essay terms defined

Academic Phrasebank

Defining terms.

• GENERAL LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS
• Being cautious
• Being critical
• Classifying and listing
• Compare and contrast
• Describing trends
• Describing quantities
• Explaining causality
• Giving examples
• Signalling transition
• Writing about the past

In academic work students are often expected to give definitions of key words and phrases in order to demonstrate to their tutors that they understand these terms clearly. More generally, however, academic writers define terms so that their readers understand exactly what is meant when certain key terms are used. When important words are not clearly understood misinterpretation may result. In fact, many disagreements (academic, legal, diplomatic, personal) arise as a result of different interpretations of the same term. In academic writing, teachers and their students often have to explore these differing interpretations before moving on to study a topic.

Introductory phrases

The term ‘X’ was first used by … The term ‘X’ can be traced back to … Previous studies mostly defined X as … The term ‘X’ was introduced by Smith in her … Historically, the term ‘X’ has been used to describe … It is necessary here to clarify exactly what is meant by … This shows a need to be explicit about exactly what is meant by the word ‘X’.

Simple three-part definitions

General meanings or application of meanings

X can broadly be defined as … X can be loosely described as … X can be defined as … It encompasses … In the literature, the term tends to be used to refer to … In broad terms, X can be defined as any stimulus that is … Whereas X refers to the operations of …, Y refers to the … The broad use of the term ‘X’ is sometimes equated with … The term ‘disease’ refers to a biological event characterised by … Defined as …, X is now considered a worldwide problem and is associated with …

Indicating varying definitions

The definition of X has evolved. There are multiple definitions of X. Several definitions of X have been proposed. In the field of X, various definitions of X are found. The term ‘X’ embodies a multitude of concepts which … This term has two overlapping, even slightly confusing meanings. Widely varying definitions of X have emerged (Smith and Jones, 1999). Despite its common usage, X is used in different disciplines to mean different things. Since the definition of X varies among researchers, it is important to clarify how the term is …

Indicating difficulties in defining a term

X is a contested term. X is a rather nebulous term … X is challenging to define because … A precise definition of X has proved elusive. A generally accepted definition of X is lacking. Unfortunately, X remains a poorly defined term. There is no agreed definition on what constitutes … There is little consensus about what X actually means. There is a degree of uncertainty around the terminology in … These terms are often used interchangeably and without precision. Numerous terms are used to describe X, the most common of which are …. The definition of X varies in the literature and there is terminological confusion. Smith (2001) identified four abilities that might be subsumed under the term ‘X’: a) … ‘X’ is a term frequently used in the literature, but to date there is no consensus about … X is a commonly-used notion in psychology and yet it is a concept difficult to define precisely. Although differences of opinion still exist, there appears to be some agreement that X refers to …

Specifying terms that are used in an essay or thesis

The term ‘X’ is used here to refer to … In the present study, X is defined as … The term ‘X’ will be used solely when referring to … In this essay, the term ‘X’ will be used in its broadest sense to refer to all … In this paper, the term that will be used to describe this phenomenon is ‘X’. In this dissertation, the terms ‘X’ and ‘Y’ are used interchangeably to mean … Throughout this thesis, the term ‘X’ is used to refer to informal systems as well as … While a variety of definitions of the term ‘X’ have been suggested, this paper will use the definition first suggested by Smith (1968) who saw it as …

Referring to people’s definitions: author prominent

For Smith (2001), X means … Smith (2001) uses the term ‘X’ to refer to … Smith (1954) was apparently the first to use the term … In 1987, psychologist John Smith popularized the term ‘X’ to describe … According to a definition provided by Smith (2001:23), X is ‘the maximally … This definition is close to those of Smith (2012) and Jones (2013) who define X as … Smith, has shown that, as late as 1920, Jones was using the term ‘X’ to refer to particular … One of the first people to define nursing was Florence Nightingale (1860), who wrote: ‘… …’ Chomsky writes that a grammar is a ‘device of some sort for producing the ….’ (1957, p.11). Aristotle defines the imagination as ‘the movement which results upon an actual sensation.’ Smith  et al . (2002) have provided a new definition of health: ‘health is a state of being with …

Referring to people’s definitions: author non-prominent

X is defined by Smith (2003: 119) as ‘… …’ The term ‘X’ is used by Smith (2001) to refer to … X is, for Smith (2012), the situation which occurs when … A further definition of X is given by Smith (1982) who describes … The term ‘X’ is used by Aristotle in four overlapping senses. First, it is the underlying … X is the degree to which an assessment process or device measures … (Smith  et al ., 1986).

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Common Writing Terms and Concepts Defined

Writing process.

Writing prompt: Your professor’s instructions for your writing assignment.

Brainstorming: Exercises and techniques that help you find and organize ideas, arguments, and theses for a paper. To see some examples, check out the Writing Center’s handout on Brainstorming techniques.

Freewriting: A form of brainstorming where you write without stopping for a period of time.

Draft: The initial version of a paper before revisions and proofreading.

Feedback: Comments on your paper that praise or provide suggestions for improving your draft.

Revising: Correcting or making changes to the paper’s thesis, organization, argument or evidence.

Proofreading: Correcting the sentence structure, spelling, and other grammar issues in the paper. This step comes after revising the paper.

Peer Review Workshop: Students get into pairs or groups to write feedback and to talk about improving the paper.

Rubric: A scoring guide that a teacher uses to grade your paper. It usually includes a description of what an excellent, good, or poor score may look like. (e.g. have a clear thesis statement, address the audience appropriately)

Elements of a Paper

Introduction: The first paragraph or section of your paper; it gives important background about the topic. It also includes the thesis statement.

Thesis Statement: A clear statement of the main argument in your paper. It usually appears at the end of the introduction.

Body paragraph: A paragraph in the paper that is neither the introduction nor the conclusion. In an argumentative paper, a body paragraph supports the thesis statement. It contains topic sentences, evidence, and analysis. (See below)

Topic Sentence: A clear statement of the main idea you want a paragraph to convey. It usually comes at the beginning of the paragraph.

Evidence: Any material (e.g.: data or expert sources) that supports or helps prove your thesis.

Source: People or publications that provide evidence to support your thesis. Examples may include journal articles, books, online websites, videos, and people you interview. You must cite your sources when you use them in your paper.

Analysis: When writers provide analysis, they explain how their evidence connects to their thesis.

Counterargument: An argument that disagrees with your position in the paper. You should acknowledge counterarguments, and either accept, accommodate or refute them.

Conclusion: The last paragraph or section in an essay; it restates the thesis and the evidence that supports it. It sometimes also explains the thesis’s importance outside of a class.

Genres of Writing

Persuasive Essay or Argumentative Essay: A paper that tries to convince a reader that a certain idea is better than another idea. The paper may try to tell its reader to take action for this idea. Some persuasive essays may use sources and others may not.

Research Paper: An essay that analyzes a number of sources within a field, creating an argument or interpretation of the information within the sources.

Citations/References

These are concepts that relate to the use of sources in a paper.

Source: People or publications that provide evidence to support your thesis. Some examples are journal articles, books, online websites, videos, and people you interview.

In-text Citation: When you reference (or “cite”) a source in the body of your paper, that reference is an in-text citation. To see sample in-text citations, refer to MLA, APA, or Chicago style manuals or Purdue OWL.

Signal phrase: A phrase that leads into a quotation or paraphrase. A signal phrase usually includes the author’s name. Refer to MLA, APA or Chicago style Purdue OWL to see how to cite sentences with signal phrases.

Quoting: The use of someone’s words exactly as they wrote them. Quoting requires quotation marks and an in-text citation.

Paraphrasing: Using different words and sentences to summarize a source’s main idea or argument. Paraphrasing requires an in-text citation.

Bibliography: Located at the end of the paper, it contains a list of all sources cited in the paper. (Also called: Works Cited or References page)

Bibliographic citation: Each source used in the paper is listed in the bibliography. Each source entry is called the bibliographic citation.

Annotated Bibliography: A list of sources you plan to use in a paper. Each source in the list is accompanied by a short summary (“annotation”) of that source, and how it relates to your paper. The annotation may also evaluate the source, its accuracy and quality.

Summary: a brief account of a source’s main points.

Plagiarism: Occurs when the writer uses the ideas or words of another person or publication or other source without crediting, acknowledging or citing that person, publication, or other source.

Patchwriting: is considered a form of plagiarism and you want to avoid this. It is when someone writes passages that are not copied word by word, but have still been borrowed.

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• Tags: Academic Writing , Essay , Essay Writing

Writing an effective and impactful essay is crucial to your academic or professional success. Whether it’s getting into the college of your dreams or scoring high on a major assignment, writing a well-structured essay will help you achieve it all. But before you learn how to write an essay , you need to know its basic components.

In this article, we will understand what an essay is, how long it should be, and its different parts and types. We will also take a detailed look at relevant examples to better understand the essay structure.

Get an A+ with our essay editing and proofreading services! Learn more

What is an essay?

An essay is a concise piece of nonfiction writing that aims to either inform the reader about a topic or argue a particular perspective. It can either be formal or informal in nature. Most academic essays are highly formal, whereas informal essays are commonly found in journal entries, social media, or even blog posts.

As we can see from this essay definition, the beauty of essays lies in their versatility. From the exploration of complex scientific concepts to the history and evolution of everyday objects, they can cover a vast range of topics.

How long is an essay?

The length of an essay can vary from a few hundred to several thousand words but typically falls between 500–5,000 words. However, there are exceptions to this norm, such as Joan Didion and David Sedaris who have written entire books of essays.

Let’s take a look at the different types of essays and their lengths with the help of the following table:

How many paragraphs are in an essay?

Typically, an essay has five paragraphs: an introduction, a conclusion, and three body paragraphs. However, there is no set rule about the number of paragraphs in an essay.

The number of paragraphs can vary depending on the type and scope of your essay. An expository or argumentative essay may require more body paragraphs to include all the necessary information, whereas a narrative essay may need fewer.

Structure of an essay

To enhance the coherence and readability of your essay, it’s important to follow certain rules regarding the structure. Take a look:

1. Arrange your information from the most simple to the most complex bits. You can start the body paragraph off with a general statement and then move on to specifics.

2. Provide the necessary background information at the beginning of your essay to give the reader the context behind your thesis statement.

3. Select topic statements that provide value, more information, or evidence for your thesis statement.

There are also various essay structures , such as the compare and contrast structure, chronological structure, problem method solution structure, and signposting structure that you can follow to create an organized and impactful essay.

Parts of an essay

An impactful, well-structured essay comes down to three important parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion.

1. The introduction sets the stage for your essay and is typically a paragraph long. It should grab the reader’s attention and give them a clear idea of what your essay will be about.

2. The body is where you dive deeper into your topic and present your arguments and evidence. It usually consists of two paragraphs, but this can vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing.

3. The conclusion brings your essay to a close and is typically one paragraph long. It should summarize the main points of the essay and leave the reader with something to think about.

The length of your paragraphs can vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing. So, make sure you take the time to plan out your essay structure so each section flows smoothly into the next.

Introduction

When it comes to writing an essay, the introduction is a critical component that sets the tone for the entire piece. A well-crafted introduction not only grabs the reader’s attention but also provides them with a clear understanding of what the essay is all about. An essay editor can help you achieve this, but it’s best to know the brief yourself!

Let’s take a look at how to write an attractive and informative introductory paragraph.

1. Construct an attractive hook

To grab the reader’s attention, an opening statement or hook is crucial. This can be achieved by incorporating a surprising statistic, a shocking fact, or an interesting anecdote into the beginning of your piece.

For example, if you’re writing an essay about water conservation you can begin your essay with, “Clean drinking water, a fundamental human need, remains out of reach for more than one billion people worldwide. It deprives them of a basic human right and jeopardizes their health and wellbeing.”

2. Provide sufficient context or background information

An effective introduction should begin with a brief description or background of your topic. This will help provide context and set the stage for your discussion.

For example, if you’re writing an essay about climate change, you start by describing the current state of the planet and the impact that human activity is having on it.

3. Construct a well-rounded and comprehensive thesis statement

A good introduction should also include the main message or thesis statement of your essay. This is the central argument that you’ll be making throughout the piece. It should be clear, concise, and ideally placed toward the end of the introduction.

By including these elements in your introduction, you’ll be setting yourself up for success in the rest of your essay.

Let’s take a look at an example.

Essay introduction example

• Background information
• Thesis statement

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane in 1903 revolutionized the way humans travel and explore the world. Prior to this invention, transportation relied on trains, boats, and cars, which limited the distance and speed of travel. However, the airplane made air travel a reality, allowing people to reach far-off destinations in mere hours. This breakthrough paved the way for modern-day air travel, transforming the world into a smaller, more connected place. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Wright Brothers’ invention on modern-day travel, including the growth of the aviation industry, increased accessibility of air travel to the general public, and the economic and cultural benefits of air travel.

Body paragraphs

You can persuade your readers and make your thesis statement compelling by providing evidence, examples, and logical reasoning. To write a fool-proof and authoritative essay, you need to provide multiple well-structured, substantial arguments.

Let’s take a look at how this can be done:

1. Write a topic sentence for each paragraph

The beginning of each of your body paragraphs should contain the main arguments that you’d like to address. They should provide ground for your thesis statement and make it well-rounded. You can arrange these arguments in several formats depending on the type of essay you’re writing.

2. Provide the supporting information

The next point of your body paragraph should provide supporting information to back up your main argument. Depending on the type of essay, you can elaborate on your main argument with the help of relevant statistics, key information, examples, or even personal anecdotes.

3. Analyze the supporting information

After providing relevant details and supporting information, it is important to analyze it and link it back to your main argument.

4. Create a smooth transition to the next paragraph

End one body paragraph with a smooth transition to the next. There are many ways in which this can be done, but the most common way is to give a gist of your main argument along with the supporting information with transitory words such as “however” “in addition to” “therefore”.

Here’s an example of a body paragraph.

Essay body paragraph example

• Topic sentence
• Supporting information
• Analysis of the information
• Smooth transition to the next paragraph

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane revolutionized air travel. They achieved the first-ever successful powered flight with the Wright Flyer in 1903, after years of conducting experiments and studying flight principles. Despite their first flight lasting only 12 seconds, it was a significant milestone that paved the way for modern aviation. The Wright Brothers’ success can be attributed to their systematic approach to problem-solving, which included numerous experiments with gliders, the development of a wind tunnel to test their designs, and meticulous analysis and recording of their results. Their dedication and ingenuity forever changed the way we travel, making modern aviation possible.

A powerful concluding statement separates a good essay from a brilliant one. To create a powerful conclusion, you need to start with a strong foundation.

Let’s take a look at how to construct an impactful concluding statement.

1. Restructure your thesis statement

To conclude your essay effectively, don’t just restate your thesis statement. Instead, use what you’ve learned throughout your essay and modify your thesis statement accordingly. This will help you create a conclusion that ties together all of the arguments you’ve presented.

2. Summarize the main points of your essay

The next point of your conclusion consists of a summary of the main arguments of your essay. It is crucial to effectively summarize the gist of your essay into one, well-structured paragraph.

3. Create a lasting impression with your concluding statement

Conclude your essay by including a key takeaway, or a powerful statement that creates a lasting impression on the reader. This can include the broader implications or consequences of your essay topic.

Here’s an example of a concluding paragraph.

Essay conclusion example

• Restated thesis statement
• Summary of the main points
• Broader implications of the thesis statement

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane forever changed history by paving the way for modern aviation and countless aerospace advancements. Their persistence, innovation, and dedication to problem-solving led to the first successful powered flight in 1903, sparking a revolution in transportation that transformed the world. Today, air travel remains an integral part of our globalized society, highlighting the undeniable impact of the Wright Brothers’ contribution to human civilization.

Types of essays

Most essays are derived from the combination or variation of these four main types of essays . let’s take a closer look at these types.

1. Narrative essay

A narrative essay is a type of writing that involves telling a story, often based on personal experiences. It is a form of creative nonfiction that allows you to use storytelling techniques to convey a message or a theme.

2. Descriptive essay

A descriptive essay aims to provide an immersive experience for the reader by using sensory descriptors. Unlike a narrative essay, which tells a story, a descriptive essay has a narrower scope and focuses on one particular aspect of a story.

3. Argumentative essays

An argumentative essay is a type of essay that aims to persuade the reader to adopt a particular stance based on factual evidence and is one of the most common forms of college essays.

4. Expository essays

An expository essay is a common format used in school and college exams to assess your understanding of a specific topic. The purpose of an expository essay is to present and explore a topic thoroughly without taking any particular stance or expressing personal opinions.

While this article demonstrates what is an essay and describes its types, you may also have other doubts. As experts who provide essay editing and proofreading services , we’re here to help. 

Our team has created a list of resources to clarify any doubts about writing essays. Keep reading to write engaging and well-organized essays!

