what is essay development

Development in Composition: Building an Essay

Learning to support your main ideas with pertinent details

 Lisbeth Hjort/Getty Images

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In composition , development (also known as elaboration ) is the process of adding informative and illustrative details to support the main idea in a paragraph or essay . Paragraphs and essays can be developed in many different ways. In conventional composition courses, the following patterns of exposition are often presented as the standard methods of development in expository writing :

Observations on Development

"[The] methods of development aren't empty jugs to pour full of any old, dull words. Neither are they straitjackets woven by fiendish English teachers to pin your writing arm to your side and keep you from expressing yourself naturally. The methods are tools for achieving your purpose in writing, whatever that purpose may be. They can help you discover what you know, what you need to know, how to think critically about your subject, and how to shape your writing." —From "The Bedford Reader" by X.J. and Dorothy M. Kennedy

The Importance of Providing Supporting Details

"Possibly the most serious—and most common—weakness of all essays by novice writers is the lack of effectively developed body paragraphs . The information in each paragraph must adequately explain, exemplify, define, or in some other way support your topic sentence . Therefore, you must include enough supporting information or evidence in each paragraph to make your readers understand your topic sentence. Moreover, you must make the information in the paragraph clear and specific enough for the readers to accept your ideas." —From "Steps to Writing Well" by Jean Wyrick

Body-Building

"What the opening of an essay promises, the body of the essay must deliver. This is known as 'developing your ideas,' but I like to use a body-building metaphor because it implies adding not just bulk to a framework, but musculature. In other words, good essay development strengthens , not merely fills out. . . .

"What is the best way to reinforce the main idea of your essay? You can do some by making good use of any combination of the following six methods of development:

• Classification and Division
• Example, case-in-point
• Characterization ,  dialogue

"By using these bodybuilding elements, you are telling your readers, 'I don't expect you to take my word for these claims ; I want you to see for yourself!" —From "LifeWriting: Drawing from Personal Experience to Create Features You Can Publish" by Fred D. White

Multiple Patterns of Development

"Although most short papers may employ one primary pattern with other patterns woven throughout, longer papers may have two or more primary patterns of development . For example, if you are writing a paper on the causes and effects of child abuse in the foster care system, you might, after the causal analysis, shift the primary focus of the essay to prevention, thus continuing the essay with a process analysis of what the state might do to prevent child abuse. Then you might end the essay by addressing the objections from those defending the system, shifting the focus of the essay to argumentation .

"Your decision to include other primary patterns depends on your purpose and audience . Your thesis makes your purpose clear to your reader. Then as you develop your essay, you may integrate other patterns into your paragraphs." —From "Bridges to Better Writing" by Luis Nazario, Deborah Borchers, and William Lewis

Further Resources

• Cause and Effect
• Comparison and Contrast
• Current-Traditional Rhetoric
• Extended Definition
• Models of Composition
• Process Analysis
• Kennedy, X.J.; Kennedy, Dorothy M. "The Bedford Reader," Seventh Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000
• White, Fred D. "LifeWriting: Drawing from Personal Experience to Create Features You Can Publish." Quill Driver Books, 2004
• Nazario, Luis; Borchers, Deborah; Lewis, William; "Bridges to Better Writing. Wadsworth." 2010
• Unity in Composition
• Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
• Definition and Examples of Body Paragraphs in Composition
• What Is Expository Writing?
• 6 Steps to Writing the Perfect Personal Essay
• How to Structure an Essay
• Paragraph Writing
• The Five Steps of Writing an Essay
• Definition and Examples of Paragraphing in Essays
• An Essay Revision Checklist
• Writers on Writing: The Art of Paragraphing
• How To Write an Essay
• The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay
• Understanding General-to-Specific Order in Composition
• Definition and Examples of Analysis in Composition
• What Is a Compelling Introduction?

Paragraph Development

Writers use words to compose sentences that develop ideas. A group of related sentences that develops a particular idea is organized in a unit called a paragraph. Understanding the basic concept of “paragraph” is easy enough, but applying that understanding—that is, writing strong, focused paragraphs—can pose challenges for writers of all levels of accomplishment. The discussion that follows will help you understand effective paragraphing and reinforce good writing habits. Keep in mind that writing is a process, and producing good writing, paragraph by paragraph, takes time. Learning to write effective paragraphs will help you communicate ideas clearly to an audience and help you achieve the purpose of the writing.

THE PURPOSE OF THE PARAGRAPH

Paragraphs are the basic units of a piece of writing. Whether informative, persuasive, expository/explanatory, or another mode of writing, paragraphs express the beginning, middle, and end of a discussion in the form of an introduction, body, and conclusion. Each of these parts can be one or more paragraphs long, and the paragraphs in each part have a different purpose. The focus of this tutorial is on body paragraphs. The purpose of body paragraphs is twofold: 1) body paragraphs work together to develop a discussion about a topic within the scope of the thesis or main idea about that topic, and 2) each body paragraph works individually to develop one point of the discussion with supporting details and language that connects the paragraph to the rest of the paper.

THE QUALITIES OF AN EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPH

Unity, Coherence, and Development

An effective paragraph will have unity, coherence, and development. Unity means that each sentence provides information that relates to the established focus of the paragraph. Coherence means each sentence logically leads to the next sentence, and the writer has provided transitions and guidewords to make the movement fluid for the reader and the different ideas come together cohesively. Lastly, development refers to sustaining and building the discussion by providing enough supporting details that the point of the paragraph is clearly communicated to an audience. While paragraph length can vary, effective paragraphs contain enough substantive content that readers do not have lingering questions.

Example Paragraph

One major contributor to the opioid epidemic has been the aggressive marketing of prescription painkillers by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Perez-Pena (2017) concluded that while the healthcare industry was attempting to effectively and efficiently treat patients with chronic pain, pharmaceutical companies were providing funding to prominent doctors, medical societies, and patient advocacy groups in order to win support for a particular drug’s adoption and usage. In fact, pharmaceutical companies continue to spend millions on promotional activities and materials that deny or trivialize any risks of opioid use while at the same time overstating each drug’s benefit (Perez-Pina, 2017). Although aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies has played a large role in opioid addiction, patients also play a role in the problem when they take advantage of holes in the healthcare provider system in order to remedy their addiction.

