example of expository essay writing

example of expository essay writing

Guide to Writing an Expository Essay

1. Introduction to Expository Writing

The opening five words of this essay are typically “According to research conducted by,” followed by the student’s introduction of the thesis (comma, don’t forget that comma)… so before you engage your readers on a particular stage or thesis, let me reassure you how common this kind of writing is. And on the subject of commonality, the first paragraph of any high schooler’s essay on George Orwell’s Animal Farm begins with, “According to research conducted by the librarian of this high school, George Orwell’s Animal Farm is set on a farm, performs an allegorical retelling of the Russian revolution using the terms of the farm.”

Expository writing is writing that is designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand. In expository writing, technical content is more important than literary quality, which isn’t to say that literary quality is not important; there are restrictions that preclude many “literary” measures.

The text now begins to adapt the strategies of expository writers.

Writing seems to delay and obstruct my thinking, even about problems that are evidently theoretical. – Ludwig Wittgenstein, researcher, proficient writer.

2. Structuring Your Expository Essay

Essays fall into the general categories of expository, narrative, persuasive, and creative. All formal academic essays generally share at least five traditional elements of organization: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In broader contexts, the organization of knowledge in textual form can be based upon any one of the several essay structures that have been known to be effective in accepting and addressing the characteristics of the learners’ diverse needs and learning preferences; these have been known to include chronological, spatial, cumulative, causal, economical, proposition, and compare/contrast patterns. Obviously, the selected organizational method reflects the strength of the writer’s thesis statement, but a writer would realize that almost any good essay will use many principles of synergy.

Post-secondary level educational institutions, from community colleges to research universities, utilize the essay as a common assignment in course instruction. As any experienced or practicing essay writer knows, the writing of an informational essay entails a process that spans more than simply the time it takes to put thought to paper. The study and execution of exposing explicatory essays through expository text allows for both competitive examination taking through language and the development of research that articulates human understanding of social relations—a trait that is often found as beneficial in literary criticism and cultural studies research. A textual guide to the approach, structure, and formatting of information essay text is beneficial to any essayist, student, or researcher considering these textual components.

3. Developing a Strong Thesis Statement

Writing a strong expository essay is a difficult task. One big trick to conducting any good essay writing service is to have strong enough reasons to support and explore your topic. You also need to gather a solid collection of evidence and organize that evidence in the right direction. With this idea in mind, a strong thesis is something that will help you create a well-organized outline and prove your point. To create an effective thesis statement, answer the following questions: What are you trying to prove with your writing? You must clearly present your point of view and show it to your readers. Keep in mind that the best thesis is often simple and focused. What are you exploring with your essay? What is your paper going to be about, or what is your paper trying to explore? Keep in mind that your thesis statement should be an original idea and coming to a solution is never the main purpose of the essay. What is your purpose for writing? Writing an essay is about helping your readers want to understand a topic or know more about the subject. After answering these questions, gather strong evidence to support and prove your thesis.

A thesis statement provides the foundation for your entire research paper or essay. This statement is the central assertion that you want to express in your essay. A successful thesis statement is one that is made up of one or two sentences clearly laying out your central idea and expressing an informed, reasoned answer to your research question. Usually, the thesis statement appears near the end of your introduction, after you have “hooked” the reader, setting the tone and focus of your entire essay. The body of the essay is where your primary evidence will emerge. It is where you write about and develop your main ideas, or supporting details. In other words, the body of the essay should be in proper form. That means that it should have an introduction with a thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

4. Supporting Your Arguments with Evidence

In some cases, it is advantageous to use other academic references to provide support for a discussion about the influence of the paper. Such references are less authoritative than professional or government references. However, they serve to guide the paper in a particular way. It is also useful to use personal references to clinch a particular idea of interest. Professional and government references come in many forms. Most writers are familiar with academic articles, research, studies, and articles written by scholars in various fields. Government references are authoritative works that represent the fact-based real-world results of the research and analysis. However, all references have one thing in common: they all lend credence to the support of the paper’s main idea.

Locating the Right Resources In the process of writing an expository essay, denying resources can make a difficult task much more complex. Therefore, it is important to consider the type of reference best used in the paper. The genre of references used is largely situational. The type of reference used is dependent on the goals of the paper. A paper that explains the benefits of Medicare and Medicaid could use a government document such as the National Health Service.

Developing a Thesis Statement Once you have selected a topic, you will want to determine what the main point of your essay will be. An expository essay is a short essay that explains or describes an idea. At this stage, you should determine a good thesis statement for your essay. The thesis of an expository essay is the thesis of a persuasive or analytical essay. Your thesis statement should clearly come at or near the end of your introduction.

Once you have done your brainstorming and chosen your topic, you may need to do some research to write a good essay. Interview people who might be experts in the subject. Keep your research organized so it will be easy for you to refer back to and easy for you to cite your sources when writing your final essay.

5. Concluding Your Expository Essay

A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay. Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. Body paragraphs that include evidential support. Each paragraph should be limited to the exposition of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph.

What is an expository essay? The expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect, etc. Please note: This genre is commonly assigned as a tool for classroom evaluation and is often found in various exam formats. The structure of the expository essay is held together by the following.