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Essay samples by category

With regard to college paper subjects, there is no shortage of free essay themes available. Professors, instructors, and educators in universities, colleges, and schools appear to be resourceful engines, continuously generating an infinite array of essay topics.

Medicine And Health

• Women's Health
• Public Health
• Organ Donation
• Mental Health
• Impact of Technology
• Biotechnology
• Advantages of Technology
• Internet Privacy
• Gamification
• Cyber Security
• Computer Software
• Volunteering
• Socialization
• Social Work
• Social Status
• Social Responsibility
• Social Norm
• Social Networking
• Social Movements
• Social Issues
• Social Exclusion
• Social science
• Scientific method
• Radiation Therapy
• Political Science
• Pharmacology
• Superstition
• Supernatural
• Reincarnation
• Mother Teresa
• Good and evil
• Wuthering Heights
• Virginia Woolf
• Tennessee Williams
• Sandra Cisneros
• Phillis Wheatley
• Nathaniel Hawthorne
• United States Constitution
• Surveillance
• Prohibition
• Plessy v Ferguson
• Mass Incarceration
• Law Enforcement
• Thomas Jefferson
• Richard Nixon
• Public Speaking
• Political party
• Michelle Obama
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Study Abroad
• Special Education
• Recommendation
• Physical Education
• Higher Education
• Education System
• Female Education
• Swot Analysis
• Organization
• International Business
• Entrepreneurship
• Bussiness Plan
• Visual Arts
• Romanticism
• Renaissance
• Movie Review
• Architecture
• Relationships
• Entertainment

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100% happiness guarantee, free paper examples by words:, last added essay samples, entertainment in the 1920’s years.

Imagine stepping into the bustling streets of 1920s America, where the air is electric with the sounds of jazz music and the flickering lights of movie theaters beckon you to step inside. This was the Roaring Twenties, a decade of unprecedented cultural dynamism and social change, where entertainment took center stage in the hearts and minds of Americans. At the heart of this vibrant era was the emergence of jazz music, a genre that captured the spirit of the times […]

The Female Heroine : the Portrayal of Female Empowerment and Feminist Representations of Film

Over time, the way that female heroines are portrayed in movies has changed dramatically. Gone are the days when these characters are weak, helpless damsels in distress; instead, they are strong, independent women who identify with feminist principles. This change has improved storytelling, but it has also had a significant impact on how society views gender roles and female empowerment. We can examine the varied ways that female heroes are portrayed and how they influence viewers and society as a […]

Defining Heroism: Perspectives Across Cultures and Contexts

Defining heroism is akin to trying to capture the essence of a kaleidoscope; the moment you think you have it, the perspective shifts, revealing a new, equally vibrant configuration. This elusive quality transcends time, geography, and culture, manifesting in myriad forms that reflect the values and historical context of each society. Heroism, at its core, is the act of rising above oneself for the greater good, a concept as old as humanity itself but as diverse as the human race. […]

On the Road Full Book Summary

Diving into "On the Road" is like grabbing a backpack, throwing caution to the wind, and hitchhiking across the soul of post-war America. Jack Kerouac, the maestro behind this timeless piece, didn’t just write a novel; he spun a yarn that wrapped itself around the hearts of the Beat Generation and beyond. This isn’t your standard narrative; it's a wild ride with Sal Paradise, our guide through a world brimming with the raw essence of life, jazz, and the pursuit […]

Definition of Heroism in a Man by Nina Cassian

In "Definition of Heroism in a Man" by Nina Cassian, the exploration into the nuances of heroism is as profound as it is poignant. Cassian, through her distinctive voice and emotive diction, unravels the layers of what it means to be a hero, particularly focusing on the male perspective. This exploration is not just a mere analysis but an intimate journey into the ethos that defines heroism beyond the traditional paradigms of strength and valor. Cassian's work is a refreshing […]

The Heroes of the Trojan War: Hector & Achilles

In the tapestry of Greek mythology, few tales are as vividly colored or as densely populated with legendary figures as that of the Trojan War. Among the myriad of warriors, two heroes stand out for their valor, prowess, and the tragic depth of their narratives: Hector of Troy and Achilles of Greece. Their stories, interwoven through the ancient epic of Homer's Iliad, offer not only thrilling accounts of heroic deeds but also profound insights into the human condition. Hector, the […]

