Things You Need to Know Before You Start Your Expository Essay

To start with, expository writing is not a simple task. If you have been assigned to this kind of paper, be ready to spend many hours in the library over the books. To compose a well-written expository essay, you need both to investigate and research a lot of information, as well as find and compare evidence and formulate an argument.

It is also vitally important to have a clear idea of what you are going to talk about in your essay. Like that, you will be able to build a strong argument and provide your audience with understandable and convincing explanations. Make sure that the topic you are going to discuss is really interesting for you and you are knowledgeable about it. Otherwise, it will not be possible to develop it to the full.

It is also possible to use additional information and references based on your personal life experience, but be careful about that: it must not be the only source used in your paper!

What is an Expository Essay? Its Structure and Writing Hints

To make it clear how to write a proper expository essay, let’s figure out first what it actually is.

Well, an expository essay is the kind of essay that requires you to make some investigation on a certain idea, find convincing evidence and evaluate them, and also state the essence of this idea. You will also have to put forward an argument and make it clear and easy to understand.

The good news is that the basic structure of an expository essay is the same as for any other essay. It also consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion. And now, let’s take a closer look at those.

1. Introduction.

This is the first part of your paper, so it must catch the readers’ attention and make them interested in reading the whole essay till the end. It is here that you need to put your thesis statement, so make sure that it is clear, brief and laconic. Your thesis statement is the piece that keeps all the work together and makes it connected. When writing an introduction, remember to keep it short but informative.

2. Your essay’s body

This is the main part. The body of an expository essay must consist of 4 – 5 paragraphs at least and present the analysis of your research followed by the findings you have made. Here you can also support your main idea with evidence.

To make the body part of your essay logically built, keep in mind that each paragraph of it must express only one general idea. This idea has to be supported well enough, which also matters. In the end, provide an explanation of why the information you give here is important and plays a significant role.

One more important thing about the body is that each paragraph must have a logical connection to the thesis statement. It will make your whole essay well balanced.

3. Conclusion

This part is not less important than the others, because it shapes people’s impression of your whole paper.

In your conclusion, you need to present an overview of all the information you have given above, as well as prove the importance of your research. Make it all short and informative, otherwise, the conclusion will not be efficient. And remember: never add any new information or claims in your conclusion!

Some More Things to Remember

To make your essay even better, make sure that you have remembered about the following:

1. Use transitions between the parts of your essay

Like that, it will be well-structured, besides, transitions will help the readers to follow your thought and logic.

2. Be creative

An essay is academic writing, but it doesn’t mean that you must stick to the formal style completely. Of course, you must not use anecdotes here, but adding some interesting information would be just the right thing. Eventually, you want to make your readers interested, right?

3. Pay attention to the details

The readers will see the details from your point of view and your position. That’s why it is crucial to use unquestionable supportive evidence and facts.

All these tips are supposed to help you with your essay writing. However, if you are not sure about your paper quality, it would be useful to go on the internet and find several expository essay examples in order to see how it shall be written.