Timeless Essay RootOutlines

Persuasive or Argumentative

What is the topic about? Can you define terms, vocabulary, concepts?

What are the sides to the argument? For, against, integration/synthesis/combination, transcending, or your own unique point of view?

What is your stand, for or against ?.

Show pros and cons of each side.

Show sound reasoning, valid logic, reasonable conclusion.

Show solid evidence. statistics, quotes and examples. solid facts, and undeniable examples as proof.

Finish strong. End convincingly.

"Persuasive" means trying to persuade readers towards your case, and to change the reader's perspective.

Sample: Should cigarette smoking be banned?

Absolutely. Many people die from lung cancer and heart disease each year from smoking. So I honestly think it should be banned and I'm 13 years old. My grandfather died of lung cancer about 6 years back and it just causes a great sense of denial and emptiness if you lose someone close at the hands of nicotine.

Expository

It can look a lot like a debate between friends.

What issue, theme, idea or concept are you explaining to your intended audience?

To make things clear: make use of comparison and contrast, definition, example, cause and effect.

Make use of evidence, proof, facts and reasoning to back up your thesis statement.

Analytical Essay is a type of an Expository Essay. But it has more depth, more balance and more perspectives. It examine many specifics.

Sample: How to download HD or MP3 from the home page?

To do this, you need to download a free program called Ummy Video Downloader. Installation instructions can be found here. After you have installed the extension, you will see a "Download" button under each video. Click it and select "HD via Ummy" or "MP3 via Ummy". Attention! This method is only available to Windows XP/Vista/7/8 users.

Narrative

Just reuse the structure of any famous classic story.e.g. Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aesop's Fables, etc.

What characters are there in your story?

What is the setting?

How does the plot unfold?

Involve the reader by making the story as vivid as possible.

Sample:

Aesop Fable. Any short story or a novel. Walt Disney stories. Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Snow White

Descriptive

What thing are you describing? Paint a picture with words, in your reader's mind. Makes the story or image seem clearer and more real to the reader.

Show, through the use of colorful words and sensory details, not tell.

Appeal to senses of sight, sound, smell, touch/ texture, taste.

Specific details alone are not enough. Give us information that we can easily grasp and perhaps empathize with. Evoke emotions and feelings. Help readers connect with you on an emotional level as they read. Appeal to the reader's emotions, with a result that is highly evocative. Make sure your readers gain a vivid impression imbued with your emotion or perspective.

Your choice of details, your choice of words are clues to your feelings about the thing you are describing.

Sample:  What does an owl look like?

Owls have short, thick bodies, strong, hooked beaks, and powerful feet with sharp claws, or talons. Most owls have feathers on their legs and toes.  The feathers protect them from  the cold. There are tufts of feathers that stick up like ears on an owl's face.  But they aren't ears at all!  In fact, nobody knows what they are for.  How strange. An owl's large ear openings are on the sides of its head.  The stiff feathers around the eyes act like an antenna.  They reflect sound toward the ear openings. The owl has a curved beak. The eyes are very large.  These eyes point forward, unlike the eyes of most birds.  For this reason owls can watch an object with both eyes at the same time.