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Writing Worksheets and Other Writing Resources

Nine Basic Ways to Improve Your Style in Academic Writing

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1. Use ACTIVE VOICE

Don't say: "The stepmother's house was cleaned by Cinderella." (Passive.)

Say instead: "Cinderella cleaned the stepmother's house." (Active voice.)

Passive voice construction ("was cleaned") is reserved for those occasions where the "do-er" of the action is unknown.

Example: "Prince Charming saw the glass slipper that was left behind."

2. Mix it up in terms of PUNCTUATION

Here are a few commonly misused punctuation marks that a lot of people aren't sure about:

The semi-colon (;) separates two complete sentences that are complementary.

Example: "She was always covered in cinders from cleaning the fireplace; they called her Cinderella."

The colon (:) is used...

a. preceding a list.

Example: "Before her stepmother awoke, Cinderella had three chores to complete: feeding the chickens, cooking breakfast, and doing the wash."  

b. as a sort of "drum roll," preceding some big revelation.

Example: "One thing fueled the wicked stepmother's hatred for Cinderella: jealousy."  

The dash (--) is made by typing two hyphens (-). No spaces go in between the dash and the text. It is used...

a. to bracket off some explanatory information.

Example: "Even Cinderella's stepsisters-who were not nearly as lovely or virtuous as Cinderella--were allowed to go to the ball."  

b. in the "drum roll" sense of the colon.

Example: "Prince Charming would find this mystery lady--even if he had to put the slipper on every other girl in the kingdom."  

3. Vary your SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Don't say: "Cinderella saw her fairy godmother appear. She was dressed in blue. She held a wand. The wand had a star on it. She was covered in sparkles. Cinderella was amazed. She asked who the woman was. The woman said, 'I am your fairy godmother.' She said she would get Cinderella a dress and a coach. She said she would help Cinderella go to the ball."

Instead say: (there are multiple correct ways to rewrite this, but here's one) "Amazed, Cinderella watched as her fairy godmother appeared. The woman dressed in blue was covered in sparkles and carried a star-shaped wand. Cinderella asked the woman who she was, to which the woman replied, 'I am your fairy godmother." The fairy godmother would get Cinderella a dress and a coach; she would help Cinderella get to the ball."

4. Closely related to this, avoid CHOPPINESS

Don't say: "She scrubbed the floors. They were dirty. She used a mop. She sighed sadly. It was as if she were a servant ."

Instead say : (again, there are multiple ways to do this) "She scrubbed the dirty floors using a mop, as if she were a servant. She sighed sadly."

5. Avoid REPETITION.

Don't say: "The stepsisters were jealous and envious ."

Instead say : "The stepsisters were jealous ." (...or envious. Pick one.)

6. Be CONCISE

Don't say: "The mystery lady was one who every eligible man at the ball admired."

Instead say : "Every eligible man at the ball admired the mystery lady."

7. Use the VOCABULARY that you know.

Don't always feel you have to use big words. It is always better to be clear and use simple language rather than showing off flashy words you aren't sure about and potentially misusing them. This is not to say, however, that you should settle for very weak vocabulary choices (like "bad" or "big" or "mad").

8. But also work on expanding your VOCABULARY.

When reading, look up words you don't know. See how they're used. Start a list. Incorporate them into your writing as you feel comfortable and as they are appropriate.

9. Keep language FORMAL and avoid language of everyday speech.

Don't say: "Cinderella was mellow and good. She never let her stepmother get to her ."

Say instead: "Cinderella was mild-mannered and kind. She never let her stepmother affect her high spirits ."

So, essentially, when it comes to working on style, there are three things to remember:

Empower yourself with knowledge..

Learn to punctuate correctly, enhance your vocabulary, etc. Give yourself all the tools there are so that you are free to...

...Mix it up!

Avoid repetition of words and sentence structure. Variance promotes good "flow" and is more interesting for your reader.

"Write to EXPRESS, not to IMPRESS."

Above all, write actively, clearly, and concisely.

Amber Carini

Student Learning Center, University of California, Berkeley

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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Academic Writing

How to Format an Essay

Last Updated: July 29, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Carrie Adkins, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano . Carrie Adkins is the cofounder of NursingClio, an open access, peer-reviewed, collaborative blog that connects historical scholarship to current issues in gender and medicine. She completed her PhD in American History at the University of Oregon in 2013. While completing her PhD, she earned numerous competitive research grants, teaching fellowships, and writing awards. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 93,510 times.

You’re opening your laptop to write an essay, knowing exactly what you want to write, but then it hits you: you don’t know how to format it! Using the correct format when writing an essay can help your paper look polished and professional while earning you full credit. In this article, we'll teach you the basics of formatting an essay according to three common styles: MLA, APA, and Chicago Style.

Setting Up Your Document

Step 1 Read over the assignment’s guidelines before you begin.

If you can’t find information on the style guide you should be following, talk to your instructor after class to discuss the assignment or send them a quick email with your questions.
If your instructor lets you pick the format of your essay, opt for the style that matches your course or degree best: MLA is best for English and humanities; APA is typically for education, psychology, and sciences; Chicago Style is common for business, history, and fine arts.

Step 2 Set your margins to 1 inch (2.5 cm) for all style guides.

Most word processors default to 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins.

Do not change the font size, style, or color throughout your essay.

Change the spacing on Google Docs by clicking on Format , and then selecting “Line spacing.”
Click on Layout in Microsoft Word, and then click the arrow at the bottom left of the “paragraph” section.

Step 6 Put the page number and your last name in the top right header for all styles.

Using the page number function will create consecutive numbering.
When using Chicago Style, don’t include a page number on your title page. The first page after the title page should be numbered starting at 2. [5] X Research source
In APA format, a running heading may be required in the left-hand header. This is a maximum of 50 characters that’s the full or abbreviated version of your essay’s title. [6] X Research source

Step 7 Use a title page with APA or Chicago Style format.

For APA formatting, place the title in bold at the center of the page 3 to 4 lines down from the top. Insert one double-spaced line under the title and type your name. Under your name, in separate centered lines, type out the name of your school, course, instructor, and assignment due date. [8] X Research source
For Chicago Style, set your cursor ⅓ of the way down the page, then type your title. In the very center of your page, put your name. Move your cursor ⅔ down the page, then write your course number, followed by your instructor’s name and paper due date on separate, double-spaced lines. [9] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

Step 8 Create a left-handed heading for MLA Style essays.

Double-space the heading like the rest of your paper.

Writing the Essay Body

Step 1 Center the title of your paper in all style formats.

Use standard capitalization rules for your title.
Do not underline, italicize, or put quotation marks around your title, unless you include other titles of referred texts.

Step 2 Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) for all styles.

A good hook might include a quote, statistic, or rhetorical question.
For example, you might write, “Every day in the United States, accidents caused by distracted drivers kill 9 people and injure more than 1,000 others.”

Step 4 Include a thesis statement at the end of your introduction.

"Action must be taken to reduce accidents caused by distracted driving, including enacting laws against texting while driving, educating the public about the risks, and giving strong punishments to offenders."
"Although passing and enforcing new laws can be challenging, the best way to reduce accidents caused by distracted driving is to enact a law against texting, educate the public about the new law, and levy strong penalties."

Step 5 Present each of your points in 1 or more paragraphs.

Use transitions between paragraphs so your paper flows well. For example, say, “In addition to,” “Similarly,” or “On the other hand.” [16] X Research source

Step 6 Complete your essay with a conclusion.

A statement of impact might be, "Every day that distracted driving goes unaddressed, another 9 families must plan a funeral."
A call to action might read, “Fewer distracted driving accidents are possible, but only if every driver keeps their focus on the road.”

Using References

Step 1 Create parenthetical citations...

In MLA format, citations should include the author’s last name and the page number where you found the information. If the author's name appears in the sentence, use just the page number. [18] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
For APA format, include the author’s last name and the publication year. If the author’s name appears in the sentence, use just the year. [19] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
If you don’t use parenthetical or internal citations, your instructor may accuse you of plagiarizing.

Step 2 Use footnotes for citations in Chicago Style.

At the bottom of the page, include the source’s information from your bibliography page next to the footnote number. [20] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
Each footnote should be numbered consecutively.

Step 3 Center the title of your reference page.

If you’re using MLA format, this page will be titled “Works Cited.”
In APA and Chicago Style, title the page “References.”

Step 4 List your sources on the references page by author’s last name in alphabetical order.

If you have more than one work from the same author, list alphabetically following the title name for MLA and by earliest to latest publication year for APA and Chicago Style.
Double-space the references page like the rest of your paper.
Use a hanging indent of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) if your citations are longer than one line. Press Tab to indent any lines after the first. [23] X Research source
Citations should include (when applicable) the author(s)’s name(s), title of the work, publication date and/or year, and page numbers.
Sites like Grammarly , EasyBib , and MyBib can help generate citations if you get stuck.

Formatting Resources

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How to Write an Essay in APA Format

What is apa format, apa essay format basics.

Steps to Follow

Frequently Asked Questions

If your instructor has asked you to write an APA format essay, it might at first seem like a daunting task, especially if you are accustomed to using another style such as MLA or Chicago. But you can master the rules of APA essay format, too.