Antigone the Tragic Hero

In the rich tapestry of classical literature, Sophocles' "Antigone" stands out as a compelling exploration of the tragic hero archetype. At the heart of this narrative is Antigone herself, a character whose depth, determination, and tragic flaw encapsulate the essence of Greek tragedy. Through Antigone's story, Sophocles crafts a narrative that is as relevant today as it was in ancient Greece, offering profound insights into the nature of justice, duty, and the human spirit. Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, is […]

Alvin York: a Famous War Hero

Within the annals of military history, certain names resonate with the spirit of valor and selflessness, and Alvin York is undoubtedly one of those. Born in the rural settings of Pall Mall, Tennessee, in 1887, York's journey from a humble farmer to a renowned war hero is not just a testament to the man himself but also a reflection of the complex interplay between personal conviction and national duty. Alvin York's life before World War I was marked by simplicity […]

Hugh Glass: a Tragic Hero

In the annals of American frontier legends, few stories captivate the imagination quite like that of Hugh Glass. His tale is one of survival against overwhelming odds, a testament to human resilience and sheer willpower. But beyond the adventure and the thrill, Glass's story also presents a complex character study of a tragic hero, a man who walked the thin line between survival and vengeance, between humanity and the wild. Hugh Glass's journey began in 1823 when he joined a […]

Who is Gilgamesh a Hero

In the rich tapestry of ancient mythology, few figures are as towering and enigmatic as Gilgamesh. Hailing from the dusty annals of Sumerian legends, Gilgamesh is a character that blends the threads of history and myth into a vivid portrayal of heroism, friendship, and the human condition. But who exactly is Gilgamesh, and why has his story endured through millennia, captivating scholars and lay readers alike? Gilgamesh, according to the epic that bears his name, was a king of Uruk, […]

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How to Write an Essay

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing. 

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write. 

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells  you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing. 

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles. 

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism. 

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does. 

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success  will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. 

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism. 

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work. 

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process. 

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed. 

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels. 

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from  A Christmas Carol  to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection  The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

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Free Online Writing Tools

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The whole purpose of writing tools is to make monotonous, tedious, and routine tasks obsolete.

Why do the same thing over and over again when you can easily automate the whole process, giving you tons of free time, less stress, and notably better results? After all, it’s not like you’re learning anything new by doing the same time-consuming tasks!

Writing tools allow students to spend their time focusing on things that really matter.

Hours Upon Hours of Saved Time

Have you ever thought to yourself that you could’ve done so much more if it weren’t for a certain writing assignment and all the many subtasks required to complete it?

With the help of writing tools, these thoughts will be gone forever. You’ll be able to:

• Spend more time on your hobby or other things you love
• Learn something new and broaden your knowledge base
• Be more involved in your family’s life
• Stay longer with friends
• Find a part-time job

And that’s just to name a few things! The actual possibilities are endless.

Significantly Less Stress

Writing assignments tend to pile up, along with many other tasks. And unfortunately there’s no way to add more hours to the day to complete everything on time.

An approaching deadline brings nothing but stress, resulting in even lower productivity, which can make your mental state even worse. Not to mention the feeling of failure after receiving a bad grade.

With the help of writing tools, this nightmare is easy to avoid. You’ll be able to deal with all your routines more effectively and even meet multiple deadlines at once.

Improved Academic Performance

Needless to say, no matter how much time you’ve devoted to completing your writing assignment, if it contains mistakes — you won’t receive the grade you were hoping for.

With writing tools, mistakes are simply impossible. You’re completely covered: you can check your grammar, see if there’s any plagiarism in your text, create a summary, generate a topic and thesis statement, and so much more.

Long story short—these writing tools are here to make your academic life easier and your studying smarter. It’s worthwhile to try them at least once. After seeing the results, you’ll surely come back for more!

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Typely is precise. Existing tools for proofreading raise so many false alarms that their advice cannot be trusted. Instead, the writer must carefully consider whether to accept or reject each change.

