What Is an Expository Essay?
An expository essay is a common essay type that requires investigating a specific idea through evaluation of evidence and building solid arguments in a clear and concise way. You are free to write an expository essay through comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition analysis, etc.
Typically, an expository paper is pretty short but clear. The primary goal of this assignment is to test your understanding of the subject, as well as your analytical skills. Compared to an argumentative essay, an expository one involves less research.
Expository Essay Structure
The structure of your expository essay depends on the topic, the scope of your assignment, as well as professor’s requirements. Nevertheless, no matter what kind of essay you are going to write, you need to have a good plan that will outline the main steps of your work. Most probably, you will need to divide your expository essay into five parts: an introduction, three paragraphs of the main body, and a conclusion.
Introduce Your Topic
As well as many other academic papers, an expository essay should begin with a good introduction. This part serves for fueling the reader’s interest helping them understand what is your essay about. Don`t forget that your introduction should include a hook that will engage your reader and a thesis statement that will define the central idea of your essay.
Write Main Body Paragraphs
The main body of your paper is where you present the in-depth analysis of your topic by building solid arguments and supporting them with sufficient evidence. Usually, the main body is divided into three paragraphs but there can be more of them if you are exploring a too complicated topic. It is important to make sure that each main body paragraph is dedicated to a single idea and begins with a clear topic sentence connected with a thesis statement. Besides, when moving from one point to another, you will need to add appropriate transitions as they will make your ideas easier to follow.
Finalize Your Essay
In expository essay writing, a conclusion serves for summarizing the paper without introducing new information. Essentially, your concluding paragraph aims to wrap up a discussion provided in the previous paragraphs.
Now, when you know what are the essential steps to writing an expository essay, let us provide you with some handy tips and suggestions that will turn the writing process into a truly enjoyable experience.
Tips for Writing an Expository Essay
By following the efficient techniques and practices provided below, you will be able to come up with an impeccable essay that will bring you the anticipated outcome.
You need to use clear wording. The reader will find it too difficult to understand your ideas if they are confusing. If you are exploring a complex topic and some terms require explaining, don’t hesitate to do it. Without a proper understanding of the terms and concepts you are analyzing, the reader won’t be able to figure out what ideas you are conveying;
- Don`t use personal pronouns. Almost all academic papers, except for personal ones, require using third-person pronouns. You should keep this rule in mind when working on your expository essay;
- Make sure to develop a strong thesis statement. In its essence, a thesis statement is the main idea of your essay that defines all of your arguments. When it comes to writing an expository essay, a thesis statement is particularly valuable as it will help you make a claim that will be proven within the entire piece;
- Don`t include fake facts. If you want your essay to be credible, you will need to work on your arguments and facts you are including in it. Pay attention that all of them should be accurate and valid;
- Keep your focus. By including too many irrelevant or meaningless details in your essay, you will probably lose your focus. Since an expository essay is pretty short, you will need to make it as clear as possible. Pay attention that all points you are discussing in the main body should be closely connected with the thesis statement as it will make your essay coherent;
- Study good samples. If you have never worked on an expository essay, a thorough reading of the professor’s instructions is not enough. You will need to study some well-written samples that will help you figure out how this piece should be written, structured, and formatted;
- Cite your sources. You probably know that plagiarism is a serious crime in the academic establishment that is strictly punished. If you want to avoid it in your papers, you will need to cite all ideas taken from outside sources in accordance with the formatting style requested by your tutor. In addition, you will need to include a reference list, in which you will provide your audience with the bibliographic information of all sources you have used when writing your expository essay;
- Don’t underestimate your conclusion. Pay attention that the last part of your essay will make the strongest impression on your reader. Thus, you will need to make it interesting and thought-provoking jotting down all the ideas that were analyzed in the main body.
Of course, writing an expository essay is not an easy task. To do it well, you will make a solid claim and support it with credible facts, reasoning, and logic. However, we assure you that by following our suggestions, you will be able to create a good-looking piece.
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