Questions tagged [essay]

Essays are generally scholarly pieces of writing giving the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of an article, a pamphlet and a short story.

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How simple or detailed should be put into describing program code in a essay?

I am writing an essay about a problem that I had in a program that I was creating, of course, I managed to fix the problem, but I am wondering how much detail I should put into describing the actual ...
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What is the musing in an argumentative essay? How is it different from other hooks?

In my composition class, I was told that an essay should start with a hook to catch the reader's attention and show them that the content is intriguing and worth reading. One of the many ways we ...
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May one change punctuation in a quotation to match their own style guide? (MLA)

I'm writing (and peer reviewing) rhetorical analyses written in MLA style and have come across punctuation in quotations not matching the MLA style guidelines, as the original author was writing in a ...
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How do I produce a useful piece of literature out of an idea?

I have an idea. People help each other not because they feel pity for someone else but because they feel pity for themselves by imagining as if it were them in that situation like the other person ...
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1 answer
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Can I draw conclusions from sources?

When you write an essay or something like that, and you're referencing to a source, are you allowed to "draw conclusions" out of the source. Example: If the question I'm gonna answer is &...
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How do I write a philosophical essay strewing and stiching facts about universe?

I want to write a philosophical essay on the lines of Our universe is so massive and there are so many mysterious things in it as compared to this we humans are tiny and probably inconsequential. ...
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1 answer
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Controlling ideas in a topic sentence

From my understanding in a topic sentence the topic is always the subject and cannot be the controlling idea, is that correct ? Then, if it is the case, it is possible to have 2 controlling ideas in a ...
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1 answer
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Is it acceptable to call my grandmother, nanny in my essay

I’m writing a senior reflection paper and I refer to my grandmother as nanny just as she called her grandmother. However I’m wondering if that is too informal for an essay. Also maybe a little ...
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Can section headings be questions for APA format?

I would want my first heading to be "What is Lyme disease '.' '?'" , Im not sure if it would be considered a question or a sentence . I want this paragraph to inform the reader what the ...
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Montage story/essay structure ideas?

I’m trying to come up with unconventional essay structures that are like a montage. For example, explaining your role in a band by sharing important dates in the band's history as in a single ...
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Help...I've been asked to synthesize!

I really cannot understand what a synthesis essay is :( What are the Do and the Do not What will make it a successful one? What's the difference between synthesizing snd summarizing?
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Is it okay for the last line of a paragraph to be a broken sentence of the next title? [closed]

I am writing an essay for a course with the title 'A day in the life', I have never thought about doing this before but for some reason I am running with it. What are your thoughts for something like ...
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How to determine essay scope

I'm trying to write an essay but find myself tempted to spin off in too many directions. Once I do, it's difficult to weave all of the threads back together. Any tips/resources for selecting the ...
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Is my method of arguing here bad?

For my English class, we had to write an essay on The Prince and while I thought that my essay had a good structure and sufficiently proved my claim, my professor thought it read like a "high ...
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How do I write a strong hook for an argumentative essay?

The scenario is to write a hook for an argumentative essay. The topic is "Can tigers be kept in zoos?", as they have less space in zoos compared to nature, and for other reasons they should ...
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1 vote
1 answer
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Structure of argumentative writing essay?

When writing an argumentative essay what is a good way to structure my writing? What general rules should I follow when starting off an essay?
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"not as well educated as..." vs "Not so well educated as..." [closed]

I am writing a scholarship essay and one of my sentences is: "Although both of my parents have bachelor’s degrees now, they were not as well educated or stably employed when I was growing up.&...
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2 answers
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An effective beginning and end of a literary essay

I always struggle with making introductions and conclusions. How can I write a good hook that attracts my readers? How can I conclude effectively at the end of a literary essay?
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2 answers
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Structure to follow while writing very short essays

I have to write essays in two examinations which will be conducted soon. Those exams need essays to be written in 250 words. The topics are given on the time of the exams and are usually anything ...
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Writing in Common Styles

How do I make my writing sound like a college textbook, a newspaper article, a scientific journal, a blog post, etc, professionally?
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Is it acceptable to use hyphens to create a literary effect?

I am writing a personal statement for my college application, and I wanted to use particular words in the beginning of each paragraph that resonate with the main content of the paragraph. Excerpt: ...
2 votes
1 answer
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Correct typography for the name of an event [closed]

When you write the title of a book, you put it in italics. What about the title of an event, such as the Super Bowl or the World Cup? Of everything I looked at, this has the most information, but ...
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Tips to writing essays on ethics/philosophy

I have to write an essay in about 1200 words. The general theme is related to ethics, character, attitude, philosophy etc. Following are some topics from previous year exams. Customary morality ...
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1 answer
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Writing a critical analysis for a litereature review paper; where to start?

In my class on Intellectual Property for Engineers, I've been asked to write a critical analysis paper on A literature review of intellectual property management in technology transfer offices: From ...
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How to effectively demonstrate the incorrectness of a factual-yet-biased work?

Yesterday SpaceX successfully tested their Starship prototype. The Sun ran a fine article with factually-correct headline: SpaceX Starship explosion: $216million Mars rocket EXPLODES as it misses ...
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How to demonstrate that the main character of your story is narrating a story to other people in a scene?

