How To Write an Expository Essay Correctly
Many students encounter challenges when they get expository papers. While academic writing is not for everyone, even bright students find it challenging to compose this essay.
What is expository writing? Why is it difficult, and how can students craft an outstanding paper? We aim to divulge insightful information about an expository essay and what it entails. Moreover, you will also get to understand the difference between expository and persuasive papers.
Don’t want to get into all these details? Tell us few words – write an essay for me.
But if you want to do it all by yourself, you need to know the meaning of an expository paper.
What is an expository essay?
You need to know that the expository definition comes from the word “to expose.” It means to interpret information in a way that communicates to the intended audience the best.
Therefore, an expository essay is a paper that aims to investigate a particular subject in detail while presenting arguments in a structured manner to communicate successfully to the audience.
When Do We Choose To Write Expository Essay
Tutors often give students various essay types as part of the mandatory course evaluation. However, students may wonder when they need to choose to compose an expository essay. Usually, this essay type comes into action when the essay prompt requires you to “explain, define, describe or inform.“
Expository essays explain a particular topic logically without any reference to the writer’s perspective. You must analyze each concept while presenting your opinion. It is a definitive essay type that bases arguments on factual information without biases.
Expository essay topics to guide you in crafting this paper:
- Explain why instilling discipline is vital in children.
- Describe the long-term effects of drug use.
- Explain the impact of social media on mental health.
- Explain major causes of teenage suicide.
- Describe societal problems arising from alcohol.
What Is The Difference Between Expository And Persuasive Essay?
Students must learn how to write an expository essay to avoid confusing it with persuasive essays. While the two are both academic papers, they have clear-cut differences.
What does expository text mean? It is a paper that informs readers about a particular subject. The essay entails research and analysis of a specific topic to expose it to the target audience. Usually, it educates readers while giving in-depth details about the subject.
Conversely, a persuasive essay convinces the audience to agree with the writer’s standpoint. It is a one-sided argument based on the writer’s opinion. The significant elements in a persuasive paper are to use rhetorical questions to appeal to the readers.
Subtypes of Expository Essay
There are several types of expository writing depending on your prompt or your result. Before you start planning your paper, ask yourself a few questions. What is an expository essay? Is your main objective to explain a controversial issue or to describe a problem with effects? Do you want to inform the readers about an insightful topic or show how a product works? Whatever your goals, you must identify the essay type you want to compose.
Definition essays
It is also known as a descriptive essay, describing a particular environment concept or an exciting experience. You can pick any topic you desire as long as you have the content to argue your perspective. For instance, topics on love, relationships, cities, animals, freedom can form interesting essays. You can also incorporate a discussion about the subject matter and enlighten the readers.
Compare and contrast essays
As the name suggests, the writer aims to compare and contrast two things. It can be a place, a person, or an idea in a similar category. The writer brings out the similar points while dissecting the differences. It is essential to pick themes that can develop diverse comparisons. For instance, comparing and contrasting the leadership of two presidents.
Cause and effect essays
Here, the writer tries to reveal the impact of one entity on another while uncovering their relationships. You can write an essay about climate change and its impact on humans or the effects of drug abuse on users. Writers may require factual evidence to support their arguments and to establish the cause and effect association.
Process essays
This is also called a how-to essay, which educates readers on how to do a particular task. For instance, how to bake a cake. However, a writer must state the problem first and follow up with the steps to accomplish the particular task and the outcome.
Classification essays
This essay classifies various topics into diverse categories and clusters, which further include detailed explanations. Each expository paragraph comprises its arguments, ideas, and findings.If you want to learn more, you can find numerous sample expository essays online. Here is an example of an expository outline.
Expository Essay – Outline Sample
TOPIC: How Alcohol Abuse On College Students Causes Poor Academic Performance
| Introduction | |
| Hook sentence | About 25% of college students suffer from alcohol addiction, which negatively affects their academics. |
| Background information | Most people aged 19-29 have drinking problems globally. Youth in college are indulging in heavy drinking, which causes poor performance resulting in a bleak future. |
| Thesis statement | Excessive consumption of alcohol can affect a student’s performance in college. |
| Main Body | |
| 1st Paragraph | Main point: Alcohol consumption causes negative performance in school. |
| Supporting facts through statistics to prove this statement. | |
| Real data examples of students suffering from addiction. | |
| Summary statement of the paragraph. | |
| 2nd Paragraph | Main Point – Alcohol causes addiction among students, resulting in other social crimes. |
| Supporting facts through statistics to prove this statement. | |
| Real data examples of students engaged in crime due to alcohol. | |
| Summary statement of the paragraph. | |
| 3rd Paragraph | Main Point: Alcohol consumption affects an individual’s future and can cause serious mental health problems. |
| Supporting facts through statistics to prove this statement. | |
| Real data examples of students. | |
| Summary statement of the paragraph. | |
| Conclusion | |
| Summarize all the main points: | The negative impact of alcohol consumption among college students, such as addiction, crime, and depression, results in poor academic performance. |
Self check Your Expository Essay For A+
When composing your expository paper, there are significant questions that you need to ask yourself before publishing it or turning in your paper to your tutor. Below are some of the questions:
- Does the essay achieve objectivity clearly and logically?
- Does the essay incorporate reasonable opinions with suitable examples?
- Does it have different sentence structures?
- Does the essay demonstrate logic?
- Does the conclusion demonstrate the impact of the analysis?
Ensure that your expository essay format depicts answers to the above questions if you want to achieve objectivity and effectiveness. Moreover, focus on the central arguments to avoid paragraph sprawl, which occurs when a writer digresses from the subject matter. Do not introduce irrelevant issues in your body paragraph to prevent the audience from boredom and confusion.
Writing an expository paper can be challenging, but with a proper guideline, you will compose an A+ paper that will impress your tutor. Ensure you understand the major distinction between a persuasive and expository paper to avoid confusing your readers. By conducting extensive research, you will collect and evaluate factual findings that will improve your essay. Don’t forget to pick an interesting topic with a valid thesis statement. You can also research online and get an overview of various sample expository essays to guide you on writing a stellar academic paper.