What is an expository essay? According to Webster, expository essay “uses illustrations from related materials in order to convey a literary or scientific information”. In other words, an expository essay consists of a text, literature, or other data and is written to support a particular point of view or to persuade the reader to adopt a certain attitude. An expository essay may present a problem, answer a question, explain the background of an idea, defend or explain a concept, describe a process, present an event, show the results of an experiment, or offer some other sort of proof or explanation.
Since an expository essay has no specific subject, readers are left to analyze the meaning of the text on their own. An expository essay can contain any number of sentences and paragraphs that support one or more points of view. In fact, some authors choose to include only a single paragraph with an interpretation, example, or proof. Readers will not necessarily accept or understand each sentence; they will simply be left to examine the entire document for meaning and relevance. The purpose of such a text is to persuade the reader to take a particular position, to answer a question, or to accept an explanation.
Because of the lack of specific beginning, end, and conclusion paragraphs in many modern college essays, readers will naturally assume that the essay is an argument, especially in the case of an introductory course on a given topic. One way to overcome this potential confusion is to provide a preliminary discussion of the topic at the start of the essay, whether it begins with a thesis statement or a simple observation. The author’s point of view should then be articulated in terms of evidence or arguments supporting that particular point of view. If the conclusion of the essay challenges the reader to make a comparative analysis or to apply a particular logic, that discussion must be found immediately in the conclusion of the essay, within the body of the text.
The primary reason for including a thesis statement or a strong opinion within the body of the essay is to prove or support a central claim. The author may wish to argue against a fact or idea. Alternatively, he may wish to explain why a fact or idea is the accepted viewpoint instead of another view. He may wish to show that an argument, though unpopular, is correct. He may even wish to illustrate the importance of applying logic to both sides of an issue or disagreement. Whatever the motivation, it is important to provide adequate evidence or support for each of these claims before ending the essay.
The introductory paragraph is the place to begin developing the tone and direction of the remainder of the essay. Each introductory sentence should serve to establish the author’s point of view, to provide evidence supporting that point of view, and to engage the readers’ interest in reading the remainder of the essay. The introduction must not only contain interesting and relevant facts, but must also connect those facts with the rest of the text. The introduction needs to be designed to draw the readers in and to compel them to read the entire essay. A well-written introductory paragraph will have many advantages over a poorly written one.
In addition to having a well-written introduction, a well-written thesis will support and reinforce the rest of the essay. The thesis statement is the main body of the essay. It is usually a short, defining sentence describing the general topic of the essay. The thesis statement may contain a number of individual paragraphs that describe different aspects of the thesis, or it may be a single paragraph incorporating all of the details necessary to support and further the overall theme of the essay.
One of the most important parts of a successful essay is the body of the essay. The body needs to include detailed descriptions of the facts and/or evidence that support the thesis statement. For example, if you are writing an essay about the laws regarding drunk driving, you will likely need to findevidence that people drive while intoxicated. If you want to show that people drive while intoxicated, you will need to find evidence that they are indeed impaired. While this might seem like a simple task, it can be quite difficult to find appropriate evidence for your prompt.
One way to avoid the problem of what is an expository writing is to carefully structure your introductory paragraph. A good rule of thumb is to begin the introduction with a qualifying statement, such as “This essay is based on research given to the University of Michigan.” This will give the readers a little bit of information about who you are and what your background is. They will also know what the purpose of your introduction is, which will give you some breathing room to actually prepare for what is an expository essay. By beginning your introduction with a qualifying statement, you will give the readers a little bit of information without seeming forced, and you will allow time for your introduction to make itself.