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11 English Writing Websites That’ll Have You Writing Like a Professional

Being able to write well in English is an incredible skill.

This is true for both English language learners and even for native speakers!

It goes without saying that writing in English is a key ability for the future .

That’s why we’re going to look at some of the top online resources to perfect the skill of writing in English .

Types of English Writing Websites

11 wonderful websites to power up your english writing skills, hemingway app, quick and dirty tips from grammar girl, write & improve with cambridge, project gutenberg, british council, how to use writing websites effectively, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Choosing the right resources is the most important step. But to do this, you need to consider what exactly you need help with! Is it some basic grammar and spelling? Or more of an in-depth course and introduction to English writing in general?

Let’s take a look at some of the key categories that you need to consider.

• Spelling and Grammar Checkers:  Spelling and grammar checkers are a great way to make sure that your writing is clear, grammatically correct and accurate. These websites would be best suited to an advanced writer who writes large amounts or writes frequently. The reason they aren’t recommended for a beginning learner is that it’s important to develop the skill of checking and editing your own writing first.
• Lessons and classes:  If you’re a new learner or are looking to focus on a particular area of writing, then taking an English writing class might be a good option. They’re a great way to get a general introduction to English writing. You can also go deeper on a particular topic.
• Writing advice: Blogs and websites are fantastic sources of information regarding English writing. You can find helpful tips, advice from writers and general information regarding spelling and grammar. Websites like YouTube are also useful resources to find specific information.
• Creative Writing and Prompts:  Sites that provide tips on creative writing and prompts can be a great source of inspiration. Creative writing is an excellent way to practice new vocabulary and different writing styles. It can also be more fun than academic writing!
• Journaling and Habit-forming: There are many services that focus on helping you reach a writing goal of a particular number of words or a streak of days. Sometimes simply sitting down and doing the writing itself can be a difficult challenge! Journaling and freewriting websites can help maintain your motivation. They can also keep you on track and show you important information regarding your work rate.

In this post, we’ll be looking at the top websites from all these categories. This is to give you a nice selection and variety of websites to choose from. If you want to start writing English like a professional, then you should consider some of these options!

Grammarly is a free website and app that fixes your writing. You have the option of typing directly into the platform or copying large blocks of text (such as an essay) for correction. There’s also an extension that works with a number of platforms such as Google Docs, MS Office, Gmail and many other online writing websites.

Grammarly is like having a personal editor read your English writing. The corrections are always offered as suggestions, instead of auto-corrections, so you’ll have a chance to review your mistakes before changing them.

However, because the app is aimed toward English natives I’d recommend Grammarly to an intermediate to advanced level writer. This is because the app looks to correct errors that native writers would make and isn’t designed specifically with English learners in mind.

For example, a native speaker will be using Grammarly to check for common errors such as a lack of apostrophes in contractions or using too much passive voice. It might offer suggestions if you’re using one word too often and it can even make a database check for plagiarism.

If you’re a beginner ESL writer, you may find this feedback helpful. However, feedback on word choice, formality, structure and staying on the topic question or essay question may be more beneficial. For this, you may need a writing instructor or English teacher to give in-person feedback in these earlier stages.

So how should you use Grammarly? To use Grammarly efficiently as an English learner you should consider it a final step in your writing process. Copy your text into the platform to do a final edit. But, always attempt to edit your own writing first as we discussed earlier in this post.

As an added bonus, the website has a very useful and frequently updated blog that covers various topics related to writing and grammar, as well as work and careers.

Ernest Hemingway was an American author known for his simple and direct writing style. He wrote with limited adverbs and in short sentences.

This is a great style to practice especially for business English and professional English purposes because it’s important to be able to explain complex ideas in a basic manner.

That’s the central idea behind the Hemingway editor.

The Hemingway App website works in a similar way to the previously mentioned Grammarly app: It offers suggestions to help improve your writing.

That being said, there are some key differences.

The Hemingway App is best used for overall “stylistic” purposes. It helps your writing feel less complex and cluttered. It’s also important to note that it doesn’t correct spelling.

To use the website, copy your text and paste it into the editor. The editor will then provide you with a score and suggestions on how to improve the clarity of the writing, active/passive voice , how hard or easy your writing is to read and more. Everything is color-coded so you can easily see what needs to be updated.

