essay

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Education, Literature

es·say1 /ˈeseɪ/ ●●● S3 noun [countable]  1  SEa short piece of writing about a particular subject by a student as part of a course of study 〔学生为某门课程所写的〕短文，论说文essay on/about an essay on Bernard Shaw 关于萧伯纳的文章2  ALa short piece of writing giving someone’s ideas about politics, society etc 〔关于政治、社会等的〕小品文，散文essay on Rousseau’s ‘Essay on the Origin of Languages’ 卢梭的《论语言的起源》3. formalTRY TO DO OR GET something an attempt to do something 尝试；企图 COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2verbswrite/do an essay 写文章I’ve got a 3,000 word essay to write before Friday. 我得在星期五之前完成一篇3,000字的文章。give in/hand in an essay 交文章Half the class failed to hand in their essay on time. 班里有一半学生没有按时把作文交上去。mark an essay British English, grade an essay American English: 批阅文章，给文章打分nI went home knowing that I still had a pile of essays to mark.read an essay 看文章nDid you read her essay on ‘The Waste Land’?ADJECTIVES/NOUN + essayan English/history/politics etc essay 英语/历史/政治等作文He got a good grade for his English essay. 他那篇英语作文得了高分。a critical essay (=one that judges how good a book, writer etc is) 评论文章nThe anthology contains critical essays by Kael, Graham Greene and others.an academic essay 学术论文nMature students often need practice writing academic essays.na literary essayIn a literary essay, you should explore the meaning and construction of the text.essay + NOUNan essay question 论述题We practised essay questions from previous exam papers. 我们做以前的试卷来练习回答论述题。an essay title 文章标题nYou will find a list of essay titles on the notice board.an essay topic 文章主题nStudents will be given six essay topics, from which they must choose two.phrasesa collection of essays 文集She published a collection of essays on philosophy. 她出版了一部哲学文集。n THESAURUSessay a piece of writing written by a student as part of a course of studyWe had to write an essay about the environment.Have you handed in your essay yet?paper an essay written by a someone who has studied a subject as part of their research. Paper is also used about an essay that you have to write for a class at school, especially in American EnglishThe professor has published over forty scientific papers on diseases of tropical cropsAt the beginning of the school year we had to write a paper about our interests.dissertation a long essay written as part of a university degreeIn the third year of their course, students have to write a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic that has been approved by their tutor.thesis a very long essay that is part of an advanced university degree such as a master’s degree or a doctorateHe wrote his doctoral thesis on the literature of the English romantic movement.

Examples from the Corpus

essay• An essay differs in form from a poem.• Exercises were devised to help students test their comprehension of the materials either by essay or by solving concrete problems.• But you should begin a history essay long before you are faced with actually writing it.• Secondary sources for A level essays will probably be the work of historians.• These moral essays advanced other theories in harmony with sentimental comedy.• Winship's essay also draws attention to the increasing fragmentation of the body within recent commercial photography.• This original paperback includes stories, essays and poems that celebrate motherhood.• It sounded fascinating so I decided to find the book to write this essay.essay on/about• She won her place after impressing the charity with an essay about herself and how she could benefit others.• an essay on democracy and education• His main essays on social policy have recently been put together in a single volume.• I could write a whole new essay about my divorce right now.• A collection of essays on the political, economic, and cultural aspects of democratization.• Their friendship had been sealed in second grade when the entire class was asked to write essays on their fathers.• There was no money to be made writing essays on Spinoza, but a successful novel could make one rich.• Instead of learning physics I wrote essays on the Rolling Stones and the Band.es·say2 /eˈseɪ/ verb [transitive]  formalTRY TO DO OR GET something to attempt to do something 试图；企图→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

essay• He swayed to the music and essayed a little dance step.• Shan't you essay any alteration in your finances?Origin essay1 (1400-1500) Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium “act of weighing”

es·say1 noun →COLLOCATIONS1 →n THESAURUS1es·say2 verbLDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

piece of writing short a Corpus a about

essay

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es‧say¹ S3 /ˈeseɪ/ noun [countable]1. a short piece of writing about a particular subject by a student as part of a course of study
    essay on/about
    an essay on Bernard Shaw
2. a short piece of writing giving someone’s ideas about politics, society etc
    essay on
    Rousseau’s ‘Essay on the Origin of Languages’
3. formal an attempt to do something
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meanings 1 & 2)

■ verbs
   ▪ write/do an essay I’ve got a 3,000 word essay to write before Friday.
   ▪ give in/hand in an essay Half the class failed to hand in their essay on time.
   ▪ mark an essay British English, grade an essay AmE: I went home knowing that I still had a pile of essays to mark.
   ▪ read an essay Did you read her essay on ‘The Waste Land’?
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + essay
   ▪ an English/history/politics etc essay He got a good grade for his English essay.
   ▪ a critical essay (=one that judges how good a book, writer etc is) The anthology contains critical essays by Kael, Graham Greene and others.
   ▪ an academic essay Mature students often need practice writing academic essays.
   ▪ a literary essay In a literary essay, you should explore the meaning and construction of the text.
■ essay + NOUN
   ▪ an essay question We practised essay questions from previous exam papers.
   ▪ an essay title You will find a list of essay titles on the notice board.
   ▪ an essay topic Students will be given six essay topics, from which they must choose two.
■ phrases
   ▪ a collection of essays She published a collection of essays on philosophy.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ essay a piece of writing written by a student as part of a course of study: We had to write an essay about the environment. | Have you handed in your essay yet?
   ▪ paper an essay written by a someone who has studied a subject as part of their research. Paper is also used about an essay that you have to write for a class at school, especially in American English: The professor has published over forty scientific papers on diseases of tropical crops | At the beginning of the school year we had to write a paper about our interests.
   ▪ dissertation a long essay written as part of a university degree: In the third year of their course, students have to write a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic that has been approved by their tutor.
   ▪ thesis a very long essay that is part of an advanced university degree such as a master’s degree or a doctorate: He wrote his doctoral thesis on the literature of the English romantic movement.

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es‧say² /eˈseɪ/ verb [transitive]
formal to attempt to do something