happened, when it happened, and where it happened. It may even describe why it happened. 

A narrative essay has a plot, a setting, characters and a narrator. To write a narrative essay, you can use the guideline, which is in form of the following question -- WHO DID WHAT, HOW, WHY, WHEN, AND WHERE? 

Examples of narrative essay include: 

i. An incident I witnessed

ii. It pays to be honest 

Descriptive Essay

Descriptive essay got its name from the verb 'to describe'. In a descriptive essay, the writer is trying to paint vivid pictures or images with words. The writer can choose to describe a thing, a person, or an animal. Examples of descriptive essay include: 

i. Myself 

ii. My School

iii. How to prepare my favourite meal 

Expository Essay 

Expository essay got its name from the verb 'to expose' or 'to reveal'. 

The purpose of an expository essay is to provide clarifications or explanations on the selected topic. In other words, the purpose of an expository essay is to reveal something (i.e. some facts) about the selected topic. For example, if a writer chooses to write about COVID-19, the essay will take the following form: 

i. The writer will explain the origin of COVID-19 and also include how it can be contacted;

ii. The writer will also mention how it can be avoided or how to stop the spread of the virus; 

iii. Lastly, the writer will debunk the superstitious beliefs of people about the virus by providing facts. 

Argumentative Essay 

This type of essay got its name from the verb 'to argue'. The purpose of an argumentative essay is to argue in other to convince or persuade the reader(s). An example of an argumentative essay is debate. In a debate, for example, Speaker A tries to convince the audience that their arguments are superior to the arguments of Speaker B. Examples of argumentative essay include: 

i. A male child is better than a female child

ii. Boarding students are academically better than day students

iii. Military government is better than democratic government

Thank you for reading. 

For questions, comments and any other enquiries, the blogger, Ọlábánjì O. Odùrómbì, can be contacted on 08037699294 (SMS, Voice call, or WhatsApp).