• How to Write an Essay in 8 Simple Steps
• How to Write an Essay Header
• How to Write an Essay Outline

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an argumentative and an expository essay, what is the difference between a narrative and a descriptive essay, what is an essay format, what is the meaning of essay, what is the purpose of writing an essay.

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• essay - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

essay , an analytic , interpretative, or critical literary composition usually much shorter and less systematic and formal than a dissertation or thesis and usually dealing with its subject from a limited and often personal point of view.

Some early treatises—such as those of Cicero on the pleasantness of old age or on the art of “divination,” Seneca on anger or clemency , and Plutarch on the passing of oracles—presage to a certain degree the form and tone of the essay, but not until the late 16th century was the flexible and deliberately nonchalant and versatile form of the essay perfected by the French writer Michel de Montaigne . Choosing the name essai to emphasize that his compositions were attempts or endeavours, a groping toward the expression of his personal thoughts and experiences, Montaigne used the essay as a means of self-discovery. His Essais , published in their final form in 1588, are still considered among the finest of their kind. Later writers who most nearly recall the charm of Montaigne include, in England, Robert Burton , though his whimsicality is more erudite , Sir Thomas Browne , and Laurence Sterne , and in France, with more self-consciousness and pose, André Gide and Jean Cocteau .

At the beginning of the 17th century, social manners, the cultivation of politeness, and the training of an accomplished gentleman became the theme of many essayists. This theme was first exploited by the Italian Baldassare Castiglione in his Il libro del cortegiano (1528; The Book of the Courtier ). The influence of the essay and of genres allied to it, such as maxims, portraits, and sketches, proved second to none in molding the behavior of the cultured classes, first in Italy, then in France, and, through French influence, in most of Europe in the 17th century. Among those who pursued this theme was the 17th-century Spanish Jesuit Baltasar Gracián in his essays on the art of worldly wisdom.

Keener political awareness in the 18th century, the age of Enlightenment , made the essay an all-important vehicle for the criticism of society and religion. Because of its flexibility, its brevity , and its potential both for ambiguity and for allusions to current events and conditions, it was an ideal tool for philosophical reformers. The Federalist Papers in America and the tracts of the French Revolutionaries are among the countless examples of attempts during this period to improve the human condition through the essay.

The genre also became the favoured tool of traditionalists of the 18th and 19th centuries, such as Edmund Burke and Samuel Taylor Coleridge , who looked to the short, provocative essay as the most potent means of educating the masses. Essays such as Paul Elmer More’s long series of Shelburne Essays (published between 1904 and 1935), T.S. Eliot ’s After Strange Gods (1934) and Notes Towards the Definition of Culture (1948), and others that attempted to reinterpret and redefine culture , established the genre as the most fitting to express the genteel tradition at odds with the democracy of the new world.

Whereas in several countries the essay became the chosen vehicle of literary and social criticism, in other countries the genre became semipolitical, earnestly nationalistic, and often polemical, playful, or bitter. Essayists such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Willa Cather wrote with grace on several lighter subjects, and many writers—including Virginia Woolf , Edmund Wilson , and Charles du Bos —mastered the essay as a form of literary criticism .

• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Write an Essay

I. What is an Essay?

An essay is a form of writing in paragraph form that uses informal language, although it can be written formally. Essays may be written in first-person point of view (I, ours, mine), but third-person (people, he, she) is preferable in most academic essays. Essays do not require research as most academic reports and papers do; however, they should cite any literary works that are used within the paper.

When thinking of essays, we normally think of the five-paragraph essay: Paragraph 1 is the introduction, paragraphs 2-4 are the body covering three main ideas, and paragraph 5 is the conclusion. Sixth and seventh graders may start out with three paragraph essays in order to learn the concepts. However, essays may be longer than five paragraphs. Essays are easier and quicker to read than books, so are a preferred way to express ideas and concepts when bringing them to public attention.

II. Examples of Essays

Many of our most famous Americans have written essays. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson wrote essays about being good citizens and concepts to build the new United States. In the pre-Civil War days of the 1800s, people such as:

• Ralph Waldo Emerson (an author) wrote essays on self-improvement
• Susan B. Anthony wrote on women’s right to vote
• Frederick Douglass wrote on the issue of African Americans’ future in the U.S.

Through each era of American history, well-known figures in areas such as politics, literature, the arts, business, etc., voiced their opinions through short and long essays.

The ultimate persuasive essay that most students learn about and read in social studies is the “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Other founding fathers edited and critiqued it, but he drafted the first version. He builds a strong argument by stating his premise (claim) then proceeds to give the evidence in a straightforward manner before coming to his logical conclusion.

III. Types of Essays

A. expository.

Essays written to explore and explain ideas are called expository essays (they expose truths). These will be more formal types of essays usually written in third person, to be more objective. There are many forms, each one having its own organizational pattern.  Cause/Effect essays explain the reason (cause) for something that happens after (effect). Definition essays define an idea or concept. Compare/ Contrast essays will look at two items and show how they are similar (compare) and different (contrast).

b. Persuasive

An argumentative paper presents an idea or concept with the intention of attempting to change a reader’s mind or actions . These may be written in second person, using “you” in order to speak to the reader. This is called a persuasive essay. There will be a premise (claim) followed by evidence to show why you should believe the claim.

c. Narrative

Narrative means story, so narrative essays will illustrate and describe an event of some kind to tell a story. Most times, they will be written in first person. The writer will use descriptive terms, and may have paragraphs that tell a beginning, middle, and end in place of the five paragraphs with introduction, body, and conclusion. However, if there is a lesson to be learned, a five-paragraph may be used to ensure the lesson is shown.

d. Descriptive

The goal of a descriptive essay is to vividly describe an event, item, place, memory, etc. This essay may be written in any point of view, depending on what’s being described. There is a lot of freedom of language in descriptive essays, which can include figurative language, as well.

IV. The Importance of Essays

Essays are an important piece of literature that can be used in a variety of situations. They’re a flexible type of writing, which makes them useful in many settings . History can be traced and understood through essays from theorists, leaders, artists of various arts, and regular citizens of countries throughout the world and time. For students, learning to write essays is also important because as they leave school and enter college and/or the work force, it is vital for them to be able to express themselves well.

V. Examples of Essays in Literature

Sir Francis Bacon was a leading philosopher who influenced the colonies in the 1600s. Many of America’s founding fathers also favored his philosophies toward government. Bacon wrote an essay titled “Of Nobility” in 1601 , in which he defines the concept of nobility in relation to people and government. The following is the introduction of his definition essay. Note the use of “we” for his point of view, which includes his readers while still sounding rather formal.

 “We will speak of nobility, first as a portion of an estate, then as a condition of particular persons. A monarchy, where there is no nobility at all, is ever a pure and absolute tyranny; as that of the Turks. For nobility attempers sovereignty, and draws the eyes of the people, somewhat aside from the line royal. But for democracies, they need it not; and they are commonly more quiet, and less subject to sedition, than where there are stirps of nobles. For men’s eyes are upon the business, and not upon the persons; or if upon the persons, it is for the business’ sake, as fittest, and not for flags and pedigree. We see the Switzers last well, notwithstanding their diversity of religion, and of cantons. For utility is their bond, and not respects. The united provinces of the Low Countries, in their government, excel; for where there is an equality, the consultations are more indifferent, and the payments and tributes, more cheerful. A great and potent nobility, addeth majesty to a monarch, but diminisheth power; and putteth life and spirit into the people, but presseth their fortune. It is well, when nobles are not too great for sovereignty nor for justice; and yet maintained in that height, as the insolency of inferiors may be broken upon them, before it come on too fast upon the majesty of kings. A numerous nobility causeth poverty, and inconvenience in a state; for it is a surcharge of expense; and besides, it being of necessity, that many of the nobility fall, in time, to be weak in fortune, it maketh a kind of disproportion, between honor and means.”

A popular modern day essayist is Barbara Kingsolver. Her book, “Small Wonders,” is full of essays describing her thoughts and experiences both at home and around the world. Her intention with her essays is to make her readers think about various social issues, mainly concerning the environment and how people treat each other. The link below is to an essay in which a child in an Iranian village she visited had disappeared. The boy was found three days later in a bear’s cave, alive and well, protected by a mother bear. She uses a narrative essay to tell her story.

VI. Examples of Essays in Pop Culture

Many rap songs are basically mini essays, expressing outrage and sorrow over social issues today, just as the 1960s had a lot of anti-war and peace songs that told stories and described social problems of that time. Any good song writer will pay attention to current events and express ideas in a creative way.

A well-known essay written in 1997 by Mary Schmich, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune, was made into a popular video on MTV by Baz Luhrmann. Schmich’s thesis is to wear sunscreen, but she adds strong advice with supporting details throughout the body of her essay, reverting to her thesis in the conclusion.

VII. Related Terms

Research paper.

Research papers follow the same basic format of an essay. They have an introductory paragraph, the body, and a conclusion. However, research papers have strict guidelines regarding a title page, header, sub-headers within the paper, citations throughout and in a bibliography page, the size and type of font, and margins. The purpose of a research paper is to explore an area by looking at previous research. Some research papers may include additional studies by the author, which would then be compared to previous research. The point of view is an objective third-person. No opinion is allowed. Any claims must be backed up with research.

VIII. Conclusion

Students dread hearing that they are going to write an essay, but essays are one of the easiest and most relaxed types of writing they will learn. Mastering the essay will make research papers much easier, since they have the same basic structure. Many historical events can be better understood through essays written by people involved in those times. The continuation of essays in today’s times will allow future historians to understand how our new world of technology and information impacted us.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

• Write My Essay
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• Custom Essay
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Glossary of Essay Writing Terms

• AMA style - A Guide for Authors as of the style guide of the American Medical Association. The guide is written by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), plus the Archives journals.
• Abstract nouns - A noun that doesn’t describe an object. It may describe an idea, state or quality.
• Academic writing - A form of writing that makes a point or answers a question using reliable and academically credible sources to ensure the written piece is accurate and correct.
• Admission essay - An essay written by a person wishing to enter an academic institution, usually with the aim of becoming a student. It is written to help demonstrate the academic prowess of the applicant.
• Analogy - a comparison between things that are similar so as to help the reader understand something more clearly.
• Analysis - The study of facts, figures and evidence to narrow down its relevance to the subject in hand. Analysis is done to find meaning in what could otherwise be viewed as standalone facts, figures or evidence.
• Anecdote - An account of something that is defined as hear-say but may be relevant in explaining a point or getting people to understand more clearly.
• Annotated bibliography - A bibliography that is full of citations and references, but each entry is followed by a short chunk of text. The text may describe the references/citation, or may help the reader understand the reference or citation.
• APA style - This is a writing style and referencing style that is used by the American Psychological association.
• Argumentative essay - An essay that shows more than one side of an issue. Two or more sides/arguments are placed within an essay so that comparisons, contrasts and conclusions may be drawn.
• ASA style - This is the style used by the American Sociological Association when preparing works for journals and publications.
• Assignment - A set of instructions that are put together to help a person undertaking a task to draw it to a conclusion. They help a person reach a designated goal as set out by the assignment itself.
• Audience - The people, group, or entity that receives information from another person, group or entity. The information is directed at an audience with the aim of having the audience take the information in.

• Bias - The taking or adopting of one side of an issue, argument or idea to the detriment of the other side(s) of the said argument. It may also mean focusing on one element, issue or argument with relatively exclusivity.
• Bibliography - A list of the citations and references used within the work. They are usually indicated within the text with fuller descriptions present within the bibliography. It is to help the reader follow up on a point or data that is present in the work.
• Bluebook style - This is a uniform system of citation set out as a style guide. It is used mostly by people in the legal industry within the United States.
• Body - The essay body is the bulk of an essay that is usually structured as per the decision of the writer. In itself it may contain things such as evidence sections, evaluation sections and analysis sections, as well as numerous other relevant sections.
• Brainstorming - The act of focusing on a single idea or problem without a structure and allowing ideas to free flow as a result. One idea may lead to another or may exist on its own alongside other thoughts and ideas.

• Calculate - To compute one section of information in order to draw results or alter the original information in some way. It is seen quite a lot within mathematics and programming where information is computed to draw a retraceable result.
• Case Study - A record and processed data that is part of research, or used as research, into the development of a group, situation, thing or person over a set period of time. It may also be something analyzed or used to illustrate a principle, point or thesis.
• Cause and effect essay - An essay that is structured in a way that joins events, thoughts and/or actions and links them in some way. One element is called the cause and the other the effect, with the effect being the result of the cause.
• CBEP - This is a Community-Based Education Project or Program.
• Characterization - The addition of motivation to a character or entity of some sort. This may include things such as character history, emotions, situations and personality being mixed to form a fuller character as a whole.
• Chicago/Turabian style - This is the style guide used for American English.
• Chronological order - Items or points are ordered according to their timeline. It may be events put in the order they happened, or set against a sequence that is usually based on a linear timeline.
• Citation - The act of referencing the work of another directly. It means copying or paraphrasing the work of another and using it as evidence. A citation is not credited to the person doing the citing (i.e. it is not the writer idea that is being quoted unless self quoting earlier works).
• Cite - To draw attention to the creation of another. It is usually done to prove a point. The person doing the citing does not claim ownership of the work that is cited.
• Clarify - To better explain a certain point. This is sometimes done with examples or the production of further evidence however, it may also include stories and analogies that draw a similar comparison.
• Classification essay - An essay that opens up a subject and explores it more thoroughly. The idea is to help the reader more fully understand the subject at hand.
• Cliché - A term or action that is nestled deep within the public zeitgeist to the point where it is considered overused by those that have had experience with it.
• Cluster Analysis - Cluster analysis or clustering is where similar objects are grouped together to be analyzed. This may be an efficient way of analyzing a large amount of data, but may also cause inaccuracy if incorrectly done.
• Cognitive skills - These refer to the skills a person has as per their intellect. They include skills such as computation, analysis, evaluation, spotting differences, comparing, contrasting, biased and unbiased thinking. Even creatures without lateral thinking may still have cognitive skills, albeit far inferior to human cognitive skills.
• Coherence - The act or state of being logically consistent. In academic terms it means to be clear and easy to understand by the intended audience.
• Colloquial expressions - These are expressions used by a relatively large amount of people, but that are localized in one area. This may be as small as within a company, as large as within a country or community.
• Comparison essay - Where elements or points are compared within one essay. Items are highlighted for one element or point and then compared to another or numerous other elements or points.
• Composition - An arrangement. Arranging something in order to make something else or something new. This may include taking smaller parts to make a larger part.
• Conclusion - This is where a hypothesis, usually located in an essay introduction, is concluded upon first by reminding the reader what the hypothesis was. It may draw upon elements within the rest of the essay to prove a point.
• Connotation and Denotation - Connotation refers to the emotional, imaginative and ungraspable parts of something. Denotation refers to the literal significance or primary significance.
• Content and Form - These are distinct aspects of a piece of work. The content is the primary makeup of the piece of work, which usually refers to the text and media side of things in academics. The form refers to the techniques and style used, and may refer to the media being used, though not the media that is inserted.
• Context - This refers to the surrounding conditions, which may include the circumstances, environment or events. Words are given context based on the words surrounding them, the nature and tone of the work as a whole, and the emphasis inserted by the writer.
• Continuity - An unchanging quality that may also be described as a constant. It is a consistency or a consistent whole, and may describe how one element connects to another to make them smaller parts of a larger whole.
• Contrast - A marked difference between two or more things. Juxtaposition of different things.
• Copyright - This is the legal right a creator is given in a free society. It gives the creator control over the work produced for a certain number of years.
• Coursework - This is work issued by an academic institution that upon completion will count towards a final grade and/or a pass or fail. Not completing coursework may negatively affect a student’s final grade, score or pass.
• Cover Letter - This is a note issued by the sender to briefly explain the other items that are being sent. It may also explain the motivations for sending the other items and the desired result of such.
• Credibility - This usually refers to believability, but in academic terms means a point that may be proven. A reliable resource is usually required in these cases.
• Critical essay - Presenting an objective analysis that has either a neutral, positive or negative outcome, and sometimes offers praise and advice on improvements.
• Criticism - To make a remark, comment or point that draws attention to an issue. Usually the issue is something of fault that the criticizer wishes to highlight. Constructive criticism will help the original creator to improve whatever he or she has created.
• Current literature - Literature that has not yet been discredited or proven incorrect.