Perez-Pina, R. (2017, May 31). Ohio sues drug makers, saying they aided opioid epidemic. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/us/ohio-sues-pharmaceuticaldrug-opioid-epidemic-mike-dewine.html?_r=1

The example paragraph is unified on one topic: the opioid epidemic. It is cohesive; the ideas move from fact to evidence to example and include guiding words such as “one,” “while,” “in order to,” “in fact,” and “although,” which lead the reader from one sentence to the next. The paragraph is well-developed as it sustains discussion on the opioid epidemic and builds it with a new point about a contributing factor, which is presented with evidence from research and supporting details. It also uses language (e.g. “although”) that connects the paragraph topic, the role that pharmaceutical companies play, to the topic that will be discussed in the next paragraph, the role that patients play.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPH

Limit the Focus to One Distinct Idea

The sentences in a paragraph work together to develop one distinct idea by sharing the same focus. One way that writers establish this focus is with a topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph. The topic sentence not only expresses the topic of discussion for the paragraph but also asserts a controlling idea that limits the focus of that topic. To create this limited focus, writers provide facts, opinions, definitions, examples, anecdotes, and descriptions, for example, support or explain the controlling idea.

Develop Paragraphs With the Audience and Purpose in Mind

The information given in the paragraph will also depend on the audience and purpose of the writing. To develop a paragraph with the audience in mind, the writer needs to consider what the audience already knows. Discussions are generally developed by adding new information to known information. The same topic would be discussed differently to an audience that does not know anything about the topic versus an audience who are already very familiar with it. The writer must also consider the purpose of the writing. An informative paragraph, for example, seeks to enlighten or educate the reader about the topic whereas a persuasive paragraph seeks to change the reader’s mind or behavior through the discussion of the topic.

Critics have argued that technology will dehumanize education; in fact, technology can actually personalize education. For example, once a print textbook is adopted, schools will stay with the curriculum until the next textbook adoption cycle. However, as Minnesota’s Byron Independent School District (ISD) realized when they designed their own online curriculum, teachers can adapt an online curriculum as needed to individually personalize a student’s educational experience. For example, Byron’s teachers made real-time adjustments to a particular math unit if a particular student was struggling to master an intended learning objective (Fulton, 2013). The Byron ISD experiment suggested technology, combined with a thoughtful pedagogy, can have a lasting, personal and positive impact on student learning.

Fulton, K. (2013, September 1). Byron’s flipped classrooms. Education Digest , 79(1), 22-26. https://search.proquest.com/openview/49d7ee537168e132960671e4bef70582/1.pdf?pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=25066

The example paragraph is limited in focus on one idea about the topic—that technology provides opportunities to personalize education. Each sentence works to support this idea in the form of facts, examples, and anecdotes. The paragraph is also tailored to a specific audience and purpose. The writer begins with an opposing viewpoint to appeal to readers who may be critical of educational technology. The purpose of this paragraph is to persuade, so by presenting the opposing viewpoint then counterarguing it with research-based examples, the reader is more likely to see the writer’s viewpoint as logical and change their own opinion about the topic.

Use Various Rhetorical Modes for Developing and Organizing Paragraphs

Rhetorical modes refer to the patterns of development available to the writer. In other words, modes are the particular manner in which writers develop their thoughts, and quite typically the mode comes to us naturally depending on what we are trying to accomplish. If someone is talking to an auto mechanic about a problem with their car, they are describing. If a person is telling a story about their seven-year-old daughter, they are narrating. If one is talking about the types of books they like to read, they use examples. Whatever a person is trying to convey, they will do so with one or more patterns of development or rhetorical modes.

Types of modes include description, narration, comparison and contrast, example, definition, cause and effect, analogy, and analysis. Usually, the focus of the paragraph lends itself to the use of one primary mode, but even so, most paragraphs utilize more than one pattern of development. For example, if a student is taking a United States history course, they may be asked to compare and contrast the South before and after the Civil War. While the predominant rhetorical mode used in paragraphs will be comparison and contrast, the student will also probably use examples, include description, and offer analysis as you compare the old South to the new South.

Rhetorical modes help writers think about their topic and organize their ideas. These rhetorical modes also show writers the options available to them when composing paragraphs.

When to Begin a New Paragraph

Paragraph length is dictated first by content and purpose. A new paragraph signals a pause in thought and a change in topic, directing readers to anticipate what is to follow or allowing them a moment to digest the material in the preceding paragraph. Reasons to begin a new paragraph include

• beginning a new idea,
• emphasizing a particular point,
• changing speakers in dialogue,
• allowing readers to pause, and
• breaking up lengthy text, usually moving to a subtopic.

Transitions and Signal Words

A paragraph needs to be developed in a logical manner, and readers need to be guided through that development. Writers need to help readers by using transitional expressions and other appropriate words to guide them through the development of the paragraph. Transitional expressions function like glue—they hold a piece of writing together and give it order.

Paragraph Length

Long paragraphs of as much as a page or more often lack a well-defined focus. They do not allow readers an opportunity to assimilate one point before another is made. Long paragraphs can be divided and reorganized into two or more focused paragraphs.

By contrast, short paragraphs can seem choppy and undeveloped. They often leave the reader craving more information. The writer must think carefully of the needs of their audience and the purpose for the writing, and develop each point accordingly. For example, a paper with a persuasive purpose, written for an audience that does not share the writer’s view may need more development in each paragraph in order to present a convincing case. Depending on the audience and purpose, a writer may need to include more or less information. Ideally, paragraph lengths should invite readers in, neither seeming too daunting to read through nor appearing incomplete.

PIE METHOD OF PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT

One good way to go about developing paragraphs is to use the PIE method: The writer makes a strong point as expressed in the topic sentence; illustrates the point with supporting details and evidence; then explains how the evidence supports the point of the paragraph and relates to the thesis. The bold and italic formatting in the following example shows the PIE method at work:

P – Point

I – Illustrate

E – Explain

Despite preservation efforts, barns are in jeopardy, a reflection not only of economics but also of the fading family farm. To make matters worse, razing an old barn is often easier than saving it. Many people who own an unused barn are reluctant to spend money on keeping the building standing, and if the barn is already in rough shape, they usually neglect it until it falls down or is taken down. Preservationists say that in the majority of cases, ailing barns simply need to be stabilized by replacing the sills around the perimeter of the structure. But even this is too costly for a structure that barn owners consider functionally obsolete. Despite using them as big garages, barns tend to be taken down rather than repaired. Even carpenters who make a livelihood in construction lack the skills and equipment required for barn preservation.

Take-Aways for Writing an Effective Paragraph

• Focus limited to one distinct idea
• Paragraphs developed with audience and purpose in mind
• Various rhetorical modes considered for developing and organizing paragraphs
• Transitions and guidewords connecting parts
• Content developed and organized by PIE

When Revising Paragraphs, Consider the Following Questions

• What is the topic and controlling idea?
• What should readers understand after reading the paragraph?
• Is the topic sentence clear and limited in focus?
• Are all of the supporting details unified on the controlling idea?
• Will readers understand the relationship of the supporting details to the point of the paragraph and the larger point of the essay?
• Is the content organized in a logical, easy-to-understand manner?
• Is the development sufficient for the audience and purpose?
• Does anything need to be added or deleted?

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Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument. After reading your thesis statement, the reader should think, "This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I might be."

An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion. (Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?)

A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay.