An essay is one type of paper that can be written in APA format; others include lab reports, experimental reports, and case studies. Before you begin, familiarize yourself with some of the basic guidelines for writing a paper in APA format. Of course, it will also be important to follow any other formatting instructions that are part of your assignment.

How do you write an essay in APA format? The basic elements you need to include are:

A title page
An abstract
An introduction, main body, and conclusion
A reference section
Proper APA formatting with regard to margins, layout, spacing, titles, and indentations

This article discusses how to write an essay in APA format, including the basic steps you should follow and tips for how to get started.

Whether you’re taking an introductory or graduate-level psychology class, chances are strong that you will have to write at least one paper during the course of the semester. In almost every case, you will need to write your paper in APA format, the official publication style of the American Psychological Association . It is also used for academic journals.

Such rules are generally the same whether you are writing a high school essay, college essay, or professional essay for publication.

APA format is used in a range of disciplines including psychology , education, and other social sciences. The format dictates presentation elements of your paper including spacing, margins, and how the content is structured.

Most instructors and publication editors have strict guidelines when it comes to how your format your writing. Not only does adhering to APA format allow readers to know what to expect from your paper, but it also means that your work will not lose critical points over minor formatting errors.

While the formatting requirements for your paper might vary depending on your instructor's directions, writing APA essay format means you will most likely need to include a title page, abstract, introduction, body, conclusion, and reference sections.

Your APA format essay should have a title page . This title page should include the title of your paper, your name, and your school affiliation. In some instances, your teacher might require additional information such as the course title, instructor name, and the date.

The title of your paper should be concise and clearly describe what your paper is about.
Your title can extend to two lines, but it should be no longer than 12 words.

An abstract is a brief summary of your paper that immediately follows the title page. It is not required for student papers, according to APA style. However, your instructor may request one.

If you include an abstract , it should be no more than 100 to 200 words, although this may vary depending upon the instructor requirements.

Your essay should also include a reference list with all of the sources that were cited in your essay,

The reference section is located at the end of your paper.
References should be listed alphabetically by the last name of the author.
References should be double-spaced.
Any source that is cited in your paper should be included in your reference section.

When writing in APA essay format, the text will include the actual essay itself: The introduction, body, and conclusion.

There should be uniform margins of at least one inch at the top, bottom, left, and right sides of your essay.
The text should be in Times New Roman size 12 font or another serif typeface that is easily readable.
Your paper should be double-spaced.
Every page should include a page number in the top right corner.
The first word of each paragraph in your paper should be indented one-half inch.

For professional papers (usually not student papers), every page of the essay also includes a running head at the top left. The running head is a shortened form of the title, often the first few words, and should be no more than 50 characters (including spaces).

Steps to a Successful APA Format Essay

In addition to ensuring that you cite your sources properly and present information according to the rules of APA style, there are a number of things you can do to make the writing process a little bit easier.

Choose a Topic

Start by choosing a good topic to write about. Ideally, you want to select a subject that is specific enough to let you fully research and explore the topic, but not so specific that you have a hard time finding sources of information.

If you choose something too specific, you may find yourself with not enough to write about. If you choose something too general, you might find yourself overwhelmed with information.

Research Your Topic

Start doing research as early as possible. Begin by looking at some basic books and articles on your topic to help develop it further. What is the question you are going to answer with your essay? What approach will you take to the topic?

Once you are more familiar with the subject, create a preliminary source list of potential books, articles, essays, and studies that you may end up using in your essay.

Remember, any source used in your essay must be included in your reference section. Conversely, any source listed in your references must be cited somewhere in the body of your paper.

Write Your Rough Draft

With research in hand, you are ready to begin. Some people like to create an outline to organize their argument prior to drafting. You may want to start with a very rough outline, and then add details.

Once you have a detailed outline, the next step is to translate it from notes to complete sentences and paragraphs. Remember, this is a first draft. It doesn't have to be perfect.

As you write your paper in APA essay format, be sure to keep careful track of the sources that you cite.

How do you start an APA paper? Your paper should begin with an introduction that includes a thesis statement that presents your main ideas, points, or arguments. Your introduction should start on the third page of your paper (after the title page and abstract). The title of your paper should be centered, bolded, and typed in title case at the top of the page.

Review and Revise

After you have prepared a rough draft of your essay, it's time to revise, review, and prepare your final draft. In addition to making sure that your writing is cohesive and supported by your sources, you should also check carefully for typos, grammar errors, and possible formatting mistakes.

When citing information or quotations taken from an interview, APA format requires that you cite the source, how the information was collected, and the date of the interview. They should not be included in the reference section, however, because they are not something that can be located by a reader in any published source or searchable database.

Instead, the information should be cited parenthetically in the main body of the text. For example: “There was an increase in the number of college students who screened positive for depression/anxiety” (R. Heathfield, personal communication, May 9, 2021).

If the essay is in a chapter of a book, edited collection, or anthology, APA format states that you should cite the last name, first name, title of essay, title of collection, publisher, year, and page range. For example: Smith, John, "The Light House," A Book of Poems , editing by Peter Roberts, Allworth Press, 2005, pp. 20-25.

According to APA format, a two-part essay is formatted the same as an essay, however, you'll need to create two title pages.

If you're including a short direct quote in your APA-format essay, you will need to cite the author, year of publication, and page number (p.) or page number span (pp.). Quotations longer than 40 words should omit the quotation marks and be put in the text using block quotation formatting, on its own line and indented 1/2 inch from the left margin.

The cover page or "title page" in APA essay format should always include the title of your paper, your name, and school affiliation as well as the course title, instructor name, and date, if requested by your teacher.

Nagda S. How to write a scientific abstract. J Indian Prosthodont Soc. 2013;13(3):382-383. doi:10.1007/s13191-013-0299-x

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington DC: The American Psychological Association; 2019.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Essay Writing

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource begins with a general description of essay writing and moves to a discussion of common essay genres students may encounter across the curriculum. The four genres of essays (description, narration, exposition, and argumentation) are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres, also known as the modes of discourse, have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these genres and students’ need to understand and produce these types of essays. We hope these resources will help.

The essay is a commonly assigned form of writing that every student will encounter while in academia. Therefore, it is wise for the student to become capable and comfortable with this type of writing early on in her training.

Essays can be a rewarding and challenging type of writing and are often assigned either to be done in class, which requires previous planning and practice (and a bit of creativity) on the part of the student, or as homework, which likewise demands a certain amount of preparation. Many poorly crafted essays have been produced on account of a lack of preparation and confidence. However, students can avoid the discomfort often associated with essay writing by understanding some common genres.

Before delving into its various genres, let’s begin with a basic definition of the essay.

What is an essay?

Though the word essay has come to be understood as a type of writing in Modern English, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the English language through the French influence on Middle English; tracing it back further, we find that the French form of the word comes from the Latin verb exigere , which means "to examine, test, or (literally) to drive out." Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic.

Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition. As is evidenced by this list of attributes, there is much to be gained by the student who strives to succeed at essay writing.

The purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing with the direction of little more than their own thoughts (it may be helpful to view the essay as the converse of a research paper). Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise and require clarity in purpose and direction. This means that there is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from his or her purpose; the writing must be deliberate and interesting.

This handout should help students become familiar and comfortable with the process of essay composition through the introduction of some common essay genres.

This handout includes a brief introduction to the following genres of essay writing:

Expository essays
Descriptive essays
Narrative essays
Argumentative (Persuasive) essays

How to Write Your College Essay: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

Getting ready to start your college essay? Your essay is very important to your application — especially if you’re applying to selective colleges.

Become a stronger writer by reviewing your peers’ essays and get your essay reviewed as well for free.

We have regular livestreams during which we walk you through how to write your college essay and review essays live.

College Essay Basics

Just getting started on college essays? This section will guide you through how you should think about your college essays before you start.

Why do essays matter in the college application process?
What is a college application theme and how do you come up with one?
How to format and structure your college essay

Before you move to the next section, make sure you understand:

How a college essay fits into your application

What a strong essay does for your chances

How to create an application theme

Learn the Types of College Essays

Next, let’s make sure you understand the different types of college essays. You’ll most likely be writing a Common App or Coalition App essay, and you can also be asked to write supplemental essays for each school. Each essay has a prompt asking a specific question. Each of these prompts falls into one of a few different types. Understanding the types will help you better answer the prompt and structure your essay.

How to Write a Personal Statement That Wows Colleges
Personal Statement Essay Examples
How to Write a Stellar Extracurricular Activity Essay
Extracurricular Essay Examples
Tips for Writing a Diversity College Essay
Diversity Essay Examples
Tips for Writing a Standout Community Service Essay
How to Write the “Why This Major” Essay
How to Write a “Why This Major” Essay if You’re Undecided
How to write the “Why This College” Essay
How to Research a College to Write the “Why This College” Essay
Why This College Essay Examples
How to Write The Overcoming Challenges Essay
Overcoming Challenges Essay Examples

Identify how each prompt fits into an essay type

What each type of essay is really asking of you

How to write each essay effectively

The Common App essay

Almost every student will write a Common App essay, which is why it’s important you get this right.