You can make edits to your text right on the website and watch your readability score increase as you do! The more you use this website, the more aware you’ll become of the clarity and simplicity of your writing as you write.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the only way to write—you may prefer to write with more flowing, flowery language, and that’s absolutely something you can do! The Hemingway App is a good option for you, though, if your writing is difficult for others to understand, more lengthy than you’d like or if you just want to write in a simpler style.

The app is free however you can choose for a paid service that offers additional features.

Even native speakers will re-read their own writing several times to not only check for grammar mistakes but also to gain an understanding of how it will be read by others.

If you’re interested in discovering additional ways to express what you wish to write, then Wordtune is a good place to start.

On Wordtune, there are multiple editing options to suit different needs. For example, you could have your piece of writing rewritten, check its grammar, change its formality as well as make it more concise or longer.

You can even use Wordtune to find synonyms, which will not only allow you to improve your writing but also help you expand your English vocabulary .

To analyze your writing on Wordtune, simply copy and paste your text into the editor. I’d recommend starting off with shorter texts or sentences so you can focus on the variety of suggestions that this website will provide you with. You’ll be able to compare different options and see a deeper analysis of your writing.

Like Wordtune, Ginger also offers grammar checks and can rephrase your writing, providing you with various options to choose from.

Want to add variety to your writing or simply grow your vocabulary? As well as rephrasing and correcting sentences , on Ginger, you can simply click on a word to find more synonyms . This is a great way to learn new words and see how they can be used in your own writing.

One of my favorite features that I’d recommend to all English learners and even native speakers who want to improve their writing is Ginger’s “Writing Center,” where you’ll find a ton of informative guides about different types of writing, from resumes and cover letters to business vocabulary and letters .

Mignon Fogarty, also known as the Grammar Girl, is the founder of the blog and website “Quick and Dirty Tips.” She’s an award-winning writer and podcast host, and has a number of other accolades.

And there’s a good reason for that: Her webpage is a goldmine (full of useful information) of grammar advice and writing tips for native and non-native speakers alike!

You can find articles that cover basic grammar rules all the way up to more specific issues such as when to use specific words, like in the case of historic vs historical .

There are two ways that you can make the most of this resource as an English learner. The first is to search for a specific answer to a question that you have in mind. Grammar Girl has the answers to many of the most common grammar questions. If you have a question about how to use a word or how to apply a grammar rule, there’s a good chance it’s been covered on the website.

The second (which is my favorite) is to simply scroll through the website, diving deep into all the interesting and funny articles. You’ll learn the interesting history of some words, incredible tips and of course plenty of writing-related advice.

It’s a great way to learn while having fun!

Udemy is an online education platform. It offers courses in pretty much anything! That means that there’s a full range of English writing courses for you to choose from, ranging in price, level of difficulty and area of specialty.

This is the perfect resource for a person who’s new to writing in English or for a learner who wants to focus on a particular type of writing, like creative or business writing. Basically, you’ll be able to find something valuable to your writing goals at any level!

Among the courses covered are specific courses such as one on formal email writing .

To make the most of this resource, it’s very important that you carefully select the right course for your goals. This means reading the reviews, watching the course preview and reading any feedback or notes left by people who have previously taken the course.

Make sure you keep up to date with the classes and prepare materials on a schedule! Since these are mostly courses that allow you to go at your own pace, you’ll have to keep yourself on track.

Coursera is another online education platform that’s similar to Udemy and offers courses on specific topics. This means you’ll be able to find many courses offered on different styles of writing in English.

Plus, there’s an extra benefit to using Coursera: The courses come from authorized universities and institutions. As a result, many of the courses are more academic and similar to something you’d find in an actual college course. By taking one of these courses, you’ll be getting expert advice for much cheaper than the cost of a university class, or even for free!

Coursera suits learners looking to achieve a professional level of writing . In fact, if you scroll through the offerings, you’ll notice that many (but not all) of the courses on English are business or professionally focused .

If you’re learning English for business, you might find it useful to take this course on “Better Business Writing in English” from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Or, if you’re just trying to improve your overall writing skills, this course on grammar and punctuation from the University of California, Irvine can help you out.

