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How to Write an Excellent Formal Essay

Diane kampf, 26 sep 2017.

A formal essay is defined as an extended composition written in response to an assigned topic or written to prove or support a claim about a specific topic. Traditionally, a formal essay is composed of five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. A formal essay that is an in-depth analysis of a topic may have more body paragraphs. The task is not as daunting at first if the writer breaks it down into manageable steps.

Explore this article

• The Thesis Statement
• The Introduction
• Supporting Paragraphs
• The Conclusion
• Revising and Rewriting
• Editing and Proofreading

1 The Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is an opinion or a claim the rest of the essay supports. During the early stages of the writing process, it sometimes is called the tentative thesis because you may need to narrow it, broaden it, slightly change it or completely change it as you go through the writing process. The thesis statement should accomplish three objectives: be in line with the assigned topic, answer a specific question about the topic and model the basic structure of the essay. For a classic five-paragraph essay, the thesis statement should mention the three items that will appear in the body paragraphs. If the assigned topic is the American Revolution, the thesis statement might be, "The causes of the American Revolution were disputes over representation in Parliament, economic independence and unreasonable impositions on the colonists."

2 The Introduction

The job of the introduction is to spark the reader's interest in the topic and lead toward the thesis statement which usually appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. There are several simple strategies for writing an interesting introduction. An introduction may start with a definition of the assigned topic. This may include a dictionary definition, but a better tactic is to define the topic in your own words. An introduction about genetically altered food might begin this way: "Genetic engineering refers to the manipulation of a living organism’s DNA or other cellular material to achieve a desired result." A second method of introduction is to use an interesting quotation that is related to the topic. A final idea is to use an interesting fact or statistic that relates to the topic: "It is estimated that more than 25,000 colonists died during the American Revolution."

3 Supporting Paragraphs

The body of the essay sustains the reader’s interest and supports the thesis with well-developed paragraphs that contain interesting facts, details, examples or events. A good paragraph will contain a topic sentence, supporting sentences and a transition sentence that leads the reader to the next paragraph. The length of a paragraph will vary depending on the topic. If a paragraph is too short, it may be undeveloped. If it is too long, it may be repetitive, or it may contain too many ideas and probably should be broken into two or three separate paragraphs. The best way to organize the body paragraphs in a formal essay is to use the thesis statement as a map. The body of the American Revolution essay would be organized into at least three paragraphs: one discussing disputes over American representation in Parliament, a second giving examples of the types of economic independence the colonists sought and a third giving examples of the impositions the colonists considered unreasonable.

4 The Conclusion

Although a good conclusion will offer the reader a sense of closure, the idea of a conclusion is not simply to end the essay. A good conclusion should inspire a reader to continue to think about the topic. One type of conclusion makes a prediction based on the ideas in the essay. An essay addressing vandalism in the town could conclude with what you think might happen if the problem isn't solved. Another good conclusion is one that offers a solution or a recommendation to a problem discussed in the essay. A final idea for a conclusion is to use it to offer an opinion on the topic of the essay. The essay about the causes of the American Revolution could end by stating whether or not the colonists' complaints were justified.

5 Revising and Rewriting

No essay will be perfect on the first draft. You will have to revise and rewrite each section two or three times before you are satisfied with the result. The process of revision actually contains three parts. The first is resting. One of the most effective ways to write a better essay is to allow some time to pass between writing the first draft and writing subsequent drafts. Walking away from the writing process for a short time allows you to tackle the essay with a fresh viewpoint. Secondly, you need to review the essay, or better yet, have someone else review it to make sure it meets the requirements of the assignment, contains adequate support for the thesis, does not stray off topic and engages the reader throughout. Finally, use the revision notes to rewrite the parts of the essay that need more work.

6 Editing and Proofreading

The final step in writing an excellent essay is to edit and proofread the composition. If possible, it is best to have someone other than you proofread your essay. This is where sentence structure, grammar and spelling errors are noted and corrected. This step is important. A nicely written essay can be perceived as a poor effort if it is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.

• 1 Purdue Online Writing Lab: Essay Writing
• 2 Patrick Henry High School: Formal Essay Format

About the Author

Diane Kampf has more than 20 years of teaching experience ranging from middle school to college freshmen. She holds a Master of Arts degree in creative writing and English literature and a New York State Secondary Teacher Certificate. She has written educational materials for Learning Express, LLC, Kaplan and Pearson.

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Synonyms of 'excellence' in American English

Synonyms of 'excellence' in british english, additional synonyms, video: pronunciation of excellence.

