What is meant by “purpose” in an essay?: Difference between revisions

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In essay writing, a purpose is what you hope to accomplish with the essay. Do you want to inform, to persuade, to describe, to argue, to entertain, to compare? If you are sure about your essay’s goals before you begin writing, you can more accurately organize and write your essay. Why are you writing?
==What is a purpose==
The purpose announces the direction in which the paper will be going without giving the conclusion of which the author has discovered.  
# Specific and precise - not general, broad or obscure
# Concise - one or two sentences
# Clear - not vague, ambiguous or confusing
# Goal-oriented - stated in terms of desired outcomes


In English Composition I, purpose usually refers to the writer’s position on a subject: an assertion, point of view, or argument about the subject that the essay will address and support. An essay’s purpose should be made clear by the title and thesis statement.
==Where is the purpose in an essay==
The purpose is generally found in the introduction. It can consist of several sentences or a whole paragraph. Be sure to check with your instructor on whether or not they want a thesis or a purpose. Purposes are commonly used in academic settings when doing a research paper.


Does the writer have an opinion and will it be presented in the essay? No, there’s nothing wrong with an exploratory essay if that is what your professor assigned, but generally college-level essays will require you to make an argument and support that argument about a particular issue. For further discussion of purpose, see [[What is a “thesis statement” and how do I write a strong one?]]
==Examples of purpose statements==
Good purpose statements:
# "This paper examines . . ."
# "The aim of this paper is to . . ."
# "The purpose of this essay is to . . ."
# "In this paper, I will describe/explain/review/etc. the..."
# "My reason for writing is to..."
# "This paper will discuss the..."
# "The purpose of this paper is twofold: to ___ and ___"
 
Remember to be specific and precise. The purpose explains very specifically what the paper will be about. Having a broad purpose will make the reader/audience uninterested in your topic.
 
==Links==
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Thesis_or_Purpose.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/imwps.htm


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[[Composition FAQ]]
[[Composition FAQ]]

Latest revision as of 00:52, 15 November 2013

What is a purpose

The purpose announces the direction in which the paper will be going without giving the conclusion of which the author has discovered.

  1. Specific and precise - not general, broad or obscure
  2. Concise - one or two sentences
  3. Clear - not vague, ambiguous or confusing
  4. Goal-oriented - stated in terms of desired outcomes

Where is the purpose in an essay

The purpose is generally found in the introduction. It can consist of several sentences or a whole paragraph. Be sure to check with your instructor on whether or not they want a thesis or a purpose. Purposes are commonly used in academic settings when doing a research paper.

Examples of purpose statements

Good purpose statements:

  1. "This paper examines . . ."
  2. "The aim of this paper is to . . ."
  3. "The purpose of this essay is to . . ."
  4. "In this paper, I will describe/explain/review/etc. the..."
  5. "My reason for writing is to..."
  6. "This paper will discuss the..."
  7. "The purpose of this paper is twofold: to ___ and ___"

Remember to be specific and precise. The purpose explains very specifically what the paper will be about. Having a broad purpose will make the reader/audience uninterested in your topic.

Links

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Thesis_or_Purpose.html http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/imwps.htm

Composition FAQ

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