You also have the option of paying to receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. This makes Coursera an excellent option if you’d like to put your English studies on your resume!

Cambridge English is considered the “gold star” of English learning and teaching. In fact, the Cambridge Exams are known around the world and are very sought after by English learners. Over five million Cambridge English exams are taken every year!

Because of this, the resources that they produce are highly professional and educational, like their great service called “Write and Improve.”

Once you set up your profile and current writing level, you’ll be taken to your dashboard. Here, you can start writing either in a “free writing style” or with a given topic. Once you’ve completed your writing, it’s assessed and leveled based on your spelling, grammar and vocabulary. It’s then checked against the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFR) .

“Write & Improve” is a great resource to give you an idea of what level your current writing skills are, as well as to discover some areas for improvement. This is also a very useful resource for anyone planning to take an accredited English exam, especially if you’ll be taking a Cambridge exam.

As an added benefit, you can set goals with this resource and take comfort in knowing that the feedback is based on the Cambridge system, including having your spelling checked against the Cambridge Dictionary .

Project Gutenberg is an open-source (legally allowed to be shared for free) library with over 70,000 titles! Generally, the titles you’ll find here are a bit old, as many of the books are no longer protected by copyright.

You may be wondering how exactly an online library can help perfect your writing skills. Well, by allowing you to read great books for free, of course!

But you can’t just read—to really learn from this resource, you need to read actively and closely. Take your time and read passages slowly. Write notes in a journal so you can get a better feel for the language. Take note of new phrases and words, unfamiliar grammar structures and anything else that stands out to you.

Start by scrolling through the top 100 . Most of these books are still very relevant today in English culture!  Project Gutenberg is an excellent introduction to the long history of English writing and culture.

It’s important to note that many of these books may use older or more traditional types of English, so be sure to check words and grammar rules for their modern usage.

The British Council is another organization that focuses on the English language and culture. Like Cambridge English, the British Council offers services related to English learning and exam preparation.

Their writing section is a great mix of English writing resources and activities. These would suit any type of learner since they’re clearly arranged by difficulty and are designed for self-study. This means you can set your own schedule and focus on areas of interest that are relevant to you.

To begin, choose your appropriate level. To really make the most of the resource, you should be completing all the activities as well as interacting in the comments section. You may find some tips and feedback you wouldn’t otherwise get!

If you like the free content, there’s an option to continue with a paid course. This is a good choice for anyone who wants to prepare for an exam or get a more structured learning experience.

“I don’t want to write today.”

“I don’t know what to write about!”

“It’s too late, I’ll write tomorrow.”

Do you ever find yourself making excuses like these? I know I do! It isn’t always easy to get yourself to sit down and write.

This is where the psychology of forming a habit is so important.

So far we’ve looked at resources that help our skills or give us pointers for our English writing capabilities.

But what about the act of writing, itself? Forget complex grammar and spelling issues. Sometimes, sitting down and practicing writing is the hardest part of all!

750 Words tracks your writing and encourages you to write every day. The goal of the website is to get you to write 750 words—about three pages worth of writing—per day.

In addition to being a minimal and beautifully designed writing program, 750 Words provides feedback on the time you’ve spent writing, the number of words you wrote and the language you used. It also gives you a report on your writing output (how much you achieve).

There’s a big focus on habit building on the platform, which is an often forgotten but very important step! It can take anywhere from 18-254 days to form a habit, and 750 Words provides the motivation to write every day.

This is a “free-writing” or journaling website, which means you should be writing without any goal or task in mind. If you find yourself struggling to think of something to write about, Journal Buddies has a great list of 49 writing prompts for English learners.

750 Words doesn’t check your spelling or grammar, so you can use it with some of the other resources in this list, like Grammarly.

To make the most of these writing resources, there are a couple of things you can do. First, you should be consistent with your writing—that is, do it regularly. This means that you should be writing every day . You can also plan out your schedule to include writing as part of your daily tasks.

You should also consider joining a community or writing club. This can either be online or an in-person writing club.

