Tips and Examples for Creating an Explanatory Essay

Having troubles with your explanatory essay? Get advice on this page. This article will explain how to craft a great explanatory essay and give samples for it. Let’s get started! Firstly, let’s define what an explanatory essay is.

Explanatory Essay Definition

An explanatory essay is a kind of academic assignment where the student explains a particular viewpoint on a particular subject, issue, or event. The author may disagree with the viewpoint but still has to analyze it.

An explanatory essay is like a report on a specific event or phenomenon. It resembles journalistic work where you should present an objective opinion while investigating the facts and events. You need to give unprejudiced opinions relying on facts and evidence.

As a rule, you have to decide on a subject and then define your investigation approach. We advise picking a complex approach that gives some space for investigation. In your piece, you are going to give reasons why a certain result was achieved.

Many students are mistaken when they think they need to defend a specific viewpoint and criticize the opposite one. However, this is not true. You should stick to a neutral viewpoint on a specific topic and analyze it. The central aim is to clarify the topic so that there weren’t any uncertainties and clarify the grounds why certain things took place. After completing an essay, the audience should clearly understand your point, even if it has an opposite one.

Selecting a Topic

As a rule, students can’t choose a topic themselves. If you are lucky to have such an opportunity, we suggest staying unbiased. Select a subject you can give a detailed description of. The more opinions regarding the subject exist, the more challenging it will be to embrace them all. You really don’t need that headache. There is a huge variety of topics.

Look at a few of our ideas to choose from:

• What were the main reasons for the Great Depression in the US?

This issue still requires attention. Take into account the political factors that caused the Great Depression and give evidence about their significance.

• How do social networks influence the learning capabilities of teens?

Select a psychological viewpoint. Analyze why teenagers are so interested in social media. Then present the positive effect and the ways to improve the learning capabilities with the use of social networks.

• What positive and negative effects of consumerism society do we have nowadays?

Give a definition of consumerism, clarify why it has become global. We suggest focusing on the positive aspect of the tendency. You can also forecast how long it will last.

• How has video game development influenced the socialization of teenagers?

Explain the phenomenon of video game popularity. We suggest you take the opposite side and talk about the positive effect of video gaming on kids and their communication with each other.

• How can bullying at school and college be prevented?

Inform about the main grounds of bullying in educational institutions and how it influences children and students. Tell the audience what parents and teachers should do to stop it.

• How to choose the ideal pet?

You may analyze this problem from a psychological approach. Describe different types of personalities, suggest the main things to consider while selecting an ideal pet.

What Should I Do Before Getting Started?

Getting ready is an essential stage, and we don’t advise skipping it. You may find it too long and unnecessary, but you will be surprised with how easy the research and writing will be if you prepare well.

First of all, the research success depends on the information and firm investigation. Ensure to involve all the information that is worth attention from your sources. Remember to involve both your personal viewpoint and information from scientific resources. The more reliable sources you find, the better.

Here are the pre-writing stages we consider must-haves:

• Selecting a neutral subject you would like to explain in detail.
• Discover reliable Internet sources or publications.
• Draft your investigation, note the related facts, quotes. Remember, you will require all the related references for the reference list. Otherwise, you can receive plagiarized work. Create a list of used sources beforehand.
• Set up your research in a plan with an introduction, 3 body sections, and a summing-up.
• Look over the material and start writing.
• Single out the central terms.

After you gathered the necessary information for the investigation, you should create a powerful thesis statement. In a nutshell, it is a brief explanation of your central viewpoint. Remember not to argue and criticize but to disclose the facts.

A great thesis statement summarizes everything you are going to tell in your essay.

For instance:

Harry Potter is a film about a boy who learns to perform magic and his adventures in a school of witchcraft.

After the sources are handled, it’s time for the outline.

Outlining

The plan for an explanatory essay can be different according to the problem depth and the evidence you are going to present. But according to the formatting, their length is usually one or a couple of pages.

The introduction will present the topic and the thesis statement to the readers. The body paragraphs follow it, supporting the thesis statement with proof, stats, logic, etc. The conclusion will sum up the crucial ideas and give a general closing statement. Let’s have a closer look at each structural element.

Introduction

The perfect intro involves 3 central components: a hook, basic information, and a thesis statement. It is the opening to the whole essay content. First of all, you need to interest the reader in the topic. You can include an unusual fact, statistics, quote, or anything out-of-the-box related to the topic. It should be intriguing and interesting even for those readers who are not familiar with the topic.

After that, include some information related to the topic. Ensure the readers want to follow it. And at the end, include a thesis statement to direct the focus of your writing. Ensure your introduction doesn’t involve any confusing points.

