Product Description

Have you ever wondered why some people can produce a well-structured, relevant essay written in a style that seems to glide across the page with the minimum of fuss? Do you think some people simply have these skills, and others don’t, and that there is nothing we can do about it? This book just might change your mind. Addressing each landmark stage of the essay writing process, How to Write Better Essays teaches you how to… • analyse the question and break down difficult terms and concepts • brainstorm effectively and generate your own ideas • evaluate and criticise arguments • express your thoughts coherently and develop your own style of writing • plan and structure your essay from introduction to conclusion …and along the way, practical techniques show how to analyse, criticise, discuss and evaluate material, improve your style, revise your final draft and avoid plagiarism. This second edition features a unique troubleshooting section allowing you easily to locate solutions to your writing problems, additional chapters on paragraphs and style, and end of chapter summaries. In short, this book is the constant source of assistance and inspiration you need to tackle your essays with confidence!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3645 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'I discovered your book whilst browsing in a bookshop towards the end of my dissertation. For the first time in my "academic" life I discovered what was actually required of a student to get good grades...The long and the short of it is that I am writing to thank you SO VERY MUCH for this excellent book. It has completely changed my approach to serious reading and I am spreading the news to all my friends and family.' - Helen C Ameen, Linguistics student, Leicester University'There is nothing pretentious, nothing patronising, nothing dogmatic, over-assertive or self-regarding about this book. Its main concern being to guide students into sensible ways of working, reading and writing...Without this book, I would have had an impossible time trying to tune into what is required by way of an essay.' - Christopher Perkins, Mature Student in English Literature, Birkbeck College'Just to let you know that my essay was extremely well received, and I wanted to thank you [Bryan Greetham] for writing this book that allowed me to write my "best essay yet."' - Alex Strick van Linschoten, Student

Review
'May I say that this is an excellent book, and has totally changed the way I study.' - Nick Barrow, Law Student

About the Author
BRYAN GREETHAM is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Durham, UK, and has previously taught at University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. He has also authored Philosophy.

Customer Reviews

Best on the market
As a teacher and journalist I am frequently asked by students to recommend a book on essay writing. This is the only book I recommend. Not only does Bryan Greetham take you through the steps of writing, he shows students how to think!!
This is something I have not come across in any other book of this kind.
His writing is clear, the structure of the book is helpful, the language is accessible. Top marks from me and my students.

Absolutely brilliant!!!
This book is worth its weight in gold for anyone who needs to write essays and I have recommended it to many of my friends. I have always been able to write decent enough essays, getting A grade GCSEs and A/ B grade Alevels, but my undergraduate essays never quite seemed to reach the top marks. I couldn't quite understand this though because I always got top marks for my scientific reports, literature reviews, and exams yet my essays never seemed to go above a 2:1. If I put in a huge amount of effort I would be able to reach a high 2:1, while hardly any effort would get me a low 2:1, I just couldn't seem to break out of it! That was until I read this book.

This book was an absolute delight to read. It is extremely well written, interesting and engaging. To be honest, I just couldn't put it down. It was as though everything clicked into place for me - I could see exactly where I'd been going wrong. The book breaks down the process of essay writing into steps starting from how to think about essay questions, how to make notes and read background material, right through to writing style and proof reading. It is broken down in a way which is easy to follow and apply. But more than just improving your essays, this book provides advise on how to think more creatively - so you can reach those 1st class grades. However good your essays currently are, Greethams book will undoubtedly improve them, and I would reccommend it to every undergraduate!

Before I read this book I always found essay writing a laborious and painful process which I usually procrastinated about and spent many days dreading having to actually get down and do. This book actually made the whole process of essay writing much more enjoyable, and actually much quicker. My essays now take much less time (from background reading to final draft), get better marks, and are more enjoyable to write - what more could any student want. The first essay I wrote after finishing this book got a 1st, and I have never got anything less than a 1st for any essay since.

It is now nearly 2 years since I read this book and I have recently graduated (with a 1st). I deceided to write this review because I feel so indebted to Greetham's book for transforming my academic experience.

my grades went from C's to A's...
If you've only written essays at GCSE or A level then it can be a huge leap into a different territory when you begin writing undergraduate level assignments. This book fills in the gaps in a totally accessible way and is suitable for all study levels.
After reading it and putting the techniques into practice my grades went from C's to A's - need I say more!