Steps in Constructing a Thesis

First, analyze your primary sources.  Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Does the author contradict himself or herself? Is a point made and later reversed? What are the deeper implications of the author's argument? Figuring out the why to one or more of these questions, or to related questions, will put you on the path to developing a working thesis. (Without the why, you probably have only come up with an observation—that there are, for instance, many different metaphors in such-and-such a poem—which is not a thesis.)

Once you have a working thesis, write it down.  There is nothing as frustrating as hitting on a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it when you lose concentration. And by writing down your thesis you will be forced to think of it clearly, logically, and concisely. You probably will not be able to write out a final-draft version of your thesis the first time you try, but you'll get yourself on the right track by writing down what you have.

Keep your thesis prominent in your introduction.  A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule of thumb.

Anticipate the counterarguments.  Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counterargument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counterarguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a "soft-on-crime" image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counterargument, you'll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

Some Caveats and Some Examples

A thesis is never a question.  Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question ("Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?") is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

A thesis is never a list.  "For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" does a good job of "telegraphing" the reader what to expect in the essay—a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesn't advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important.

A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.  An ineffective thesis would be, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil." This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading.

An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.  "While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline" is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim."

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible.  Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to address the economic concerns of the people" is more powerful than "Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

Copyright 1999, Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University

• Patterns of Development in Writing
• Student Resources
• Writing Center
• Writing Guides
• The Writing Process

When beginning to write, it is helpful to determine the patterns of development that are most effective for your purpose and audience. Some general patterns of development are:

Cause and Effect details why something happens, what causes it, what are the effects and how it is related to something else.

Classification and Division groups items into their parts or types.

Compare and Contrast tells how something is like other things or how something is different from other things.

Definition explains what something is in comparison to other members of its class, along with any limitations.

Description details what something looks like and its characteristics.

Exemplification provides typical cases or examples of something.

Narration describes what, when, and where something happened.

Persuasion describes an issue and your position or opinion on the subject.

Process explains how something happened, how it works or how it is made.

<< Organizing Your Information Documentation Styles >>

Learn more...

Common Essay Structures / Patterns of Development

Patterns of development overview.

Most academic essays have an overall structure – introduction leading to a thesis, body, conclusion. Essays also have topic sentences and units of support that constitute the body, and these topic sentences and units of support need to be ordered logically in a way that’s appropriate to the essay’s thesis.

In addition to the concept of the thesis indicating a general, logical order for the support, there are actually many different ways to think about and organize information in the body of an essay, using different patterns of development. These patterns, referred to academically as “rhetorical modes,” mirror the ways in which humans think about their worlds and organize their thoughts in order to communicate.

The concept of rhetorical modes actually goes back to ancient civilizations. Though it seems particularly pressing in our current social media, online-all-the-time culture, the idea of “information overload” has troubled humans for centuries. Despite these concerns, many of our ancestors found productive ways to manage information overload. And their strategies remain helpful today. Ancient rhetoricians, including Aristotle and Cicero, developed techniques that writers used to gather, categorize, and explore common features in sets of information.

They identified “topoi,” or patterns, which were those general features shared in any idea or argument regardless of the content of that argument, including definition, relationship, and/or division. For instance, ancient rhetoricians might ask “Is the argument about a definition?” If they discovered that a definition was, in fact, controversial, then they knew they could follow certain common patterns and use common strategies. Other common patterns included comparison and cause-and-effect.

Knowing that these common patterns of human thought exist, will help you as a writer to both develop and organize information in your essays. The following image identifies common patterns. Although it refers to “paragraph” patterns, understand that these are also common patterns for whole essays.

Consider these common patterns of thought and consider specific ways in which you’ve applied each thinking pattern in your everyday life.

1. Narration

The purpose of narration is to tell a story or relate an event. Narration is an especially useful tool for sequencing or putting details and information into some kind of logical order, usually chronological. Literature uses narration heavily, but it also can be useful in non-fiction, academic writing for strong impact.

2. Description

The purpose of description is to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that which is being described. It is heavily based on sensory details : sight, sound, smell, feel, taste.

It’s common to see examples used in all kinds of situations—an idea can be considered too general or abstract until we see it in action. Exemplification extends this idea even further: it carries one or more examples into great detail, in order to show the details of a complex problem in a way that’s easy for readers to understand.

4. Definition

Defintion moves beyond a dictionary definition to deeply examine a word or concept as we actually use and understand it.

5. Process Analysis

Analyzing a process can also be thought of as “how-to” instruction. Technical writing includes a lot of process analysis, for instance. Academic writing can incorporate process analysis to show how an existing problem came to be, or how it might be solved, by following a clear series of steps.

6. Classification/Division

Classification takes one large concept, and divides it into individual pieces. A nice result from this type of writing is that it helps the reader to understand a complex topic by focusing on its smaller parts. This is particularly useful when an author has a unique way of dividing the concepts, to provide new insight into the ways it could be viewed.

7. Comparison/Contrast

Comparison focuses on similarities between things, and contrast focuses on their differences. We innately make comparisons all the time, and they appear in many kinds of writings. The goal of comparison and contrast in academic essays is generally to show that one item is superior to another, based on a set of evaluations included as part of the writing.

8. Cause/Effect

If narration offers a sequence of events, cause/effect essays offer an explanation about why that sequence matters. Cause/effect writing is particularly powerful when the author can provide a cause/effect relationship that the reader wasn’t expecting, and as a result see the situation in a new light.

9. Problem/Solution

This type of academic writing has two equally important tasks: clearly identifying a problem, and then providing a logical, practical solution for that problem. Establishing that a particular situation IS a problem can sometimes be a challenge–many readers might assume that a given situation is “just the way it is,” for instance.

Often in your academic studies, you will be asked to apply a specific thinking pattern in an essay assignment. For example:

• Compare the economic theories of Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman. (comparison and contrast)
• Discuss the effects of the U.S. civil war on the U.S. cotton industry during and in the decade immediately after the war. (cause and effect)
• Identify the different literary techniques that Faulkner applies in his short story, “A Rose for Emily,” explaining how he uses each technique to add to the suspense of the story. (division and classification, example)
• Discuss Piaget’s stages of child development in reference to case studies #1: Rebecca, and #2: Luke. (process analysis)

Even if you are not directly asked to apply a specific thinking pattern, you may want to use one to help you develop and organize your insights. The four patterns noted above – comparison and contrast, cause and effect, division and classification, and process analysis – are very common in academic as well as everyday thinking and writing.

• Patterns of Development Overview. Revision and adaptation of the page Rhetorical Modes at https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-englishcomposition1/chapter/text-rhetorical-modes/. Authored by : Susan Oaks. Provided by : Empire State College, SUNY OER Services. Project : College Writing. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Rhetorical Modes. Provided by : Lumen Learning. Located at : https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-englishcomposition1/chapter/text-rhetorical-modes/ . Project : English Composition I. License : CC BY: Attribution
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Patterns of Organization and Methods of Development

Patterns of organization can help your readers follow the ideas within your essay and your paragraphs, but they can also work as methods of development to help you recognize and further develop ideas and relationships in your writing. Here are some strategies that can help you with both organization and development in your essays.