Browse alphabetically excellence

• exceedingly
• excel in or at something
• All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'E'

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Synonyms of excellence

• as in excellency
• as in distinction
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Thesaurus Definition of excellence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• superiority
• preeminence
• distinction
• perfectness
• flawlessness
• faultlessness
• first - rateness
• impeccability
• consequence

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inferiority
• worthlessness
• ordinariness
• averageness
• cardinal virtue

Phrases Containing excellence

• par excellence

Thesaurus Entries Near excellence

excellences

Cite this Entry

“Excellence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excellence. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on excellence

Nglish: Translation of excellence for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of excellence for Arabic Speakers

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Synonyms for excellent

• accomplished
• distinguished
• exceptional
• distinctive
• first-class
• incomparable
• magnificent
• meritorious
• outstanding
• superlative
• transcendent
• world-class

Définition of excellent

• mid-14c., from Old French excellent "outstanding, excellent," from Latin excellentem (nominative excellens ), present participle of excellere (see excel).
• adj superior, wonderful
• With these thoughts was mingled deep pity for the pure-minded and excellent Philæmon.
• Extract from : « Philothea » by Lydia Maria Child
• Miss Bines and young Milbrey were already on excellent terms.
• Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
• The lotus is a leguminous plant—so excellent for the salad—not for the roast.
• With Captain Evans, on the other hand, Robert was on excellent terms.
• Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
• We soon pitched camp, and took the horses to the feed, which was excellent.
• Extract from : « Explorations in Australia » by John Forrest
• "It is an excellent resolve," said my companion, looking at his watch.
• Extract from : « The Hall of Fantasy (From "Mosses From An Old Manse") » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• That lagoon presented an excellent place for a cattle-station.
• Extract from : « Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia » by Thomas Mitchell
• At present the Cliques have made, most excellent provisions.
• Extract from : « Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 8, May 21, 1870 » by Various
• There was constantly some excellent reason why the one mentioned would not do.
• Extract from : « Ester Ried Yet Speaking » by Isabella Alden
• Voice, pose and gesture proclaimed at least the excellent mimic.
• Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana

Antonyms for excellent

• indistinguished
• insignificant
• second-class
• second-rate
• unexceptional
• unnoteworthy

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noun as in superiority

Strongest matches

greatness , merit , perfection , purity , quality , supremacy , virtue

Strong matches

arete , class , distinction , eminence , excellency , fineness , goodness , preeminence , transcendence , worth

Weak matches

éclat , high quality , superbness

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Related words.

Words related to excellence are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word excellence . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in pleasant thing

• convenience
• enhancement
• extravagance
• improvement
• superfluity

noun as in moral excellence; fulfillment of purpose

• fulfillment

noun as in genius

• inspiration
• intelligence
• inventiveness

noun as in simple style; regularity, restraint

• aesthetic principle
• Ciceronianism
• classicalism
• conventional formality
• formal style
• grand style
• neoclassicism
• objectivity
• rationalism

Viewing 5 / 26 related words

Example Sentences

ProPublica is a finalist for general excellence in online journalism, medium newsroom.

I just think showing the excellence in doing your job, there’s nothing wrong with that, but also fighting for what’s right is important as well.

The synchronicity of James and Davis has come at the cost, for now, of some measure of individual excellence.

Our mission is to maintain their high level of academic excellence.

Without question, the Pels need Williamson at his best to crash the playoff party, but they also need Holiday to keep up his quiet brand of all-around excellence in order to have a chance.

A “komitetchik par excellence,” a man of “outstanding mediocrity,” and “the grave digger of the revolution.”

Volatility of reputation and subjectivity of quality make it difficult to define the novel in terms of absolute excellence.

He is an immensely talented quarterback who has dedicated his entire life to athletic excellence and discipline.

Since the arrival of Chorus Master Donald Palumbo, the Met chorus now commands that same level of excellence as the orchestra.

Because of this, the building became the symbol of global excellence.

Adequate conception of the extent, the variety, the excellence of the works of Art here heaped together is impossible.

His Characters, in imitation of Theophrastus, is a work of established excellence, and descriptive of the manners of that age.

As his system is the foe of all artificial methods, it is par excellence the “Natural” System.

But they all possess that essential purity and richness of tone without which there is no real excellence.

They attribute this in part to the excellence of their soil and partly to the abundance of birds and yellow jackets.

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On this page you'll find 50 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to excellence, such as: greatness, merit, perfection, purity, quality, and supremacy.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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Synonyms and antonyms of exceptional in English

Exceptional.

• GOOD OR IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF UNUSUAL QUALITIES

Synonyms and examples

Antonym and example, exceptional | american thesaurus.

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