How to Construct an Essay

Although writing an essay is daunting for many people, it can be pretty straight-forward. This page is a
general recipe for constructing an essay, not just in philosophy, but in most other humanities disciplines
(such as English, History, Philosophy, eligious !tudies, etc." and perhaps social sciences. #t should be
an appropriate guide for writing at the middle school, high school, and lower college le$els.
%ote that what # pro$ide here are only general guidelines. !o, be sure to chec& to see if your instructor
has different guidelines. #f your instructor has not gi$en clear guidelines, then these should satisfy him
or her, since they are pretty standard.
Table of Contents:
'. (ormat e)uirements
*. Essay !tructure
+. ,eneral -riting Tips
.. !tyle / Punctuation
0. ,rammatical Errors
1. Humorous -riting ,uidelines
2. 3itations / eferences
4. ele$ant 5in&s
1. Standard Format Requirements
Typed 6 use a word processor (such as 7icrosoft -ord" on a computer.
Doublespaced - the space between lines on the page.
1! point font 6 standard si8e of the te9t.
Times "ew Roman 6 standard font style.
!. Essay Structure
The first thing to notice is that the basic form of an essay is )uite logical. 5et:s loo& at the standard
structure of an essay starting with the most general. ;ou can di$ide your paper into three main sections<
1. #ntroduction
(or the introduction section, you will need to do two things< introduce your topic and pro$ide a thesis
statement. Typically, these two tas&s should be accomplished using only one paragraph for a short
paper, but can be longer for longer papers.
(irst, introduce your topic. The introductory paragraph(s" should briefly orient the reader to the topic
and pro$ide a conceptual map of the rest of the paper.
;our t$esis statement is the main point of your paper and should address the paper topic
assigned by your instructor.
!econd, pro$ide a thesis statement. ;our t$esis statement is the main point of your paper and should
address the paper topic assigned by your instructor. 7a&e sure your thesis statement is clear, specific,
declarati$e, and on-topic. ;ou should be able to pro$ide the thesis statement in one or two sentences
(most instructors prefer one, concise sentence" for a fairly short paper (about '-4 pages". #t is usually
best stated at the end of your introduction section (the end of the first paragraph if your introduction
section is only a single paragraph in length".
!. %ody
The body section should consist of at least se$eral paragraphs where you will pro$ide support for your
thesis statement in the form of reasons, e$idence, arguments, justification, and so on. That is, you ha$e
something you want to communicate or argue for (your thesis" and here is your chance to e9plain it in
detail, support it, and defend it.
Each paragraph in the body section should ha$e a topic sentence and, perhaps, a transition sentence.
The topic sentence is the particular point you are trying to ma&e in the paragraph. #t:s sort of li&e a
mini-thesis statement. #t should be the first sentence of the paragraph (though in some cases it is
appropriate to be the second sentence". A transition sentence is a sentence that helps lin& the points of
each paragraph together by ma&ing a smooth transition from the pre$ious paragraph. #f done, it can be
done in the first sentence. A good way to tie all the points together throughout the body section is to
ha$e them all clearly state how they support the thesis statement. That way it is ob$ious that all of your
paragraphs tie together. %ote that the first sentence of the paragraph may satisfy both goals. That is,
you may ha$e a topic sentence that also ser$es to transition well. Another option is to ha$e a transition
sentence first and then a separate topic sentence following it.
&. Summary
The summary section (often misleadingly called a =conclusion>" is a short recap of what you ha$e said
in the essay. ;ou might want to pro$ide a slightly different $ersion of your thesis statement as the first
sentence of this paragraph and then pro$ide a few sentences that sum up what the body section said in
support of the thesis statement. The summary section should be only one paragraph long for a short
paper, but can be longer for longer papers. (!ome instructors e$en thin& that summary sections are
unnecessary for short papers."
Note:
#t:s a good idea to put these sections titles in as headings in your paper to organi8e and brea& things up
for yourself. #f your instructor doesn:t want headings in your paper, just ta&e them out before you print
it to turn it in. #t is also helpful for long papers to put in additional headings to brea& up the body
section (such as =(irst Argument,> =!econd Argument,> and so on".