How to Write the Common App Essay
Successful Common App Essay Examples
5 Awesome College Essay Topics + Sample Essays
11 Cliché College Essay Topics + How to Fix Them

How to choose which Common App prompts to answer

How to write a successful Common App essay

What to avoid to stand out to admissions officers

Supplemental Essay Guides

Many schools, especially competitive ones, will ask you to write one or more supplemental essays. This allows a school to learn more about you and how you might fit into their culture.

These essays are extremely important in standing out. We’ve written guides for all the top schools. Follow the link below to find your school and read last year’s essay guides to give you a sense of the essay prompts. We’ll update these in August when schools release their prompts.

See last year’s supplemental essay guides to get a sense of the prompts for your schools.

Essay brainstorming and composition

Now that you’re starting to write your essay, let’s dive into the writing process. Below you’ll find our top articles on the craft of writing an amazing college essay.

Where to Begin? 3 Personal Essay Brainstorming Exercises
Creating the First Draft of Your College Application Essay
How to Get the Perfect Hook for Your College Essay
What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?
8 Do’s and Don’t for Crafting Your College Essay
Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

Understand how to write a great hook for your essay

Complete the first drafts of your essay

Editing and polishing your essay

Have a first draft ready? See our top editing tips below. Also, you may want to submit your essay to our free Essay Peer Review to get quick feedback and join a community of other students working on their essays.

11 Tips for Proofreading and Editing Your College Essay
Getting Help with Your College Essay
5 DIY Tips for Editing Your College Essay
How Long Should Your College Essay Be?
Essential Grammar Rules for Your College Apps
College Essay Checklist: Are You Ready to Submit?

Proofread and edited your essay.

Had someone else look through your essay — we recommend submitting it for a peer review.

Make sure your essay meets all requirements — consider signing up for a free account to view our per-prompt checklists to help you understand when you’re really ready to submit.

Advanced College Essay Techniques

Let’s take it one step further and see how we can make your college essay really stand out! We recommend reading through these posts when you have a draft to work with.

10 Guidelines for Highly Readable College Essays
How to Use Literary Devices to Enhance Your Essay
How to Develop a Personalized Metaphor for Your College Applications

How to Order

Essay Writing Guide

Essay Format

Essay Format: A Basic Guide With Examples

12 min read

What is an Essay Format?

An essay format refers to a set of guidelines that decides how the elements of your paper should be arranged. No matter what type of essay you’re writing, formatting is an essential step in the essay writing process.

The format guidelines cover the essay structure, essay title , citations, and the basic essay outline .

When formatting a paper, there are certain things that you need to pay attention to. These include the structure of an essay, title page, works cited page, and citation styles .

or attention-grabber (main argument)

with a clear .

Note: Essay formats for university, college, and high school students differ mainly in the depth of research and analysis required, with higher academic levels demanding more detailed work. While the structure of most essays follows the basic 5-paragraph essay format.

How To Format Essay in MLA Style

Formatting an essay in MLA style is a common requirement in many academic settings, particularly in the humanities.

MLA provides guidelines for various aspects of your essay, from font and margins to citations and bibliography. Here’s an essay format MLA you can use as a reference:

MLA Essay Format Template

Title Page: MLA does not typically require a separate title page. Instead, place your title at the top of the first page, centered, and do not use bold, italics, or underline for the title. Below the title, include your name, the instructor's name, the course name and number, and the due date, each on a separate line, left-aligned.
Header and Page Numbers: Create a header with your last name and page number in the upper right corner of every page, half an inch from the top, and flush with the right margin. For example: Smith 1.
Margins and Spacing: Set all margins to 1 inch, and use double-spacing throughout the essay.
Font and Size: Use a legible font like Times New Roman or Arial, size 12.
Indentation: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches, which can be done automatically using the "Tab" key.
Paragraphs: Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks within sentences.
Title: Place the title of your essay (centered) at the top of the first page. Do not use bold, italics, or underlining for the title. Capitalize major words.
Citations: MLA uses in-text citations to acknowledge sources. When quoting or paraphrasing, include the author's last name and the page number (e.g., Smith 45).
Works Cited Page: At the end of your essay, include a separate page titled "Works Cited." List all sources alphabetically by the author's last name. Follow the specific MLA citation style for different types of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.).

Sample MLA Essay

Take a look at the essay format example in MLA style:

How to Format Essay in APA

Formatting an essay in APA style is commonly used in the social sciences and psychology.

APA provides a set of guidelines for various elements of your essay, including formatting, citations, and references. Here’s how to format essay in apa:

APA Essay Format Template

Title of the Essay (centered, bold, and in title case)
Your Name (centered)
Institutional Affiliation (centered)
Running head [Shortened Title] (flush left, in uppercase)
Page Number (flush right)
Header and Page Numbers: Create a header with the title of your essay in all capital letters, followed by a colon and a shortened version of the title (up to 50 characters), in the upper left corner of every page. The page number should be in the upper right corner.
Font and Size: Use a clear and readable font like Times New Roman or Arial, size 12.
Paragraphs: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches. Use a hanging indent for references on the reference page.
Citations: Use in-text citations to acknowledge sources. Include the author's last name and the publication year (e.g., Smith, 2023) when quoting or paraphrasing.
Title: Use bold and title case for the title of your essay on the title page. On subsequent pages, use a shortened version of the title (in uppercase) as the header.
References Page: At the end of your essay, create a separate page titled "References." List all sources alphabetically by the author's last name. Follow the specific APA citation style for different types of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.).

Sample APA Essay

Here is an essay format sample in APA style:

How to Format Essay in Chicago Style

Formatting an essay in Chicago style, often used in history and some other humanities disciplines, requires specific guidelines for citations and formatting. Here are the guidelines to format your essay in Chicago style:

Chicago Essay Format Template

Title Page: The title page in Chicago style includes: Title of the Essay (centered, in headline-style capitalization) Your Name (centered) Course Name and Number (centered) Instructor's Name (centered) Date (centered)
Margins and Spacing: Set all margins to 1 inch. Use double-spacing throughout the essay.
Page Numbers: Number pages in the upper right corner of each page, beginning with the first page of the main text (usually page 1). Page numbers should be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.).
Paragraphs: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches. Use a block paragraph style with no extra space between paragraphs.
Citations: In Chicago style, you have two citation options: footnotes and endnotes. In your text, place a superscript number (e.g., ^1) at the end of the sentence containing the cited information. Corresponding footnotes or endnotes should provide full citation details.
Title: Use headline-style capitalization for the title of your essay (e.g., "The History of Ancient Civilizations").
Bibliography: At the end of your essay, include a separate page titled "Bibliography." List all sources alphabetically by the author's last name. Follow the specific Chicago citation style for different types of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.).

Sample Chicago Essay

Let’s check out a short essay format word sample in chicago style:

Chicago Format Paper - MyPerfectWords.com

Formatting In-Text Citations: APA, MLA, and Chicago Styles

An in-text citation is a brief reference within the body of your essay or research paper that indicates the source of information you have incorporated into your writing.

Each of the formatting style have a unique way for adding in-text citations. Here's a table summarizing the in-text citation formats for the common styles:


	Author's last name, publication date, and page number (if applicable) within parentheses.	(Smith, 2020, p. 27)
	Author's last name and page number without any punctuation between them.	(Jones 42)
	Author's last name and publication date within parentheses.	(Smith 2021) or "According to Smith (2021),..."
	Numbered footnotes or endnotes with a superscript number in the text, corresponding to a full citation in a footnote or endnote.	Johnson argues that "the data is unconvincing."¹ ²

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Essay Format PDF Examples

Here are some essay format sample pdf for students to download and get a better understanding.

Essay Format For IELTS

Essay Format For CSS

How to Determine What Format to Follow

Selecting the appropriate citation format for your academic writing is essential to ensure that your work meets the expected standards. To make an informed decision, consider the following factors:

Factor 1- Subject and Discipline

APA Style: Primarily used in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and education. It is also common in business and nursing disciplines.
MLA Style: Commonly employed in humanities disciplines, including literature, languages, and cultural studies. It's widely used for papers related to literature and the arts.
Chicago Style: Used in history, some social sciences, and certain humanities disciplines. Chicago offers both author-date and notes and bibliography styles, making it versatile for various subjects.

Factor 2- Professor's Instructions

Always adhere to your professor's specific instructions regarding citation style and writing convention . Professors may have preferences or requirements based on the nature of the course or assignment.

For instance, an English professor might prefer MLA for literary analysis essay , while a psychology professor may opt for APA to encourage familiarity with research norms. However, when formatting styles are not specified by the instructor, you can follow whatever is appropriate for your subject.

Factor 3- Institutional Guidelines

Your educational institution may have established guidelines or standards for citation formats.

Check your institution's style guide or consult with academic advisors to ensure compliance with their specific requirements.

By considering the subject matter, your professor's preferences, and your institution's guidelines, you can confidently choose the appropriate citation style to enhance the clarity and professionalism of your academic writing.

To Sum it Up, Now that you've gained a solid understanding of the basics of three major formatting styles, you're well-prepared to tackle your essay formatting with confidence.

Whether you're crafting an essay, a research paper, or any academic document, these formatting principles will help you present your ideas professionally.

If you're ever in a time crunch or feeling overwhelmed, you can always reach out and say, ' do my essay for me .' Our expert writers are here to help you tackle your academic challenges in no time.