Body Paragraphs

If your topic is not too general, there are three paragraphs in the body, each with a different approach. But they need to have identical informative style and support one viewpoint. Explain the information from the introduction thoroughly. Use a transition to move from one idea to another smoothly and interestingly. Optionally, you can involve the counterarguments.

In the beginning, add the strongest evidence that backs up the thesis statement. In the end, add a summarizing statement that is related to the thesis statement. Ensure the connection between paragraphs is obvious and readers can effortlessly understand it. Be systematic, logical while completing the body. All the arguments should have a clear cause-and-effect connection. Ensure your evidence covers all the possible readers’ questions. One paragraph should introduce a single idea.

Conclusion

There are three essential elements of any conclusion. First of all, retell your thesis statement in different terms. This will highlight the central purpose of your investigation again. Next, summarize all the supporting evidence and include it after the rephrased thesis. Be attentive and don’t repeat yourself. Add only necessary information so that the points in the conclusion looked condensed. Don’t involve any new ideas in this part.

And at the very end, add the summarizing statement. It should show the global importance of the certain idea presented. You can also encourage your audience to further investigation the problem. If you did all of the mentioned above, your essay is completed.

Here is what your outline should be like:

Intro

• An engagement;
• Information opening the idea;
• Thesis statement.

Body paragraphs (As a rule, 3 of them)

• The first and the strongest proof;
• The following arguments backed up by references;
• Joining the proof to the viewpoint;
• Summarizing every paragraph by showing the significance.

Conclusion

• Rewriting the thesis statement;
• Summarizing all the evidence in a few sentences;
• Wrapping up and making a concluding impression;
• Encouraging further investigations.

Making it perfect

Now that you are familiar with the structure and outline, there are other things to take into account. Follow these pieces of advice to improve the overall quality of your assignment.

EnsuCheck and Make Adjustmentsre everything is clear

Keep in mind that the piece you are dealing with is explaining. It should provide extensive information on the topic with clear examples. The audience should comprehend your writing effortlessly. Don’t leave any space for doubts or reader questions. Don’t confuse your audience and present a straightforward explanation of a problem.

Check and Make Adjustments

Mistakes are the most undesirable things in any piece of writing. They immediately spoil the overall impression. Check the completed essay for all kinds of mistakes and errors via specialized tools. Check it twice until you can guarantee flawless content.

Get a Fresh Look

Once you have completed and reviewed your writing, the job isn’t over. Your work may seem perfect to you, but it is a subjective opinion. Ask somebody else to read it. Ask anyone from mom to friend. Then ask if the subject is understandable and presented logically. Take into account all their comments and improve your piece. If you don’t have such a person, just put your essay aside for a few days and then give it a fresh look. You will be surprised with how many adjustments it requires.

Explanatory essay sample

The Benefits of Living in a Private House

Living in a private house is a trend in the last few years. (hook) Lots of people move out of the city to suburban areas to live in a private house. (background info) This lifestyle is preferred by couples with children and big families. (thesis statement)

The statistics show that people who live in private houses are happier with the living conditions. (idea 1) Beyond any doubt, a private house with a territory offers more space for each family member. It is better for children as each of them can have a separate room and they can play in the yard without going somewhere. Many parents even equip playgrounds for their kids. (supporting details)

Moreover, the private house gives you more independence. (idea 2)You can even throw parties at night without worries about your neighbors. You can do almost anything you want on your private territory. (supporting details)

Another advantage for many is your own parking place for a car. (idea 3) However, a private car is a must-have if you decide to live in a suburban area. (supporting details) Living in a private house requires more responsibilities, but it also gives you the feeling of independence, and you are like in your own castle. (conclusion)

When choosing where to live for a young family, a private house is the most attractive option. (rephrased statement) It has many benefits for every family member, more space and freedom. (summarizing the ideas) But how long is this tendency going to last? (encouraging)

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Start an Explanatory Essay?

The introduction is the opening part of any essay. Making a great introduction is a half job. But it shouldn’t be written first. We suggest moving on to it after everything else is completed. You need something interesting to interest the audience and make them read the whole piece. After the hook, there should be background info and a thesis statement at the end. Here are useful phrases on starting this paragraph;

• In the past years, (sth) has become a …
• We can observe the growing demand for (sth)…
• (Sth) is considered a great way to…
• No research has been investigated…

You can use these models and adjust them to your essay.

Can You Give an Example of an Explanatory Essay?

We provided an example of an explanatory essay with the instructions above. Follow them to create your excellent piece. Or there is another option for students from our website. If you lack time for completing this assignment, you can turn to our professional writing help. Our website is a provider of custom academic writing services. 

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