&. 'eneral (ritin) Tips
1. T$in* + Discuss
(amiliari8e yourself with the material before you begin writing. ;ou won:t be able to write much if you
don:t ha$e anything to put on the page. Thin& about your paper topic as soon as you get the paper
assi)nment prompt from your instructor. This can be facilitated in a number of ways. A great way is to
discuss the issue with your instructor or teaching assistant. Also, try tal&ing about it to a friend or
family member.
!. Rou)$ Drafts + Editin)
-rite rough drafts ahead of time. (or many people, writing their rough ideas down as rough drafts help
them see their ideas more clearly than e$en thin&ing about them. Then, ta&e a brea& from the essay
(this usually re)uires at least a half, if not full, day". After the lengthy brea& (for e9ample, the ne9t
day", go bac& and edit more. epeat this process as necessary until finished. (This is why it is important
to start wor&ing on your essay far in ad$ance."
Also, don:t be afraid to just type without thin&ing too much about whether it:s good. ;ou can always go
bac& and edit it. 7any people find it best to just sit down and write a bunch without much reflection.
?ust ma&e sure you ha$e enough time to go bac& and edit.
&. Comments,Re-iew
@nce you ha$e a final draft ready, ha$e someone read it to loo& for errors and pro$ide feedbac&. 7any
instructors encourage students to turn in early drafts to them for comments. ?ust be sure to chec& and
see if your instructor allows you to do so.
.. Style + /unctuation
@$erall, the paper should demonstrate a command of the writing process and the author:s care in
crafting it. #n particular, ma&e sure to a$oid errors of spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence
structure, $erb tense, and $ocabulary, such as the following<
'. Doublespace after periods and colons0 sin)le space after commas and semicolons. Always
double-space before you start a new sentence. %otice, howe$er, that this is not standard for web
pages, which is why # ha$e single spaces after e$erything here.
*. "o contractions. 3ontractions are words that use an apostrophe ( A " to put two words together,
such as dont, wont, couldnt, youre. #nstead, to be more formal, write out the words li&e this<
do not, would not, could not, you are.
+. /ut punctuation inside quotations. #f you put something in )uotations that is immediately
followed by punction (such as commas or colons", then put the punctuation mar& inside the last
)uotation mar&.
3orrect< ?ohn Boe claims that, =Critney !pears is a tool.>
#ncorrect< ?ohn Boe claims that, =Critney !pears is a tool>.
Another e9ample< =#:m in lo$e with !pace ,host,> Cjor& proclaimed.
(%ote< # &now this rule doesn:t seem right. The Critish style of writing has the punctuation
outside the )uotation mar&s, which ma&es more sense to me. Howe$er, the American style
re)uires that you write it the other way."
.. /ut parent$etical citations outside of quotations.
3orrect< =Clah, blah, blah, this is a )uote> (Author +*".
#ncorrect< =Clah, blah, blah, this is a )uote (Author +*".>
0. #ntroduce quotes. #ntroduce )uotes, preferably by ac&nowledging who is saying it.
E9ample< #n the article =-ar -ithout End,> ?ohn Boe says, =Dblah, blah, and blah> (+1".
%otice the three dots in the )uote (D", which is called an elipses. ;ou:re supposed to put those
in when you are not )uoting the whole sentence. #t denotes that something came before (or
after" the part of the sentence you are )uoting.
1. Commas after items in a list. -hen you ha$e a list of things, where the last item has Aand: or
an Aor,: then you must decide whether to put a comma before the Aand or the Aor.: Either way is
really acceptable in formal English, so, just ma&e sure you are consistent throughout your paper.
E9ample< #n the bas&et were apples, oranges, and grapes.
E9ample< #n the bas&et were apples, oranges and grapes.
2. Spell out numbers. (or e9ample, write Athree,: not :+.: E9ceptions can be made for larger
numbers, li&e 'E4F, especially when you are simply ma&ing reference to a numeral.