• Data - Information that may take many forms. It may be used as a discussion point, as evidence, as part of a calculation or as research to another end.
• Dead copy - Often referred to as the original piece of work that the live copy is compared to.
• Deadline - This is the time limit given for a certain task. A deadline can be as long as the issuer decides, be it a few minutes or a few years.
• Deduction - A conclusion drawn that often relies on logic or the weighing and concluding upon evidence.
• Deductive essay - The evaluation and concluding upon an issue. It may also include analysis.
• Definition essay - An essay that defines something by exploring its many meanings and its effects. It helps the reader to understand or better understand something through reading the essay.
• Denotation - The most basic or literal meaning. A specific meaning or primary meaning or description.
• Description - Giving an account of something. The aim is to help the reader understand something or identify what something is.
• Development - The process of moving from one state to another, usually done through some form of work or process. It may be an event that causes change or used to describe the process of change.
• Dialectic essay - The act of making an argument and then objecting to it, only to defend the original argument and conclude. It is form of argumentative essay with a simpler and more streamline framework.
• Diction - This is the spoken clarity or choice of words. It may be used to describe a type of work/paper/artistic piece.
• Dissertation - A very long essay that usually goes above and beyond 12,000 words where an issue is fleshed out in the best and most comprehensive way possible.
• Distinguish - The act of recognizing and noting differences, or to recognize differences as a process.
• Division - Splitting, sharing or disagreeing. To separate or divide. It may also be a section of an organization.
• Documented essay - This could define most essays. It is an essay that uses research to support a principle, point, idea, hypothesis or idea.
• Dominant impression - In academic terms this may be considered the controlling idea to which the writer must remain consistent. It may also represent the hypothesis or thesis if it were to control the quality, atmosphere, mood or tone of the written piece.

• Effect - A change that comes as a direct result of something else, which is usually a cause. It may also denote the power to influence. It may mean the impression given. It is used as a noun, whereas affect is used as a verb. An affect acts upon, and the effect is the result.
• Elaborate - To better explain something in more detail so that the reader may understand it more fully. It may also mean explaining something to remove any vagaries or potential misunderstandings.
• Emphasis - To draw attention to something and expose it. To add emphasis may mean to expose something more fully when compared with other elements within a written piece.
• Enumerate - To list thing individually or count them. To give numbers to something, usually to order or count them.
• Essay - A standard piece of academic writing that draws upon academically credible resources or academic knowledge to make a point, expose something or to pose a question.
• Essay hook - This is the element of an essay that draws the reader in. The aim is to help the reader decide if he or she should read the essay by trying to capture the reader’s interest.
• Etymology - The study of words or their origin/history. They commonly explain why we use words the way we do.
• Evaluate - To take all the evidence and all the points made and assess their validity with an aim to drawing a conclusion. The assessment of validity may include drawing upon the original hypothesis to see if the evidence, facts and points made are actually relevant and/or meaningful.
• Evidence - This is the available body of information and facts that indicate whether a proposition or belief is true or valid.
• Examine - To explore something in detail that usually involves taking notes. It is done to help improve knowledge about a subject or idea.
• Expand - Usually this means to make larger, but in academic terms means to better explain or elaborate. To make something more detailed, in-depth or less brief.
• Exploratory essay - Exploring a problem or an issue without trying to support a thesis. It may be as simple as a piece of research that opens up a subject so that it may be studied more closely or in more detail.
• Expository essay - A type of essay where the writer investigates an idea, expounds on the idea, evaluates evidence, and sets an argument concerning the idea in a concise and clear manner.

• Figurative language - None-literal language or representational language. It may refer to representing by allegorical figures. It may mean using an emblematic human or animal figure to represent an abstract question quality or idea.
• Flashback - An earlier event or scene. In written work it refers to the reference to an earlier event or scene.
• Footnotes - Additional details found at the foot of the essay or at the foot of the page. It may not be necessary for reader comprehension, but is there if the reader wants more detail.
• Formal essay - An essay using an academic structure, type and style, and absent of creative diversions or poetic license.
• Framework - This is a structure through which something works, is written, or is held up. Standard frameworks within essays make reading and studying different essays easier because they are structured in a similar way.
• Free association - Using a word(s) or image(s) to spontaneously suggest another without a logical connection.
• Full references - Short references may give an idea of the source material, but full references give an easier-to-follow-up insert for each reference. The act of giving full references may also include adding references to all facts, principles, points and ideas that require proof or that are not the original creation of the writer.

• Galley - A trial print run or trial publishing run.
• Generalization - A sweeping statement that is almost impossible to fully backup because of the randomness of the universe.
• Give an account of - To describe, usually in detail.
• GPO style - The style used by the United States Government Publishing Office.

• Harvard style - Parenthetical referencing that is one of the most commonly used referencing styles in the USA. Many colleges/Universities have variations of their preferred Harvard style.
• Heading - A subtitle or subtitles used to break up text into easier to understand and/or read sections of related material.
• Hyperbole - To exaggerate, usually to make a point with more impact. It is deliberate and obvious exaggeration to make a point in a way that does not come across as an outright lie.
• Hypothesis - A theory, question or point that needs investigation, disproving or proving. It may also be an assumption that is taken as true for the moment.

• Idiom - A fixed expression with a non-literal meaning. It is difficult, if not impossible, to deduce the meaning alone or out of context.
• In-text reference - The act of putting a reference within the text so that the reader knows where the preceding point or evidence came from.
• Induction - Inducting somebody into an institution, business, organization or position. Or, the process of creating/inducing an idea, feeling or state. Or, a logical conclusion based on evidence. It may also mean the scientific method, generalizations based on observation, or the making of generalizations.
• Inference - A conclusion or reasoning process. An implication, deduction, supposition or the act of conjecture, assumption and/or presumption.
• Informal essay - An essay that breaks the more formal academic rules when it comes to essay writing, usually for a creative reason, to make a more human-based or emotional point, or to make the text more interesting to read for the target audience.
• Introduction - The text found at a start of an essay that helps the reader understand what the essay is about in general terms and if the reader will be interested in the essay content.
• Irony - A form of humor that suggests the opposite of a literal meaning. Humor based on incongruity or based on contradiction.
• ISBN - In publishing it is the International Standard Book Number and is used to catalog publications in a similar way that barcodes catalog groceries. It is a library specifically for publications.

• Jargon - Specialist language used by groups, companies or a culture that means something to both those within the group/company/culture and others.

• Lab Report - The details of work done in a lab that may be used later as evidence or for the basis of analysis.
• Levels of thought - What is focused upon in academics and to what degree it should be focused on.
• Linking word - They help create longer sentences whilst maintaining fluency. They may show a relationship between points or ideas.
• Literature essay - An essay written to inform the reader or to deliver a message to the essay reader.
• Literature research - The use of credible and respected resource during the research process.
• Loaded words - High inference language that helps direct a thought or conclusion in the mind of a reader. It may evoke a stereotype or emotion with its use where another just as suitable word wouldn’t.
• Logical fallacy - An error in reasoning especially related to correct and incorrect logic.

• m-dash - Used to show that a word continues on to the next line. It may also be used to create a strong break in the structure of a sentence.
• Margin - The space between one element and another. Most commonly used in essays to specify where the page edge should sit and where the text should begin.
• Marker - An indicator usually used to indicate a position or presence.
• Meta-Analysis - The use of a statistical approach that combines results from multiple studies to increase the result‘s power over individual studies or improve estimates.
• Metaphor - It is an implicit comparison or the use of figurative language. It is an implicit comparison to describe somebody or something. It may be a vivid comparison that is not meant literally. Figurative language involves symbolism or figures of speech that are not literally supposed to represent real things.
• Methodology - An organizing system or the study of organizing principles or rules.
• MLA style - This is the style used by the Modern Language Association. People use them for the preparation of research and scholarly manuscripts.
• MS - This may represent the company Microsoft, or Master Of Science degree. It may also mean Middle School, Medical Student, Mass Storage or Management System.

• n-dash - A wider version of the em-dash or m-dash. It is used to connect words such as the use of the dash between N and dash within n-dash.
• Narrative essay - This is an essay that has a clear narrative. It is usually written in the first person to this end.
• Non sequitur - Purely defined it means that something doesn’t follow the set pattern, but usually refers to an incongruous statement or an unwarranted conclusion that secure doesn’t follow from its premise(s).
• Norm - A standard pattern of behavior that is usually set within a culture or a group. It may also describe usual behavior.

• Objective writing - Writing that can be verified through facts and evidence and is less biased than subjective writing.
• Organization - The coordination of components into a single structure or unit.
• Outline - A plan for an essay or a summary used as a guide for an essay.
• Overview - A summary of the main points of a piece of work, or a broad survey.

• Pacing - In terms of written work, it is the rate at which the reader is taken from one element/point/section/idea to another.
• Paper - In academic terms it usually refers to an essay or a piece of academic work.
• Paradox - Something that seems right but is actually wrong, or something that seems wrong but is actually right. It may be absurd or a contradiction that either proves itself to be correct, or is seemingly correct.
• Paragraph - A way of breaking up a piece of work into readable chunks whilst maintaining a similar theme, idea or point.
• Parallelism - A parallel state or the deliberate repetition of sentence structures or words for a desired effect.
• Paraphrase - To rephrase something in a way that keeps its meaning, but also adapts it to fit the work it is being inserted into. It often takes heavily from the original source, which means it should be noted as a quotation rather than a general reference.
• Parody - A copy or inferior copy of something. It may be copied in a comical or satirical way.
• Peer Review - An evaluation by experts, usually experts within relevant fields.
• Personal essay - An essay that may be conversational in nature, or may feature elements of the writer’s life or opinions. It may be autobiographical non-fiction, creative non-fiction, or works of a personal nature where all facts are not verifiable.
• Personification - The embodiment of something or the representation of an abstract quality being human.
• Persuasive essay - An essay that works to either reaffirm the reader’s belief/ideas, or to change the readers thinking from one way to another.
• Plagiarism - The copying or rewriting of the work of another person. Even a cleverly rewritten piece of work is still plagiarized, it is just harder to detect than written content that is copied verbatim.
• Post hoc, ergo propter hoc - This is a logical error. It may involve stating that an effect created a cause, which is usually incorrect outside of the physics and/or mathematics field.
• Prewriting - Preparatory work done before writing. Academics often write notes and a plan prior to writing an academic piece of work.
• Process analysis - Writing that gives instructions on how something is done. It is an organizational form of writing that exposes processes and is often seen within self-help papers/books.
• Process words - These are words that give instructions on how to do something within an academic context. They are words that mean something specific within academic terms that instruct a writer upon what needs to be done.
• Proposal - A suggested plan or idea that is put forward officially or unofficially.
• Prove - It means to establish truth, which may be done in a number of ways, but usually involves some sort of evidence.

• Questionnaire - A series of questions directed at one person. They are usually used as fact-gathering tools. They will feature either open-ended or closed questions.
• Quotation - Text or a group of words taken from another source and inserted into the writer’s work, usually to make a point, prove a point or act as evidence.

• Reference - The process of mentioning the work of another or another person/group/company/institution. An academic reference will usually involve information on where the original work/quote may be found and checked.
• Referencing - The act of adding mentions of another person/company/institution and/or their work within a piece of academic text.
• Refutation - The act of refuting, which means denying or opposing with the intention, successfully or otherwise, of proving the original statement to be false or incorrect.
• Report - Information conveyed in order to explain what happened or what the current state of affairs may be. A report may be made that looks to the future, but may only report upon the past and present in order to hypothesis and make predictions about the future.
• Research essay - An essay featuring and describing the research work done by the writer.
• Response essay - An essay based around the work, statement, or claim of another to either agree, disagree, point something out, or to expand in some way. A response essay may agree, disagree, or even remain neutral.
• Revision - The going over of work or content to refresh ones knowledge. It may also mean making changes to pieces of work.
• Rhetoric - persuasive writing or speech that gets a point across or communicates in a persuasive way.
• Rhetorical questions - A question that is part of a person’s rhetoric. It is not a question asked with the view to getting an answer. A good rhetorical question will imply the answer without anyone having to give one, or will make a point through the questioning.
• Rhetorical strategy or mode - The mode(s) of persuasion referred to as rhetorical appeals or strategies. They are the devices that classify the speaker's appeal to the audience in rhetoric. These are logos, ethos or pathos.
• Rigor - The rigidity or stiffness of something. In academic terms it may refer to the strength or an argument or paper as a whole, and/or how well it stands up to criticism.

• Sarcasm - Mocking or deriding language that uses the opposite of what is true or correct. It is the deliberate use of opposites in order to lie but make the lie obvious in a mocking or deriding fashion.
• Satire - It involves criticism or critical comments that use wit, irony, ridicule and/or sarcasm to make the point.
• Scholarly literature - This is written work produced by an academic institution and the people within, which includes students.
• Scholarship essay - An essay a student sends off to convince a group that he or she is worthy of a scholarship.
• Show how - Demonstrate your knowledge of something by giving instructions on the matter.
• Simile - It is figurative language that draws a comparison. It will usually contain the words 'like' or 'as'.
• Slang - Words used by people on mass to signify something that is not defined as such in a dictionary. Slang is not something that is taught within in English.
• Spatial order - This is where items are arranged according to their relationships or physical position.
• Specific - To be precise or detailed and avoiding any vagueness.
• Speech - Communication through speaking, or a piece of text that a person prepares so that he or she may give a speech without having to think up the content of the speech on the spot.
• State - The act of declaring something. To express something in words or announce something.
• Statement - A declaration of almost anything. It may be a declaration of intent or meaning or a declaration of a point. It cannot be a question. It may be a fact, intention or policy.
• Statistics project - A project that has works on statistics with a view to a conclusion, result or answer.
• Structure - A system of parts that are arranged in a designated order or function in a designated order. The system of parts are usually organized in a way that makes them linked in some way to form a larger whole.
• Style - The manner in which something is done. Within academics it may refer to the way a piece is written or referenced.
• Stylistics - The study of linguistic style that includes both written and spoken language. It may include literary works or genres, and may categorize specific groups.
• Subheading - A version of a heading that separates out a piece of work to make it easier to read and/or understand. It may separate out portions of a piece of work that are already under category headers.
• Subjective - Based on feels, opinion or a point of view rather than evidence and/or facts.
• Summary - A short description of the main points of a piece of work. A collection of points that sum up the work as a whole. A way of getting a brief view of a piece of work.
• Syllogism - It may mean deductive reasoning, a specious argument or an example of deduction. It may also be a logical argument that involves three prepositions, such as a formal deductive argument with a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion. 
• Symbol - Something that represent something else.
• Syntax - This is the organization or framework of sentences. It is also a branch of grammar that studies and dictates the rules of correct structure, organization and framework of sentences.

• Term paper - This is a paper that should help the student show how much he or she has learnt over the course of the term. Professors set term papers for that very reason and to help students find out what elements they need to improve upon.
• Theory - Speculation, an idea formed by speculation, a question formed by speculation. Or a set of rules, guides, techniques and practices.
• Thesis statement - A thesis statement is something that is explained, supported, proved, disproved or developed during the course of the paper.
• Tone - This is the character or feel of a piece or subject. It is the atmosphere and/or ambience that the writer sets.
• Topic sentence - A sentence that explains what a paragraph, section or full essay is about.
• Trace - A small quantity or a remaining sign or signal.
• Transition - A process of change. In an essay it may mean the change from one sentence to another or the change between one paragraph to another. It may also mean the change between point/subject to point/subject. It requires either a definite end or an indication of what may be to come.
• Translate - To interpret data in a way that makes it understandable for your audience. To put it in a way that your target audience can understand.
• Turabian style - This is the most commonly used referencing and citation style used by researchers and academics doing research.

• Understatement - This is a muted or restrained statement of expression. It is a statement that is deliberately understated, which means it is less forceful and/or less dramatic than it otherwise should be.
• Unity - A combination of two or more to become one, or the condition of being one. It may also mean a whole that is made up of numerous separate entities. It may also be used to describe harmony.
• Unreliable - In academics an unreliable source is one that is not academically credible. This means it cannot be used to prove a point or a fact, and cannot be used as evidence without making your essay flawed and/or unreliable in itself.

• Validity - It signifies the reason why something is valid within a certain situation. In terms of data or evidence, it indicates their relevance or correctness.
• Vancouver style - One of the most commonly used referencing and citation styles used within medical and physical science papers. The other most commonly used being Harvard.
• Vantage point - A specific point of view. From the writer’s perspective, it is his or her point of view. When referring to others, it is their unique view of a situation or event.

• Writer’s block - This is the name given to a period during writing when further ideas around what to write are absent. It is a frame of mind that makes a piece of writing very difficult to continue.

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10.6 Definition

Learning objectives.

• Determine the purpose and structure of the definition essay.
• Understand how to write a definition essay.

The Purpose of Definition in Writing

The purpose of a definition essay may seem self-explanatory: the purpose of the definition essay is to simply define something. But defining terms in writing is often more complicated than just consulting a dictionary. In fact, the way we define terms can have far-reaching consequences for individuals as well as collective groups.