Writing clubs are an excellent way to motivate yourself as well as introduce yourself to new ideas. Best of all, they’re the perfect support for writing resources. They offer the opportunity to expand and grow your skills in a helpful environment. You can ask questions, request feedback or even seek advice about particular websites that other writers use.

You should also be using resources that actually help you to develop your English writing skills. This is a very important step. You need to think of online writing websites as a way to improve your writing quality and your skill. But it should always start with you! For example, if you’re at a beginner level, then a resource that automatically corrects your spelling isn’t going to help you learn much, since you need to learn how to fix errors on your own before using an app.

On that note, learn how to edit your own writing. Editing—or looking at your writing for mistakes and correcting errors—is a critical step in the writing process. After you complete your work, take a step back. This means you need to leave your work for a day or two before reading it over. Then, you can look for mistakes with a fresh look. Read your writing, keeping an eye out for errors like incorrect spelling, punctuation mistakes or poor grammar.

If you’re a more advanced writer, you can also consider changes to the voice such as active and passive sentences and the structure. Learning how to edit your writing is one of the best steps you can take toward improving your writing proficiency.

On top of writing websites, expanding your English vocabulary and immersing yourself in a lot of good writing will help a lot. If your English is more advanced, books are a great choice, along with popular publications like Forbes , Vanity Fair , and National Geographic . 

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Being able to write in English is a gateway to many incredible things, whether you’re working toward a personal goal to be more creative or a global skill for business! With these 11 incredible English writing websites, you’ll soon be able to develop this skill and write in English without fear!

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

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Program: Conversations

A portrait of Peter Dutton

• X (formerly Twitter)

Lech Blaine has written a Quarterly Essay on Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who remains something of an enigma to many Australians.

Since becoming leader, Peter Dutton has been determined to defeat the Albanese government, not by winning back the heartland metropolitan seats they lost in 2022, but by tearing off the outer suburban and regional electorates that have traditionally voted Labor.

Lech traces the rise of Peter Dutton from outer suburban schoolkid, to Queensland police officer, to a new kind of Liberal leader.

Further information 

Lech's Quarterly Essay is published by Black Inc

• Richard Fidler, Presenter
• Carmel Rooney, Executive Producer

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Taylor Swift’s ‘Poets’ Arrives With a Promotional Blitz (and a Second LP)

The pop superstar’s latest album was preceded by a satellite radio channel, a word game, a return to TikTok and an actual library. For her fans, more is always welcome.

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By Ben Sisario

Taylor Swift was already the most ubiquitous pop star in the galaxy, her presence dominating the music charts, the concert calendar, the Super Bowl, the Grammys.

Then it came time for her to promote a new album.

In the days leading up to the release of “The Tortured Poets Department” on Friday, Swift became all but inescapable, online and seemingly everywhere else. Her lyrics were the basis for an Apple Music word game . A Spotify-sponsored, Swift-branded “ library installation ,” in muted pink and gray, popped up in a shopping complex in Los Angeles. In Chicago, a QR code painted on a brick wall directed fans to another Easter egg on YouTube. Videos on Swift’s social media accounts, showing antique typewriters and globes with pins, were dissected for clues about her music. SiriusXM added a Swift radio station; of course it’s called Channel 13 (Taylor’s Version).

About the only thing Swift didn’t do was an interview with a journalist.

At this stage in Swift’s career, an album release is more than just a moment to sell music; it’s all but a given that “The Tortured Poets Department” will open with gigantic sales numbers, many of them for “ghost white,” “phantom clear” and other collector-ready vinyl variants . More than that, the album’s arrival is a test of the celebrity-industrial complex overall, with tech platforms and media outlets racing to capture whatever piece of the fan frenzy they can get.

Threads, the newish social media platform from Meta, primed Swifties for their idol’s arrival there, and offered fans who shared Swift’s first Threads post a custom badge. Swift stunned the music industry last week by breaking ranks with her record label, Universal, and returning her music to TikTok, which Universal and other industry groups have said pays far too little in royalties. Overnight, TikTok unveiled “The Ultimate Taylor Swift In-App Experience,” offering fans digital goodies like a “Tortured Poets-inspired animation” on their feed.

