Bach - Complete Flute Sonatas - Emmanuel Pahud / Trevor Pinnock - YouTube
Bach - Classical Music for Relaxation - YouTube
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia in Dm, K. 397 - YouTube
Mozart - Classical Music for Studying & Brain Power - YouTube
Descriptive essays
A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.
Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.
A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.
Mouse over the example below, a r time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.
On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.
My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.
With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…
Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.
A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.
Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing. Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.
A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.
Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.
Narrative essay example
Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.
Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.
A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.
The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.
An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.
Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.
The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.
A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.
Expository essay example paragraph
The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.
An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement—a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations) and analysis.
Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.
The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:
The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more Argumentative essay example paragraph
A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 — 1592) was a French Renaissance man, statesman , and writer. He was a court official and the inventor of essay-writing and was one of the most important philosophers of the French Renaissance.Միշել դը Մոնտեն (ֆր՝ Michel Eyquem de Montaigne), (1533-1592), ֆրանսիացի քաղաքական գործիչ, փիլիսոփա, և էսսեիզմի հիմնադիր։
Իր մտքերն ամփոփել է «Փորձեր» երկում (Les Essais, 1-ին հատոր՝ 1580 թ., 2-րդ հատոր՝ 1582 թ., աշխարհաբար հայերեն թարգմանությունը Ա. Խոցանյանի)։ Փիլիսոփայության մեջ Մոնտենը փնտրում է «ինքնաճանաչում, նաև ճանաչում այն բանի, ինչը կարող է սովորեցնել հանգիստ մեռնել և հանգիստ ապրել»։ Մոնտենը իմաստնացած է կենսափորձով և հակամետ չէ ծայրահեղությունների, այդ թվում և գիտությամբ զբաղվելիս։ «Եթե փիլիսոփայության մեջ տարվենք ավելորդություններով, այն կխլի մեր բնական ազատությունը և մեզ կշեղի բնության մատնանշած գեղեցիկ ու հարթ ճանապարհից»։
In one of the chapters of "Experiments" it is said that a person's perception of evil and good is determined to a significant extent by his ideas about them. Montaigne proves that everyone's life is good or bad depending on what he thinks about it. In this regard, Montaigne meditates on wealth, fame, health, death. In the same way, he meditates on the possibilities of reason.
Փորձերի» գլուխներից մեկում ասվում է, որ չարի ու բարու մարդու ընկալումը նշանակալի չափով պայմանավորված է դրանց մասին նրա ունեցած պատկերացումներով։ Մոնտենն ապացուցում է, որ յուրաքանչյուրը լավ կամ վատ է ապրում՝ կախված այն բանից, թե ինքն այդ մասին ինչ է մտածում։ Այդ առնչությամբ Մոնտենը խորհրդածում է հարստության, փառքի, առողջության, մահվան մասին։ Նույն կերպ նա խորհրդածում է նաև բանականության հնարավորությունների շուրջ։
Մոնտենն ուզում էր, որ գիտությունը ծառայի մարդուն, լուսավորի նրա գործերն ու արարքները, նրան դնի ճիշտ ճանապարհի վրա։ Հենց որ բանականությունը կորցնում է իրական հողը, մարդը զրկվում է կյանքին և ինքն իրեն սթափորեն վերաբերվելու ընդունակությունից։
Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on July 23, 2023.
An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.
Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type.
Essay type | Skills tested | Example prompt |
---|---|---|
Argumentative |
| Has the rise of the internet had a positive or negative impact on education? |
Expository |
| Explain how the invention of the printing press changed European society in the 15th century. |
Narrative |
| Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself. |
Descriptive |
| Describe an object that has sentimental value for you. |
In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.
Alternatively- այլապես / Conversely / On the contrary-ընդհակառակը
whereas/ while/ whilst- մինչդեռ
in contrast to this- ի տարբերություն / on the one hand../ on the other hand- մի կողմից... մյուս կողմից
Likewise / Similarly-նմանապես Correspondingly- համապատասխանաբար
In the same way- նույն կերպ Equally- հավասարապես
What's more- ավելին, It is to be outlined- պետք է նշել, Also-նույնպես, նաև, Besides/Furthermore / In addition to /Moreover/ Added to this..is...-բացի այդ, ավելին, դեռ ավելին
Not only...but also- ոչ միայն...բայց նաև
I agree wholeheartedly with-ես ամբողջ սրտով համաձայն եմ.. / It is hard to disagree with-
դժվար է չհամաձայնվել../ One must acknowledge- պետք է գիտակցել, որ../ It is quite right to- բավական ճիշտ է... / ...comes to support this claim- հանդես է գալիս աջակցելու այն պնդումը, որ...
I don't share the view that- ես չեմ կիսում այն տեսակետը, որ
This is far from the truth- սա հեռու է ճշմարտությունից
It is untenable/ unreasonable to-խելքին մոտ չէ, անիմաստ է
It is difficult to share the opinion that- դժվար է կիսել կարծիքը, որ
The fundamental version for- հիմնարար պատճառ / Therefore- ուստի, հետևաբար / For this reason- այս պատճառով / Accordingly- համապատասխանաբար /As a result/ consequence- որպես հետևանք/ Thus- այսպիսով / Consequently- հետևաբար, ուստի / So- այսպիսով / Hence- ուստի, հետևաբար
For example-օրինակ / ..serves to illustrate- օրինակ է ծառայում / to be exact, to be precise - ճշգրիտ լինելու համար/ In particular, particularly - մասնավորապես/ namely- այն է, այսինքն, մասնավորապես/ ...such as...- օրինակ, ինչպիսին է / That is to say - այսպես ասած / In other words- այլ կերպ ասած/ to put it simply- ավելի կոնկրետ, կարճ ասած / The main issue is - գլխավոր խնդիրն այն է, որ.../ It is worth mentioning that...արժե նշել, որ.../ It is interesting to consider - հետաքրքիր է համարել / Main kinds of , Major kinds of, Basic kinds of - հիմնական տեսակները/ Fundamental- հիմնական / Important, Significant - էական, կարևոր
In conclusion- եզրակացություն / In summary- որպես ամփոփում / To conclude- եզրակացնել / To sum up- ամփոփել / To summarize- ամփոփել / To put it briefly - մի խոսքով / As a final point - որպես վերջաբան.../ This goes to show that- սա ցույց է տալիս, որ...
1.To sum up, taking into account the pros and cons mentioned above I strongly believe that...Ամփոփելով, հաշվի առնելով վերոնշյալ դրական և բացասական կողմերը, ես լիովին հավատացած եմ, որ...
2. In conclusion, taking into consideration the factors mentioned above I tend to believe that...- Եզրակացնելով, հաշվի առնելով վերոնշյալ գործոնները, ես հակված եմ կարծելու, որ...