How to Write a 100-Word Essay
Writing a 100-word essay is often not as easy a task as it sounds. Many teachers will assign short essays to test the student's ability to write concise essays that demonstrate knowledge of the topic, without becoming too wordy. Whether you are writing a long term paper or a short response, formulating your thoughts onto paper can be tough. With a 100-word essay restriction, writing too much is not the issue. The problem in a short response essay is getting your point across while maintaining less than 100 words.
1 Know Your Topic and Guidelines
The purpose for an essay varies according to its type, so it's important to know whether you are writing a persuasive essay, an informative essay or some other type. Carefully read the instructions to determine what type of essay is required and if your professor has established any specific guidelines that you must follow like certain margins or font size. Decide on a topic and conduct research on that topic.
2 Outline the Essay
Create an outline for the essay. Since the essay can only include 100 words, plan to only write seven to 10 sentences. Leave one or two sentences for the thesis, four to eight sentences for the body paragraph and one sentence for the conclusion.
3 Write a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is the heart of an essay because it lets the reader know what the essay will be about. Write a concise thesis statement that identifies the points you will be making in the body paragraph. A thesis can also serve as an introduction in a short essay.
4 Compose a Body Paragraph
Write the body paragraph of your short essay. As you write, make sure your sentences are supporting your thesis. To make the best use of your 100-word limit, choose longer, descriptive words instead of filler words.
5 Conclude the Essay
A strong conclusion is naturally short and sweet while bringing the essay full circle by re-establishing your thesis statement. End the essay using one sentence that summarizes your topic and reinforces your thesis statement.
6 Revise Your Work
Read through your short essay and try to find a more concise way to reword a sentence. Look for grammatical errors and places you can use stronger words that take up less of the word count. If you are using a computer and writing software, use the spell-check tool, if applicable.
- If you are writing the paper on a computer with writing software, check the word count of your short essay before turning it in to ensure you are under the limit.
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