Before the album’s release on Friday, Swift revealed that a music video — for “Fortnight,” the first single, featuring Post Malone — would arrive on Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern time. At 2 a.m., she had another surprise: 15 more songs. “I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you,” she wrote in a social media post , bringing “The Anthology” edition of the album to 31 tracks.

“The Tortured Poets Department,” which Swift, 34, announced in a Grammy acceptance speech in February — she had the Instagram post ready to go — lands as Swift’s profile continues to rise to ever-higher levels of cultural saturation.

Her Eras Tour , begun last year, has been a global phenomenon, crashing Ticketmaster and lifting local economies ; by some estimates, it might bring in as much as $2 billion in ticket sales — by far a new record — before it ends later this year. Swift’s romance with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been breathlessly tracked from its first flirtations last summer to their smooch on the Super Bowl field in February. The mere thought that Swift might endorse a presidential candidate this year sent conspiracy-minded politicos reeling .

“The Tortured Poets Department” — don’t even ask about the missing apostrophe — arrived accompanied by a poem written by Stevie Nicks that begins, “He was in love with her/Or at least she thought so.” That establishes what many fans correctly anticipated as the album’s theme of heartbreak and relationship rot, Swift’s signature topic. “I love you/It’s ruining my life,” she sings on “Fortnight.”

Fans were especially primed for the fifth track, “So Long, London,” given that (1) Swift has said she often sequences her most vulnerable and emotionally intense songs fifth on an LP, and (2) the title suggested it may be about Joe Alwyn, the English actor who was Swift’s boyfriend for about six years, reportedly until early 2023 . Indeed, “So Long” is an epic breakup tune, with lines like “You left me at the house by the heath” and “I’m pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free.” Tracks from the album leaked on Wednesday, and fans have also interpreted some songs as being about Matty Healy , the frontman of the band the 1975, whom Swift was briefly linked to last year.

The album’s title song starts with a classic Swift detail of a memento from a lost love: “You left your typewriter at my apartment/Straight from the tortured poets department.” It also name-drops Dylan Thomas, Patti Smith and, somewhat surprisingly given that company, Charlie Puth, the singer-songwriter who crooned the hook on Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” a No. 1 hit in 2015. (Swift has praised Wiz Khalifa and that song in the past.)

Other big moments include “Florida!!!,” featuring Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, in which Swift declares — after seven big percussive bangs — that the state “is one hell of a drug.” Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, the producers and songwriters who have been Swift’s primary collaborators in recent years, both worked on “Tortured Poets,” bringing their signature mix of moody, pulsating electronic tracks and delicate acoustic moments, like a bare piano on “Loml” (as in “love of my life”).

As the ninth LP Swift has released in five years, “Tortured Poets” is the latest entry in a remarkable creative streak. That includes five new studio albums and four rerecordings of her old music — each of which sailed to No. 1. When Swift played SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles in August, she spoke from the stage about her recording spurt, saying that the forced break from touring during the Covid-19 pandemic had spurred her to connect with fans by releasing more music.

“And so I decided, in order to keep that connection going,” she said , “if I couldn’t play live shows with you, I was going to make and release as many albums as humanly possible.”

That was two albums ago.

Ben Sisario covers the music industry. He has been writing for The Times since 1998. More about Ben Sisario

Inside the World of Taylor Swift

A Triumph at the Grammys: Taylor Swift made history  by winning her fourth album of the year at the 2024 edition of the awards, an event that saw women take many of the top awards .

‘The T ortured Poets Department’: Poets reacted to Swift’s new album name , weighing in on the pertinent question: What do the tortured poets think ?  

In the Public Eye: The budding romance between Swift and the football player Travis Kelce created a monocultural vortex that reached its apex  at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Ahead of kickoff, we revisited some key moments in their relationship .

Politics (Taylor’s Version): After months of anticipation, Swift made her first foray into the 2024 election for Super Tuesday with a bipartisan message on Instagram . The singer, who some believe has enough influence  to affect the result of the election , has yet to endorse a presidential candidate.

Conspiracy Theories: In recent months, conspiracy theories about Swift and her relationship with Kelce have proliferated , largely driven by supporters of former President Donald Trump . The pop star's fans are shaking them off .

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