Take, for example, a word like alcoholism . The way in which one defines alcoholism depends on its legal, moral, and medical contexts. Lawyers may define alcoholism in terms of its legality; parents may define alcoholism in terms of its morality; and doctors will define alcoholism in terms of symptoms and diagnostic criteria. Think also of terms that people tend to debate in our broader culture. How we define words, such as marriage and climate change , has enormous impact on policy decisions and even on daily decisions. Think about conversations couples may have in which words like commitment , respect , or love need clarification.

Defining terms within a relationship, or any other context, can at first be difficult, but once a definition is established between two people or a group of people, it is easier to have productive dialogues. Definitions, then, establish the way in which people communicate ideas. They set parameters for a given discourse, which is why they are so important.

When writing definition essays, avoid terms that are too simple, that lack complexity. Think in terms of concepts, such as hero , immigration , or loyalty , rather than physical objects. Definitions of concepts, rather than objects, are often fluid and contentious, making for a more effective definition essay.

Writing at Work

Definitions play a critical role in all workplace environments. Take the term sexual harassment , for example. Sexual harassment is broadly defined on the federal level, but each company may have additional criteria that define it further. Knowing how your workplace defines and treats all sexual harassment allegations is important. Think, too, about how your company defines lateness , productivity , or contributions .

On a separate sheet of paper, write about a time in your own life in which the definition of a word, or the lack of a definition, caused an argument. Your term could be something as simple as the category of an all-star in sports or how to define a good movie. Or it could be something with higher stakes and wider impact, such as a political argument. Explain how the conversation began, how the argument hinged on the definition of the word, and how the incident was finally resolved.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your responses.

The Structure of a Definition Essay

The definition essay opens with a general discussion of the term to be defined. You then state as your thesis your definition of the term.

The rest of the essay should explain the rationale for your definition. Remember that a dictionary’s definition is limiting, and you should not rely strictly on the dictionary entry. Instead, consider the context in which you are using the word. Context identifies the circumstances, conditions, or setting in which something exists or occurs. Often words take on different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. For example, the ideal leader in a battlefield setting could likely be very different than a leader in an elementary school setting. If a context is missing from the essay, the essay may be too short or the main points could be confusing or misunderstood.

The remainder of the essay should explain different aspects of the term’s definition. For example, if you were defining a good leader in an elementary classroom setting, you might define such a leader according to personality traits: patience, consistency, and flexibility. Each attribute would be explained in its own paragraph.

For definition essays, try to think of concepts that you have a personal stake in. You are more likely to write a more engaging definition essay if you are writing about an idea that has personal value and importance.

It is a good idea to occasionally assess your role in the workplace. You can do this through the process of definition. Identify your role at work by defining not only the routine tasks but also those gray areas where your responsibilities might overlap with those of others. Coming up with a clear definition of roles and responsibilities can add value to your résumé and even increase productivity in the workplace.

On a separate sheet of paper, define each of the following items in your own terms. If you can, establish a context for your definition.

• Consumer culture

Writing a Definition Essay

Choose a topic that will be complex enough to be discussed at length. Choosing a word or phrase of personal relevance often leads to a more interesting and engaging essay.

After you have chosen your word or phrase, start your essay with an introduction that establishes the relevancy of the term in the chosen specific context. Your thesis comes at the end of the introduction, and it should clearly state your definition of the term in the specific context. Establishing a functional context from the beginning will orient readers and minimize misunderstandings.

The body paragraphs should each be dedicated to explaining a different facet of your definition. Make sure to use clear examples and strong details to illustrate your points. Your concluding paragraph should pull together all the different elements of your definition to ultimately reinforce your thesis. See Chapter 15 “Readings: Examples of Essays” to read a sample definition essay.

Create a full definition essay from one of the items you already defined in Note 10.64 “Exercise 2” . Be sure to include an interesting introduction, a clear thesis, a well-explained context, distinct body paragraphs, and a conclusion that pulls everything together.

Key Takeaways

• Definitions establish the way in which people communicate ideas. They set parameters for a given discourse.
• Context affects the meaning and usage of words.
• The thesis of a definition essay should clearly state the writer’s definition of the term in the specific context.
• Body paragraphs should explain the various facets of the definition stated in the thesis.
• The conclusion should pull all the elements of the definition together at the end and reinforce the thesis.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Frequently asked questions

What is an essay.

An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

Frequently asked questions: Writing an essay

For a stronger conclusion paragraph, avoid including:

• Important evidence or analysis that wasn’t mentioned in the main body
• Generic concluding phrases (e.g. “In conclusion…”)
• Weak statements that undermine your argument (e.g. “There are good points on both sides of this issue.”)

Your conclusion should leave the reader with a strong, decisive impression of your work.

Your essay’s conclusion should contain:

• A rephrased version of your overall thesis
• A brief review of the key points you made in the main body
• An indication of why your argument matters

The conclusion may also reflect on the broader implications of your argument, showing how your ideas could applied to other contexts or debates.

The conclusion paragraph of an essay is usually shorter than the introduction . As a rule, it shouldn’t take up more than 10–15% of the text.

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

Let’s say you’re writing a five-paragraph  essay about the environmental impacts of dietary choices. Here are three examples of topic sentences you could use for each of the three body paragraphs :

• Research has shown that the meat industry has severe environmental impacts.
• However, many plant-based foods are also produced in environmentally damaging ways.
• It’s important to consider not only what type of diet we eat, but where our food comes from and how it is produced.

Each of these sentences expresses one main idea – by listing them in order, we can see the overall structure of the essay at a glance. Each paragraph will expand on the topic sentence with relevant detail, evidence, and arguments.

The topic sentence usually comes at the very start of the paragraph .

However, sometimes you might start with a transition sentence to summarize what was discussed in previous paragraphs, followed by the topic sentence that expresses the focus of the current paragraph.

Topic sentences help keep your writing focused and guide the reader through your argument.

In an essay or paper , each paragraph should focus on a single idea. By stating the main idea in the topic sentence, you clarify what the paragraph is about for both yourself and your reader.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarized in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.

The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

In rhetorical analysis , a claim is something the author wants the audience to believe. A support is the evidence or appeal they use to convince the reader to believe the claim. A warrant is the (often implicit) assumption that links the support with the claim.

Logos appeals to the audience’s reason, building up logical arguments . Ethos appeals to the speaker’s status or authority, making the audience more likely to trust them. Pathos appeals to the emotions, trying to make the audience feel angry or sympathetic, for example.

Collectively, these three appeals are sometimes called the rhetorical triangle . They are central to rhetorical analysis , though a piece of rhetoric might not necessarily use all of them.

The term “text” in a rhetorical analysis essay refers to whatever object you’re analyzing. It’s frequently a piece of writing or a speech, but it doesn’t have to be. For example, you could also treat an advertisement or political cartoon as a text.

The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to explain the effect a piece of writing or oratory has on its audience, how successful it is, and the devices and appeals it uses to achieve its goals.

Unlike a standard argumentative essay , it’s less about taking a position on the arguments presented, and more about exploring how they are constructed.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

If you have to hand in your essay outline , you may be given specific guidelines stating whether you have to use full sentences. If you’re not sure, ask your supervisor.

When writing an essay outline for yourself, the choice is yours. Some students find it helpful to write out their ideas in full sentences, while others prefer to summarize them in short phrases.

You will sometimes be asked to hand in an essay outline before you start writing your essay . Your supervisor wants to see that you have a clear idea of your structure so that writing will go smoothly.

Even when you do not have to hand it in, writing an essay outline is an important part of the writing process . It’s a good idea to write one (as informally as you like) to clarify your structure for yourself whenever you are working on an essay.

Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:

• The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time.
• The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety.

It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.

Your subjects might be very different or quite similar, but it’s important that there be meaningful grounds for comparison . You can probably describe many differences between a cat and a bicycle, but there isn’t really any connection between them to justify the comparison.

You’ll have to write a thesis statement explaining the central point you want to make in your essay , so be sure to know in advance what connects your subjects and makes them worth comparing.

Some essay prompts include the keywords “compare” and/or “contrast.” In these cases, an essay structured around comparing and contrasting is the appropriate response.

Comparing and contrasting is also a useful approach in all kinds of academic writing : You might compare different studies in a literature review , weigh up different arguments in an argumentative essay , or consider different theoretical approaches in a theoretical framework .

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

If you’re not given a specific prompt for your descriptive essay , think about places and objects you know well, that you can think of interesting ways to describe, or that have strong personal significance for you.

The best kind of object for a descriptive essay is one specific enough that you can describe its particular features in detail—don’t choose something too vague or general.

If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

An expository essay is a common assignment in high-school and university composition classes. It might be assigned as coursework, in class, or as part of an exam.

Sometimes you might not be told explicitly to write an expository essay. Look out for prompts containing keywords like “explain” and “define.” An expository essay is usually the right response to these prompts.

An expository essay is a broad form that varies in length according to the scope of the assignment.

Expository essays are often assigned as a writing exercise or as part of an exam, in which case a five-paragraph essay of around 800 words may be appropriate.

You’ll usually be given guidelines regarding length; if you’re not sure, ask.

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Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

• composition

attempt , try , endeavor , essay , strive mean to make an effort to accomplish an end.

attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

Examples of essay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle French essai , ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from Latin ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing essay

• essay question
• photo - essay

Articles Related to essay

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

You'll know the difference if you give it the old college essay

Dictionary Entries Near essay

Cite this entry.

“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essay. Accessed 11 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of essay.

Kids Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

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Writing Better University Essays/Defining key terms

Having decided what to include in the answer, there is another way to make sure the answer is focused: telling the reader what we are talking about. By defining what the key terms mean, we do two things. Firstly, we show that we know what we are writing about. Secondly, we avoid misunderstandings by settling on a single understanding of the key terms. It might be that your marker understands power in a Marxist way, and you want to approach the essay from a feminist point of view. By providing a brief definition, there will be no misunderstanding. Your marker may not agree with you, but that is not necessary to get good grades. A definition makes sure you and your readers talk about the same things. For example, you can define fruit salad as consisting of bananas, pineapples, and yellow apples (ideally you would have a reason for this, too). Having done so, your reader will not object when you later state that fruit salad lacks the vital bits of red.

In order to define the key terms, you first have to bluntly state what they are. Always include the key words included in the question. These have been identified as central concepts for you, and by excluding them, you’ll be very likely answering a different question from the one set. There are often other key terms you want to include, and it’s usually worth spending some time thinking about which ones are the key concept. This is time worth spending, because you can later use the concepts without giving any further qualifications or comments. For this reason you should also define the terms carefully. Having defined power in a particular way, for example, every time you use the term in the essay, it only means what you want it to be.

Providing the definition of the key terms also works as a signal to your marker that you know what you’re talking about. By defining power in a certain way, you demonstrate that you’re aware of other interpretations. In fact, it’ll often not be necessary to state what the other interpretations are, unless the distinction is a key aspect of the argument. Very often, you’ll use the work of somebody else to help you define the key terms. Make sure that you put references accordingly.

The following three paragraphs define the concepts social disadvantage, social mobility, and siblings. The definitions are taken from a range of sources, and referenced accordingly. In the context of another essay, these definitions may be too long or too short.

Depending on the length of your essay, you’ll have between 2 and maybe 5 key terms. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to think which terms are the central ones. Consider the following phrases as ways to define terms: X is understood as a process by which , X regards Y as , one view is that there is X so that Y , or X is commonly considered as .

Sources for Definitions

When writing your definition, there are a number of sources you can use to help you. Using a common-sense definition is hardly ever suitable. In many cases, a definition as found in a specialist dictionary will do. In other cases, you want something even more specialized, and consult your course material. Many introductory books define key terms, and then discuss them in more detail in the chapter. It’s important not just to simply copy a definition, but choose what is suitable for your needs. Bear in mind that every text, even a specialized dictionary, was written with a specific purpose in mind. What you need for your essay is likely to be a bit different.

Google and other internet search engines may be an easy way, but they are usually not suitable. Apart from the fact that your source may not be reliable, you’re likely to end up with a definition that is either too generic, or from a different area. A definition of power from a physics text may not be what we want in our discipline.

It’s often worth spending some time on the key terms. This is the case, because the way you set out this section will direct the remainder of the essay a great deal. Choosing a certain way to interpret a concept rather than another may be just as important as focusing on certain issues and not others in the main part of the essay. Despite its importance, the section providing the definitions should not be too long: focus on the concepts that are really central. These are usually the concepts that are recurring throughout the essay.

Next: Main part

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What an Essay Is and How to Write One

• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Essays are brief, non-fiction compositions that describe, clarify, argue, or analyze a subject. Students might encounter essay assignments in any school subject and at any level of school, from a personal experience "vacation" essay in middle school to a complex analysis of a scientific process in graduate school. Components of an essay include an introduction , thesis statement , body, and conclusion.

Writing an Introduction

The beginning of an essay can seem daunting. Sometimes, writers can start their essay in the middle or at the end, rather than at the beginning, and work backward. The process depends on each individual and takes practice to figure out what works best for them. Regardless of where students start, it is recommended that the introduction begins with an attention grabber or an example that hooks the reader in within the very first sentence.

The introduction should accomplish a few written sentences that leads the reader into the main point or argument of the essay, also known as a thesis statement. Typically, the thesis statement is the very last sentence of an introduction, but this is not a rule set in stone, despite it wrapping things up nicely. Before moving on from the introduction, readers should have a good idea of what is to follow in the essay, and they should not be confused as to what the essay is about. Finally, the length of an introduction varies and can be anywhere from one to several paragraphs depending on the size of the essay as a whole.

Creating a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a sentence that states the main idea of the essay. The function of a thesis statement is to help manage the ideas within the essay. Different from a mere topic, the thesis statement is an argument, option, or judgment that the author of the essay makes about the topic of the essay.

A good thesis statement combines several ideas into just one or two sentences. It also includes the topic of the essay and makes clear what the author's position is in regard to the topic. Typically found at the beginning of a paper, the thesis statement is often placed in the introduction, toward the end of the first paragraph or so.

Developing a thesis statement means deciding on the point of view within the topic, and stating this argument clearly becomes part of the sentence which forms it. Writing a strong thesis statement should summarize the topic and bring clarity to the reader.

For informative essays, an informative thesis should be declared. In an argumentative or narrative essay, a persuasive thesis, or opinion, should be determined. For instance, the difference looks like this:

• Informative Thesis Example:  To create a great essay, the writer must form a solid introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion.
• Persuasive Thesis Example:  Essays surrounded around opinions and arguments are so much more fun than informative essays because they are more dynamic, fluid, and teach you a lot about the author.

Developing Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of an essay include a group of sentences that relate to a specific topic or idea around the main point of the essay. It is important to write and organize two to three full body paragraphs to properly develop it.

Before writing, authors may choose to outline the two to three main arguments that will support their thesis statement. For each of those main ideas, there will be supporting points to drive them home. Elaborating on the ideas and supporting specific points will develop a full body paragraph. A good paragraph describes the main point, is full of meaning, and has crystal clear sentences that avoid universal statements.

Ending an Essay With a Conclusion

A conclusion is an end or finish of an essay. Often, the conclusion includes a judgment or decision that is reached through the reasoning described throughout the essay. The conclusion is an opportunity to wrap up the essay by reviewing the main points discussed that drives home the point or argument stated in the thesis statement.

The conclusion may also include a takeaway for the reader, such as a question or thought to take with them after reading. A good conclusion may also invoke a vivid image, include a quotation, or have a call to action for readers.

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• How to Find the Main Idea
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• The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay
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• How to Structure an Essay
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• What Is Expository Writing?
• Write an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence for an Essay
• Definition and Examples of Analysis in Composition
• How to Write a Solid Thesis Statement
• Unity in Composition
• How to Write a Good Thesis Statement

• How to Write a Definition Essay

A definition essay can be deceivingly difficult to write. This type of paper requires you to write a personal yet academic definition of one specific word. The definition must be thorough and lengthy. It is essential that you choose a word that will give you plenty to write about, and there are a few standard tactics you can use to elaborate on the term. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when writing a definition essay.

Part 1 of 3: Choosing the Right Word

1: choose an abstract word with a complex meaning. [1].

A simple word that refers to a concrete word will not give you much to write about, but a complex word that refers to an abstract concept provides more material to explore.

• Typically, nouns that refer to a person, place, or thing are too simple for a definition essay. Nouns that refer to an idea work better, however, as do most adjectives.
• For example, the word “house” is fairly simple and an essay written around it may be dull. By switching to something slightly more abstract like “home,” however, you can play around with the definition more. A “home” is a concept, and there are many elements involved in the creation of a “home.” In comparison, a “house” is merely a structure.

2: Make sure that the word is disputable.

Aside from being complex, the word should also refer to something that can mean different things to different people.

• A definition essay is somewhat subjective by nature since it requires you to analyze and define a word from your own perspective. If the answer you come up with after analyzing a word is the same answer anyone else would come up with, your essay may appear to lack depth.

