Expository essays are often assigned in academic settings. In an
expository essay you need to consider an idea, investigate the idea,
explain the idea, and then make an argument. While it may seem overwhelming, writing an expository essay is easy if you take it one step at a time.
Define your purpose for writing. Think about why you are writing an expository essay. Jot down some of the reasons why you are writing an expository essay and what you hope to do with your completed essay.
Consider your audience. Think about who will be reading your expository essay. Consider the needs and expectations of your readers before your begin writing. Jot down some of the things that you will need to keep in mind about your readers when you are writing a good expository essay.
Generate ideas for your expository essay. Before you begin writing your essay, you should take some time to flesh out your ideas and get some things down on paper. Invention activities like listing, freewriting, clustering, and questioning can help you to develop ideas for your expository essay.
Try listing. List all your ideas for your expository essay. Then look over the list you have made and group similar ideas together. Expand those lists by adding more ideas or by using another prewriting activity.
Read your sources well. Make sure that you understand what the author is saying. Take time to look up words and concepts that you do not understand. Otherwise, you might end up misreading and misusing your sources.
Develop your tentative thesis. Effective thesis statements express the main focus of a paper and state an arguable claim. A thesis should not be more than one sentence in length. Make sure your thesis is arguable. Do not state facts or matters of taste. For example, "George Washington was the first president of the United States," is not a good thesis because it states a fact. Likewise, "Die Hard is a great movie," is not a good thesis because it expresses a matter of taste.
Provide context. Provide enough background information or context to guide your readers through your essay. Think about what your readers will need to know to understand the rest of your essay. Provide this information in your first paragraph.
Determine how many paragraphs to include. The most common length for an expository essay is five-paragraphs, but an expository essay can be longer than that. Refer to your assignment guidelines or ask your instructor if you are unsure about the required length of your paper.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. It should introduce one piece of supporting evidence that supports your thesis.
Restate and rephrase your thesis. The first sentence of your concluding paragraph should restate your thesis. But you should not just restate your thesis. You should also say what the evidence you have provided has added to your thesis.
Offer a final thought or call to action. Use your last sentence to make a final statement about your topic. This last part of your final paragraph is your opportunity to say what should happen next. You can offer a solution or ask a new question about your topic.
Planning Your Essay
Define your purpose for writing. Think about why you are writing an expository essay. Jot down some of the reasons why you are writing an expository essay and what you hope to do with your completed essay.
Consider your audience. Think about who will be reading your expository essay. Consider the needs and expectations of your readers before your begin writing. Jot down some of the things that you will need to keep in mind about your readers when you are writing a good expository essay.
- If you are writing your essay for a class assignment, consider what your instructor will expect you to include in your essay.
Generate ideas for your expository essay. Before you begin writing your essay, you should take some time to flesh out your ideas and get some things down on paper. Invention activities like listing, freewriting, clustering, and questioning can help you to develop ideas for your expository essay.
Try listing. List all your ideas for your expository essay. Then look over the list you have made and group similar ideas together. Expand those lists by adding more ideas or by using another prewriting activity.
Read your sources well. Make sure that you understand what the author is saying. Take time to look up words and concepts that you do not understand. Otherwise, you might end up misreading and misusing your sources.
Develop your tentative thesis. Effective thesis statements express the main focus of a paper and state an arguable claim. A thesis should not be more than one sentence in length. Make sure your thesis is arguable. Do not state facts or matters of taste. For example, "George Washington was the first president of the United States," is not a good thesis because it states a fact. Likewise, "Die Hard is a great movie," is not a good thesis because it expresses a matter of taste.
Introducing Your Essay
Begin with an engaging sentence that gets right into your topic.
Your introduction should immediately begin discussing your topic. Think
about what you will discuss in your essay to help you determine what
you should include in your introduction. Keep in mind that your
introduction should identify the main idea of your expository essay and
act as a preview to your essay.
Provide context. Provide enough background information or context to guide your readers through your essay. Think about what your readers will need to know to understand the rest of your essay. Provide this information in your first paragraph.
Expressing Your Main Points
Determine how many paragraphs to include. The most common length for an expository essay is five-paragraphs, but an expository essay can be longer than that. Refer to your assignment guidelines or ask your instructor if you are unsure about the required length of your paper.
- A five-paragraph essay should include three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should discuss a piece of supporting evidence that supports your thesis.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. It should introduce one piece of supporting evidence that supports your thesis.
Concluding Your Essay
Restate and rephrase your thesis. The first sentence of your concluding paragraph should restate your thesis. But you should not just restate your thesis. You should also say what the evidence you have provided has added to your thesis.
- For example, if your original thesis was, "Dogs used by the United States Marine Corps during WWII played a significant role in the Pacific theater,” then your restated thesis might be something like, “Dogs of all breeds and sizes had an important and honored role to play in WWII, especially in the Pacific theater.”
Summarize and review your main ideas. Take one
sentence to summarize each main piece of supporting evidence, as
presented in your essay's body. You should not introduce any new
information in your conclusion. Revisit your most compelling claims and
discuss how they all support your main point.
Offer a final thought or call to action. Use your last sentence to make a final statement about your topic. This last part of your final paragraph is your opportunity to say what should happen next. You can offer a solution or ask a new question about your topic.
- Explain how the topic affects the reader
- Explain how your narrow topic applies to a broader theme or observation
- Call the reader to action or further exploration on the topic
- Present new questions that your essay introduced
