An Essay with Specific Outcomes: Instruction Words

An effective and well-written essay must contain the following elements:

• Able to convey its message clearly from reader to writer
• Able to hold the readers’ interest from beginning to end

There are certain requisites that contribute to a well-written essay. One of these requisites is your ability to directly answer the question of your essay writing assignment clearly. You can achieve this if you are able to identify what specific outcomes a certain essay instruction requires.

Here is a list of some of the commonly used essay instruction words:

Account for. To account for is to give reasons for a certain event or issue and prove these reasons to be valid by providing evidences.

Analyse. When asked to analyse something, you have to break down a certain concept into its essential features to explain how each feature contributes to the whole.

Classify. You are asked to arrange certain concepts into their classes or categories.

Comment on. To comment on is to create a critical judgment about a certain event or theory with sufficient evidence and examples.

Compare and contrast. You must be able to present the commonalities and differences of two given concepts.

Define. You must state what a concept means or what it does by stating its genus (its common characteristics) and differentia (what distinguishes it from another entity).

Evaluate. To create an idea of the worth of a certain concept, which includes providing good and bad points that are sufficiently supported by valid justifications.

Illustrate. To use specific examples to make clear points about a given concept.

Interpret. When asked to interpret, you have to express what something means in simple terms and draw conclusions from the given evidence.

Justify. You must provide examples and reasons that clearly support the conclusion you have given.

Refute. To disprove the validity of a certain concept or position by providing strong evidence.

Review. To summarise and assess a certain concept by picking out its important parts.