No matter what your academic level, writing assignments are an integral part of the studying process. Professors prefer to give students essays because it is the best way to test their knowledge of the subject and develop writing and researching skills. One of the popular types of papers is an explanatory essay that is known for its special features.
Unfortunately, for some students, this paper can become a real problem if they do not know its rules of writing. Even choosing explanatory essay topics is not an easy task. Perhaps you are looking at a blank sheet of paper and do not know how to start? What explanatory essay format should you choose? Do not worry, as this article will help you. We have gathered the best tips from professionals on how to write an explanatory essay to get a high score. We have even prepared an explanatory essay example to help you understand this type of paper better. But first, let's give an explanatory essay definition.
Explanatory Essay Definition
When students receive this type of paper, their first question is, “What is an explanatory essay?” It is a paper where a student has to express his/her point of view on a specific topic. The writer acts as an informant who should collect enough facts and evidence and present them in a paper.
The common mistake of many students is when they start to criticize a certain point of view and try to convince the reader of their rightness. The style of the explanatory essay should be neutral because you just need to analyze the situation or event and give explanations. Hence, this paper is very popular in such subjects as literature, history, foreign languages, or sociology.
At first sight, the paper seems quite simple, but many students fail in explaining a concept essay ideas and do not notice how they start to defend their point of view and persuade the readers. So, the main thing that you should remember that the purpose of the paper is to inform the reader and allow him/her to form a personal point of view regarding a topic. Consequently, this writing assignment can be time-consuming because you need to gather enough information and structure a paper correctly.
Explanatory Essay Topics: Examples and Tips on How to Choose a Winning Topic
In most cases, professors assign topics to test students' knowledge of a particular field or theme. However, if you do not have a definite explanatory essay topic and you can pic it on your own, then you are the lucky one because it can greatly facilitate the writing process. So read the following tips on how to choose a good topic for an explanatory essay:
- Choose something interesting for you. It helps to prevent postponing the writing process and spend more time to find enough information. Besides, students who write essays on the topic they are interested in usually show the best results.
- Choose a neutral topic. We recommend that you give preference to neutral and less controversial topics. Otherwise, you will face many problems explaining a concept essay ideas because of the huge amount of information and facts that are difficult to structure. If you choose a neutral topic, then you will spend less time on research, and you will be able to explain thoroughly.
- Make sure there is enough information. The peculiarity of the explanatory essay is that it is based on facts and evidence. So, before choosing a topic, make sure that there are enough sources for your paper.
We have also prepared a few explanatory essay topics that may interest you:
- Cyberbullying or so-called “trolling” is a serious problem of the 21st century.
- It is time to pay more attention to environmental issues and take serious measures.
- The impact of social media and the Internet on language.
- Should we say "I love you" to the parents every day?
- Depression is a disease of modernity.
Five Main Prewriting Steps for a Successful Explanatory Essay
Step 1 - Do a brainstorm. Look at your topic and think carefully about what you would like to write about. What ideas do you have? What do you need to pay attention to? What do you know about this topic? Why is this topic important and interesting to other people? Do you know any interesting facts about it? Having answered these questions, you will understand what information you should look for.
Step 2 - Gather information. After a small brainstorming session, it is time to do in-depth research. Your explanatory essay ideas should be based on reliable information. Hence, you need to collect enough facts, evidence, and statistics. Analyze information and highlight the main ideas, rephrase, and write down quotes, do quality data collection.
Step 3 - Read enough examples of papers. Even after reading enough paper writing guides and tips, you can still have difficulties, especially if it is your first explanatory essay. Therefore, we advise you to read examples of these papers on your subject, paying attention to the form and presentation of ideas. It is best to find an explanatory essay example with explanations to understand the structure of the paper better.
Step 4 - Define an explanatory essay format. If a professor did not provide requirements, then you should pay attention to the amount of information collected and determine the length of your paper. It usually takes 1 or 1.5 pages and contains about 5 paragraphs.
Step 5 - Make an explanatory essay outline. Having done these four prewriting steps, you should create a plan for your paper. It has three main parts as an introduction, the main body (about three paragraphs), and a conclusion.
Select the most interesting facts and organize them logically. Write down some ideas on how you would like to start and finish your paper. Do not forget about your explanatory thesis statement, as it is an essential part of the paper.
Explanatory Essay Outline: Get High Score for a Paper
The final score is greatly dependent on the structure of the paper. Unfortunately, most students neglect this part of the writing process. At first sight, it seems that all assignments have a similar structure, but there are special features of the explanatory essay which you should follow. Let's take a look at the right explanatory essay outline:
- Introduction. First, you should interest the reader and make a hook. Secondly, introduce the topic to a reader with some background information. Thirdly, do an explanatory thesis to present your point of view and give an idea of what will be discussed in the essay.
- The main body. As we wrote above, it usually contains 3 paragraphs, and each of them provides a new fact. Their structure is the same. You present a topic sentence that supports a thesis, confirm it with evidence, and make a concluding statement.
- Conclusion. In this part of the paper, you should rephrase the thesis, summarize the information provided in the main body, and make a concluding statement that calls for action.
Now, pay attention to an explanatory essay example from our experts below.
Explanatory Essay Example
More attention needs to be paid to the men's world
Today, feminism thrives, and one in three women supports this movement. More and more celebrities post videos and tweets on this social topic. Women got their revolution, and now they break stereotypes and defend their life choices. But what about men? Is everything in their lives so perfect? In fact, this so-called "world of power and money" also needs a revolution to reduce the pressure that men have been suffered since birth.
Being a little boy, parents impose the gender role of being strong and bold. We often can hear how they say "boys do not cry". According to a sociological survey by Elizabeth Plank, the main problem is that men suffer from pressure to perform the mask of masculinity. Even it can be a serious reason to pay more attention to men’s issues.
Besides, society stays silent about men's worries and insecurities, as well as the absence of a person to discuss it with. The UK study shows that there are actually 2.5 million men living in the UK with no close friends. Given the fact of social pressure, it becomes a serious problem.
Perhaps men should talk more to each other and discuss their issues or brag about achievements. However, even in this case, we face a problem like the lack of masculine space or the presence of stereotypes. Men can not have dinner at a restaurant, because it is only for women. According to public opinion, their activities are playing golf, going to soccer matches, and drinking in bars. But maybe it is time to change something?
As you can see, the men's world is not perfect and is also full of stereotypes that dictate how to live, dress, and behave. It seems that we need to defend the men's interests, and gender problem is not only a "women's issue".
Three Useful Tips from Our Experts to Write a Perfect Explanatory Essay
- The successful essay starts with an introduction. Try to hook the attention of a reader and use a quote, an unusual fact, or bold opinion. But it should be relevant to your explanatory thesis.
- Provide different kinds of supporting details. To improve the quality of a paper, use not only facts but also data from studies and surveys, different statistics, quotes.
- Use linking words. They help connect the sentences and present facts in an effective manner. Use some linking words and phrases to make an explanatory essay sound better.