Composition
In a composition, students are expected to set out the facts as they are. The primary objective in a composition is the impartial and accurate presentation of the facts. A composition is short (1 – 3 pages). It may be narrative or descriptive.
A composition consists of three parts:
An opening paragraph (Introduction). It explains your understanding of the problem.
The main body. It discloses your attitude and ideas.
A closing paragraph (Conclusion). It gives a suitable conclusion.
Here is an analysis of the composition in the form of a diagram.
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How to Bridge the Generation Gap | |
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Introduction |
Main or controlling idea Logical division of the main idea |
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The main body |
1 2 3 division arranged in order 4 of increasing importance 5 6
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Conclusion |
Summarising statement |
An essay
An essay is a piece of writing, usually short and in prose, on any subject. It usually assumes an individual interpretation of facts.
There is a distinction between the terms essay and composition. In an essay the task is to give an individual interpretation of the facts. While in the composition the writer assembles facts, in an essay he expresses his own ideas, opinions and feelings.
Your introduction is probably the most important part of your essay. Done well, it establishes the context of your discussion and enables your audience to follow your discussion easily. Your introduction draws your reader in, creates interest, and establishes your thesis or unifying idea. Usually a full paragraph and almost never a single sentence, it should make clear to your audience what follows in your essay. Your introduction should agree in tone and style with the rest of your essay. It should be a natural part of it, and it must not mislead an audience. Done awkwardly, your introduction confuses your readers.
You can introduce your essays in a number of ways. You may have to think of ways to create interest. You can, for example, begin with an anecdote, a quotation, or a series of questions. At times you can combine approaches to capture your audience’s attention as well as to state your thesis.
In an essay, sentences are organised in paragraphs, each of which presents one segment of a general controlling idea. Because each paragraph covers a recognisable unit of thought, paragraphing serves as an important signal to a reader.
The paragraphs in an essay are not separate units of thought. The first body paragraph develops one element of the theses and sets the stage for the material in the following paragraph. Each paragraph extends the ideas that come before it, and each foreshadows the ideas that come after it.
Paragraphs in essays are units of thought that overlap and interact with one another in specific ways to present information. Each paragraph contributes something to the overall message of the essay.
Often the first words of each paragraph indicate the relationship of that paragraph to the overall idea. They link the paragraphs together. Such phrases include:
The first reason ... Now ...
The second reason ... Then...
The third reason ... On the one hand...
For this reason ... On the other hand...
But of course ... In the future ...
The point is ... Finally ...
A number of people ... Therefore ...
The body paragraphs of your essay carry the weight of your discussion. But other paragraphs, ones with very special jobs to do, have at least as much influence, if not more, on how well your readers will react to and understand your ideas.
The paragraphs in an essay serve three principal functions: most of them support your thesis, while specifically constructed ones introduce that thesis and state your conclusions.