Major Patterns of Organization

Read the following sentences:

• Now take the pie out of the oven and let it cool on the stovetop.
• Mix the dry ingredients with the liquid ingredients.
• Set the pie crust aside while you make the filling.

How did it feel to read the above list? A bit confusing, I would guess. That’s because the steps for making a pie were not well organized, and the steps don’t include enough detail for us to know exactly what we should do. (Like what are the dry and liquid ingredients?) We all know that starting instructions from the beginning and giving each detailed step in the order it should happen is vital to having a good outcome, in this case a yummy pie! But it’s not always so simple to know how to organize or develop ideas, and sometimes there’s more than one way, which complicates things even further.

First, let’s take a look at a couple of ways to think about organization.

General to Specific or Specific to General

It might be useful to think about organizing your topic like a triangle:

The first triangle represents starting with the most general, big picture information first, moving then to more detailed and often more personal information later in the paper. The second triangle represents an organizational structure that starts with the specific, small scale information first and then moves to the more global, big picture stuff.

For example, if your topic is air pollution in Portland, Oregon, an essay that uses the general-to-specific organizational structure might begin this way:

Many people consider Portland, Oregon, to be an environmentally friendly, pollution-free place to live. They would be shocked to know how many pollutants are in the air causing a multitude of health problems in Portland’s citizens.

An essay that uses the specific-to-general structure might start like this:

When Nancy moved to Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two kids, she expected to find a clean, pollution-free city. She was shocked and angered when her daughter was diagnosed with asthma caused by air pollution.

What’s the difference between these two introductions? And how might they appeal to the intended audience for this essay (Portland voters) in different ways? The first introduction is looking at the big picture of the problem and mentions pollution’s impact on all citizens in Portland, while the second introduction focuses on one specific family. The first helps readers see how vast the problem really is, and the second helps connect readers to a real family, making an emotional appeal from the very beginning. Neither introduction is necessarily better. You’ll choose one over the other based on the kind of tone you’d like to create and how you’d like to affect your audience. It’s completely up to you to make this decision.

Does the Triangle Mean the Essay Keeps Getting More Specific or More Broad until the Very End?

The triangle is kind of a general guide, meaning you’re allowed to move around within it all you want. For example, it’s possible that each of your paragraphs will be its own triangle, starting with the general or specific and moving out or in. However, if you begin very broadly, it might be effective to end your essay in a more specific, personal way. And if you begin with a personal story, consider ending your essay by touching on the global impact and importance of your topic.

Are There Other Ways to Think about Organizing My Ideas?

Yes! Rather than thinking about which of your ideas are most specific or personal or which are more broad or universal, you might consider one of the following ways of organizing your ideas:

• Most important information first (consider what you want readers to focus on first)
• Chronological order (the order in time that events take place)
• Compare and contrast (ideas are organized together because of their relationship to each other)

The section on Methods of Development, below, offers more detail about some of these organizational patterns, along with some others.

Choose one of the following topics, and practice writing a few opening sentences like we did above, once using the general-to-specific format and once using the specific-to-general. Which do you like better? What audience would be attracted to which one? Share with peers to see how others tackled this challenge. How would you rewrite their sentences? Why? Discuss your changes and listen to how your peers have revised your sentences. Taking in other people’s ideas will help you see new ways to approach your own writing and thinking.

• Facing fears
• Safety in sports
• Community policing
• Educating prisoners
• Sex education
• A book or movie that impacted you
• One thing you would change about your community
• Beauty standards
• Toxic masculinity
• How the media affects identity formation
• Gender roles
• Race in America
• The value of art in society
• Travel as part of a well-rounded education
• Drugs and alcohol
• Advice to new parents
• Advice to teachers
• The value of making mistakes
• How you’d spend a million dollars
• What a tough day at work taught you about yourself or others.

Methods of Development

The methods of development covered here are best used as ways to look at what’s already happening in your draft and to consider how you might emphasize or expand on any existing patterns. You might already be familiar with some of these patterns because teachers will sometimes assign them as the purpose for writing an essay. For example, you might have been asked to write a cause-and-effect essay or a comparison-and-contrast essay.

It’s important to emphasize here that patterns of organization or methods of developing content usually happen naturally as a consequence of the way the writer engages with and organizes information while writing. That is to say, most writers don’t sit down and say, “I think I’ll write a cause-and-effect essay today.”  Instead, a writer might be more likely to be interested in a topic, say, the state of drinking water in the local community, and as the writer begins to explore the topic, certain cause-and-effect relationships between environmental pollutants and the community water supply may begin to emerge.

So if these patterns just occur naturally in writing, what’s the use in knowing about them?  Well, sometimes you might be revising a draft and notice that some of your paragraphs are a bit underdeveloped. Maybe they lack a clear topic, or maybe they lack support. In either case, you can look to these common methods of development to find ways to sharpen those vague topics or to add support where needed. Do you have a clear cause statement somewhere but you haven’t explored the effects?  Are you lacking detail somewhere where a narrative story or historical chronology can help build reader interest and add support?  Are you struggling to define an idea that might benefit from some comparison or contrast?  Read on to consider some of the ways that these strategies can help you in revision. And if you want to learn more, check out what the New York Times has to say in their learning blog article, “ Compare-Contrast, Cause-Effect, Problem Solution: Common ‘Text Types’ in The Times .”

Cause and Effect (or Effect and Cause)

Do you see a potential cause-and-effect relationship developing in your draft?  The cause-and-effect pattern may be used to identify one or more causes followed by one or more effects or results. Or you may reverse this sequence and describe effects first and then the cause or causes. For example, the causes of water pollution might be followed by its effects on both humans and animals. You may use obvious transitions to clarify cause and effect, such as “What are the results? Here are some of them…” or you might simply use the words cause , effect , and result , to cue the reader about your about the relationships that you’re establishing.

Here’s an example article from the New York times, “ Rough Times Take Bloom Off a New Year’s Rite, the Rose Parade ,” that explores the cause and effect relationship (from 2011) between Pasadena’s budgetary challenges and the ability of their Rose Parade floats to deck themselves out in full bloom.

Problem-Solution

At some point does your essay explore a problem or suggest a solution? The problem-solution pattern is commonly used in identifying something that’s wrong and in contemplating what might be done to remedy the situation. There are probably more ways to organize a problem-solution approach, but but here are three possibilities:

• Describe the problem, followed by the solution.
• Propose the solution first and then describe the problems that motivated it.
• Or a problem may be followed by several solutions, one of which is selected as the best.