3: Choose a word you have some familiarity with.

Dictionary definitions can only tell you so much. Since you need to elaborate on the word you choose to define, you will need to have your own base of knowledge or experience with the concept you choose.

• For instance, if you have never heard the term “pedantic,” your understanding of the word will be limited. You can introduce yourself to the word for your essay, but without previous understanding of the concept, you will not know if the definition you describe is truly fitting.

4: Read the dictionary definition.

While you will not be relying completely on the dictionary definition for your essay, familiarizing yourself with the official definition will allow you to compare your own understanding of the concept with the simplest, most academic explanation of it.

• As an example, one definition of “friend” is “a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.” [2] Your own ideas or beliefs about what a “friend” really is likely include much more information, but this basic definition can present you with a good starting point in forming your own.

5:  Research the word’s origins.

Look up your chosen word in the Oxford English Dictionary or in another etymology dictionary. [3]

• These sources can tell you the history behind a word, which can provide further insight on a general definition as well as information about how a word came to mean what it means today.

Part 2 of 3: Potential Elements of an Effective Definition

1: write an analysis. [4].

Separate a word into various parts. Analyze and define each part in its own paragraph.

• You can separate “return” into “re-” and “turn.” The word “friendship” can be separated into “friend” and “ship.”
• In order to analyze each portion of a word, you will still need to use additional defining tactics like negation and classification.
• Note that this tactic only works for words that contain multiple parts. The word “love,” for instance, cannot be broken down any further. If defining “platonic love,” though, you could define both “platonic” and “love” separately within your essay.

2:  Classify the term.

Specify what classes and parts of speech a word belongs to according to a standard dictionary definition.

• While this information is very basic and dry, it can provide helpful context about the way that a given word is used.

3: Compare an unfamiliar term to something familiar.

An unfamiliar or uncommon concept can be explained using concepts that are more accessible to the average person.

• Many people have never heard of the term “confrere,” for instance. One basic definition is “a fellow member of a profession, fraternity, etc.” As such, you could compare “confrere” with “colleague,” which is a similar yet more familiar concept. [5]

4:  Provide traditional details about the term.

Explain any physical characteristics or traditional thoughts used to describe your term of choice.

• The term “home” is often visualized physically as a house or apartment. In more abstract terms, “home” is traditionally thought to be a warm, cozy, and safe environment. You can include all of these features in a definition essay on “home.”

5: Use examples to illustrate the meaning.

People often relate to stories and vivid images, so using a fitting story or image that relates to the term can be used in clarifying an abstract, formless concept.

• In a definition essay about “kindness,” for example, you could write about an act of kindness you recently witnessed. Someone who mows the lawn of an elderly neighbor is a valid example, just as someone who gave you an encouraging word when you were feeling down might be.

6: Use negation to explain what the term does not mean.

If a term is often misused or misunderstood, mentioning what it is not is an effective way to bring the concept into focus.

• A common example would be the term “courage.” The term is often associated with a lack of fear, but many will argue that “courage” is more accurately described as acting in spite of fear.

7: Provide background information.

This is when your research about the etymology of a word will come in handy. Explain where the term originated and how it came to mean what it currently means.

Part 3 of 3: Definition Essay Structure

1: introduce the standard definition..

You need to clearly state what your word is along with its traditional or dictionary definition in your introductory paragraph.

• By opening with the dictionary definition of your term, you create context and a basic level of knowledge about the word. This will allow you to introduce and elaborate on your own definition.
• This is especially significant when the traditional definition of your term varies from your own definition in notable ways.

2: Define the term in your own words in your thesis.

Your actual thesis statement should define the term in your own words.

• Keep the definition in your thesis brief and basic. You will elaborate on it more in the body of your paper.
• Avoid using passive phrases involving the word “is” when defining your term. The phrases “is where” and “is when” are especially clunky. [6]
• Do not repeat part of the defined term in your definition.

3:  Separate different parts of the definition into separate paragraphs.

Each tactic or method used to define your term should be explored in a separate paragraph.

• Note that you do not need to use all the possible methods of defining a term in your essay. You should use a variety of different methods in order to create a full, well-rounded picture of the term, but some tactics will work great with some terms but not with others.

4: Conclude with a summary of your main points.

Briefly summarize your main points around the start of your concluding paragraph.

• This summary does not need to be elaborate. Usually, looking at the topic sentence of each body paragraph is a good way to form a simple list of your main points.
• You can also draw the essay to a close by referring to phrases or images evoked in your introduction.

5: Mention how the definition has affected you, if desired.

If the term you define plays a part in your own life and experiences, your final concluding remarks are a good place to briefly mention the role it plays.

• Relate your experience with the term to the definition you created for it in your thesis. Avoid sharing experiences that relate to the term but contradict everything you wrote in your essay.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.roanestate.edu/owl/Definition.html
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/friend?s=t
• http://www.etymonline.com/
• http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/definition.html
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/confrere?s=t
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/definition.htm
• How to Write a Definition Essay. Provided by : WikiHow. Located at : http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Definition-Essay . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Table of Contents

Instructor Resources (Access Requires Login)

• Overview of Instructor Resources

An Overview of the Writing Process

• Introduction to the Writing Process
• Introduction to Writing
• Your Role as a Learner
• What is an Essay?
• Reading to Write
• Defining the Writing Process
• Videos: Prewriting Techniques
• Thesis Statements
• Organizing an Essay
• Creating Paragraphs
• Conclusions
• Editing and Proofreading
• Matters of Grammar, Mechanics, and Style
• Peer Review Checklist
• Comparative Chart of Writing Strategies

Using Sources

• Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism
• Formatting the Works Cited Page (MLA)
• Citing Paraphrases and Summaries (APA)
• APA Citation Style, 6th edition: General Style Guidelines

Definition Essay

• Definitional Argument Essay
• Critical Thinking
• Video: Thesis Explained
• Effective Thesis Statements
• Student Sample: Definition Essay

Narrative Essay

• Introduction to Narrative Essay
• Student Sample: Narrative Essay
• "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
• "Sixty-nine Cents" by Gary Shteyngart
• Video: The Danger of a Single Story
• How to Write an Annotation
• How to Write a Summary
• Writing for Success: Narration

Illustration/Example Essay

• Introduction to Illustration/Example Essay
• "She's Your Basic L.O.L. in N.A.D" by Perri Klass
• "April & Paris" by David Sedaris
• Writing for Success: Illustration/Example
• Student Sample: Illustration/Example Essay

Compare/Contrast Essay

• Introduction to Compare/Contrast Essay
• "Disability" by Nancy Mairs
• "Friending, Ancient or Otherwise" by Alex Wright
• "A South African Storm" by Allison Howard
• Writing for Success: Compare/Contrast
• Student Sample: Compare/Contrast Essay

Cause-and-Effect Essay

• Introduction to Cause-and-Effect Essay
• "Cultural Baggage" by Barbara Ehrenreich
• "Women in Science" by K.C. Cole
• Writing for Success: Cause and Effect
• Student Sample: Cause-and-Effect Essay

Argument Essay

• Introduction to Argument Essay
• Rogerian Argument
• "The Case Against Torture," by Alisa Soloman
• "The Case for Torture" by Michael Levin
• How to Write a Summary by Paraphrasing Source Material
• Writing for Success: Argument
• Student Sample: Argument Essay
• Grammar/Mechanics Mini-lessons
• Mini-lesson: Subjects and Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Subject Verb Agreement
• Mini-lesson: Sentence Types
• Mini-lesson: Fragments I
• Mini-lesson: Run-ons and Comma Splices I
• Mini-lesson: Comma Usage
• Mini-lesson: Parallelism
• Mini-lesson: The Apostrophe
• Mini-lesson: Capital Letters
• Grammar Practice - Interactive Quizzes
• De Copia - Demonstration of the Variety of Language
• Style Exercise: Voice

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22 Essay Question Words You Must Understand to Prepare a Well-Structured Essay

(Last updated: 3 June 2024)

Since 2006, Oxbridge Essays has been the UK’s leading paid essay-writing and dissertation service

We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

Now, we may be experts in best essay writing , but we’re also the first to admit that tackling essay questions can be, well, a bit of a challenge. Essays first require copious amounts of background reading and research so you can include accurate facts in your writing. You then have to figure out how to present those facts in a convincing and systematic argument. No mean feat.

But the silver lining here is that presenting your argument doesn’t have to be stressful. This goes even if you’re a new student without much experience and ability. To write a coherent and well-structured essay , you just have to really understand the requirements of the question. And to understand the requirements of the question, you need to have a good hold on all the different question words. For example, 'justify', 'examine', and 'discuss', to name a few.

Lacking this understanding is a pitfall many students tumble into. But our guide on essay question words below should keep you firmly above on safe, essay-acing ground.

Definition of Question Words with Examples

No matter their nature, question words are key and must always be adhered to. And yet, many students often overlook them and therefore answer their essay questions incorrectly. You may be a font of all knowledge in your subject area, but if you misinterpret the question words in your essay title, your essay writing could be completely irrelevant and score poorly.

For example, if you are asked to compare the French and British upper houses of parliament, you won’t get many points by simply highlighting the differences between the two parliamentary systems.

So, what should you do? We advise you start by reading this guide – we’ve divided the question words either by ‘critical’ or ‘descriptive’ depending on their nature, which should help you identify the type of response your essay requires.

Question Words that Require a Critical Approach

Once you have done this, it’s also important that you critically (more on this word later) examine each part. You need to use important debates and evidence to look in depth at the arguments for and against, as well as how the parts interconnect. What does the evidence suggest? Use it to adopt a stance in your essay, ensuring you don’t simply give a narration on the key debates in the literature. Make your position known and tie this to the literature.

2. Evaluate

It is essential to provide information on both sides of the debate using evidence from a wide range of academic sources. Then you must state your position basing your arguments on the evidence that informed you in arriving at your position.

Also, you may want to consider arguments that are contrary to your position before stating a conclusion to your arguments. This will help present a balanced argument and demonstrate wide knowledge of the literature. Here, a critical approach becomes crucial. You need to explain why other possible arguments are unsatisfactory as well as why your own particular argument is preferable.

4. Critically evaluate

The key to tackling these question words is providing ample evidence to support your claims. Ensure that your analysis is balanced by shedding light on, and presenting a critique of, alternative perspectives. It is also important that you present extensive evidence taken from a varying range of sources.

State your conclusion clearly and state the reasons for this conclusion, drawing on factors and evidence that informed your perspective. Also try to justify your position in order to present a convincing argument to the reader.

Put another way, ‘review’ questions entail offering your opinion on the validity of the essay question. For example, you may be asked to review the literature on electoral reform in Great Britain. You'll need to give an overview of the literature. and any major arguments or issues that arose from it. You then need to comment logically and analytically on this material. What do you agree or disagree with? What have other scholars said about the subject? Are there any views that contrast with yours? What evidence are you using to support your assessment? Don’t forget to state your position clearly.

Review answers should not be purely descriptive; they must demonstrate a high level of analytical skill. The aim is not simply to regurgitate the works of other scholars, but rather to critically analyse these works.

However, when assessing a particular argument or topic, it is important that your thoughts on its significance are made clear. This must be supported by evidence, and secondary sources in the literature are a great start. Essentially, you need to convince the reader about the strength of your argument, using research to back up your assessment of the topic is essential. Highlight any limitations to your argument and remember to mention any counterarguments to your position.

Give a detailed examination of the topic by including knowledge of the various perspectives put forward by other scholars in relation to it. What are your thoughts on the subject based on the general debates in the literature? Remember to clearly state your position based on all the evidence you present.

You should also try to provide some context on why the issues and facts that you have closely examined are important. Have these issues and facts been examined differently by other scholars? If so, make a note of this. How did they differ in their approach and what are the factors that account for these alternative approaches?

‘Examine’ questions are less exploratory and discursive than some other types of question. They focus instead on asking you to critically examine particular pieces of evidence or facts to inform your analysis.

9. To what extent

Such questions require that you display the extent of your knowledge on a given subject and that you also adopt an analytical style in stating your position. This means that you must consider both sides of the argument, by present contrasting pieces of evidence. But ultimately, you must show why a particular set of evidence, or piece of information, is more valid for supporting your answer.

Question Words that Require a Descriptive Response

It is important that you provide more than one meaning if there are several of them as it shows that you are very familiar with the literature.

2. Demonstrate

Make sure you assert your position with these types of questions. It's even more important that you support your arguments with valid evidence in order to establish a strong case.

3. Describe

‘Describe’ question words focus less on the basic meaning of something, therefore, and more on its particular characteristics. These characteristics should form the building blocks of your answer.

4. Elaborate

In addition, always remember to back any claims with academic research. In explanatory answers it is important that you demonstrate a clear understanding of a research topic or argument. This comes across most convincingly if you present a clear interpretation of the subject or argument to the reader. Keep in mind any ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions as this will help you to structure a clear and logically coherent response. Coherence is extremely important in providing explanatory answers.

A somewhat detached, dispassionate tone can be particularly effective, in contrast to the more assertive, argumentative tone you might adopt for other types of essay question. Just remember that the key objective here is to give a nuanced account of a research topic or argument by examining its composite parts.

7. Identify

8. illustrate, 10. summarise, 11. clarify.

Such questions require you to shed light on a topic or, in some instances, break down a complex subject into simple parts. Coherence is very important for acing such questions, remembering to present your answer in a systematic manner.

12. Compare

Furthermore, you may also want to emphasise any differences, although the focus of your essay should be on establishing similarities.

13. Contrast

How to Strategically Structure Essay Based on Question Words

Understanding how to structure an essay based on question words is crucial for producing clear, focused, and compelling academic writing. The question words we analised above guide the direction of your response and dictate the type of content required. Recognising the demands of each question word allows you to strategically organise your essay, ensuring that your arguments are relevant and comprehensive. By mastering this approach, you can enhance the clarity and impact of your writing, making your academic work more persuasive and effective.

Here are a few more handy tips to bear in mind when addressing your essay questions:

When you first get your essay question, always try to understand exactly what the question means and what it is asking you to do. Look at the question word(s) and think about their meaning before you launch into planning what to write. Hopefully, our guide has shown you how to do this expertly.

Remember to read the question several times and consider any underlying assumptions behind the question. Highlight the key words and if possible, make a very basic draft outline of your response. This outline does not have to be detailed. But if you follow it as you write, it will help keep your response coherent and systematic.

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How to Write a Definition Essay

Published September 27, 2020. Updated May 4, 2022.

Definition Essay Definition

A definition essay defines a term or concept but goes beyond the basic definition of a word.

Overview of a Definition Essay

A definition is often used in various essay types to explain a concept. Definition essays can discuss a word’s significance, correct misconceptions, argue for a preferred definition, or argue for a new understanding of the word. Definitions provide readers a deep understanding of not only a word’s meaning but also its significance. Furthermore, definitions help to correct misconceptions about a word.

Definition essays may review different parts of the word’s meaning, including its connotation, denotation, extended definition, and stipulative definition. Always consider the audience for a definition essay to ensure that the argument is relevant and meaningful to readers.

This page will cover the following points:

Key Takeaways

Why write a definition essay, types of definitions.

• Developing your Definition Essay
• Definition essays can discuss a word’s significance, correct misconceptions, argue for a preferred definition, or argue for a new understanding of the word.
• The essay may cover different parts of the word’s meaning, including its denotation, connotation, extended definition, and stipulative definition.
• Regardless of the approach taken, your essay should contain a thesis statement in the introduction that lays out the claim you will be making about the word and its meaning.
• It is important to consider the audience for your definition essay to ensure that your argument is relevant and meaningful to them.

A definition is often used as a tool in various essay types when you need to explain a key term or concept. However, a definition can itself be the main focus of an essay. At first, this might seem limited. After all, when you want to know what a word means, you just look it up and read a brief definition. How do you turn something like that into an entire essay?

A definition essay goes beyond the basic definition of a word. It can:

• Provide readers a deep understanding of not only a word’s meaning but also its significance.
• Try to correct misconceptions about a word.
• Argue for a preferred definition.
• Argue for a new understanding of a word or concept.

Worried about your writing? Submit your paper for a Chegg Writing essay check , or for an Expert Check proofreading . Both can help you find and fix potential writing issues.

There are different types of definitions and different parts of a word or term’s meaning. These can all have a role in a definition essay, although they might not all be emphasized to the same degree. Below, we’ll cover:

Connotation

Stipulative.

The denotation is a word’s dictionary definition. Denotation is the straightforward meaning of a word that you can look up. Words can have multiple denotations and even different parts of speech.

The word “fast” has numerous denotations. “Fast” can mean not eating for a period of time; in this case, “to fast” is a verb, but “fast” is also a noun. “Fast” can also mean swift or speedy; in this case, “fast” is an adjective. It has many other denotations too.

