Introduction
There are many different types of essays that students are asked to write. Choosing the correct type of essay is important as it helps the writer structure their ideas to best fit the purpose of the essay. The Purdue Online Writing Lab, or Purdue OWL, provides guides and examples for many common types of essays to help writers understand each structure and focus. This essay will explore some of the most common types of essays outlined on the Purdue OWL including narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, compare and contrast, process, and cause and effect essays. For each type, a brief definition and writing tips from the Purdue OWL will be summarized to give readers an overview of the purpose and expectations of different essay structures.
Narrative Essay
The narrative essay tells a story about a personal experience. According to the Purdue OWL, narrative essays focus less on characters or plot and more on using sensory and emotional details to draw the reader into an experience. They aim to recreate an experience for the reader in a compelling way through vivid descriptions, dialogue if needed, and other literary elements. Key aspects to focus on in a narrative essay include selecting an engaging topic, utilizing strong concrete nouns and active verbs, using dialogue and description, and maintaining a consistent point of view. Narratives usually follow a clear sequence of events and relate one main experience over the body of the essay.
Descriptive Essay
While narrative essays tell a story, descriptive essays aim to use vivid language to recreate a person, place, experience, or object for the reader. They use carefully chosen details, sensory descriptions, and other literary techniques to allow the reader to picture what is being described. According to the Purdue OWL, descriptive essays should paint a picture in the reader’s mind through the use of sensory details about what is observed and how something may feel, sound, smell, taste, or look. Writers should consider their audience’s prior knowledge and choose details accordingly that will be specific and clarify important features. Descriptive essays maintain a consistent point of view and move from general to specific descriptions using vivid language and accurate concrete nouns and strong active verbs.
Expository Essay
Whereas narrative and descriptive essays focus on a story or recreation, expository essays aim to explain or inform on a topic. They provide information to the reader about a topic without trying to persuade them. According to the Purdue OWL, expository essays should be objective, organized, and supported with credible evidence presented clearly and logically for the reader. They may discuss a book, theory, person, event, or concept by giving background information, describing important details, exploring possible explanations and perspectives, and connecting related facts and concepts. Expository essays are often used in classes to assess student’s understanding on a topic through synthesis of multiple credible research sources. Common expository structures include compare/contrast, cause/effect, and problem/solution.
Persuasive Essay
In contrast, persuasive essays aim to convince the reader of a point of view on a controversial issue. They present clear arguments supported by credible evidence to convince the audience of a perspective on a debatable topic. According to the Purdue OWL, persuasive essays state an arguable thesis, utilize persuasive techniques like emotional appeals in addition to logical ones, and refute counterarguments. Writers must consider opposing viewpoints to create counterarguments and refutations through research. Persuasive essays follow classic argument structures like using a strong introduction with a clear thesis, body paragraphs providing supporting evidence, and a conclusion that restates the thesis while driving home the overall argument. Ethos, pathos, and logos appeals are woven throughout.
Compare and Contrast Essay
When analyzing two or more similar subjects, writers may use a compare and contrast essay structure outlined by the Purdue OWL. This style notes both the similarities and differences between two or more topics through a side-by-side analysis. After choosing at least two topics to compare or analyze, the structure of these essays arranges descriptions and analysis in a logical order like point-by-point, subject-by-subject, or a mix in clarity of purpose and focus. Transitions must effectively show similarities and differences. Regardless of the structure used, compare and contrast essays should thoughtfully analyze both likenesses and differences and draw logical conclusions about relationships between the items compared.
Process Essay
While explaining how something works or occurs may seem simple, process essays break down sequential events, steps, stages, or workflows into clear descriptions. According to the Purdue OWL, these essays must logically order each phase or element into signaled transitions to help the reader follow the sequence precisely. Process essays can discuss everything from how to tie a tie, bake a cake, or solve a mathematical proof. Writers keep verbs and prepositions precise for active, sequenced steps and include examples and visuals when applicable. These essays aim to leave no question in the reader’s mind about how to complete the process logically from start to finish. Clear transitions and specific sensory descriptions help achieve this goal.
Cause and Effect Essay
Lastly, cause and effect essays analyze how various factors resulted in an occurrence or how certain outcomes were generated from multiple causes. Per the Purdue OWL, these essays break down the complex links between actions, events, or conditions and results through arrangements like chronological order, order of importance, or order of complexity. Effective cause and effect essays utilize credible fact-based research to trace multiple plausible causes and effects from minor to major ones. Writers explore the contexts like situations, events, or conditions that led to a specific consequence or result and consequences from a certain action or occurrence. These essays carefully distinguish between direct and indirect, primary and secondary relationships to provide an insightful analysis for the reader.
Conclusion
The Purdue OWL clearly outlines several common essay types with examples, tips, and key structural considerations. From narratives sharing personal experiences to persuasive arguments advocating viewpoints, each type requires unique organization and usage of literary and rhetorical strategies tailored for their purpose. As resources for understanding expectations on essays across classes and topics, the Purdue OWL guides provide much-needed overviews on tailoring essays to their designated purpose in a college-level appropriate manner. Students learning to analyze prompts and confidently choose an applicable structure gain an advantage from these clear essay model references.
Andrew Stroud