When the solution is stated at the end of the paper, the pattern is sometimes called the delayed proposal. For a hostile audience, it may be effective to describe the problem, show why other solutions do not work, and finally suggest the favored solution. You can emphasize the words problem and solution to signal these sections of your paper for your reader.

Here’s an example article from the New York times, “ Monks Embrace Web to Reach Recruits ,” that highlights an unexpected approach by a group of Benedictine monks in Rhode Island; they’ve turned to social media to grow their dwindling membership. Monks on Facebook?  Who knew?

Chronology or Narrative

Do you need to develop support for a topic where telling a story can illustrate some important concept for your readers? Material arranged chronologically is explained as it occurs in time. A chronological or narrative method of development might help you find a way to add both interest and content to your essay. Material arranged chronologically is explained as it occurs in time. This pattern may be used to establish what has happened. Chronology or narrative can be a great way to introduce your essay by providing a background or history behind your topic. Or you may want to tell a story to develop one or more points in the body of your essay. You can use transitional words like then , next , and finally to make the parts of the chronology clear.

Here’s an example article from the Center for Media Literacy (originally published in the journal Media & Values ): “ From Savers to Spenders: How Children Became a Consumer Market .” To encourage his readers to think about why and how children are being marketed to by advertisers, the author uses a historical chronology of how the spending habits of children changed over a number of decades.

Comparison and Contrast

Are you trying to define something? Do you need your readers to understand what something is and what it is not? The comparison-and-contrast method of development is particularly useful in extending a definition, or anywhere you need to show how a subject is like or unlike another subject. For example, the statement is often made that drug abuse is a medical problem instead of a criminal justice issue. An author might attempt to prove this point by comparing drug addiction to AIDS, cancer, or heart disease to redefine the term “addiction” as a medical problem. A statement in opposition to this idea could just as easily establish contrast by explaining all the ways that addiction is different from what we traditionally understand as an illness. In seeking to establish comparison or contrast in your writing, some words or terms that might be useful are by contrast , in comparison , while , some , and others .

Here’s an example article from the New York times: “ Who Wants to Shop in a Big Box Store, Anyway? ” The author explores some interesting differences between the average American and average Indian consumer to contemplate the potential success of big box stores in India and also to contemplate why these giant big box corporations, like Walmart or Target, might have to rethink their business model.

These four methods of development—cause and effect, problem-solution, chronology or narrative, and comparison and contrast—are just a few ways to organize and develop ideas and content in your essays. It’s important to note that they should not be a starting point for writers who want to write something authentic—something that they care deeply about. Instead, they can be a great way to help you look for what’s already happening with your topic or in a draft, to help you to write more, or to help you reorganize some parts of an essay that seem to lack connection or feel disjointed. Look for organizational patterns when you’re reading work by professional writers. Notice where they combine strategies (e.g a problem-solution pattern that uses cause-and-effect organization, or a comparison-contrast pattern that uses narrative or chronology to develop similarities or differences). Pay attention to how different writers emphasize and develop their main ideas, and use what you find to inspire you in your own writing. Better yet, work on developing  completely new patterns of your own.

The Word on College Reading and Writing Copyright © by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Chapter 7 – Patterns of Development (Narration/Description)

Many college essays follow a primary pattern of development for laying out their ideas and expressing their main thesis. A pattern of development is the way the essay is organized, from one paragraph to the next, in order to present its thesis and the relevant, authoritative support for it, in a coherent and meaningful fashion.

Your readers will be experiencing your essay in time. That is, they will read it starting in paragraph one and then two, then three, four, five, six…etc. This may seem obvious, but you will need to consider how the reader will experience the essay in time and in relation to your thesis statement.

Thus, we will need to organize the essay into a coherent pattern which allows the reader to easily follow our logic through the reading experience, and be able to fully relate it back to our central theme(s). Some essays use a combination of patterns to communicate their ideas, but usually a primary pattern is established to present the overall structure and logical flow of the essay. Common patterns include:

• Narration & Description (see below)
• Exemplification
• Comparison/Contrast
• Cause/Effect
• There are several more variations of patterns of development (see below), but these are the most common ones you will use in academic essay writing. You will also likely be asked to combine one or more of these elements into various projects and writing assignments. They are, first and foremost, ways of organizing ideas into a flow that leads the reader through an experience and helps them become better aware of the relationships between the ideas you are presenting. Which should help them to better experience and understand your primary thesis.

BEST: Patterns of development work best when they are used consistently and in conjunction with the structure and theme of the primary thesis statement.

• Follow this link to a more developed discussion on the more popular modes of essay writing.
• Consult this handout on the basic understanding and uses of the primary patterns of development .
• Consult this handout on the patterns of development discussed as the modes of essay writing .
• Here is a useful link that helps to visualize and summarize the primary patterns of rhetorical writing.
• And one more useful link that does more of a deep dive into the modes. With relevant exercises and questions.

Narration & Description

This week, we begin our exploration of Narration & Description as patterns of development for academic college essays. We will also spend some time discussing thesis statements, essay structure, and the invention and arrangement of topics.

Narration  tells a story by presenting events in an orderly, logical sequence. Narration can be the dominant pattern in many kinds of writing (as well as in speech). Most histories, biographies, and autobiographies follow a narrative form, as do personal letters, diaries, journals, and bios on personal Web pages or social networking sites such as Facebook. Narration is the dominant pattern in many works of fiction, film, and poetry, and is even an essential part of casual conversation. Narration also underlies folk and fairy tales, radio, television and news programs. In short, anytime you want to tell a story about what happened (from a given perspective), you are using narration.

You use  description  to tell readers about the physical characteristics of a person, place or thing. Description relies on the five senses—sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. A descriptive essay tells what something looks like or what it feels like, sounds like, smells like or tastes like. However, description often goes beyond personal sense impressions: novelists can create imaginary landscapes, historians can paint word pictures of historical figures and scientists can describe physical phenomena they have actually never seen. When you write using description, you use language to create a vivid impression of what something feels like for your readers.

We will then apply what we have learned to our first essay, a narration/description about your favorite song, band, or genre of music. Your job in this first essay is to use your writing as a means of inquiry. In other words, your essay will not only teach us about the song, band or musical style you chose, but it will teach us something essential about you and your view of the world. It may even teach you something about yourself that you didn’t know before.

Objective, Subjective, Figurative Description

Objective description is primarily factual, omitting any attention to the writer, especially with regards to the writer’s feelings. Imagine that a robotic camera is observing the subject; such a camera has absolutely no attachment or reaction to what is being observed.

Subjective description , on the other hand, includes attention to both the subject described and the writer’s reactions (internal, personal) to that subject.

Figurative description relies on creating likenesses between objects, often through simile (e.g. like a snowflake…or fragile as a snowflake…) or metaphor. Such likenesses allow the reader to perceive the object more precisely.