A word’s connotation is its emotional resonance . Associations and usage create emotional resonance. Some words have a neutral connotation, but others have a more distinct connotation. The connotation adds a richness that goes beyond the denotation.

The denotation of “mother” is simply a female parent. However, the word has positive connotations of warmth, love, and care.

Connotation is responsive to how society uses a word. This can sometimes change quite quickly.

The word “pirate” has an appealing connotation of adventure and excitement that probably wasn’t as strong before the extremely popular Pirates of the Caribbean  movie franchise.

Connotation vs. Denotation

Denotations can change, but they are generally more stable than connotations. Connotations are strongly connected to culture, so a word might have a certain connotation in one country or with one group of people but have a different connotation with another. While connotation relates to denotation, we recognize connotation more because of how a word is used.

We don’t often refer to children as “progeny” or “offspring,” so if your parents were to start calling you this, it might seem odd, but no one thinks it’s strange to call children “kids.” All of these words—children, progeny, offspring, kids—have the same denotation but different connotations.

An extended definition goes beyond a word’s denotation(s) to give a more thorough understanding . It might go into such things as:

• an expanded description of the word or concept
• comparisons
• etymology (the study of words’ origins and histories of development)
• examples of usage

The Oxford English Dictionary is an especially good resource for this. The dictionary is subscription-based, but schools and libraries often subscribe, so students can access it.

A stipulative definition argues for a particular interpretation of a word or term . This is more about how the writer sees the word or term. Your goal would be to convince your readers that your way of understanding the term is ideal. You may also want to argue about why a proper understanding of the term is important. You could support this by considering the negative consequences of misunderstanding the term.

This type of definition focus works well with abstract terms that can be understood in different ways, such as feminism , education , success , and happiness . Stipulative definitions also work well if you’re creating and explaining your own term or concept.

After choosing the word or term you want to define, think about what your purpose will be. Why are you defining it? Your assignment prompt may give you some direction here, but if not, you’ll still need a purpose. The purpose coordinates with your audience and provides guidance as you write. Here are some general purposes you might consider.

In a sense, all essays are meant to inform. If informing is the primary purpose of your definition essay, you might be working with a word, term, or denotation that you know is unfamiliar to your readers. You would probably present an extended definition to teach the readers about the word’s:

• historical context of when it was in peak use (for archaic or rarely used words)

Presenting a New View

You can use a definition essay to present a new view of a word or term. A new view could help you show the concept in a different light.

Defining “fail” or “failure.” This word has a negative denotation and most often a negative connotation as well. However, you could define the term in a more positive context, arguing that failure is a necessary step in understanding ourselves better, refining our goals, and ultimately achieving success.

Clearing Up Misconceptions

Addressing misconceptions is your purpose if you are trying to correct a misunderstanding or misconception about a word. It’s similar to presenting a new view, but the argumentative component is stronger. You’re not only showing readers something new but also persuading readers to change their minds about something.

Some terms are often debated, such as the concept of freedom. We use this word a lot, but what does it mean to be free? Do any laws we dislike and don’t want to follow keep us from being free? Do some laws or regulations inhibit freedom while others don’t? Can some laws and restrictions actually support freedom? You could develop a definition of freedom while arguing against alternative definitions.

Having an audience in mind will help you shape and focus your material. The audience and purpose should coordinate. Ask yourself:

• What about this definition is meaningful to the audience?
• What tone (academic, casual, etc.) is appropriate to use?
• How much information does the audience already know?
• Would the audience have questions, concerns, or objections?

All of these factors influence what information you present and how you present it. You must approach the purpose in a way that would be meaningful and convincing to the target audience.

Developing Your Definition Essay

Once you have a word or concept you want to define and a sense of your audience and purpose, you can start developing your essay. Let’s look at tips for each section.

Introduction + Thesis Statement

Your introduction presents the topic in a way that is engaging for the target audience. Since most topics start off pretty broad, an introduction also starts by guiding readers to your specific focus. Like everything in an essay, choose an introduction for its connection to the purpose and audience. Here are some possible strategies:

• Tell a brief anecdote related to the topic.
• Present the debate relevant to the topic. This would be especially useful if your goal is to clarify misconceptions about a word or if your word connects to a contentious issue.
• Describe a scene or situation relevant to the topic.
• Ask a relevant question to encourage curiosity about the topic.
• Narrate a brief situation or conversation relevant to the topic.
• Give a significant quotation related to the topic.

In general, a thesis presents your topic and the claim you are making about the topic. The denotation might be your starting point, and your thesis explains how your essay will go beyond the denotation. The thesis should let the reader know what insight you’ll be presenting or what claim you’ll be making about the word.

Think about what you’ll need to do to develop a well-rounded, thorough definition that addresses your thesis and purpose. Some means of developing your definition include:

• Exploring denotations and connotations
• Situating your term in its cultural and/or historical context
• Discussing how it is used and citing examples
• Comparing words or usage

Before you turn in that paper, don’t forget to cite your sources in APA format , MLA format , or a style of your choice.

The purpose of a conclusion is to signal closure. Here are some ways you might do that:

• Reinforce the central message of the thesis.
• Briefly summarize key takeaways of the essay. (This is more useful in longer or more complicated essays.)
• Give a call to action. What should the reader do now that they know the information you’ve given them? This might be especially good if the term you’ve defined relates to a social issue or debate.
• Reinforce the significance of your definition or provide some final wisdom relating to it.
• Return to the introduction in some way to create a “frame” for the essay. This works especially well if your introduction is an anecdote or refers to an event or situation. Returning to the introduction might mean adding to the anecdote or referencing the event, considering the information and insight in the essay.

As you write, always keep your audience and purpose in mind. Don’t be afraid to change or refine your focus as you go. This is often part of working through your ideas and developing a strong essay.

Example Definition Essay on  Defining Tragedy as a Form of Drama

By Ericka Scott Nelson. Ericka earned a MA in English from the University of California, Riverside. She teaches composition at a community college.

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Meaning of essay in English

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• I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed .
• His essay was full of spelling errors .
• Have you given that essay in yet ?
• Have you handed in your history essay yet ?
• I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay.
• boilerplate
• composition
• corresponding author
• dissertation
• essay question
• peer review
• go after someone
• go all out idiom
• go down swinging/fighting idiom
• go for it idiom
• go for someone
• shoot for the moon idiom
• shoot the works idiom
• smarten (someone/something) up
• smarten up your act idiom
• square the circle idiom

essay | Intermediate English

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Advertisement

[ noun es -ey es -ey , e- sey verb e- sey ]

• a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

a picture essay.

• an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
• Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
• Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.

verb (used with object)

• to try; attempt.
• to put to the test; make trial of.
• a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively
• an attempt or endeavour; effort
• a test or trial
• to attempt or endeavour; try
• to test or try out
• A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne , Francis Bacon (see also Bacon ), and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.

Other Words From

• es·sayer noun
• prees·say verb (used without object)
• unes·sayed adjective
• well-es·sayed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of essay 1

Example Sentences

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Related Words

• dissertation

Macdonald DeWitt Library at SUNY Ulster

Eng 101 oer: definition.

• Reading to Write
• Why We Write
• Rhetorical Context
• Brainstorming
• Proofreading & Editing
• Paragraph Development
• Thesis Statements
• Introductions
• Conclusions
• Transitions & Phrases
• Peer Reviews
• Exemplification
• Classification
• Cause/Effect
• Grammar Resources

Learning Objectives

• Determine the purpose and structure of the definition essay.
• Understand how to write a definition essay.

The Purpose of Definition

The purpose of a definition essay may seem self-explanatory: the purpose of the definition essay is to simply define something. But defining terms in writing is often more complicated than just consulting a dictionary. In fact, the way we define terms can have far-reaching consequences for individuals as well as collective groups.

Take, for example, a word like  alcoholism . The way in which one defines alcoholism depends on its legal, moral, and medical contexts. Lawyers may define alcoholism in terms of its legality; parents may define alcoholism in terms of its morality; and doctors will define alcoholism in terms of symptoms and diagnostic criteria. Think also of terms that people tend to debate in our broader culture. How we define words, such as  marriage  and  climate change , has enormous impact on policy decisions and even on daily decisions. Think about conversations couples may have in which words like  commitment ,  respect , or  love  need clarification.

Defining terms within a relationship, or any other context, can at first be difficult, but once a definition is established between two people or a group of people, it is easier to have productive dialogues. Definitions, then, establish the way in which people communicate ideas. They set parameters for a given discourse, which is why they are so important.

The Structure of a Definition Essay

The definition essay opens with a general discussion of the term to be defined. You then state as your thesis your definition of the term.

The rest of the essay should explain the rationale for your definition. Remember that a dictionary’s definition is limiting, and you should not rely strictly on the dictionary entry. Instead, consider the context in which you are using the word.  Context  identifies the circumstances, conditions, or setting in which something exists or occurs. Often words take on different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. For example, the ideal leader in a battlefield setting could likely be very different than a leader in an elementary school setting. If a context is missing from the essay, the essay may be too short or the main points could be confusing or misunderstood.

The remainder of the essay should explain different aspects of the term’s definition. For example, if you were defining a good leader in an elementary classroom setting, you might define such a leader according to personality traits: patience, consistency, and flexibility. Each attribute would be explained in its own paragraph.

Writing a Definition Essay

Choose a topic that will be complex enough to be discussed at length. Choosing a word or phrase of personal relevance often leads to a more interesting and engaging essay.

After you have chosen your word or phrase, start your essay with an introduction that establishes the relevancy of the term in the chosen specific context. Your thesis comes at the end of the introduction, and it should clearly state your definition of the term in the specific context. Establishing a functional context from the beginning will orient readers and minimize misunderstandings.

The body paragraphs should each be dedicated to explaining a different facet of your definition. Make sure to use clear examples and strong details to illustrate your points. Your concluding paragraph should pull together all the different elements of your definition to ultimately reinforce your thesis. 

Definition Essays

Judy Brady provides a humorous look at responsibilities and relationships in  I Want a Wife :

• http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/wife.html

Gayle Rosenwald Smith shares her dislike of the name for a sleeveless T-shirt,  The Wife-Beater :

• http://www.usd305.com/212720101692451310/lib/212720101692451310/20100429123836146.pdf

Philip Levine defines  What Work Is :

• http://www.ibiblio.org/ipa/poems/levine/what_work_is.php
• http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/what-work-is

Student Sample Essay

Defining Good Students Means More Than Just Grades

Many people define good students as those who receive the best grades. While it is true that good students often earn high grades, I contend that grades are just one aspect of how we define a good student. In fact, even poor students can earn high grades sometimes, so grades are not the best indicator of a student’s quality. Rather, a good student pursues scholarship, actively participates in class, and maintains a positive, professional relationship with instructors and peers.

Good students have a passion for learning that drives them to fully understand class material rather than just worry about what grades they receive in the course. Good students are actively engaged in scholarship, which means they enjoy reading and learning about their subject matter not just because readings and assignments are required. Of course, good students will complete their homework and all assignments, and they may even continue to perform research and learn more on the subject after the course ends. In some cases, good students will pursue a subject that interests them but might not be one of their strongest academic areas, so they will not earn the highest grades. Pushing oneself to learn and try new things can be difficult, but good students will challenge themselves rather than remain at their educational comfort level for the sake of a high grade. The pursuit of scholarship and education rather than concern over grades is the hallmark of a good student.

Class participation and behavior are another aspect of the definition of a good student. Simply attending class is not enough; good students arrive punctually because they understand that tardiness disrupts the class and disrespects the professors. They might occasionally arrive a few minutes early to ask the professor questions about class materials or mentally prepare for the day’s work. Good students consistently pay attention during class discussions and take notes in lectures rather than engage in off-task behaviors, such as checking their cell phones or daydreaming. Excellent class participation requires a balance between speaking and listening, so good students will share their views when appropriate but also respect their classmates’ views when they differ from their own. It is easy to mistake quantity of class discussion comments with quality, but good students know the difference and do not try to dominate the conversation. Sometimes class participation is counted toward a student’s grade, but even without such clear rewards, good students understand how to perform and excel among their peers in the classroom.

Finally, good students maintain a positive and professional relationship with their professors. They respect their instructor’s authority in the classroom as well as the instructor’s privacy outside of the classroom. Prying into a professor’s personal life is inappropriate, but attending office hours to discuss course material is an appropriate, effective way for students to demonstrate their dedication and interest in learning. Good students go to their professor’s office during posted office hours or make an appointment if necessary. While instructors can be very busy, they are usually happy to offer guidance to students during office hours; after all, availability outside the classroom is a part of their job. Attending office hours can also help good students become memorable and stand out from the rest, particularly in lectures with hundreds enrolled. Maintaining positive, professional relationships with professors is especially important for those students who hope to attend graduate school and will need letters of recommendation in the future.

Although good grades often accompany good students, grades are not the only way to indicate what it means to be a good student. The definition of a good student means demonstrating such traits as engaging with course material, participating in class, and creating a professional relationship with professors. While every professor will have different criteria for earning an A in their course, most would agree on these characteristics for defining good students.

Key Takeaways

• Definitions establish the way in which people communicate ideas. They set parameters for a given discourse.
• Context affects the meaning and usage of words.
• The thesis of a definition essay should clearly state the writer’s definition of the term in the specific context.
• Body paragraphs should explain the various facets of the definition stated in the thesis.
• The conclusion should pull all the elements of the definition together at the end and reinforce the thesis.

This is a derivative of  WRITING FOR SUCCESS  by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution, originally released and is used under CC BY-NC-SA. This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .

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The Definition Essay

A definition essay should include, where to start, writing process.

A definition essay is one that explains a term, either by defining what it means or by clarifying which meaning is intended when a word has several meanings. For instance, a writer might need to define slicing to someone unfamiliar with golf or the term koi to someone unfamiliar with tropical fish. If the writer calls a friend a nonconformist, he or she might ask the writer for the definition of that word. A writer may disagree with his or her peers over the meaning of the word feminism even though they share similar politics. Clearly, definitions are an important party of daily communication. Definition Essays are meant to help the reader to see beyond the basic, dictionary definition of a word, that he or she might fully grasp the term or concept discussed.

It is useful to include a brief explanation, so readers can begin to grasp the concept. This includes the term itself, the class to which the term belongs, and the distinguishing characteristics that differentiate this item from all others in its class.

• Trypophobia is a medically recognized fear that is an aversion to the sight of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps.

This type of essay focuses on a specific term and discusses it in detail. In order to help readers better understand a term, the author may describe a philosophy behind a movement, the uses of a specific item, or the different types of a specific emotion.

• Trypophobia is based on a deep-seated disgust that most humans have toward certain plants and medical conditions that cause patterns of holes, but these emotions have been allowed to be taken to an extreme.

The thesis of an extended-definition essay tells why the term is worth reading about. Some writers choose to separate the brief definition from their thesis, so it is important to look for both parts while reading and to be sure to include them in the paper.

Narration, description, illustration, process analysis, comparison and contrast, classification and division, cause and effect, and argumentative styles are all used to develop definition essays. To explain a term, more than one pattern of development can be used. For example, if defining a home run, an author may include his or her favorite baseball player’s best jogs around the bases in a narrative style. But if defining a style of art, a descriptive style may be more appropriate.

When the term being defined is so similar to another term that it can be confused with it, a writer may use negation to explain how that term is different from the others. This involves telling what the term is NOT in addition to what it is.

• Trypophobia is not recognized as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. It is not believed to be a learned cultural fear.

Make sure you feel familiar with the topic or that it can be easily learned. Narrow this topic to a specific term. For example, instead of writing about the term celebrity, focus on a political or Hollywood celebrity type.

Brainstorm a list of words that describe the term, such as people or actions that may be examples of it. Try describing the object to a friend and write down the words used. Write down everything a person would need to know to understand it. Try observing a person associated with the term. Look up the definition and etymology in the dictionary. Think of situations that reveal the meaning or similar terms. Do a search for the term on the internet.

Look over the brainstormed list, and organize the ideas based on the pattern of development chosen. If using narration (refer to narration essay handout for more details), then organize the ideas in chronological order. If using characteristics, a most-to-least or least-to-most order (see the descriptive essay handout for clarification and other examples) may be best.

Describe the term as specifically as possible. If describing Dalmatians, do not simply say they are a breed of dog. Describe the colors, behaviors, history, and benefits of this breed. DO NOT include the term as part of the definition. Look up synonyms to use if a similar word is needed. Include enough distinguishing characteristics so that readers will not mistake the term for something else in its class. Do not limit the definition so much that it becomes inaccurate. Use multiple transitions, and consider including the etymology of the term.

After completing the writing phase of an essay, make sure to proofread and go over everything again. When rereading an essay, we can spot grammar errors and consider ways to improve writing. Aside from improving spelling, grammar, and punctuation, you can expand on and explain your ideas more effectively. This stage can be completed effectively by slowly reviewing your writing, looking for specific errors you may struggle with, and double-checking everything.