With our custom essay writing service, you get reliable help with any type of assignment, even with tight deadlines. Our writers ensure 100% original papers that meet your requirements.

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How to Format A College Essay: 15 Expert Tips

College Essays

When you're applying to college, even small decisions can feel high-stakes. This is especially true for the college essay, which often feels like the most personal part of the application. You may agonize over your college application essay format: the font, the margins, even the file format. Or maybe you're agonizing over how to organize your thoughts overall. Should you use a narrative structure? Five paragraphs?

In this comprehensive guide, we'll go over the ins and outs of how to format a college essay on both the micro and macro levels. We'll discuss minor formatting issues like headings and fonts, then discuss broad formatting concerns like whether or not to use a five-paragraph essay, and if you should use a college essay template.

How to Format a College Essay: Font, Margins, Etc.

Some of your formatting concerns will depend on whether you will be cutting and pasting your essay into a text box on an online application form or attaching a formatted document. If you aren't sure which you'll need to do, check the application instructions. Note that the Common Application does currently require you to copy and paste your essay into a text box.

Most schools also allow you to send in a paper application, which theoretically gives you increased control over your essay formatting. However, I generally don't advise sending in a paper application (unless you have no other option) for a couple of reasons:

Most schools state that they prefer to receive online applications. While it typically won't affect your chances of admission, it is wise to comply with institutional preferences in the college application process where possible. It tends to make the whole process go much more smoothly.

Paper applications can get lost in the mail. Certainly there can also be problems with online applications, but you'll be aware of the problem much sooner than if your paper application gets diverted somehow and then mailed back to you. By contrast, online applications let you be confident that your materials were received.

Regardless of how you will end up submitting your essay, you should draft it in a word processor. This will help you keep track of word count, let you use spell check, and so on.

Next, I'll go over some of the concerns you might have about the correct college essay application format, whether you're copying and pasting into a text box or attaching a document, plus a few tips that apply either way.

Formatting Guidelines That Apply No Matter How You End Up Submitting the Essay:

Unless it's specifically requested, you don't need a title. It will just eat into your word count.

Avoid cutesy, overly colloquial formatting choices like ALL CAPS or ~unnecessary symbols~ or, heaven forbid, emoji and #hashtags. Your college essay should be professional, and anything too cutesy or casual will come off as immature.

Mmm, delicious essay...I mean sandwich.

Why College Essay Templates Are a Bad Idea

You might see college essay templates online that offer guidelines on how to structure your essay and what to say in each paragraph. I strongly advise against using a template. It will make your essay sound canned and bland—two of the worst things a college essay can be. It's much better to think about what you want to say, and then talk through how to best structure it with someone else and/or make your own practice outlines before you sit down to write.

You can also find tons of successful sample essays online. Looking at these to get an idea of different styles and topics is fine, but again, I don't advise closely patterning your essay after a sample essay. You will do the best if your essay really reflects your own original voice and the experiences that are most meaningful to you.

College Application Essay Format: Key Takeaways

There are two levels of formatting you might be worried about: the micro (fonts, headings, margins, etc) and the macro (the overall structure of your essay).

Tips for the micro level of your college application essay format:

Always draft your essay in a word processing software, even if you'll be copy-and-pasting it over into a text box.
If you are copy-and-pasting it into a text box, make sure your formatting transfers properly, your paragraphs are clearly delineated, and your essay isn't cut off.
If you are attaching a document, make sure your font is easily readable, your margins are standard 1-inch, your essay is 1.5 or double-spaced, and your file format is compatible with the application specs.
There's no need for a title unless otherwise specified—it will just eat into your word count.

Tips for the macro level of your college application essay format :

There is no super-secret college essay format that will guarantee success.
In terms of structure, it's most important that you have an introduction that makes it clear where you're going and a conclusion that wraps up with a main point. For the middle of your essay, you have lots of freedom, just so long as it flows logically!
I advise against using an essay template, as it will make your essay sound stilted and unoriginal.

Plus, if you use a college essay template, how will you get rid of these medieval weirdos?

What's Next?

Still feeling lost? Check out our total guide to the personal statement , or see our step-by-step guide to writing the perfect essay .

If you're not sure where to start, consider these tips for attention-grabbing first sentences to college essays!

And be sure to avoid these 10 college essay mistakes .

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

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Academic Essay: From Basics to Practical Tips

Has it ever occurred to you that over the span of a solitary academic term, a typical university student can produce sufficient words to compose an entire 500-page novel? To provide context, this equates to approximately 125,000 to 150,000 words, encompassing essays, research papers, and various written tasks. This content volume is truly remarkable, emphasizing the importance of honing the skill of crafting scholarly essays. Whether you're a seasoned academic or embarking on the initial stages of your educational expedition, grasping the nuances of constructing a meticulously organized and thoroughly researched essay is paramount.

Welcome to our guide on writing an academic essay! Whether you're a seasoned student or just starting your academic journey, the prospect of written homework can be exciting and overwhelming. In this guide, we'll break down the process step by step, offering tips, strategies, and examples to help you navigate the complexities of scholarly writing. By the end, you'll have the tools and confidence to tackle any essay assignment with ease. Let's dive in!

Types of Academic Writing

The process of writing an essay usually encompasses various types of papers, each serving distinct purposes and adhering to specific conventions. Here are some common types of academic writing:

Essays: Essays are versatile expressions of ideas. Descriptive essays vividly portray subjects, narratives share personal stories, expository essays convey information, and persuasive essays aim to influence opinions.
Research Papers: Research papers are analytical powerhouses. Analytical papers dissect data or topics, while argumentative papers assert a stance backed by evidence and logical reasoning.
Reports: Reports serve as narratives in specialized fields. Technical reports document scientific or technical research, while business reports distill complex information into actionable insights for organizational decision-making.
Reviews: Literature reviews provide comprehensive summaries and evaluations of existing research, while critical analyses delve into the intricacies of books or movies, dissecting themes and artistic elements.
Dissertations and Theses: Dissertations represent extensive research endeavors, often at the doctoral level, exploring profound subjects. Theses, common in master's programs, showcase mastery over specific topics within defined scopes.
Summaries and Abstracts: Summaries and abstracts condense larger works. Abstracts provide concise overviews, offering glimpses into key points and findings.
Case Studies: Case studies immerse readers in detailed analyses of specific instances, bridging theoretical concepts with practical applications in real-world scenarios.
Reflective Journals: Reflective journals serve as personal platforms for articulating thoughts and insights based on one's academic journey, fostering self-expression and intellectual growth.
Academic Articles: Scholarly articles, published in academic journals, constitute the backbone of disseminating original research, contributing to the collective knowledge within specific fields.
Literary Analyses: Literary analyses unravel the complexities of written works, decoding themes, linguistic nuances, and artistic elements, fostering a deeper appreciation for literature.

Our essay writer service can cater to all types of academic writings that you might encounter on your educational path. Use it to gain the upper hand in school or college and save precious free time.

Essay Writing Process Explained

The process of how to write an academic essay involves a series of important steps. To start, you'll want to do some pre-writing, where you brainstorm essay topics , gather information, and get a good grasp of your topic. This lays the groundwork for your essay.

Once you have a clear understanding, it's time to draft your essay. Begin with an introduction that grabs the reader's attention, gives some context, and states your main argument or thesis. The body of your essay follows, where each paragraph focuses on a specific point supported by examples or evidence. Make sure your ideas flow smoothly from one paragraph to the next, creating a coherent and engaging narrative.

After the drafting phase, take time to revise and refine your essay. Check for clarity, coherence, and consistency. Ensure your ideas are well-organized and that your writing effectively communicates your message. Finally, wrap up your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

How to Prepare for Essay Writing

Before you start writing an academic essay, there are a few things to sort out. First, make sure you totally get what the assignment is asking for. Break down the instructions and note any specific rules from your teacher. This sets the groundwork.

Then, do some good research. Check out books, articles, or trustworthy websites to gather solid info about your topic. Knowing your stuff makes your essay way stronger. Take a bit of time to brainstorm ideas and sketch out an outline. It helps you organize your thoughts and plan how your essay will flow. Think about the main points you want to get across.

Lastly, be super clear about your main argument or thesis. This is like the main point of your essay, so make it strong. Considering who's going to read your essay is also smart. Use language and tone that suits your academic audience. By ticking off these steps, you'll be in great shape to tackle your essay with confidence.

Academic Essay Example

In academic essays, examples act like guiding stars, showing the way to excellence. Let's check out some good examples to help you on your journey to doing well in your studies.

Academic Essay Format

The academic essay format typically follows a structured approach to convey ideas and arguments effectively. Here's an academic essay format example with a breakdown of the key elements:

Introduction

Hook: Begin with an attention-grabbing opening to engage the reader.
Background/Context: Provide the necessary background information to set the stage.
Thesis Statement: Clearly state the main argument or purpose of the essay.

Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence: Start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that relates to the thesis.
Supporting Evidence: Include evidence, examples, or data to back up your points.
Analysis: Analyze and interpret the evidence, explaining its significance in relation to your argument.
Transition Sentences: Use these to guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next.