An objective sample:

The kitchen table is rectangular, seventy-two inches long and thirty inches wide. Made of a two-inch-thick piece of oak, its top is covered with a waxy oilcloth patterned in dark red and blue squares against a white background. In the right corner, close to the wall, a square blue ceramic tile serves as the protective base for a brown earthenware teapot. A single white placemat has been set to the left of the tile, with a knife and fork on either side of a white dinner plate, around nine inches in diameter. On the plate are two thick pieces of steak.

(Notice how “objective” the narrator in the piece is; his or her eyes scan the scene, but there is no emotional response provoked by the scene).

A subjective sample:

Our lives at home converged around the pleasantly-shaped kitchen table. It was the magnet that drew our family together quite warmly. Cut from the sturdiest oak, the table was tough, smooth, and long enough for my mother, my two sisters, and me to work or play on at the same time. Our favorite light blue ceramic tile, stationed in the right corner, was the table’s sole defense against the ravages of everything from a steaming teapot to the latest red-hot gadget from the Sears catalogue. More often than not, however, the heat would spread quickly beyond the small tile and onto the checkered oilcloth, which just as quickly exuded a rank and sour odor. Yet no matter how intensely the four of us competed for elbow room at the table, none dared venture near the lone dinner place arranged securely to the left of the tile. There was no telling when he would get home from work, but, when he did, he expected the food to be ready–steaming hot. He liked to eat right away–steak mostly–two bloody but thick pieces.

(The narrator scans about the scene, but now, objects take on a sense of “utility” and “meaning”–the narrator explains how certain objects are important, even bordering on the personal and emotional meaning behind each piece.)

A figurative sample:

The kitchen table, a long lost remnant cut from sturdy oak, was sturdy like my father’s hands, and as equally calloused by age and tempered by heat. The table had large welts that had grown even darker and more foreboding with age, and mother frequently commented on getting a new table because of these clear signs of progress, but father would have none of it—the table was as dear to him as his own child. After all, this was his grandfather’s table, handcut, the final essence of that old progenitor’s largesse on the earth. Dumping this table would be akin to dumping my father’s grandaddy. And such an act would be akin to murder itself. This table was like family.

When to Use Each:

• Narration : when the writer is telling a story to make a point.
• Description : when the writer wants to evoke the senses to create a picture.
• Often, the patterns are used together to give the reader a compelling story with vivid, descriptive details which help to illuminate and strengthen the writer’s thesis.

BEST:  when the writer uses both together for writing a detailed account of some memorable experience:

• First trip abroad.
• Last-minute victory.
• Picnic in some special place.
• A favorite song or band and how it changed your life.

How much do I tell my audience?

• How much personal detail should you include?
• How much external research and/or “objective” material should you include?
• Should your thesis include all of the sub-points you intend to make in the essay or just the main one?
• Should your thesis include language that highlights your primary pattern of development?
• Is your thesis too bulky? Too vague? Too specific?

How much do I show my audience?

• How much does your audience already know about your topic?
• How much background and technical information will you need to provide?
• Are you addressing a familiar topic in a new or unexpected way?
• Can you use vivid language and subjective description to paint a visual or auditory expereince for your reader?
• Click on this handout for more guidelines for writing the narrative essay.
• Consult  this handout   for more guidelines on writing the descriptive essay.
• Read  these  Purdue OWL  articles about writing  narrative  and descriptive essays.
• View  this video on Writing Narrative/Descriptive Essays (14:00):

• View  the   video  on crafting narrative essays (2:28):

Composition in Cultural Contexts Copyright © 2021 by Andy Gurevich is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Essays About Development: Top 5 Examples and 10 Prompts

Would you like to develop your writing skills? Our essays about development plus enriching prompts can help with this goal. 

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “constant development is the law of life.” Hence, the best way to succeed in life is to conform to this law. Once we do, we embrace the vast opportunities and surprises in the never-ending development cycle. Development, whether within ourselves, in a certain field, or the greater world we live in, requires allocating various resources in the form of time, action, and even financial capital. 

5 Essay Examples

1. why intersectional feminism matters for development by aviva stein, 2. how video games are made: the game development process by nadia stefyn, 3. why industrial development matters now more than ever before by li yong, 4. bangladesh really is a climate success story by joyashree roy, 5. what role does culture play in development by augusto lopez-claros, 1. my personal development goals, 2. importance of socialization in childhood development, 3. effects of the digital age on intellectual development, 4. economic growth vs. economic development, 5. united nations’ sustainable development goals, 6. urban development, 7. keeping pace with technological development, 8. winning strategies for career development, 9. challenges and perks of a business development manager, 10. education in development.

“Using an intersectional feminist lens to dig deeper into the factors that affect and hinder efforts for equality also allows us as development professionals to design programs, interventions, and support systems that aim to dismantle systems of inequality.”

This essay looks into intersectional feminism and the importance of inclusion. “Intersectional” means recognizing how different people live different experiences. Integrating an intersectional lens in feminist development work enables experts to design and implement programs that address inequality effectively. You might also be interested in these essays about bad habits .

“Much like a production line, the game development pipeline helps organize the flow of work so that everyone knows what they need to deliver and when. The pipeline also helps manage the game development timeline and budget, reducing inefficiencies and bottlenecks.”

This essay walks readers through the video game development process while also introducing the different critical players of the ecosystem. Overall, the piece provides budding game developers with a comprehensive resource on the basics of the industry. 

“Economists of the 20th century noted that a thriving industrial sector was crucial to the development of a modern economy, and in 2010, Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang observed that development without industrialization is like Shakespeare’s Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark.”

Creating a narrative out of data, this essay underscores the need to push for industrialization to further economies’ development. It sheds light on the myriad benefits of manufacturing on social development but also confronts the environmental challenges of the sector. 

Looking for more? Check out these essays about empathy and essays about gratitude .

“In the 50 years since the Bhola cyclone, the nation has carved out a path to development thanks to natural gas. Turning away from that path precipitously would strand the nation’s fossil-fuel assets and undermine its hard-won sovereignty and development gains.”

The essay demonstrates the determination of Bangladesh to bounce back from one of the deadliest cyclones in history. Now the fastest-growing economy in South Asia, Bangladesh marks a unique development journey that runs against the popular belief of patterning development strategies after those of more developed countries in the West. You might also like these essays about your mom .

“Development is not only about reducing poverty and expanding opportunities against the background of rising incomes. It is also in a very fundamental way about adopting a set of values that are compatible with humanity’s moral development.”

Integrating culture in discussions about development has been a longstanding challenge. But this essay points out that we might have been misled to categorize some development factors as cultural and, as a result, missed out on the proper way to resolve problems at their roots.

10 Unique Writing Prompts On Essays About Development

Whether it be acquiring a second language or graduating college with flying colors, use this essay to discuss your personal development goals and proudly share your progress in putting them into action. And then, write a commitment to keep sight of your personal development goals and what you think you should do more to achieve them in the most efficient way you can.