This paragraph presents the term, provides background information, and includes the thesis statement. This paragraph may also suggest the importance or value of understanding the term. It might be helpful to use negation, what it is and is not. The introduction should include a brief standard definition of the term as well as a perspective or point of view about the term. Here is a good thesis statement:

• The future of wireless cable, a method of transmitting television signals through the air using microwaves, is uncertain.

These 2-3 paragraphs will explain the term's class and present characteristics that distinguish the term from others in the class. These paragraphs can also introduce facts, examples, descriptions, and so forth to make the term understandable. It should be organized using one or more development patterns (narration, cause, and effect, illustration, etc.). Each paragraph should include sufficient information for readers to understand each characteristic.

This paragraph references the thesis and draws the essay to a close. It will also leave the reader with a final impression of the term.

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What does the noun essay mean?

There are 12 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun essay , nine of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

essay has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun essay ?

How is the noun essay pronounced?

British english, u.s. english, where does the noun essay come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun essay is in the late 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for essay is from 1597, in the writing of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor, politician, and philosopher.

It is also recorded as a verb from the Middle English period (1150—1500).

essay is a borrowing from French.

Etymons: French essai .

Nearby entries

• esrache, v. 1477
• esraj, n. 1921–
• ESRO, n. 1961–
• ess, n. 1540–
• -ess, suffix¹
• -ess, suffix²
• essamplerie, n. 1393
• essart, n. 1656–
• essart, v. 1675–
• essarting, n. a1821–
• essay, n. 1597–
• essay, v. 1483–
• essayal, n. 1837–
• essayer, n. 1611–
• essayette, n. 1877–
• essayfy, v. 1815–
• essay-hatch, n. 1721–
• essayical, adj. 1860–
• essaying, n. 1861–
• essaying, adj. 1641–
• essayish, adj. 1863–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for essay, n..

essay, n. was first published in 1891; not yet revised.

essay, n. was last modified in June 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into essay, n. in June 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1891)

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Citation details

Factsheet for essay, n., browse entry.

Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence

This essay about projectile violence examines its definition and impact on society, including various forms such as murders, suicides, domestic violence, accidental shootings, and mass shootings. It highlights the causes, consequences, and potential solutions, emphasizing the need for stricter gun control laws, community interventions, and public education to reduce harm and promote safety.

How it works

Category projectile every violence has legible caractéristiques and plays in favour of postmen, asks, for access done directed an order he and adjured them.

Cite this page

Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence. (2024, Jun 28). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/understanding-the-definition-and-impact-of-gun-violence/

"Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence." PapersOwl.com , 28 Jun 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/understanding-the-definition-and-impact-of-gun-violence/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/understanding-the-definition-and-impact-of-gun-violence/ [Accessed: 11 Jul. 2024]

"Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence." PapersOwl.com, Jun 28, 2024. Accessed July 11, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/understanding-the-definition-and-impact-of-gun-violence/

"Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence," PapersOwl.com , 28-Jun-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/understanding-the-definition-and-impact-of-gun-violence/. [Accessed: 11-Jul-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/understanding-the-definition-and-impact-of-gun-violence/ [Accessed: 11-Jul-2024]

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Social Security

Disability benefits | how you qualify ( en español ), how you qualify.

To qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you must:

• Have worked in jobs covered by Social Security.
• Have a medical condition that meets Social Security's strict definition of disability .

In general, we pay monthly benefits to people who are unable to work for a year or more because of a disability. Generally, there is a 5-month waiting period and we’ll pay your 1st benefit the 6th full month after the date we find your disability began.

We may pay Social Security disability benefits for as many as 12 months before you apply if we find you had a disability during that time and you meet all other requirements.

Benefits usually continue until you can work again on a regular basis. There are also several special rules, called work incentives, that provide continued benefits and health care coverage to help you make the transition back to work.

If you are receiving SSDI benefits when you reach full retirement age , your disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits, but the amount remains the same.

How Much Work Do You Need?

In addition to meeting our definition of disability , you must have worked long enough — and recently enough — under Social Security to qualify for disability benefits.

Social Security work credits are based on your total yearly wages or self-employment income. You can earn up to 4 credits each year.

The amount needed for a work credit changes from year to year . In 2024, for example, you earn 1 credit for each $1,730 in wages or self-employment income. When you've earned $6,920 you've earned your 4 credits for the year.

The number of work credits you need to qualify for disability benefits depends on your age when your disability begins. Generally, you need 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the last 10 years ending with the year your disability begins. However, younger workers may qualify with fewer credits .

For more information on whether you qualify, refer to How You Earn Credits .

What We Mean by Disability

The definition of disability under Social Security is different than other programs. We pay only for total disability. No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability .

We consider you to have a qualifying disability under our rules if all the following are true:

• You cannot do work at the substantial gainful activity (SGA) level because of your medical condition.
• You cannot do work you did previously or adjust to other work because of your medical condition.
• Your condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least 1 year or to result in death.

This is a strict definition of disability. Social Security program rules assume that working families have access to other resources to provide support during periods of short-term disabilities. These include workers' compensation, insurance, savings, and investments.

How We Decide If You Have a Qualifying Disability

If you have enough work to qualify for disability benefits, we use a step-by-step process involving 5 questions to determine if you have a qualifying disability. The 5 questions are:

1. Are you working?

We generally use earnings guidelines to evaluate whether your work activity is SGA. If you are working in 2024 and your earnings average more than $1,550 ($2,590 if you’re blind) a month, you generally cannot be considered to have a disability.

If you are not working or are working but not performing SGA, we will send your application to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) office. This office will make the decision about your medical condition. The DDS uses Steps 2-5 below to make the decision.

2. Is your condition "severe"?

Your condition must significantly limit your ability to do basic work-related activities, such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, or remembering – for at least 12 months. If it does not, we will find that you do not have a qualifying disability.

If your condition does interfere with basic work-related activities, we go to Step 3.

3. Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions?

For each of the major body systems, we maintain a list of medical conditions we consider severe enough to prevent a person from doing SGA. If your condition is not on the list, we must decide if it is as severe as a medical condition that is on the list. If it is, we will find that you have a qualifying disability. If it is not, we then go to Step 4.

We have 2 initiatives designed to expedite our processing of new disability claims:

• Compassionate Allowances : Certain cases that usually qualify for disability can be allowed as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed. Examples include acute leukemia, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), and pancreatic cancer.
• Quick Disability Determinations : We use computer screening to identify cases with a high probability of allowance.

For more information about our disability claims process, visit our Benefits for People with Disabilities website.

4. Can you do the work you did previously?

At this step, we decide if your medical impairment(s) prevents you from performing any of your past work. If it doesn’t, we’ll decide you don’t have a qualifying disability. If it does, we proceed to Step 5.

5. Can you do any other type of work?

If you can’t do the work you did in the past, we look to see if there is other work you could do despite your medical impairment(s).

We consider your medical conditions, age, education, past work experience, and any transferable skills you may have. If you can’t do other work, we’ll decide you qualify for disability benefits. If you can do other work, we’ll decide that you don’t have a qualifying disability and your claim will be denied.

Special Situations

Most people who receive disability benefits are workers who qualify on their own records and meet the work and disability requirements we have just described. However, there are some situations you may not know about:

• If You're Blind or Have Low Vision - How We Can Help
• If You Are the Survivor
• Benefits for Children with Disabilities
• Benefits for Wounded Warriors & Veterans

Special Rules for People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

We consider you to be legally blind under our rules if your vision cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye. We will also consider you legally blind if your visual field is 20 degrees or less, even with a corrective lens. Many people who meet the legal definition of blindness still have some sight and may be able to read large print and get around without a cane or a guide dog.

If you do not meet the legal definition of blindness, you may still qualify for disability benefits. This may be the case if your vision problems alone or combined with other health problems prevent you from working.

There are several special rules for people who are blind that recognize the severe impact of blindness on a person's ability to work. For example, the monthly earnings limit for people who are blind is generally higher than the limit that applies to non-blind workers with disabilities.

In 2024, the monthly earnings limit is $2,590.

Benefits for Surviving Spouses with Disabilities

When a worker dies, their surviving spouse or surviving divorced spouse may be eligible for benefits if they:

• Are between ages 50 and 60.
• Have a medical condition that meets our definition of disability for adults and the disability started before or within 7 years of the worker's death.

Surviving spouses and surviving divorced spouses cannot apply online for survivors benefits. If they want to apply for these benefits, they should contact Social Security immediately at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778 ) to request an appointment.

To speed up the application process, they should complete an Adult Disability Report and have it available at the time of their appointment.

For these benefits, we use the same definition of disability as we do for workers.

A child under age 18 may have a disability, but we don't need to consider the child's disability when deciding if they qualify for benefits as a dependent. The child's benefits normally stop at age 18 unless they are a full-time elementary or high school student until age 19 or have a qualifying disability.

Children who were receiving benefits as a minor child on a parent’s Social Security record may be eligible to continue receiving benefits on that parent’s record upon reaching age 18 if they have a qualifying disability.

Adults with a Disability that Began Before Age 22

An adult who has a disability that began before age 22 may be eligible for benefits if their parent is deceased or starts receiving retirement or disability benefits. We consider this a "child's" benefit because it is paid on a parent's Social Security earnings record.

The Disabled Adult Child (DAC) — who may be an adopted child, or, in some cases, a stepchild, grandchild, or step grandchild — must be unmarried, age 18 or older, have a qualified disability that started before age 22, and meet the definition of disability for adults.

It is not necessary that the DAC ever worked. Benefits are paid based on the parent's earnings record.

• A DAC must not have substantial earnings. The amount of earnings we consider substantial increases each year. In 2024, this means working and earning more than $1,550 (or $2,590 if you’re blind) a month.

What if the child is already receiving SSI or disability benefits on their own record and turns 18?

A child already receiving SSI benefits or disability benefits on his or her own record should check to see if DAC benefits may be payable on a parent's earnings record when they reach age 18. Higher benefits might be payable and entitlement to Medicare may be possible.

How do we decide if a child over age 18 qualifies for SSDI benefits?

If a child is age 18 or older, we will evaluate their disability the same way we would evaluate the disability for any adult. We send the application to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) in your state that completes the disability decision for us.

What happens if the DAC gets married?

In most cases, DAC benefits end if the child gets married. There are exceptions, such as marriage to another DAC, when the benefits are allowed to continue. The rules vary depending on the situation.

Contact a Social Security representative at 1-800-772-1213 to report changes in marital status and to find out if the benefits can continue. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call TTY number at 1-800-325-0778 .

To speed up the application process, complete an Adult Disability Report and have it available at the time of your appointment.

Related Information

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for Children
• Family Benefits

Publications

• Disability Benefits
• Disability Starter Kits
• If You Are Blind or Have Low Vision—How We Can Help
• SSI Child Disability Starter Kit (for children under age 18)
• Other Disability Publications

An Antidote to the Cult of Self-Discipline

A new novel sees procrastination as one of the last bastions of the creative mind.

Procrastination, or the art of doing the wrong things at one specifically wrong time, has become a bugbear of our productivity-obsessed era. Wasting resources? Everybody’s doing it! But wasting time? God forbid. Schemes to keep ourselves in efficiency mode—the rebranding of rest into self-care, and of hobbies into side hustles—have made procrastinating a tic that people are desperate to dispel; “life hacks” now govern life. As the anti-productivity champion Oliver Burkeman once put it , “Today’s cacophony of anti-procrastination advice seems rather sinister: a subtle way of inducing conformity, to get you to do what you ‘should’ be doing.” By that measure, the procrastinator is doing something revolutionary: using their time without aim. Take to the barricades, soldiers, and when you get there, do absolutely nothing!

The novel has been sniffily maligned throughout its history as a particularly potent vehicle for wasting time—unless, of course, it improves the reader in some way. (See: the 19th-century trend of silly female characters contracting brain rot from reading, which Jane Austen hilariously skewered with Northanger Abbey ’s Catherine Morland.) Which makes Rosalind Brown’s tight, sly debut, Practice , a welcome gift for those who dither about their dithering. It presents procrastination as a vital, life-affirming antidote to the cult of self-discipline, while also giving the reader a delicious text with which to while away her leisure time.

In Practice , Annabel, a second-year Oxford student, wakes long before sunrise on a misty Sunday morning “at the worn-out end of January.” The day holds only one task—to write a paper on Shakespeare’s sonnets—but Annabel is a routinized being and must act accordingly: “The things she does, she does properly.” So first she makes herself tea (coffee will rattle her stomach) and leaves the radiator turned off to keep the room “cold and dim and full of quiet.” She settles in with a plan: a morning spent reading and note-taking, a lunch of raw veggies, a solo yoga session in the afternoon, writing, a perfectly timed post-dinner bowel movement. A day, in short, that is brimming with possibilities for producing an optimized self. Except that self keeps getting in its own way: Her mind and body, those dueling forces that alternately grab at our attention, repeatedly turn her away from Shakespeare. Very little writing actually takes place in Practice ; Annabel’s vaunted self-discipline encounters barrier after barrier. She wants to “thicken her own concentration,” but instead she takes walks, pees, fidgets, ambles down the unkept byways of her mind. She procrastinates like a champ.

Read: How to spend your time ‘poorly’

Brown’s novel elevates procrastination into an essential act, arguing that those pockets of time between stretches of productivity are where living and creating actually happen. Which makes procrastination one of the last bastions of the creative mind, a way to silently fight a hundred tiny rebellions a day. Screwing around, on the job and otherwise, isn’t just revenge against capitalism; it’s part of the work of living. And what better format for examining this anarchy than the novel, a form that is created by underpaid wandering minds?

Practice is technically a campus novel, but it makes far more sense as a complement to the recent spate of workplace fiction that wonders what exactly we’re all doing with our precious waking weekly hours. Some Millennial novelists, born in an era of prosperity and then launched into adulthood just as the usual signposts of success slid out of reach, have fixated on the workplace as a source of our discontent. Many of us were told in childhood that we can do anything we want, that “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Work was supposed to be a promised land of fulfillment, a place where your aptitudes would flourish and— bonus —you’d get paid. But no job could live up to such a high standard. It doesn’t help that a torrent of systemic issues—inadequate health care, drastic rent hikes, underfunding of the arts—have left members of this generation feeling like they’re dedicating 40-plus hours a week to treading water.

Recent literature has been flush with examples. In Helen Phillips’s The Beautiful Bureaucrat , a 20-something spends her workdays entering inexplicable series of numbers into “The Database” at a labyrinthine office. The job itself turns out to be vital to humanity, but compensation, explication, and basic human dignity aren’t on offer. Halle Butler’s The New Me features a 30-year-old working as a temp at a design firm, the kind of place populated by ash-blondes in “incomprehensible furry vests.” Her try-hard personality keeps her from climbing the office social ladder, which in turn leaves her pathetically shuffling papers and slipping further into loneliness, both at work and in her personal life. The young narrator of Hilary Leichter’s barely surreal Temporary takes gigs as a mannequin, a human barnacle, a ghost, and a murderer—but all she really wants is what she and the other temps call “the steadiness,” an existence in which work and life feel benignly predictable. According to these novels, the contemporary workplace turns us into machines, chops our intellect into disparate bits, and hands our precious attention over to the C-suite.

What’s missing in each of these characters’ lives is the space for rumination, the necessary lapses our brains need to live creatively, no matter our careers. Brown exquisitely spells out how procrastination is intrinsic to the imaginative process. Despite her professed allegiance to a schedule, Annabel interrupts her own routine early and often. Just after waking, she opens a window and then immediately wishes she could experience the feeling of opening it again: “She wants to know exactly how the cold blue light feels when it begins to appear, she doesn’t want to miss a single detail of the slow dawn , the reluctant winter morning .” While settled at her desk under a cape-like blue blanket, she spends as much time considering how to spend her time as she does actually spending it. She imagines her old tutor advising her to “look away from the text and out the window if you have to, try and pause your mind on the one thing.” Sure, she jots down occasional adjectives to describe Shakespeare and the mystery lover he courts in the sonnets, but most of Annabel’s focus is in the moment, in the rabbit hole of lightly connected memories and notions her brain accesses when it’s drifting off piste. Rather than turn her ideas into a work product, she listens to a robin sing, thinks through an unconsummated relationship from the past year, and fondly recollects her time studying Virginia Woolf—a writer who herself dwelled in the interstices of passing time.

Read: Procrastinating ourselves to death

Like Woolf, Brown understands that life is lived in the in-between moments, and that buckling down to produce a piece of art does not necessarily have the intended effect. (Anyone who has sat at a desk, desperate for the words to come, can affirm.) It’s no surprise, then, that Annabel admires Woolf, whose churning novels of the mind revolve around ordinary activities that are often waylaid by characters’ fancies and distractions. Mrs. Dalloway’s party planning ends up on the back burner as she considers alternate versions of her life; the Ramsay family fails to reach the tower at Godrevy in To the Lighthouse because their musings intervene; the children of The Waves spend as much time dallying as they do putting on their play. Similarly, Practice places Annabel’s decision making—what to write about the sonnets, whether her much-older boyfriend should visit her at college—on the same footing as her daydreams.

