What is an essay?

An essay is composed of several paragraphs, as few as two or as many as necessary, all in support of an idea or a series of related ideas. The essay gives the writer an opportunity to explore a topic fully and to express ideas and feelings completely. There are four basic types of essays: Narration( tells a story), Description (shows the reader some object), Exposition (explains the writer’s views), and Persuasion ( convinces the reader to accept the writer’s ideas). These are the four basic types of writing.

The thesis statement is a generalization which an essay supports, develops, clarifies, illustrates, and explains (writing step by step.) Every word, sentence, and idea in the essay must support the thesis statement. This is why i...