Understanding Essays

WHAT IS AN ESSAY

An essay is a short nonfiction work
that expresses a writer’s thoughts
about a single subject.

ELEMENTS OF AN ESSAY

1. Author’s purpose
2. Audience
3. Tone
4. Voice
5. Point of View

AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

The goal a writer want to
achieve with his/her
essay.

Remember PIE - to inform
or explain; to entertain
or tell a story; to
persuade the reader to
believe in something.

Multiple Choice

How many types of author’s purpose are there?

• 5

• 3

• 4

• 2

AUDIENCE

A person or group
the author is
writing towards.
Audiences affect the
way an author
writes.

TONE

The writer's
attitude toward
the subject
he/she is
discussing or
writing about.

VOICE

The way a writer uses
language to show
his/her personality
and attitude to the
audience. A writer
uses word choice,
tone, and sentence
structure.

POINT OF VIEW (POV)

The vantage point from which a story
is told. Most essays are written in
1st or 3rd point of view. Look for
the pronouns I, Me, us, we for 1st
person. ANd they, them, him, her
for 3rd person.

Match

Match the following

• Audience

• Tone

• Voice

• Point of View

affect the
way an author
writes

writer's
attitude toward
the subject

writer uses
language toshow personality

vantage point from which story
is told

• affect the
  way an author
  writes

• writer's
  attitude toward
  the subject

• writer uses
  language toshow personality

• vantage point from which story
  is told

TYPES OF ESSAYS

● Personal
● Augmentative
● Informational

PERSONAL ESSAY

A short nonfiction work on a single
topic related to the life of the
writer. A personal essay is written
from the author’s point of view and
often in first person (I, and me
pronouns)

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Presents an argument in order to
persuade or convince a reader. The
writer supports his or her argument
with evidence, such as facts and
examples.

INFORMATIONAL ESSAY

Is written to communicate facts.
Since the main purpose is to inform,
the tone is usually formal.

Open Ended

Which type of essay tries to convince, discuss, or change your mind
about the topic?