What is a life hack?
A life hack is a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage daily
activities in a more efficient way.
So what is an
“Essay Hack”?
Simply put, the objective is to provide options (strategies) in essay
structures so that you can produce better essays.
Purpose
of this Lesson
The 5-paragraph essay structure is your foundation for essay
writing approaches. So now that you have learned this basic approach, we can
explore other structures/approaches that you may become more comfortable using.
þ Approach # 1: You can adjust
the introduction
Original:
ü
AG – 1 or 2 sentences
ü
Counterargument –1 or 2 sentences *
ü
Divided Thesis – 1 sentence
For example:
[Attention-Getter] What
happened on April 22, 1970, to bring people all over the world together? That
date marked the first celebration of Earth Day. Every year since then, people
in record - breaking numbers have used April 22 to show their common concern
for our environment. [Counterargument] Some persons complain that
"tree-huggers" have taken the celebration to distracting extremes;
however, there have been positive initiatives to come from it. [Divided thesis]
Therefore,
our school needs to join the celebration by organizing a full schedule of Earth
Day activities as this will teach students about environmental issues, unite
the school community and bring awareness to the planet’s problems.
Hack # 1: You may have more than
one paragraph to create the background for argument. Thus your structure would
look like this:
ü
AG – 1 paragraph of 3 or 4 sentences
ü
Counterargument – new paragraph of 1 or 2
sentences and ending with*
ü
Divided Thesis – 1 sentence
For example:
[Attention-Getter 1] According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, over 2,700 teen drivers between the ages of 16
and 19 died in 2010 and over 282,000 were injured. Despite their desire to want
to get behind the wheel, teen drivers simply aren't ready to take on the
responsibilities of driving yet.
[Attention-Getter 2] Driver's license requirements
are set by each state, not the federal government. Therefore, the legal driving
age varies from state to state. All states, with the exception of Maine, allow
drivers to have unrestricted licenses at the age of 18. Maine's age is 21. [Divided thesis]
Considering all these figures, the legal driving age should be changed to 20
because teen drivers are more likely to cause accidents and they are not mature
enough to understand the repercussions of their actions.
Hack # 2: You may have more than 2
sentences for your thesis. Thus your structure would look like this:
ü
AG – 1 or 2 sentences
ü
Counterargument – 1sentence*
ü
Divided part of Thesis – 1 sentence
ü
Single- idea expressing position on issue – 1
sentence
Example 1:
[Attention-Getter] China’s one-child policy was
intended to help control population growth. [Divisions of
Thesis] Instead, it has led to unintended and negative
consequences, such as a diminishing labor force, an aging population, the
neglect of basic human rights, and an unbalanced gender population. . [Single-idea thesis]
To improve China’s situation, the policy should be reversed.
Example 2:
Hack # 3: You may have a single –idea
thesis statement. Thus your structure would look like this:
ü
AG – 1 or 2 sentences
ü
Counterargument – 1 or 2 sentences*
ü
Single- idea expressing position on issue – 1
sentence
For example:
[Attention-Getter] The teen age years are a time when young people
are constantly pushing boundaries and testing limits. This is a natural part of
growing up. Teenagers have always enjoyed staying out late, but some cities
have curfew laws preventing this. [Counterargument] Even though most teens are against these laws,
their parents usually support them. [Single- idea expressing position on issue]
Curfew laws are necessary and should be enforced in all
cities.
þ Approach# 2: You can adjust
the body
Original:
ü
P – 1 Topic
sentence
ü
E – explanation –1 or 2 sentences
ü
E – evidence – 1 or more sentences + commentary
sentence
ü
D – drawn conclusion – 1 sentence
For example:
[Point] FURTHERMORE,
I believe that arrange marriages should not exist in America because it could
cause depression. [Explanation of point] When you are
with someone who you do not naturally love, you become unhappy. When you are unhappy, you become
depressed. Depression prevents you from
living a normal mental and physical healthy life. [Evidence] To illustrate, my next-door neighbours
have an arranged marriage. The wife
explained to my mother that she is very depressed because she did not marry
someone she loved, and she was never depressed before this marriage. [Commentary on
Evidence] As a result, she
never leaves the house, and she always looks frail when we see her. [Drawn Conclusion] Perhaps if my neighbour did
marry someone she loved, she would not be depressed.
Hack #1: If the topic sentence is
very clear, skip the explanation sentence and jump straight to evidence. You may
give more than one piece of evidence BUT must explain/give commentary on each
piece of evidence. Thus your structure would look like this:
ü
P – 1 Topic
sentence
ü
E – evidence – 1 or more sentences
ü
E – explanation/commentary sentence(s)
ü
D – drawn conclusion – 1 sentence
For example:
[Point]In the first place, you do not always win
when you win. [Evidence] In the
movie, Ender’s Game, when Ender “won” the final battle, he felt he had lost
because he wiped out a whole race. [Explanation/Commentary on Evidence] This shows that winning can be different to different
people; while the humans “won”, Ender believed he had sacrificed his own values
– and thus he lost. [Drawn Conclusion]Hence, winning is not a single
thing – it depends on people’s point of view.
- revised version from https://nauticalf7.wordpress.com/2011/11/
Hack # 2: You can swap a body
paragraph for a rebuttal/ refutation paragraph. Thus your structure would look
like this:
üBody Paragraph 1 – regular P.E.E.D. structure
üBody Paragraph 2 – regular P.E.E.D. structure
üBody Paragraph 3 – Rebuttal:
-Introduce
the Opposing Argument
- Acknowledge
parts of the opposition that are valid
- Counter
the Argument
- Introduce
the Conclusion
Example 1:
For more information on rebuttals,click link below:
