What Are the 4 Types of Essays?

Being able to write is an important skill that we all need to learn at a young age, especially when it comes to essays. It comes in handy for more than just homework and in-class assignments, as you may need to write them in order to get into your favorite college, as well as complete a test in a job application.

Essays come in different forms, and knowing them ahead of time will help you in any of the scenarios we previously mentioned. Some of them will require you to describe the important details of an event, while others ask you to be more creative and encourage the reader to follow a certain path. So, what are the four types of essays?

Descriptive essay

You may be required in class or by your job to write a paper that creates an image of a person, place, object, or event. In this case, you will be writing a descriptive essay, which follows the “show, not tell” objective by providing a significance to the subject through words. With this option, the author is trying to appeal to the reader’s emotions and create a description that makes them want to learn more.

College students and high school students who are graduating soon are most likely to find themselves getting assigned this type of essay, and there are plenty of tools such as this essay writing service that can make this process much easier. These students may be asked to write an essay describing themselves as part of the admission application, or they may write one as a way for classmates and the teacher of a creative writing courses to get to know them and/or improve their work.

Narrative essay

Another essay that will require you to create an experience for the reader is the narrative essay, though this one focuses less on using physical details to create a factual description of something and more on telling the story of a real-life situation. Instead of just stating the qualities of the subject matter, the writer is tasked with creating engaging content that pulls the reader in as if they are going through the same experience.

These essays are often written in the first person to accomplish this goal, as most sentences will start with “I” to make the story seem more personal. This is almost like writing a short story or plot that can work for a film, though the situation having happened in real life aims to make the reader more intrigued. A well-formed conclusion or statement that can inspire people will provide the most satisfaction for the reader.

Persuasive essay

Essays can also come in handy with convincing people to follow your point of view, such as in a debate, and that’s where persuasive essays come in. With this option, the writer must use facts and their ability to draw people towards their recommendations in order to meet their own goals. The best persuasive essays center around logic and reasoning in order to display the writer’s honesty and knowledge, though the tone of the writing should attract readers emotionally.

It is also important for this essay to make all sides of an argument clear so that the creator doesn’t appear bias, as not acknowledging other people’s points can turn readers away. However, when writing an essay, your sentences should be able to demonstrate why your point is the best one to follow. Being clear also makes the writing process easier, as a small amount of grammar errors, or none at all, will add to the professionalism.

Expository essay

The focus on facts and the exclusion of personal feelings is the top priority for the fourth type of essay in this guide: the expository essay. With this option, the writer provides an analysis of a topic that can help readers understand how it can affect them. This informative piece can come in different forms, such as a “how to” essay, comparison and contrast essay or cause and effect essay. The emotions of the writer are not included, and the first-person perspective is avoided so that the work doesn’t become personal.

An expository essay should have a clear statement towards the beginning so that the reader knows what the point of your paper is, and the information that follows should include nothing but facts to support it. It is best to avoid repetition and over-stating your argument so that you don’t confuse or annoy the reader, and the conclusion should be short and to the point.

Be prepared to write all of these four essays so that you can see success in school, work, and other aspects of life.