Counterargument (if applicable)

Address Counterpoints: Acknowledge opposing views or potential objections.
Rebuttal: Refute counterarguments and reinforce your position.

Conclusion:

Restate Thesis: Summarize the main argument without introducing new points.
Summary of Key Points: Recap the main supporting points made in the body.
Closing Statement: End with a strong concluding thought or call to action.

References/Bibliography

Cite Sources: Include proper citations for all external information used in the essay.
Follow Citation Style: Use the required citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) specified by your instructor.
Font and Size: Use a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial) and size (12-point).
Margins and Spacing: Follow specified margin and spacing guidelines.
Page Numbers: Include page numbers if required.

Adhering to this structure helps create a well-organized and coherent academic essay that effectively communicates your ideas and arguments.

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How to Write an Academic Essay Step by Step

Start with an introduction.

The introduction of an essay serves as the reader's initial encounter with the topic, setting the tone for the entire piece. It aims to capture attention, generate interest, and establish a clear pathway for the reader to follow. A well-crafted introduction provides a brief overview of the subject matter, hinting at the forthcoming discussion, and compels the reader to delve further into the essay. Consult our detailed guide on how to write an essay introduction for extra details.

Captivate Your Reader

Engaging the reader within the introduction is crucial for sustaining interest throughout the essay. This involves incorporating an engaging hook, such as a thought-provoking question, a compelling anecdote, or a relevant quote. By presenting an intriguing opening, the writer can entice the reader to continue exploring the essay, fostering a sense of curiosity and investment in the upcoming content. To learn more about how to write a hook for an essay , please consult our guide,

Provide Context for a Chosen Topic

In essay writing, providing context for the chosen topic is essential to ensure that readers, regardless of their prior knowledge, can comprehend the subject matter. This involves offering background information, defining key terms, and establishing the broader context within which the essay unfolds. Contextualization sets the stage, enabling readers to grasp the significance of the topic and its relevance within a particular framework. If you buy a dissertation or essay, or any other type of academic writing, our writers will produce an introduction that follows all the mentioned quality criteria.

Make a Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the central anchor of the essay, encapsulating its main argument or purpose. It typically appears towards the end of the introduction, providing a concise and clear declaration of the writer's stance on the chosen topic. A strong thesis guides the reader on what to expect, serving as a roadmap for the essay's subsequent development.

Outline the Structure of Your Essay

Clearly outlining the structure of the essay in the introduction provides readers with a roadmap for navigating the content. This involves briefly highlighting the main points or arguments that will be explored in the body paragraphs. By offering a structural overview, the writer enhances the essay's coherence, making it easier for the reader to follow the logical progression of ideas and supporting evidence throughout the text.

Continue with the Main Body

The main body is the most important aspect of how to write an academic essay where the in-depth exploration and development of the chosen topic occur. Each paragraph within this section should focus on a specific aspect of the argument or present supporting evidence. It is essential to maintain a logical flow between paragraphs, using clear transitions to guide the reader seamlessly from one point to the next. The main body is an opportunity to delve into the nuances of the topic, providing thorough analysis and interpretation to substantiate the thesis statement.

Choose the Right Length

Determining the appropriate length for an essay is a critical aspect of effective communication. The length should align with the depth and complexity of the chosen topic, ensuring that the essay adequately explores key points without unnecessary repetition or omission of essential information. Striking a balance is key – a well-developed essay neither overextends nor underrepresents the subject matter. Adhering to any specified word count or page limit set by the assignment guidelines is crucial to meet academic requirements while maintaining clarity and coherence.

Write Compelling Paragraphs

In academic essay writing, thought-provoking paragraphs form the backbone of the main body, each contributing to the overall argument or analysis. Each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that encapsulates the main point, followed by supporting evidence or examples. Thoroughly analyzing the evidence and providing insightful commentary demonstrates the depth of understanding and contributes to the overall persuasiveness of the essay. Cohesion between paragraphs is crucial, achieved through effective transitions that ensure a smooth and logical progression of ideas, enhancing the overall readability and impact of the essay.

Finish by Writing a Conclusion

The conclusion serves as the essay's final impression, providing closure and reinforcing the key insights. It involves restating the thesis without introducing new information, summarizing the main points addressed in the body, and offering a compelling closing thought. The goal is to leave a lasting impact on the reader, emphasizing the significance of the discussed topic and the validity of the thesis statement. A well-crafted conclusion brings the essay full circle, leaving the reader with a sense of resolution and understanding. Have you already seen our collection of new persuasive essay topics ? If not, we suggest you do it right after finishing this article to boost your creativity!

Proofread and Edit the Document

After completing the essay, a critical step is meticulous proofreading and editing. This process involves reviewing the document for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation issues. Additionally, assess the overall coherence and flow of ideas, ensuring that each paragraph contributes effectively to the essay's purpose. Consider the clarity of expression, the appropriateness of language, and the overall organization of the content. Taking the time to proofread and edit enhances the overall quality of the essay, presenting a polished and professional piece of writing. It is advisable to seek feedback from peers or instructors to gain additional perspectives on the essay's strengths and areas for improvement. For more insightful tips, feel free to check out our guide on how to write a descriptive essay .

Alright, let's wrap it up. Knowing how to write academic essays is a big deal. It's not just about passing assignments – it's a skill that sets you up for effective communication and deep thinking. These essays teach us to explain our ideas clearly, build strong arguments, and be part of important conversations, both in school and out in the real world. Whether you're studying or working, being able to put your thoughts into words is super valuable. So, take the time to master this skill – it's a game-changer!

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What Is An Academic Essay?

How to write an academic essay, how to write a good academic essay.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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How I Lost (and Found) My Style

At 67, after four decades of covering fashion, i finally knew how i wanted to dress..

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I remember really looking forward to the fitting. I had booked it for the end of March 2023, right after the fall shows. It had been a great season for women’s suits, from Prada’s ironic approach, which drew on nursing and military uniforms, to Saint Laurent’s sternly tailored classics, but the one I personally liked was by Proenza Schouler, the label of the Americans Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. Made in a robust black gabardine, the suit had full-cut trousers and a longish jacket with wide shoulders and a slightly curved waist. As soon as I got home from the collections, I called Proenza about ordering it. I was invited to come in to have my measurements taken. This felt like a lark, for despite my access to designers and how often over the years I’ve seen something on a runway and thought, I want that!, I’ve rarely followed up on the impulse. The last time was four years earlier for a mannish overcoat in a dull brown tweed that I bought because it reminded me of a no-nonsense woman in an English novel as she ambles off to shoot a rabbit in her vegetable patch. Unfortunately, that was exactly the effect all that brown tweed had on me: tragic.

Now, in an about-face, all I wanted was this chic black pantsuit. I could picture myself walking down the street in it, tall and languorous. It’s going to look so good, I thought, hurrying toward Proenza’s office in Soho on that March afternoon.

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Chloë sevigny.

I had been in a rut, stylewise. I had put on 20 pounds over the past decade and wasn’t inclined to replace the clothes in my closet — in some cases because there was no replicating their special zest, like a traditional kilt in navy-blue suede that Azzedine Alaïa made for me in 2000 and that I told myself I’d still be rocking at 90. Instead, in the years after 2014, when I left my job as fashion critic of the New York Times, I stubbornly muddled along with the same few dark pants and tops. For some show seasons, I traveled to Europe with all my “outfits” for the three weeks in one carry-on wheelie bag. I was proud of this feat, like it was a packing challenge or my private retort to influencers who travel like a circus.

But my weight gain alone would not have been enough to make me lose a sense of style. I’d had other periods in my life when I was big and was still buying clothes and putting effort into how I looked. In 2016, the year I turned 60, I bought a farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and, with the help of local contractors, began to rebuild it. In that exhilarating, four-year-long process — of putting in electricity and wells, cleaning up fields, driving out the copper-heads, and adding two small dwellings and a barn — I had no problem exchanging some of my enthusiasm for fashion for a new tree or a tractor with a front loader.

In late 2022, though, I felt the urge to dress up again, at least — especially — when I was away from home. The project of building the farm was largely complete, and I had started growing cut flowers to sell to local florists, a tiny seasonal operation — tulips, peonies, dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias — that I could handle myself. By the time I strolled into Proenza, I was abuzz with joy at the prospect.

Jack and Lazaro met me in their large mirrored fitting room, where I had already removed my coat and shirt and was standing like a trooper in my undershirt and an old pair of pants. We gossiped for a few minutes about the Paris shows and then Vanessa, the head fitter, came in with her tape measure and a pad. As Jack and Lazaro moved into a corner and we continued to talk, I struck a martyr’s pose.

“You can put your arms down,” said Vanessa, uncoiling her tape.

“Right,” I said. It had been a while since I’d been in a fitting.

Yet as the tape began to go round my body, my enthusiasm evaporated like a mirage. For I realized in that awful second that I had entered the fitting room without an image of myself. Or, let’s say, I didn’t like the image I saw: a frumpy woman at 66 with a bad haircut. My chic-suit fantasy was apparently free-floating, detached from my body. I became intensely self-conscious. And that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that I ignored good grace and vocalized my feelings to Jack and Lazaro, whom I’ve known for years. Catching Jack’s eye, I sort of whimpered and grimaced.

