Explanatory Essay Writing Tips

Explanatory Essay Definition

An explanatory essay is a type of writing in which one needs to look into a particular topic, event or situation from a certain perspective. The author is not required to agree with this perspective but the essay should contain some reasons, arguments, and logic to make it plausible.

As a rule, the author needs to choose a topic and adopt a certain stance. This stance should be complicated so that it would give rise to a heated discussion. At this point, he/she should present a viewpoint of their choice that would provide reasonable explanations of why a particular outcome was reached.

Pre-Writing Stage

Before getting down to the writing process, one should do extensive research to gather sufficient data. Keep in mind that your viewpoint should consist of both personal ideas and external information.

When having sufficient data at your disposal, you need to come up with a thesis statement. The thesis statement sets forth the gist of your point of view. Remember that in the case of an explanatory essay, there is no room for arguing or criticizing. You just need to state facts.

Explanatory Essay Outline

The outline of an explanatory essay depends on the topic, the information you want to present and the points you will make. As a rule, most essays are a page or two in length, and thus, the overall essay will be around five paragraphs long.

In the introduction, you will need to give insight into what the essay will be about and present your thesis statement. The body paragraphs will support your thesis statement by means of different data. Eventually, the conclusion should sum up the key points of your paper and contain the overall concluding statement.

Introduction

The introductory part, which contains three elements, gives readers a general understanding of what your paper will be all about. For starters, you need to spark readers’ interest by means of a hook statement. It can be an astounding fact, proper quote, or anything that would attract readers’ attention.

Then, you need to provide some background information that will not be viewed as general knowledge. Finally, come up with a thesis statement that would define the focus of your essay. This should prevent any misunderstanding of what will be discussed in the body.

Body Paragraphs

As a rule, the body consists of three paragraphs, each with its own point of approach. Firstly, provide a topic sentence that would give insight into what will be discussed in the paragraph. Remember that this sentence should serve as a transition from the previous point to the next.

After that, introduce your stance or claim that directly back up the thesis. Then, provide the evidence from the research you have carried out. This will prove your claim and will enforce your stance. Finally, give a concluding statement that sums up the importance of the claim in relation to the thesis statement. Stick to the same approach when presenting each of your claims to complete your body.

Conclusion

In the concluding part, you need to restate your thesis statement. This will serve as a reminder of the main focal point and will make your presented point of view sound more powerful and reasonable.

After restating the thesis statement, sum up your three supporting points, which you highlighted in the body paragraphs. It is also fundamental to briefly restate the importance of each one. Last but not least, provide an overall concluding statement. It should account for the value of a certain point of view in global dimensions.