Composition: Developing Effective Essays
If you have tried out the strategies on this site for developing paragraphs, you are well on your way to creating effective essays as well. Here we will organize paragraphs into various kinds of essays--those that explain, compare, analyze, classify, and argue. Our goal is to create informative and persuasive compositions that keep our readers interested.
400 Writing Topics
Coming up with a good topic can be one of the hardest parts of composing a paragraph or essay. These 400 topic suggestions should make that job a little easier.
Tips for Taking Essay Exams
These tips you should help you to manage exam pressures and compose a strong essay.
Sample Topic Number One for the SAT Writing Test
One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Sample topic number one concerns social-networking sites.
Sample Topic Number Two for the SAT Writing Test
Sample topic number two for the SAT essay concerns the legalization of drugs.
Sample Topic Number Three for the SAT Writing Test
Sample topic number three for the SAT essay concerns a proposal to offer "cash for clunkers"--a government program to buy and scrap polluting vehicles.
Sample Topic Number Four for the SAT Writing Test
Sample SAT topic number four concerns a proposed law requiring an identifying marker on the license plates of cars driven by teenagers in the first year of their provisional licenses.
Sample Topic Number Five for the SAT Writing Test
Sample SAT topic number five concerns the effectiveness of courses in sexuality education in schools.
Sample Topic Number Six for the SAT Writing Test
Sample SAT topic number six concerns children's attention to physical appearances.
Self-Evaluation of Essays
Writing a brief self-evaluation each time you have completed a writing project will make you more aware of your strengths as a writer and help you to see more clearly what skills you need to work on.
Revision Checklist
This checklist should serve as a guide when it comes time to revise your writing.
Donald Murray's Revision Checklist
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Donald Murray offers his own revision checklist as an example for novice writers.
Ten Quick Tips to Improve Your Writing
Whether we're composing a blog or a business letter, an email or an essay, our goal should be to respond clearly and directly to the needs and interests of our readers. These ten tips should help us to improve our writing whenever we set out to inform or persuade.
Sister Miriam Joseph's Brief Guide to Composition
These passages from "A Brief Guide to Composition" suggest the flavor of Sister Miriam Joseph's classic text, "The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric." Though her advice on style can be found in other books on the subject, nowhere else is that advice delivered so succinctly.
Three Good Reasons Not to Buy an Online Essay
Stop right there. You're not going to do it. You're not going to cheat. You're not going to buy an essay or a term paper online. And here's why.