“Shush. Stop it,” he said. “You look fine.”

Vanessa said the suit would be ready in a few months, and I left the office with my tail tucked between my legs. God, I thought, what a putz.

Back on the farm, I didn’t have time to unpack any of this. It was tulip season, and 1,200 Dutch stems were on the march, ready to come out of the field and go to florists in Charlottesville, Madison, and Orange. A baker wanted branches of redbud, a native tree that grows at the edge of woods. She presses the pink blossoms and uses them to decorate her cakes. New dahlia tubers were arriving from wholesale growers or other farmers who sell their stock; these would go in the ground after the last frost, in May, or around the time the overwintered dahlias are beginning to shoot up and I’m preparing beds for sunflower and zinnia seeds. There’s always something to do on a farm.

But I would be out in a field or pulling up a tulip bulb, and of course my thoughts raced back to the moment in the fitting room. It really annoyed me that I’d acted like an old fool. Because that’s not how I feel at all on the farm. If anything, the physical labor and all the new stuff I’ve had to learn have kept me from feeling my age. I’m happy with my life. My sole companion is Murray, a black Labrador. I’ve never been married, a status my mother very nearly predicted when I was in college. “Your ideal husband lives in another state,” she said. I’m not sure how Nancy knew that, since every couple my parents knew in our small Ohio town was never separated by more than a twin bed, but she was uncanny that way. I did have two long relationships: the first with an Englishman named Derek who repaired historic windmills and water mills and lived near Norfolk, Virginia, and with whom I had a son; and then, in my 50s, with Art, whose success was in the garment industry and with whom I lived in Manhattan until his death.

I’ve not experienced the self-erasing sense of old age described so powerfully by writers like Virginia Woolf and Annie Ernaux and, from a different angle, by Miranda July in her new book, All Fours. July’s protagonist, who is 45, spends much of the novel worrying about oldness and is certain that “only bad stuff was coming … because generally, going forward, things would not work out, disappointment would reign.” And I found it a bit depressing when a girlfriend from school said recently, as we were going out to dinner, “It doesn’t matter what I wear, no one will be looking at me.” Even if my own clothes hardly make me noticeable, I haven’t felt that graying blur of age.

Not long ago, I was digging through old letters, photos, and diaries; I’ve kept everything, including journals I wrote between 1999 and 2003, my first years at the Times. What was most surprising to me was how much crap there was. Bridget Jones was right. I couldn’t believe how much time I wasted moaning over my empty love life or some dipshit boyfriend. One of the things nobody tells you in your 30s and 40s, when the dating sucks and you think you’ll be alone forever, is that the problem goes away in your 60s. You’re glad your time and choices are entirely your own. It may be my favorite decade of all.

But, unconsciously, I was doing some self-erasing of my own. That’s what I realized in the weeks after the fitting. My boring, compact travel wardrobe was not something to be proud of. To me, it was the white flag of surrender. I felt great, alive — so why not start putting that feeling into how I dress?

Nobody would have been more pleased to hear this than my glamorous and opinionated mother. For most of our 34 years together — she died in 1990 — my appearance and weight were a subject of near-comic concern with her. As a kid, I was never fat, not even close. But Nancy was always thin, so she made me aware that I was on notice. As a young woman, she bore a resemblance to the actress Hedy Lamarr, people said; it was the heart-shaped face, the center-parted dark hair, the celluloid smile with the red lipstick that would be Nancy’s signature all her life. I, on the other hand, her only daughter, bore the imprint of my father, a high-school and college tackle: square-faced, sturdily built, and with the same protruding chin of his mother, my adored Polish grandmother, Anna, who owned a tavern in Cleveland.

If we were going to church or out to dinner, Nancy would blithely put her preteen tomboy daughter in young-lady dresses from Pappagallo. At dancing school, my main interest was to swing the smallest boy the hardest I could during the “Patty Cake Polka” segment — if only to show my mother that I was not, nor ever would be, “a lady.” Which she was, down to the tips of her David Evins pumps (mail-ordered from Saks in New York) and the gourmet but simple meals she prepared out of her French cookbooks. I knew that salad was served after the main course, never with, and that it was tacky to wear stockings in summer. “That’s what a tan is for,” she’d say. I also heard, as did anyone within ten yards of us, “Suck your tummy in!”

To the very end of her life, Nancy tried to make me see that my appearance mattered. That was the intent, I believe, behind a remark she made during a visit to my house in Washington in September 1990 — our last time together, in fact; she was terminally ill with cancer. Settling into the junk-shop sofa I had slipcovered in a green pencil stripe, Nancy said, “Cathy, all your problems would go away if you would just lose some weight.” I still had my pregnancy body, minus the belly.

As usual, I called her bluff. “What problems?” The conversation died on the one-yard line. And we reverted to discussing the slipcover.

I can see now how my mother’s focus on my looks was its own weight, which, despite my intelligence and drive, I couldn’t quite shuck off. In my stash of photos, I found one of my slender 22-year-old self in a floral-print Fiorucci sundress. And I recall another, a slinky minidress with snaps down the front, that I bought with waitressing money at the old Ann Taylor shop on Nantucket. But for some reason, this passion for feminine clothes and enjoying how my body felt in them failed to thrive after my early 20s. Maybe it was my feminism or my rebellion against my mother. Maybe I was in love with my gritty newspaper life in Norfolk and a handsome British guy with a motorbike. Whatever the explanation, by the time I became a style reporter, in 1986 for the Detroit News, I didn’t have style of any kind. As my mother hooted, not unreasonably given my jeans and tent-size Laura Ashley jumpers, “You? A fashion writer?”

In some ways, it was better to know nothing about fashion. Detroit was a tremendous learning ground. Amid the mixture of car money, the novelty of Detroit’s sound (techno at the time), the racial diversity, and the originality of retailers like Linda Dresner, fashion flourished. And without preconceived notions about what made a good fashion story, and with the support of a great editor at the News named Susan Wyland, I had the freedom to develop my own voice and opinions. I loved covering the collections in Europe, but what really fascinated me was the sociology of clothes — what they said about the people wearing them, whether they were hip-hop kids in London or famous socialites in the front row in New York.

My own look was another matter. I wasn’t clueless so much as impulsive. For a time, I joined the nunlike brigade of the avant-garde designers, like Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto, who were chopping up classic tailoring and slashing open sleeves. Later, I was desperate to wear Romeo Gigli and look like a latter-day Lord Byron in a frock coat, the skinniest trousers, and a floppy, poetic shirt. Whereas Anna Wintour’s bob has been a stable force for 50 years, recognizable even in silhouette, my hair kept shooting off in baffling directions. There was the glam perm that wound up looking like Dustin Hoffman’s wig in Tootsie and the even shorter boy cut inspired by Linda Evangelista’s famous chop. It looked gamine on Linda; on me, it looked like I was going to challenge Giorgio Armani to a cage match. On one of my first trips to London, I bought a black puffball mini (another fad) and wore it proudly with a severe black Evan-Picone jacket buttoned up to the neck and a pair of Chelsea boots. The look would have repelled any straight man — not that I cared or realized that. But it was probably the first fashion look I put together on my own, and what I loved was that Evan-Picone wasn’t a high-fashion name. It was a mainstream sportswear brand.

I remember receiving some advice from Bill Blass soon after I’d moved to New York and joined the Times in 1998. We were at his house in Connecticut because I was planning to wear one of his evening dresses to receive a journalism award. “For God’s sakes,” he growled, “don’t look like no one ever gave you an award before.” It was great advice: Don’t be so eager. I was going out to parties three or four nights a week as part of my job, and for the first time in my career, I became aware that I could look provincial — that despite how much I thought I knew about fashion, I just didn’t have the extra finesse of knowing how clothes should look on me. Bill’s other advice: Pay attention to how you dress, or people will talk. (Of course, they snipe anyway. In 2012, after I’d criticized Lady Gaga for making a travesty of an early Gianni Versace design by wearing it in a poorly done music video, she sang on a track for a Paris show, “Cathy Horyn, your style ain’t dick.” That same week, in response to a negative review, Hedi Slimane posted a screed about me on Twitter, saying, among other things, “I also often hear that her sense of style is seriously challenged.”)

But in my early 40s, I started to feel like I was getting a handle on what looked best on me. For most of the ’90s, like other fashion writers, I generally wore a sober, tailored look, but once I began trusting my intuition, I found that what I was most drawn to was a refined mixture of masculine tailoring and jaunty sportswear, like French sailor pants in dark-blue linen from Loulou de la Falaise worn with a striped silk blouse edged in black lace, or a suede kilt from Alaïa. Not only did they represent my idea of feminine, they were also distinctive — when I wore them, I was no longer part of a brigade but one person.

One day in early March 2000 as the Paris shows were winding down, I went to the Saint Laurent men’s boutique to buy a long, lightweight gray wool tunic with a hood, like a djellaba, that Hedi had designed and that I planned to layer over an old Zoran shift in the same color. It was on that trip that I also went to Alaïa’s studio to order the kilt.

André Leon Talley came with me, and he later summarized the day in a fax. He always printed his faxes in huge block type, in case, you know, you happened to be at the top of the Eiffel Tower when one arrived at your hotel across town. Their tone was similarly urgent.