4. Do not use informal abbre-iations and notations. To be more formal, do not use informal
notations or abbre$iations. (or e9ample, don:t write A/: for Aand: or AbGc: for Abecause.:
Howe$er, there are notations and abbre$iations that are con$entions in professional writingH for
e9ample< Ae.g.: is often used for Afor e9ample: and Aetc.: for Aet cetera: and Ap.: for Apage.:
Howe$er, for this last one, note that it is only used in citing sources or references, not in other
sentences. !o, for e9ample, don:t write =The p. had many words of wisdom written on it.>
F. 1se -ersus mention. #n general, when you mention rather than use a word you should put
)uotes (single or double" around the word. This is not necessary when you use a word.
#ncorrect< ?ohn contains the letter h.
3orrect< A?ohn: contains the letter Ah.:
(%ote< !ome people simply italici8e the word to indicate mention. # follow this con$ention here
sometimes so that it is easier to read. Howe$er, it can get confused with emphasis, which is
what italics are more commonly used for. Also, the standard for use-mention indication is not
e9actly clear. 7ost people use )uotes and use single )uotes for Critish style and double )uotes
for American style. # tend to use single )uotes just to distinguish them from )uoting what
someone has said."
2. Common 'rammatical Errors to 3-oid
'. 4isusin) i.e. and e.g. Bo not confuse these two. They do not mean the same thingI
i.e. J that is
e.g. J for e9ample
(7any people thin& that Ai.e: stands for Ain e9ample.: That is false. Coth are abbre$iations for
two different latin phrases."
*. (ritin) 5cannot6 as two words.
#ncorrect< # can not decide.
3orrect< # cannot decide.
+. 1sin) 5if6 w$en you s$ould use 5w$et$er6.
#ncorrect< # do not &now if this is true.
3orrect< # do not &now whether this is true.
3orrect< #f this is true, then you are wrong.
.. Confusin) 5t$ere6 wit$ 5t$eir.6 ATheir: indicates possession, Athere: does not.
#ncorrect< There problem was a lac& of courage.
3orrect< Their problem was a lac& of courage.
#ncorrect< Their are a lot of problems here.
3orrect< There are a lot of problems here.
0. 4isconnectin) -erbs.
#ncorrect< -e should try and change the law.
3orrect< -e should try to change the law.
1. 7ettin) your accent )et in t$e way of t$in)s.
#ncorrect< 7ind and brain are one in the same thing.
3orrect< 7ind and brain are one and the same thing.
#ncorrect< !ocrates should of fought.
3orrect< !ocrates should have fought.
2. #mproper form of t$e plural possessi-e of names.
#ncorrect< Bescarte:s problem was D.
#ncorrect< Bescartes problem wasD.
3orrect< Bescartes: problem wasD.
3orrect< Bescartes:s problem wasD.
(%ote< Either of the last two is acceptable only for names ending in As: li&e ABescartes: or
A?esus.: @therwise, always go with the last e9ample6i.e., add an apostrophe and an As.: The
con$ention is usaully to not add an e9tra As: for old names, such as ABescartes: and A?esus.: !o,
to say that this is the boo& that awls owns, people often write< =This is awls:s boo&.>"
4. #mproper use of semicolons.
#ncorrect< The following will be on the testH 5oc&e, Hume, Parfit.
#ncorrect< Although there is no right answerH there are many wrong answers.
3orrect< There is no right answerH there are many wrong answers.
(The ule< Kse a semi-colon only where you could use a period instead. #n other words, a semi-
colon must join two clauses that could stand by themsel$es as complete sentences. The semi-
colin is just used to indicate that the two sentences are connected or intimately related."
F. Confusin) 5t$en6 and 5t$an6.
#ncorrect< #f this is true, than #:m a fool.
#ncorrect< # am more of a fool then you are.
3orrect< #f this is true, then #:m a fool.
3orrect< # am more of a fool than you are.
'E.'enderneutral pronouns at t$e e8pense of )rammar.
#ncorrect< #f someone did say that, then they were lying.
3orrect< Anyone who did say that was lying.
3orrect< All those who did say that were lying.
''.#ts -ersus it6s.
#ncorrect< #ts easy to ma&e this mista&e.
#ncorrect< #t:s pages are crumbling.
3orrect< #t:s easy to ma&e this mista&e.
3orrect< #ts pages are crumbling.