Planning the essay

• selecting a topic
• Write about what you know
• Identify your audience
• Decide on the purpose of the essay.
• Select a topic that will interest your audience
• title of the essay
• the purpose of the title is
• to attract the reader
• to give the reader an idea what the essay is about
• to provide a focus for the essay
• the title should be clear concise and precise
• the thesis statement - one sentence that gives purpose to the essay
• strongest, clearest statement in the essay
• it should come at the beginning of the essay, usually at the end of the introductory paragraph
• it must not be a simple statement of fact that requires no elaboration
• the thesis cannot be a question but an answer to a question
• the thesis will contain controlling ideas that will be used in the topic sentences of the body paragraphs of the essay. (e.g. a good teacher has four qualities)
• the thesis may be a statement of opinion that you will explain or prove (e.g. Keeping dogs in city apartments is cruel.)
• the thesis may be a statement of intent that you will explain and illustrate (e.g. This essay will show how a good short story can be written.)

• Introduction
• purpose: introduce the topic to your audience and state the purpose of your essay in the thesis statement
• The introduction:
• often opens with a general statement about the topic
• gives the reader general information about the topic that is needed to understand the essay
• narrows from that general information to the thesis statement of opinion or intent
• it should be inviting , i.e., it should  be interesting enough to make the reader want to read the essay
• The body
• goal: to state a topic sentence that is directly related to the thesis and to support the topic sentence
• Each makes a point, a solid point that is enlarged into a block of support.
• One point is made in each paragraph.
• Each paragraph is self-contained, fully developed.
• The conclusion
• it borrows from everything which has gone before, summarising without repeating exactly, suggesting, predicting.
• it gives the essay its final shape - last chance to show that the thesis statement is valid.
• it should not bring up a new topic

Checklist for the thesis statement

1. Is your thesis stated in one complete sentence?
2. Is your thesis statement included in the introductory paragraph?
3. Does your thesis statement contain controlling ideas that can be developed in the essay?
4. Does your thesis express an opinion or does it contain a statement of intent?
5. Is the thesis clear and sufficiently narrowed down?

Checklist for the introductory paragraph

1. Does your introduction contain the thesis statement?
2. Does your introduction provide enough background information for the reader to understand the essay?
3. Is your introduction interesting enough? Do you think the readers will want to read the essay on the basis of your introduction?

    Western life-style and working standards have made their way to Hungary as well. In order to make a living, people need to spend more time at their place of work, and they often take on second or third jobs. Stressful weekdays are followed by short holidays, and for many, carrier opportunities are of utmost importance. This tendency puts family life, human relationships and one’s mental health in jeopardy.
 

Checklist for the body paragraphs

1. Is each body paragraph related to the thesis statement?
2. Do all body paragraphs have a topic sentence?
3. Do the body paragraphs support the topic sentence sufficiently?
4. Are the body paragraphs self-contained?
5. Have you used links to connect the body paragraphs?

    It is not only  family relationships that suffer when people spend more time at their place of work. Friendships are also built on delicate strings that need constant strengthening, which is impossible if one works 16 hours a day. Thus, flowering relationships can easily fall victim to  the ‘workaholic’ way of living.  One tends to think that they can reconcile their friends by bestowing expensive gifts. Nevertheless they forget that nothing can compensate for the time spent together.  We can therefore conclude that if one’s work becomes an obsession, it is unlikely that existing friendships can be maintained.
 

Checklist for the conclusion

1. Does your conclusion logically follow from the discussion of ideas in the essay?
2. Did you summarise your main points?
3. Did you restate your thesis?

    Workaholism is hazardous in people’s daily lives because it distracts parents from the importance of spending time with their children. It also destroys relationships because couples and friends never have enough time for each other. More importantly, workaholism can endanger one’s mental health as one misses out on all the enjoyments life outside the office can offer. Although work constitutes an indispensable part of our lives, we are the ones who decide on its importance. It can only be hoped that we notice that its role is becoming  excessive before it is too late.

 
Drafting and revising

1. What is the main idea expressed?
2. Where is the main idea expressed?
3. How is the reader introduced to the main idea, and how is its context established?
4. What evidence and supporting details are offered for the opinion expressed?
5. Does all the information relate to the main idea? If not, should the thesis be revised or the supporting details?
6. Is each paragraph unified, developed and coherent?
7. Do connections and transitions give the paragraph and the overall essay a logical flow?
8. Does the essay have a strong conclusion and an engaging title that fits its subject matter?
9. Does the essay meet the demands of the assignment in terms of purpose, length and audience?
10. Is the content lively, original and engaging?
11. Is the essay free of errors in spelling. punctuation, mechanics and grammar?

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