THANK YOU FOR THE MOST INTRIGUING AND INSPIRING DAY, ESPECIALLY THE UNFURLING OF YOUR 2000 LOOKS, BEGINNING ALREADY WITH THIS EXTRAORDINARY KILT, FROM AZZEDINE, AND THE UNEXPECTED MOMENT FROM HIDI SLIMANE, THE MONKISH ELEGANCE OF THAT TUNIC … I THINK YOUR ORDERING THE KILT IS ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL SURPRISES ABOUT YOU, A KIND OF MYSTERY YOU KEEP COVERED UP. THIS WHOLE FEMININE SIDE … I HAVE REALIZED SLOWSLY YOU HAVE THIS INCREDIBLE PERSONAL STYLE, WHICH HAS SEEMED HIDDEN UNDER A DAMN BOX HEDGE, ALBEIT, A VERY NEATLY CLIPPED HEDGE.

The kilt and sailor pants stayed with me as I moved from New York to Virginia in 2016, though I had outgrown them. For the collections, I came to rely heavily on blazers and a pair of brown wool Marni pants that looked like they had been inspired by an 18th-century woodsman. Slim and tapering to the ankles, they had no waistband and no zipper; you just pulled them on and they somehow fit whatever my size. (If I was a bit thinner, they drooped in the rear.) I wore them for maybe five years, until they got holes. Then I had a tailor on Lexington Avenue copy them in gray wool, and I wore those for the next decade. The pants were great, but such was the scale of my rut. Of course, they went into the wheelie bag.

I don’t recall feeling any shame about this. It was the 2010s, and few of the veteran editors and writers were making an effort to dress up for shows anymore. In fact, it was cool not to care, to wear sneakers and jeans. As fashion became a bigger media-slash-entertainment machine and the runway a marketing vehicle for houses to showcase highly luxurious products, the only people who went all out were influencers and some of the magazine chiefs because the street photographers were interested only in them.

Meanwhile, a more profound change was unfolding in the industry that affected even more people: the demise of tailored clothes and sophisticated sportswear. That shift happened as dress codes relaxed everywhere, and it has generally been for the better since it led to more kinds of self-expression. But the decline of tailoring and better sportswear meant fewer options for older women, who used to rely on a suit or, say, a shirtwaist dress as a uniform. “That whole vocabulary has become corrupt by people not practicing it,” said the fashion historian Caroline Rennolds Milbank. “And women’s clothes have gotten overtly feminine and men’s clothes” — that is, suits — “are starting to disappear.”

All this was on my mind in the spring of 2023. I felt I had acquired a lifetime of knowledge of clothes that I wasn’t putting to use. By then, I’d already realized what my mother was saying when she told me, in Washington in 1990, that I might think about slimming down. She meant “Don’t lose any more time.”

As the peonies bloomed on the farm and went to brides, I decided to lose weight, dropping 17 pounds over the next few months. At the end of summer, the Proenza suit was ready. Vanessa had adjusted the fit, and it looked chic with a cream silk shirt with French cuffs. At the shows that autumn, I could wear things from my closet that hadn’t seen light in more than a decade, like the Alaïa kilt and a pencil skirt from Altuzarra. In London, I bought a pair of classic low-heeled boots at Russell & Bromley, a moderately priced store, to wear with skirts and a swingy Dries Van Noten coat in a pebbly black fabric. My thought at that stage was to look dressed up — not fancy but more dressed up than what you see on the street. Which meant no sneakers or fashionable shoes like platforms. (Most fashionable shoes have on older people the opposite of their intended effect, I think: They make you seem not “with it.”)

My plan apparently worked. One day in D.C. when I was wearing the Dries coat and the boots with a black turtleneck, a woman stopped me in the street and said, “I love how you’re dressed.”

If you really want to get excited about something, you need an image in your head. That’s obviously true of sex, but it’s profoundly true of aesthetics. Anything involving aesthetics — a work of art, the look of a room — needs an image to sharpen your eye and move you forward. And despite the new suit and the rediscovered clothes in my wardrobe, I didn’t yet have a solid sense of how I wanted to look beyond being polished.

Then in December, I flew to Los Angeles to spend a week with my son, who lives in Silver Lake. I usually stay at the local Comfort Inn. One day in my room, between our dinners and shopping trips, I started watching a BBC serial from the mid-’70s called The Duchess of Duke Street on Prime. Set in Edwardian London, it’s about a beautiful young working-class cook named Louisa (a dazzling Gemma Jones) who ends up running a fashionable hotel with a raffish English lord named Charlie (the late Christopher Cazenove). Despite the class barrier, they become friends and lovers.

I couldn’t stop watching. I’ve seen a ton of Edwardian period dramas, including many filmed before global streaming when producers weren’t obliged to adapt language and references for the audience, but the authenticity of Duchess is on another level. And what really captured me were Charlie’s suits. From sober town suits, to dinner clothes with the white contrast of the waistcoat, to country tweeds, each looked as perfect as the next. The Edwardian age is recognized as a great one for gentlemen’s tailoring, certainly the sexiest. By that point, five generations of English tailors had been perfecting the dark suit, and though some of the most famous women’s designers would later adopt it, the simplicity of the male suit, as the art historian Anne Hollander pointed out, has remained “a constant challenge for the best creative talent.” In other words, it resists attempts by fashion to improve it.

Looking at the incredible details of Charlie’s suits — the superb fit, the nonchalant sense of elegance with nothing extra — I finally got the image that illuminated everything. I realized I wanted less fashion: no oversize shoulders or novel fabrics. And I wanted to use everything I’d learned from all the years of writing about clothes, and from the memories of my mother’s taste and my friendships with people like André and Bill Blass, and turn them into a style that has meaning only to me. Because at 67, there is nowhere else for me to go but in reverse, to memory and tradition.

I decided to seek out a bespoke English tailor. I emailed my friend Nick Sullivan, the creative director of Esquire, for recommendations. Nick came back with a list of tailors in London and New York. One of them was Ralph Fitzgerald, a 30-year-old Englishman who had been chief cutter in the New York office of Huntsman, the Savile Row firm, before opening his own shop last year in the Chrysler Building. I later learned he had been making suits since he was a 16-year-old apprentice.

While still in Silver Lake, I noticed a scene in Duchess where Charlie strolls into the hotel with a slim, tightly furled umbrella hoisted on his shoulder. I jumped on the site of James Smith & Sons, the London umbrella-maker. There it was: the Shaftesbury Slim with the whangee crook handle.

I immediately had the feeling that the Slim ($290) would be a more distinctive accessory than a handbag, which I pretty much never carry. I ordered it over the phone and told the clerk I’d pick it up in mid-February, when I would be in London for the shows. Two months later, on a Saturday, I walked into James Smith in Holborn. The umbrella was waiting behind the counter. The young clerk, handing it over, said, “Would you like me to show you how to furl it, madam?”

That might have been the best part of my day.

I took a full-size suitcase to Europe that season, bringing everything I had for the previous collections, plus a masculine wool coat from Phoebe Philo, an old Jil Sander skirt I could get back into, and a well-cut pair of black cargo pants from H&M. For the first time since I’d bought the farm, I got my nails done — and took the trouble to wear gloves when I was working in the dirt. Normally, on the road, I write early in the morning, before the first show. But I found that pausing, taking the extra time to put myself together, to consider my hair and outfit, was worth it.

One night in Milan, I had dinner at the home of the designer Marco Zanini. Halfway through the meal, Marco, who has worked in fashion for three decades, revealed that he had gone to a tailor in Turin to have a suit made, his first bespoke. It was a pleasant coincidence. He said he wasn’t so passionate about the industry anymore — about his job, yes, but not so much the industry — and he realized that working on himself for once was itself a creative project. “There’s something rebellious about tradition,” Marco said. “A bespoke suit is a whole process — it’s all about the culture of the craft. And when you wear it, you know it. Most people would not notice the difference, but maybe the two people I care about will notice. And that’s what counts when you’re 50.”

In April of this year, I went to see Ralph Fitzgerald. We discussed the look I wanted. I didn’t mention Charlie (coals to Newcastle!) but said, “Tall and sharp,” which was still pretty naïve. We met again in May for the primary fitting, when the jacket and pants are just basted and without shoulder pads, inner canvas, or a silk lining. We went through about 20 points.

Ralph would ask, “Where do you want to go with the shoulders? Do we want them wider?”

I’d pipe, “Sharper.”

“Okay. The width of them? I’m thinking of coming out a quarter of an inch.” Then the armhole: “And I think the run of this is a bit straight — I’d like to curve this out a quarter.”

“The length of the jacket — I think the back is good. Would you like to go slightly longer in the front?

“Let’s get at least an inch.”

On July 1, my suit, which was sewn in London and finished in New York and cost $6,000, was ready. It is gorgeous, and the fit flawless. But that’s not why it’s worth every cent. The big revelation to me was how comfortable it is. I feel like I could go for a jog in it. The jacket is so light and soft I have the childish urge to ball it up and throw it into the air. That’s not something you can do with most luxury ready-to-wear because the garment — for “hanger appeal,” for the look of fashion — is made with extra padding and the interfacing is glued to the fabric, making the jacket very rigid and heavy.