What Annabel senses, and Brown beautifully drives home, is that it’s the strange mental collisions between the thinking mind and the wandering mind that yield the most interesting results. These are the moments when artistry sneaks in unbidden; Annabel understands that if art is created out of life, the latter has to have space to happen. She copies out a line from the poetry critic Helen Vendler: “A critical ‘reading’ is the end product of an internalisation so complete that the word reading is not the right word for what happens when a text is on your mind. The text is part of what has made you who you are.” The creative life isn’t about doling a self out into different portions—it’s about sitting in the stew that a whole life makes and offering your perspective on it.

Annabel’s day turns extraordinary, albeit in small ways. She breaks a treasured brown mug, the one thing she’d rescue in a fire; this slash through her routine almost makes her cry. She finally decides whether to invite her boyfriend for a weekend, and maybe invite him deeper into her life. A tragedy in the bedroom next door jerks her toward the understanding that all lives are as complicated as her own. She also ends the day with no more than some notes and a few words on Shakespeare’s poems: “slick — bitter — nimble.” Who is to say if she’s been productive or not?

The art of procrastination requires confrontation—with our inefficiencies, with the allure of easy pleasure, with the fact that time will someday end for us. But we can melt into it. We can let ourselves float in the in-between. Perhaps with a meaningful, self-aware novel.

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The Sydney Morning Herald

• Antisemitism

Top university rejects antisemitism definition over academic freedom

By angus thompson, save articles for later.

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The Australian National University has refused to adopt a contentious definition of antisemitism used by other tertiary institutions after receiving internal advice that it risked reducing academic freedom.

The deliberations contributing to the university’s stance, taken months before the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, were revealed in confidential documents as the government this week announced a special envoy on antisemitism amid continuing domestic tensions over the violence in the Middle East.

Protesters at the pro-Palestinian encampment at the Australian National University in May. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

A discussion paper by the university’s academic freedom reference group was prepared for then-vice chancellor Brian Schmidt after lobbying from parliamentarians and Jewish students for universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.

“It is our advice that adopting any definition of antisemitism which implicates academic criticism of the State of Israel poses a real risk of reducing the scope of academic freedom as currently maintained at the ANU,” said the resulting advice early last year.

The advice, revealed in a freedom of information request, provides insight into the antisemitism debate at universities, which have been criticised by the Coalition about their handling of student protests over the deaths in Gaza since October 7.

An ANU spokesperson said the paper was only one factor in the university’s decision.

Australia’s new special envoy on antisemitism, Jillian Segal, on Tuesday. Credit: Kate Geraghty

The alliance defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews”. The definition lists several examples of antisemitism, including “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis”.

While the alliance does go on to say that “criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic”, the definition has been contested in several countries by those who argue it enables institutions to shut down criticism of the Israeli government.

The ANU discussion paper pondered whether the university should maintain its existing anti-discrimination policies, or adopt an explicit definition of antisemitism, with the institution ultimately deciding its own measures were enough.

“The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition may be considered potentially more limiting of criticism of the State of Israel than either our current policies and procedures or the inclusion of a non-defined reference about antisemitism would be,” the paper said.

The Greens and the National Tertiary Education Union are among the groups to warn that the alliance’s definition could limit academic freedom.

“Many Jewish voices have raised very real concerns that turning this into an enforceable code could restrict academic and student criticism of Israeli government policies,” a Greens spokesperson has said.

Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the university’s decision “aligns with well-established concerns, and a great deal of evidence, that has a chilling effect on academic freedom and freedom of speech”.

The University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Monash University and University of NSW have adopted or referenced the definition, but most other universities have not.

Liberal backbencher Julian Leeser has criticised the ANU’s decision. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Liberal backbencher Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, said academic freedom was not affected on the campuses of institutions which had adopted the definition. “So why won’t the ANU follow suit?” he asked.

Labor backbencher Josh Burns, another Jewish MP who joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in announcing businesswoman Jillian Segal as the special envoy to combat antisemitism , said ANU’s position was outrageous, “given the fact there have [since] been a number of incidents at ANU”.

In May, the pro-Palestinian encampment at the university was forced to shift to another site, while ANU suspended one student for expressing support for Hamas, the listed terror group targeted by Israeli forces.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who is also Jewish, said in an appearance at the National Press Club on Tuesday that statements become antisemitic “when people criticise Israel in a way that they would not dream of applying to another country, then you are at the point of antisemitism”.

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‘Narcissistic abuse’ has gone mainstream. But what is it?

Skeptics say it’s just a trendy hashtag. Survivors say it describes the unimaginably manipulative relationships they’ve escaped.

L iz C. had always known something was wrong with her marriage of 30 years, but she could never identify the problem.

After her husband retired, the disengagement, silent treatment and lack of support that characterized the relationship worsened.

One day a friend asked her if she had ever heard of “ covert narcissism .” Covert narcissists are petulant, highly sensitive to criticism, and tend to feel aggrieved by the world. They’re often more insidious than grandiose narcissists, who are louder and usually easier to spot.

Liz C., 62, who spoke on the condition that her last name be withheld for safety concerns, was unfamiliar with the expression. As she scoured the internet, her reading on narcissism led her to works by clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula and clinical psychotherapist Les Carter . Through them she discovered a phenomenon known as “narcissistic abuse.”

Narcissistic abuse, she learned from her research, consists of psychological, emotional, financial or sexual manipulation inflicted by a narcissist, sometimes with coercive control — a pattern of behavior used to dominate and control a partner — or physical violence.

The relationship usually begins gloriously, with grand gestures and “ love bombing ” — barraging someone with lavish gifts, affection or attention. But experts say it can quickly turn from romantic and flattering to critical and invalidating, or remain in a pernicious purgatory. Those on the receiving end can experience fear, confusion, anxiety, gaslighting, blame-shifting and manipulation.

The idea resonated deeply with her.

“It was like the door had been thrown open and I could see clearly,” she said. “I began to have an answer for why we were where we were.”

Reframing a bad relationship

“Narcissist” is a label that has gained traction over the past decade or so, one that has been liberally applied to everyone from the humblebragger in your book group to former president Donald Trump .

Narcissists, we are told, lack empathy. They lie. They crave attention. They think they’re above the law, and they need constant external validation. “It’s the triple E: exploitation, entitlement and empathy impairment,” said clinical psychologist Craig Malkin, author of “ Rethinking Narcissism: The Secret to Recognizing and Coping with Narcissists .” “That’s the core of pathological narcissism.”

Along with the term’s increased visibility came an interest in the type of damage narcissists can inflict on those around them. Millions of people have characterized themselves as having been victimized by a narcissist, not only by their romantic partners, but family members, friends, bosses or colleagues. #Narsissisticabuse has more than 1.4 million posts on Instagram; the phenomenon has become so widely recognized it even has its own day, June 1, World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day .

Many of the 1.7 million followers of Durvasula’s YouTube channel believe they have experienced it. Same for the more than 6.2 million downloads of her podcast, “ Navigating Narcissism .”

Clearly, many people are treated poorly in relationships. But when the abusive party is a narcissist, the argument goes, the mistreatment is taken to the next level.

While a toxic relationship may be frustrating or hurtful, “it doesn’t leave you confused or feeling as though you’re losing your reality,” said Durvasula, the author of “ It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People ,” a New York Times bestseller. A relationship with a narcissist can yield “hypervigilance, rumination, confusion, self-blame and self-doubt.”

Defining narcissism

Like so many things, narcissism exists on a spectrum. On one end is mild narcissism, which includes self-centeredness, emotional immaturity and hypersensitivity. While these folks can be challenging to deal with, it’s the malignant narcissists at the spectrum’s other end who are the most deleterious . Many of them, Durvasula said, are likely to meet the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder , or NPD. That’s a clinical diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, the guide to officially recognized mental disorders.

Experts aren’t sure how common NPD is. The disorder is underdiagnosed , partly because symptoms can be confused with other personality disorders and partly because most narcissists aren’t rushing into therapy.

“Prevalence studies sometimes rely on ‘self-reporting’ by the patient/subject — who are likely to minimize self-pathology,” Ronald W. Pies, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, said in an email.

There are some estimates. According to a 2022 report in Focus: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 1 to 2 percent of the general population in the United States may have NPD. Recent unpublished data collected by Durvasula and statistician Heather Harris found that 10 percent of the population have enough narcissistic traits to affect their relationships.

A 2023 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology of more than 270,000 participants also found that men scored higher for narcissistic traits than women.

But there is little about narcissistic abuse in academic literature, and skeptics argue that the term is nothing more than a popular hashtag — the explanation du jour for bad behavior.

“I think it spiraled into a trend because survivors so desperately need answers,” said Bea Coté, director of Impact+ Abuse Prevention Services, which provides domestic violence intervention programs in the Charlotte area. “This is an answer that they can buy into as to why this man that they loved, who appeared to love them, later abused them.”

Skeptics also question whether adding a speculative diagnosis of the perpetrator adds value when discussing emotional abuse.

“One of the questions is whether the consequences of these relationships are unique or are these people simply suffering from a bad relationship,” said Paul S. Appelbaum, past chair of the DSM-5 steering committee for the American Psychiatric Association and a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. “That’s not to say they might not need professional assistance in extricating themselves from the relationship — the two aren’t necessarily independent.”

Lisa Aronson Fontes, author of “ Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship ,” calls the term “hollow pop psychology.”

“Certainly, some people act more abusively than others, and those people may have narcissistic traits,” she said. “But it makes no sense whatsoever to call interpersonal abuse ‘narcissistic abuse.’ Why not just call it abuse? Or coercive control? Or workplace sexual harassment?”

What’s more, she added, labeling something as a disorder implies a mental illness that can’t be controlled. Abusers can control their behavior.

“Most often, they strike out only at those who are closest to them, in private and in ways where they won’t be ‘caught’ by others,” she said.

Durvasula concedes that invalidating relationships have been around as long as people have coupled. But only recently has the discussion broadened in a meaningful way, she argues, because in the past we didn’t have the language to discuss nonphysical abuse.

“I have worked with clients who have been married 40 and 50 years,” she said. “They will acknowledge that the dynamics have been present ever since the beginning of their relationships. There was just no vocabulary for it, not even in the field of mental health.”

She insists that calling someone “narcissistic” isn’t an implication of a mental disorder, but merely a description of one’s personality. And no matter where a narcissist falls on the spectrum, “the common ingredients include variable empathy, entitlement, grandiosity, selfishness, the need for admiration and validation, fragile egos, and reactive anger at times of frustration, disappointment or criticism,” she said.

Daniel Shaw, author of “ Traumatic Narcissism ” and a psychotherapist in New York, cites four hallmarks of narcissistic abuse: seduction, intimidation, humiliation and belittling.

“Is the person always self-aggrandizing? Do they refuse to acknowledge any flaw in themselves? Are they contemptuous of others? If you try to tell them why you’re upset with them, do they deny that they did anything, or attack you by reversing who is victim and who is offender?

“A traumatizing narcissist is determined to find prey,” he continued. “They will find people they can control and exploit. They use everything they’ve got — charisma, charm, intelligence. They’re typically quite clever. They desperately need to be able to have people to control.” Controlling people reassures these individuals, who tend to be profoundly insecure, that they really are as powerful and superior as they want to believe, Shaw says.

Faith C. Echo experienced that kind of control. Unbeknownst to her, her former partner had placed video recorders all over their house and a GPS tracker on her car, and was reading her texts and emails. He’d hide her car keys; if she left her phone in one room and couldn’t find it, he’d tell her he hadn’t seen it.

“I’d search the whole house and my phone would be right next to him,” said Echo, 44, who writes and blogs about narcissistic abuse under a pen name because of safety concerns. “He’d be like, ‘You’re really losing it, you need psychological help.’”

She wasn’t allowed to have friends or spend time alone with their son. “I didn’t know who I was anymore. I no longer had an opinion,” said Echo, who self-published a book about her experience and is a licensed social worker. Even the smell of apple-scented candles would throw her into a panic; the couple often fought in a room in their home filled with the aroma.

She finally left in 2023, after 4½ years with him.

“It’s empowering and very validating to talk to people who’ve been through it,” she said. “Unless you’ve been through it you don’t understand the insanity.”

Moving forward

Why is it so hard to break free? “The narcissist can at the beginning of a relationship appear very caring, kind, thoughtful and committed,” said Vickie Howard, a lecturer and deputy program director in mental health and well-being in Hull, England, who has written about her own experience with narcissistic abuse. She compared it to leaving a destructive cult involving mind control mechanisms. Also, as with any kind of domestic abuse, financial, physical and psychological abuse often accompany narcissistic abuse. Or there are children involved, making it feel almost impossible to leave.

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One of the challenges in getting treatment for narcissistic abuse is that many therapists lack training or experience recognizing people who’ve been in these types of unhealthy relationships. A 2019 study in the Journal of Counseling & Development analyzed a survey completed by 104 survivors of intimate partner abuse. About half of the respondents said that they felt counselors blamed them, telling them that they were “codependent” or had somehow chosen this sort of partner.

“When victims of intimate partner violence go into therapy, oftentimes their therapist might not be trained in how to work with trauma and doesn’t have an understanding of the system of psychological abuse and gaslighting that occurs,” said clinical psychologist Vaile Wright, senior director for health-care innovation at the American Psychological Association. (The term “gaslight,” which takes its name from the 1944 film of the same name, refers to psychological manipulation designed to make the victim doubt their own perceptions).

The last time Liz C. and her then-husband went to counseling together, she watched the therapist “fall under his spell,” she said.

“He was gaslighting, changing all the words. She just stated the same rhetoric, ‘You need communication, conflict resolution,’ all the typical marriage things that don’t apply to narcissists because they don’t play by the same rules.”

Durvasula has developed a training and certification program for clinicians who want to gain expertise working with patients in relationships with narcissistic people. So has Sandra L. Brown , founder of the Institute for Relational Harm Reduction and Public Pathology Education, which publishes Safe Relationships Magazine .

Caroline Strawson , a trauma-informed therapist and coach outside London with 42,000 women in her Facebook group, insists her clients have no contact with their narcissist, blocking them on social media and email. If children are involved, she advises clients to get another cellphone just for emergencies. “Otherwise, if you keep on communicating they will try to control you,” she said.

Durvasula, who also runs a recovery program, wants people to focus on themselves, rather than their abuser’s behavior.

“Healing means the radical acceptance of seeing it, recognizing the patterns as patterns, and understanding that it’s not going to change,” she said. “It also means ending the cycle of believing there is something you could do to make it better.”

In time, Liz C. realized her husband was never going to change. To have any chance of future happiness, she had to get out. Two years ago, she did.

“People underestimate the toll narcissistic abuse takes, and the damage it does,” she said. “Calling it abuse amps up the importance of it and I think that’s an accurate way to look at it.”

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The Enormous Risks a Second Trump Term Poses to Our Economy

By Robert E. Rubin and Kenneth I. Chenault

Mr. Rubin is a senior counselor to Centerview Partners and was the U.S. Treasury secretary from 1995 to 1999. Mr. Chenault is the chairman and managing director of General Catalyst and a former chairman and chief executive of American Express.

Not long ago, one of us was having lunch with someone who manages a multibillion-dollar fund when the subject turned to the prospect of a second Trump term.

This person was disturbed by many of Donald Trump’s actions and concerned about what the November presidential election could mean. But when it came to one issue — the economy — he was untroubled. “We didn’t do so badly last time,” he said. “There are some things I don’t agree with, but I don’t think it will matter that much.”

We fear this is an increasingly common view. We’ve spoken to many leaders in business and finance who, when it comes to economic policy, are open to the premise that Mr. Trump is a normal presidential candidate.

We strongly disagree. The two of us have been involved in business, government and policy for many years, with more than a century of experience between us. We’ve worked with elected officials and business leaders across the ideological spectrum. And we believe a straightforward assessment of Mr. Trump’s economic policy agenda — based on his public statements and on-the-record interviews, such as the one he recently conducted with Time magazine — leads to a clear conclusion.

When it comes to economic policy, Mr. Trump is not a remotely normal candidate. A second Trump term would pose enormous risks to our economy.

At a time when our country was already on an increasingly risky debt trajectory, Mr. Trump’s tax initiatives during his presidency added an estimated $3.9 trillion to the national debt , according to Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute. Mainstream analyses concluded that the result — increasing demand in an already full-employment economy while having a negligible effect on business investment — added very little benefit in the shorter term and virtually nothing in the longer term.

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