What does essay mean?
Word: Essay
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Essay means a short piece of writing on one topic, often set as school work.
How do you spell essay?
Syllables: es - say
Tricky part: The s is doubled in the middle, though you hear only one s sound when you say the word. Pupils who write what they hear leave one out.
Watch out for: esay, essaye
Memory tip: Every good one has a start and a summary: one s for each.
Essay in a sentence
Example 1: Our English teacher asked us to write an essay on our favourite season.
Example 2: Ivan read his essay aloud and the whole class clapped at the end.
Example 3: I spent Sunday afternoon checking my essay for spelling slips.
Fun Fact
The word comes from a French word for a try or an attempt. The French writer Michel de Montaigne used it in the 1500s for his short pieces on everyday life, so every school essay is, by name, a try.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
_ss_y
a) e, e
b) e, a
c) a, e
d) i, a
Show answer
b) e, a. Say it aloud: the opening sound is the e of egg, and the end rhymes with day.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
aesys
a) easy
b) stays
c) essay
d) sways
Show answer
c) essay. The jumble has five letters with two s's, so easy falls short, and stays and sways bring in letters that are not there.
Word Makeup
Choose the correct suffix to make a new word:
essay
a) est
b) ist
c) yst
d) ast
Show answer
b) ist. A person who writes these pieces for a living is called by the same ending as an artist or a novelist.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) chapter
b) essay
c) paragraph
d) grammer
Show answer
d) grammer. Grammar ends in ar, even though it sounds as if it should end in er.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would make the best title for a school essay?
a) Items to Pack for the Picnic
b) Phone Numbers of Class Parents
c) Bus Timetable for Route 12
d) Why Trees Matter to Our Town
Show answer
d) Why Trees Matter to Our Town
2. A well-planned essay usually finishes with ____.
a) a contents page
b) an answer key
c) a list of prices
d) a short conclusion
Show answer
d) a short conclusion