So in a sense, I’ve been liberated from fashion. In my suit, I can go back to traveling light and look elegant anywhere in the world. That reaction strikes me as mundane, though. The truth is I will always be a sucker for fashion. But in the suit, despite or because of all its history, I have the feeling of being unanchored to my age. That is, finally, the difference. The weightlessness.

The Cut Shop

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Jekyll and Hyde: Study Questions/Exercises

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

8 September 2024

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A document covering 25 study questions/short tasks/exercises which work both for coursework and exams under timed conditions. This document is perfect for guiding students with essay practising and planning, as well as refining their knowledge of the novella.

Tailored towards GCSE + iGCSE students, but also helpful for those studying at a higher level - check the preview for further info!

**NOTE: this is only a breakdown of the exercises/short tasks! **

Reasons to love this resource:

Perfect for expanding students’ knowledge and interpretations
Help students to achieve higher grades
Suitable for students of all levels

Have a resource on us! Grab our FREE resource here: Jekyll and Hyde: Character Breakdown / Analysis

Buy our COMPLETE JEKYLL AND HYDE REVISION BUNDLE here!

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A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

A MEGA REVISION 'JEKYLL AND HYDE' BUNDLE! (Digital + Printable PDFs, PPTs and worksheets!)

This bundle contains everything you need to teach or study Stevenson's novella 'The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' in the form of digital and printable PDF documents. It’s perfect for students aged 14+. **This bundle is currently available at a 50% discount! ** Preview this document for free, to check whether the whole bundle is right for you [Jekyll and Hyde: Character Breakdown / Analysis](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110830) With this bundle, students will be able to: * Understand the structural elements and key moments of the plot * Deepen their knowledge of characters, including understanding the deeper messages behind each one * Integrate the significance of the setting into their analyses and interpretations of the play as a whole * Memorise a range of carefully chosen key quotations for use in essays and analysis * Develop their language, structure and form analysis skills, with guided support and examples * Identify and analyse the thematic and contextual details * Learn approaches to a range of essay question types: discursive, argumentative, close reading * Become confident with extract interpretation and analysis * Develop their knowledge of tragic conventions and apply them to the novella * Expand their critical aptitude via exposure to key critical frameworks and critics’ quotations (for higher-level students) * Write their essays on Jekyll and Hyde, after support with planning help and example A* / top grade model answers Reasons to love this bundle: * Downloadable PDF documents, graphically designed to a high level, PowerPoints (ppts) and worksheets * Visual aids (photographs and drawings) to support learning * Organised categories that simplify the text for students * Print and digital versions - perfect for any learning environment * The unit has everything you need to start teaching or learning - starting with the basic story summary, going right up to deep contextual and critical wider readings * Lots of tasks and opportunities to practice literary analysis skills - students will be guided through writing a literary analysis response to the novella -This is what you’ll get with this bundle: (each document includes digital + printable revision guide + PowerPoint + worksheet)- THE COMPLETE JEKYLL AND HYDE COURSE: 1. [Character Analysis / Breakdown](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110830) 2. [Plot Summary / Breakdown](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110836) 3. [Context Analysis](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110842) 4. [Genre](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110856) 5. [Key Quotations](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110868) 6. [Narrative Voice](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110978) 7. [Setting](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110874) 8. [Themes](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110893) 9. [Critical Interpretation / Critics' Quotations](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110848) 10. [Essay Help](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110934) 11. [Essay Planning](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110950) 12. [PEE Paragraph Practise](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110997) 13. [Essay Practise (Gothic Atmosphere)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110962) 14. [L9 / A* Grade vs L7 / A Grade Example Essays + Feedback (Frightening Outsider)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110990) 15. [L9 / A* Grade Essay Example (Tension and Mystery)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110904) 16. [L8 / A Grade Essay Example + Feedback (Unnatural and Threatening)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110972) 17. [L6 / B Grade Essay Example + Feedback (Suspicious Atmosphere)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110984) 18. [L4 / C Grade Essay Example (Secrecy and Reputation)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110923) 19. [Study Questions / Exercises](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110884) 20. [Essay Questions + Passage-based Questions](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13111001) Please review our content! We always value feedback and are looking for ways to improve our resources, so all reviews are more than welcome. Check out our [shop](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/Scrbbly) here.

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I’ve always been critical of my body. Then I saw what it was capable of

When I chose to freeze my eggs — something that took me two years to mull over and decide — I sought out the consult of women my age who had already done the same. A frequent warning I got was about a common physical side effect of the process: “Covering the bloat” was something I was repeatedly told I’d have to deal with. So naturally, when my timeline was set in stone, I put together a wardrobe for work and play that I hoped would do the trick.

But then, once I was in the thick of the process, something surprising happened. I realized that I didn’t care how I looked. At all .

Let me back up to one of my earliest memories — it’s relevant, I promise. It was August 1994, my third birthday party, and my parents graciously gifted me the presence of my favorite movie stars: Aladdin and Jasmine. I used to watch “Aladdin” every day, sometimes multiple times a day, so I’ve been told. I loved the fairy-tale aspect, and I idolized Jasmine — maybe because I hadn’t seen Middle Eastern beauty represented anywhere else.

When actors dressed as Aladdin and Jasmine showed up at our house, I froze. I remember thinking, “I can’t believe these people are in my home, and they’re here for me!” I could barely smile or speak — I just kept staring at them in awe, starstruck. After singing a couple of songs in front of my friends and me, it was time for cake (probably my favorite part). My mom set out the cake along with crudité and other bites for the parents, and while I was thinking, “I can’t wait to eat that cake,” I heard Jasmine behind me squeal in excitement. She must have been as eager for cake as I was! We have something in common , I thought excitedly. Then she said, “Ooh, cucumbers!”

That moment has been ingrained in my psyche since I heard those two words. I remember thinking that if I want to look and be like Jasmine, well then I, too, need to prioritize the cucumbers over the cake.

And yes, I was only 3 years old, but we all have a first memory we can’t forget.

My brain was wired around food and body image from a young age, hitting its peak distress in my late teens and early 20s. My insecurities around my body took up so much room in my brain.

As an adult, I’ve done a lot of work to feel more comfortable in my body, and to stop being so hard on myself — but that seed of negativity never fully went away. I’m the type of person who asks to avoid seeing the number on the scale when I get weighed at doctor’s appointments, and if I accidentally see the number, mental havoc rules my week. I’m also the type of person to have an intense HIIT workout routine for both physical upkeep and mental release. So, I’ll be honest — when the time was approaching for my egg freezing cycle to begin, I was anxious about not what my body would feel, but how I would feel about how it looked.

What I never expected though was to completely embrace my body — mentally, physically and emotionally — throughout egg freezing, despite the fact that, yes, I was bloated and also had to limit physical activity. For two weeks I injected myself with hormones 2-3 times a day, combining the solutions on my own, feeling quick bouts of injection pain and periods of fatigue, and traveling to doctor’s appointments constantly. After each shot, ultrasound or blood draw, I’d await my body’s reaction. Would I feel run down? Stressed? Anxious about any expansion around my stomach? I waited, but that’s not what happened. I mostly felt … strong. I was surprised and delighted by what my body was capable of. The strength I felt made me feel immensely grateful for my body and what it could endure. I felt empowered. The experience also, frankly, made me angry at myself for all the times I criticized my body’s appearance in the past, and all the time and energy I wasted on that way of thinking.

I mostly felt … strong. I was surprised and delighted by what my body was capable of. The strength I felt made me feel immensely grateful for my body and what it could endure. I felt empowered.

Body image is a construct. It is an idea of what society deems to be subjectively appealing and has been supported by the media over decades and generations. I’m so glad society is evolving and becoming more welcoming of all shapes and sizes, but you can’t rely on internet culture and the news cycle for acceptance, especially since what is acceptable is constantly changing. It needs to come authentically and wholeheartedly from within.

I wanted to freeze my eggs in my 32nd year, and I did just that: My egg retrieval was on my last day of being 32. For my 33rd birthday — exactly three decades after that birthday party I remember as a girl — I started the year with a clean slate, freeing up that space in the back of my mind that used to be hyper-focused on what I looked like, for something new.

I vow to be less critical of how my body appears, and more in touch with how it feels. I vow to be mindful of the cucumbers and enjoy the cake, and maybe I can help other women be less critical of their bodies, too. Our bodies endure and are capable of so much. They hold so much power and strength. We should own the power of our bodies. We should be grateful for them. After this experience, I know I will be.

Donna Farizan is a contributor for TODAY's fourth hour with Hoda and Jenna.

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Knowledge Base
How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

Catch your reader’s attention.
Give background on your topic.
Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

Braille was an extremely important invention.
The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly why the topic is important.

The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

Historical, geographical, or social context
An outline of the debate you’re addressing
A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

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As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

Argumentative
Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him 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.

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!

Ad hominem fallacy
Post hoc fallacy
Appeal to authority fallacy
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Sunk cost fallacy

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Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

It gives your writing direction and focus.
It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

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How to Write an Essay Introduction
Table of contents. Step 1: Hook your reader. Step 2: Give background information. Step 3: Present your thesis statement. Step 4: Map your essay's structure. Step 5: Check and revise. More examples of essay introductions. Other interesting articles. Frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.