Socialization helps kids learn how to take turns and manage conflicts that arise from their play and interactions with other kids. Look for the latest research studies that show how the development of social skills relates to a child’s overall physical, intellectual, and emotional development.

Then, list the challenges in helping kids socialize more, given how gadgets are becoming a kid’s best friend for entertainment. Finally, include solutions and consider how society can encourage kids to have positive socialization experiences.

Digital technologies have certainly enabled wide-scale access to information and data that can expand our horizons. However, they also discourage the exercise of cognitive and analytical skills because the information is served on a silver platter. 

For this writing prompt, list the pros and cons of digital technologies in improving thinking skills and take the time to assess how each affects our intellectual development, including relevant studies to support your arguments. 

In this essay, aim to find out whether economic growth and economic development are independent or inextricably linked, such that economic development is not possible without economic growth and vice versa. 

For this, you can turn to the innovative insights of economists Simon Kuznets and Joseph Schumpeter. The creation of the Human Development Index is also worth delving into as it is one of the most ambitious metrics that emerged to measure the economy beyond the national income accounting framework . 

The United Nations has 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in September 2015 and targeted to be attained by 2030 to end global poverty while addressing issues such as inequality and climate change. 

In your essay, explain these goals, their origins, and their relevance to today’s challenges. Then find out whether it is on track through the latest SDG report . You can also pick just one SDG close to your personal and get updates on the world’s progress in realizing this goal. Dive into politics in this essay and determine if the UN is on track and adhering to its promises.

True urban development can happen only if security, sanitation, and climate resilience are part of the equation. In this essay, outline the challenges of balancing rapid urbanization with the need to provide people with a decent environment for living. 

Expound on the importance of urban development in reducing poverty. Finally, underscores the enormous role city governments have in steering urban development through a human-centric approach. 

We hear about incredible technological advancements every day, but there has been little development in the regulatory sphere. Elaborate on policy and lawmakers’ challenges in coping with nimble tech companies. 

Some primary challenges include the extraordinary complexity of technologies and the long period it takes to pass a law. In your writing, offer insights into how the government and private sector can join hands and balance strict regulations and self-regulation. 

Career development is the journey of finding your place in the professional world. Flesh out the importance of having a career development game plan and how to implement them. Then take a glimpse at the sea shift in career development amid our present VUCA world. Specifically, analyze how younger professionals are carving out their careers and how companies design professional development plans within a VUCA environment. 

With the fierce competition in today’s markets, how should business development managers think and act to drive their company’s sales growth? Strive to answer this by researching business journals and news articles to discover today’s most pressing challenges business development managers face. But also look on the bright side to flesh out the job’s pros, such as gaining new experiences and expanding your connections. 

This writing prompt highlights the critical role of schools in a child’s overall development and what teaching techniques are proven to be most effective in training a child. To expand your essay, add COVID-19’s long-term debilitating impact on human capital development and how this translates to economic losses. Then, write about the lessons teachers and parents can learn from the pandemic to arrest future global disruptions from affecting the accessibility, delivery, and quality of education.

Tip: When editing for grammar, we also recommend improving the readability score of a piece before publishing or submitting it. If you’d like more help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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Essay On Sustainable Development

500 words essay on  sustainable development.

Sustainable development is basically an action plan which helps us to achieve sustainability in any activity which makes use of the resource. Moreover, it also demands immediate and intergenerational replication. Through essay on sustainable development, we will help you understand the concept and its advantages.

Through sustainable development, we formulate organising principles which help to sustain the limited resources essential to provide for the needs of our future generations. As a result, they will be able to lead a content life on the planet .

What is Sustainable Development?

The World Commission on Environment and Development popularized this concept in 1987. Their report defines the idea as a “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”

In other words, they aimed to prevent the stripping the natural world of resources which the future generations will require. As we all know that usually, one particular need drives development. Consequently, the wider future impacts are not considered.

As a result, a lot of damage happens due to this type of approach. Thus, the longer we continue to pursue unsustainable development, the more severe will the consequences be. One of the most common is climate change which is being debated widely worldwide.

In fact, climate change is already wreaking havoc on our surroundings. So, the need of the hour is sustainable development. We must ask ourselves, must we leave a scorched planet with an ailing environment for our future generations?

In order to undo the mess created by us, we must follow sustainable development. This will help us promote a more social, environmental and economical thinking. Most importantly, it is not that difficult to attain this.

We must see that world as a system which connects space, and time. Basically, it helps you understand that water pollution in South Africa will ultimately impact water quality in India. Similarly, it is the case for other things as well.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Measures to Practice Sustainable Development

There are many measures to take up for practising sustainable development. To begin with, it is important to ensure clean and hygienic living and working conditions for the people.

Next, sponsoring research on environmental issues which pertains to regions. Further, ensuring safety against known and proven industrial hazards. It is also important to find economical methods to salvage dangerous industrial wastes.

Most importantly, we must encourage afforestation . Including environmental education as part of the school and college curriculum will also help. Similarly, it is essential to socialize and humanize all environmental issues.

Further, we must encourage uses of non-conventional sources of energy, especially solar energy. Looking for substitutes for proven dangerous materials on the basis of local resources and needs will help. Likewise, we must produce environment-friendly products.

It is also essential to popularize the use of organic fertilizers and other biotechniques. Finally, the key is environmental management which must be monitored and ensure accountability.

Conclusion of Essay on Sustainable Development

To sum it up, sustainable development continuously seeks to achieve social and economic progress in ways which will not exhaust the Earth’s finite natural resources. Thus, we must all develop ways to meet these needs so that our future generations can inherit a healthier and greener planet.

FAQ on Essay on Sustainable Development

Question 1: State two measures we can take for sustainable development.

Answer 1: The first measure we can take is by finding economical methods for salvaging hazardous industrial wastes. Next, we must encourage afforestation.

Question 2: What is the aim of sustainable development?

Answer 2 : The aim of sustainable development is to maximise human well-being or quality of life without having to risk the life support system.

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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NEWS & EVENTS

Merrimack graduate student wins american counseling association essay contest.

• April 5, 2024
• By: Michael Cronin

As a career advising fellow, Sanjana Sheth M’25 knows about the pressures and issues college students currently face. So, she decided to write about it.

In March, the American Counseling Association announced Sheth’s entry in its Future School Counselor Essay Competition won the grand prize. Sheth, currently enrolled in Merrimack’s clinical mental health counseling master’s program, was awarded $2,000 and her essay will be published in the ACA’s online publication, “Counseling Today.” 

The essay prompt asked participants what they think are the most pressing personal and social issues impacting students today and what counselors can do to best address them. 

