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9 Essay

An essay is a piece of writing, usually from an author’s personal point of view. A
typical essay has five or six paragraphs—the introductory paragraph, the body
(consisting of three or four paragraphs) and the concluding paragraph.

The introductory paragraph contains the thesis statement. It tells the reader what
the essay is about. Each of the body paragraphs presents an idea to support the thesis
statement with supporting evidence and quotations. The concluding paragraph
restates the thesis and summarises the supporting points.

Let us study about two kinds of essays—descriptive and narrative.
• In a descriptive essay, the writer describes a person, place or thing. The essay
provides details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel,
or sounds. It can also describe what something is, or how something happened.
The essay is organised into paragraphs describing different parts or aspects of the
main subject.

Guidelines for writing a descriptive essay:

• Jot down the specific details of the topic/subject before you start writing.
• While describing people, elaborate on the colour of the hair, eyes, the person’s
height, etc. so that the reader can visualise the person in the mind.
• While describing places, include the things that you smelled, touched, the sounds
that you heard and the dishes that you tasted there.

• Include descriptions of emotions and feelings so that the reader connects with you
as they read the essay.
• Keep your essay organised. Your essay could be a list-like description that
provides point-by-point details. Or, it could tell a story, keeping the reader
interested in the plot and theme of the event described.

Now, write descriptive essays on these topics.
• Your best friend

• A train ride
• Your favourite picnic spot
• Your favourite book
• Your favourite room in the house

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