Different essay formats include argumentative, comparison and contrast, descriptive, narrative, and cause-and-effect essays. Argumentative essays aim to convince the reader, while compare and contrast essays educate the reader. Descriptive essays provide objective information, while narrative essays are personal. Cause-and-effect essays explain the cause of a result.
An essay is a short piece of writing, generally focused on a particular topic. There are different essay formats that are used by writers depending on the topic or purpose of the essay. Common essay formats include argumentative/persuasive, comparison and contrast, descriptive, narrative, and cause-and-effect essays.
An argumentative, or persuasive, essay is an essay that aims to convince the reader to adopt the writer’s point of view. Of all essay formats, the argumentative essay is one of the most widely used in higher education or professional contexts. A persuasive essay begins by explaining the topic to be discussed and then makes a number of points in favor of the writer’s point of view on the topic. A persuasive essay will also address the opposing viewpoint and include an argument that will typically reject the opposing viewpoint.
Another popular essay format is the compare and contrast format. In this essay, the writer chooses two or more items within a category and explains each to the reader, often including the pros and cons of each. For example, a comparison and contrast essay on computers might explain the different features and capabilities of a laptop and a desktop computer. The writer is not trying to influence the reader but rather attempting to educate the reader about the subject.
A descriptive essay, as the name suggests, provides the reader with a description of the essay’s topic. This essay format focuses on one topic. The goal is to provide the reader with both objective and factual information.
A narrative essay, on the other hand, is personal and subjective. A narrative essay is a way for the writer to tell a story from their own perspective. It is written in the first person.
The last of the common essay formats is the cause and effect essay. The format of the cause and effect essay is formal in nature and tone, and should include only objective information and facts. It usually begins with a result, or effect, and goes on to explain to the reader the cause of the result. For example, a wise man might claim that long incarceration reduces recidivism rates. Reducing recidivism rates is the result, and the essay would then explain why long incarceration produces, or causes, such an outcome.
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