“I wanted to urge the school counselors getting their degrees to focus on all the aspects of it,” Sheth said in her essay. “Connect with the students who are not ready to be open. That’s what we are taught in counseling – if you want to help anyone, you need to work or establish a therapeutic relationship.”

In her essay, Sheth said the most common issues she sees in students include “anxiety, depression, feelings of isolation, academic struggles, identity development, transition and adjustment issues, bullying in context with diversity and inclusivity and issues with interpersonal relationships,” 

As such, she argued that counselors must “create strategic and individual-focused interventions to effectively address challenges for their well-being and success.”

Prior to Merrimack, Sheth worked for two years as a researcher studying cancer and vaccines. She holds a master’s degree in pharmacology from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

“When we’d have offsite meetings, I’d meet with a lot of people who had cancer,” said Sheth. “They explained how traumatic their experience was. They had no clue how to deal with them.” 

Talking to patients and getting first-hand insight into the struggles faced by individuals grappling with chronic illness was very insightful. It became evident to her that her passion lay in directly aiding individuals in comprehending their trauma and facilitating their healing process. 

Sheth said Merrimack’s fellowship program piqued her interest most when applying for graduate school for the second time.

“I couldn’t find any other (college) that had so much support for students,” Sheth continued. “After that, I was really interested in the curriculum that they had set up.” She highlighted Merrimack’s comprehensive curriculum, which allows students to explore diverse paths within counseling, “plus you get to learn, experience and choose from different modalities.”

Now, Sheth hopes to help people understand and work through their trauma. Luckily, she said she has a supportive network of Merrimack staff and professors to help her reach her dreams.

“Submitting the essay was nerve-wracking for me. I owe a great deal of gratitude to my professors, whose encouragement and guidance pushed me to submit (the essay),” she said. “I had one of my professors, Melissa Spencer, look through it and tell me if it was OK. At Merrimack, I’ve found an environment that fosters growth, support, and learning — it’s truly been an enriching experience.”

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Essay on Viksit Bharat: A Path to India’s Development

• Updated on  
• Apr 5, 2024

Essay on Viksit Bharat: The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, has an ambition for India; that is to make India a ‘Developed Country’. The Leader has stated that every action of an Indian civilian should be done to make India a developed country; that is, Viksit Bharat.

The formal launch of the Viksit Bharat Mission was a major milestone in India’s development. It is an opportunity for India to show its true potential and become a developed country by 2047, which will complete the 100 years of India’s independence. With the rapid development in major sectors of the economy , experts have predicted that this mission will be accomplished within its time limit. 

This Blog Includes:

Viksit bharat history, viksit bharat key objectives, developments so far.

Quick Read: Essay on Digital India

On 11 December 2023, the Indian Prime Minister launched the Viksit Bharat @2047 scheme via a video conferencing platform. In this video conference, he declared the formal launch of this scheme along with its four pillars: Yuva (Youth), Garib (Poor), Mahila (Women) and Kisan (Framers).

Viksit Bharat represents a blueprint for India’s development. It aims to achieve the ‘India Great’ target by the year 2047; which was termed as ‘Amrit Kaal’. On 3rd March 2024, the Prime Minister chaired the Council of Ministers, where he talked about a plan for the next five years to work on the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision.

He stated that if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) forms a government after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the government will aim to make India a global power in terms of economic growth, social development, technological innovations and soft diplomacy. 

‘ Today, the goal of the country is Viksit Bharat, Shrestha Bharat!’ – PM Narendra Modi

The Viksit Bharat has been the prime focus of the NDA. The Prime Minister has expressed his ministry’s action plan to make India a developed nation by 2047. The immediate objectives of the Viksit Bharat scheme are economic growth and sustainable development goals, better standard of living, ease of doing business, infrastructure, social welfare, etc.

To achieve the Viksit Bharat objectives, the Indian Prime Minister aims to enable every Indian citizen to participate in the country’s development at their own level. PM Modi’s vision is strong and sustainable, where every individual will be offered decent living standards and an opportunity to serve their mother country. 

The government is encouraging investors to invest in India for advanced economic growth in the subsequent years. The sub-schemes launched under this mission show the government’s dedication to creating a favourable environment for economic growth and business development.

The government is constantly encouraging the youth to actively participate in the government’s schemes and engage in entrepreneurial activities. With schemes like Startup India, Made in India, and Digital India, more and more people are encouraged to participate in the government’s plans for India’s development.

The government is launching schemes on its digital platforms that encourage people to understand the importance of indigenous products and rely on their skills.’

Developing world-class infrastructure to promote sustainable development and an enhanced standard of living for everyone is another objective of the Viksit Bharat scheme. The government is launching large-scale projects to develop the country’s infrastructure, which includes the construction of world-class roads and highways, trains and railway stations, ports, etc. Some of the popular projects launched by the government are the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana , Smart Cities Mission, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, etc. 

Quick Read: 200+ English Essay Topics

Unveiling the 10 pillars of Viksit Bharat Abhiyan with #economy at the core- paving the way for a #prosperous and #Developed India. India’s model of #development should lead the way for the world to follow. To know more, visit: https://t.co/sqRvRGJePp pic.twitter.com/qhYT2UqeLf — Viksit Bharat Abhiyan (@ViksitBharat) March 5, 2023

India is currently ranked #5 in economic development in the world, where the nominal GDP is approximately USD 4 Trillion. However, the Indian government is planning to secure the 3rd spot in economic development by surpassing Japan and Germany. 

On 3rd March 2024, the Prime Minister discussed the entire roadmap of this scheme with the Cabinet Ministers. Viksit Bharat is a result of over 2 years of intensive preparation. It involves a holistic approach where all the ministries are involved to achieve its prime objective: Make India Great.

The government strategised its planning by consulting its ministers, state governments, academic institutions, private organizations, and ordinary people to come up with innovative and sustained ideas for India’s growth.

Ans. The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, has an ambition for India; that is to make India a ‘Developed Country’. The Leader has stated that every action of an Indian civilian should be done to make India a developed country; that is, Viksit Bharat. The formal launch of the Viksit Bharat Mission was a major milestone in India’s development. It is an opportunity for India to show its true potential and become a developed country by 2047, which will complete the 100 years of India’s independence. With the rapid development in major sectors of the economy, experts have predicted that this mission will be accomplished within its time limit. 

Ans. Individuals can visit the MyGov portal to participate in the Viksit Bharat scheme at https://www.mygov.in/.

Ans. On 11 December 2023, the Indian Prime Minister launched the Viksit Bharat @2047 scheme via a video conferencing platform. The four pillars of the Viksit Bharat scheme are Yuva (Youth), Garib (Poor), Mahila (Women) and Kisan (Framers). The immediate objectives of the Viksit Bharat scheme are economic growth and sustainable development goals, better standard of living, ease of doing business, infrastructure, social welfare, etc.

Popular Essay Topics for Students

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu.  

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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