Being new to writing narratives, I have a query in mind. In one particular scene, I want to show that my main character is narrating a story to the crowd. How can I accomplish this? I am unable to ...
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Writing about the historical relationship between math and physics

I'm not sure if this is best suited for Writing SE, or perhaps one of the science SE's. In any case, feel free to move this if fitting. I've been tasked with writing a 20-30 page paper on the history ...
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An essay on Career Goals

I have to write an essay on career goals. I am applying for a Master's program. Do I start from the basic as to why I chose the subject and how and what do I intend to do after the master's ...
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Do thesis statements have to follow a specific order?

I am 40 years old, returning to college a second time. I have just been informed by my teacher that a thesis statement must always list your upcoming points in the exact order that you present the ...
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Topic Sentence in a two-sided essay

I am writing a two-sided essay, and my teacher told me to underline the topic sentence in every paragraph. But I have a problem. First, take a look at the essay structure: [1] Hook, small context, ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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How do you refer to someone in a formal essay?

I'm writing a formal essay on a book. The book is about a real person, but they are referred to by their first name throughout the entire book. When writing the essay, do I stay consistent with the ...
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Engineer who wants to improve their writing from scratch

To expand on the title, I am about to finish my engineering degree. However, I haven't really written an essay for the past ten years. The main reason was that I focused all my attention on maths-...
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Can anyone recommend a website or other sources that can evaluate my essays and offer feedback [duplicate]

I want some professional or expert to review my essays and offer me feedback on how can I improve, things I could to do write better, tell me mistakes, etc. and inspire the examiner to award me more ...
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How to cite several testimonies from the same House Bill in Apa

We are attempting to cite several testimonies, both parenthetically and on the references page. Any help would be appreciated.
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Do academic papers have to be necessarily grammatically correct?

I notice that a lot of beautiful literature contains sentences that are not grammatically correct. Here are some examples: “Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, ...
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1 answer
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Can I put 2 quotes in one sentence in my essay?

In my essay I want to use 2 quotes that are both on the same page but are 4 lines apart. I didn't think I should use ellipsis b/c the passages I want to quote are quite far apart. What I want to ...
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How to arrange scattered ideas in a coherent manner to write an essay?

I'm trying to write something like an essay for a blog. I'm clear about what central topic I want to write about. The problem is I have a lot of scattered notes about that subject-matter which I have ...
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2 answers
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Can I start a sentence with while? [closed]

Can I say: While for theorist A, this is perceived differently. Ultimately, I'm asking if I can start my sentence with 'while' in this fashion. Thanks!
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1 answer
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Answering an essay question "assess the impact" or "analyse the impact"

If an essay question states "assess/evaluate/analyse the impact of X on Y", does this allow for a discussion of how Z impacts Y? For example, if the essay question is "Assess the impact of Deism on ...
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4 answers
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How can I shorten a piece of writing without losing its original essence?

I need to know how to make my writing more brief without maring its original meaning and message. I have been struggling with that for a while, and still cannot do that. It simply seems to me that you ...
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4 answers
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How do you write short-short nonfiction?

I need to write an opinion, narrative of only 80 words in length. Examples: write about your fondest childhood memory/comment: homework should be banned, etc. How are short-short pieces like this ...
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2 votes
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Confusions over the quality of an essay: is it 'natural' enough? [closed]

As a non-native English speaker, I have trouble determining whether some ways of phrasing or using English expressions in writing are 'natural' or not. The other day I came across an article written ...
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What is a self expression article called?

I've been blogging for a while and I only write my thoughts and opinions on topics such as world peace, social matters, art & culture, and various other topics. I want to make a living writing ...
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1 answer
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How to cite a statistic from a website using APA?

Most of my life I've used the MLA citation format when writing any sort of essays or research papers about difference topics. However recently I've been exploring different types of citation formats, ...
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3 answers
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How do I indicate a superfan review vs a social-criticism essay?

I occasionally write short essays about classic films, and have been thinking about converting them into video essay for YouTube. What I observe are 2 very different types of essay – I'm not sure ...
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4 votes
2 answers
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Rebuttals in argumentative writing

I am writing an argumentative essay and it goes along the following lines... Advantage 1; rebuttal 1 Advantage 2; rebuttal 2 Disadvantages Would it be better to address the rebuttals in the ...
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How can I answer high-school writing prompts without sounding weird and fake?

Being given a prompt makes me freeze up immediately. Let me clarify. I'm talking about high school writing prompts. You know. Those. The ones that ask you to write an essay about what you would ...
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Is it considered plagiarism if i take an item from another story and use it in my own? [duplicate]

I am writing an essay for school about "The Neighborhood of the Future" And I want to include the babel fish from a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Could this be considered plagiarism?
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Can I include diagrams in essays for complex topics?

I know that it breaks the general format of essays and that you should generally not include diagrams in essays. I just find it hard to keep clarity for parts that can be misunderstood, if interpreted ...
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In-text citations for a source with no page numbers

I'm using online sources for an essay for my DE History course, and we're required to use in-text citations when we quote or paraphrase sources, with the format of author-page number, like (Johnson 12)...
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