How to create an expository essay
Expository essays are essays that need an explanation of an idea together with the investigation and argumentation. To handle it correctly, you need to collect ideas on a piece of paper. Put down the necessary information and let your imagination flow as you make an outline. To make an assignment complete, study the guidelines and your teacher’s instructions.
Another important feature of an expository essay is the future audience. You may be surprised to know you really should consider their expectations and exceed them in terms of introduction and thesis statement. Of course, you cannot always predict the reader’s reaction, but submitting to their needs will enhance your writing performance and satisfy your teacher.
Collecting information
Once you’ve decided to write an expository essay, there are several tips that can help you gather the concepts together to create a unique picture:
- Generate ideas for the expository essay. You can broaden the list and add topics as you go – just remember you will need to regroup the similar ideas and shape them into paragraphs later. If your paper lacks creativity, try brainstorming as an alternative. This way, you will ensure important details are included.
- This is a popular technique for an expository essay. All you have to do is let your imagination run free for ten minutes. You can jot down everything that comes to mind and later edit it according to the teacher’s requirements. Reviewing is also important as you leave the unnecessary information out and accentuate the main ideas.
- For this, you will need to draw a circle and a few lines, extending from it. The lines symbolize the ideas, while the circle represents the thesis statement. After you finish adding ideas, reread the clusters and see what you can use for a future paper.
- Question. On a piece of paper, write questions you would like to ask regarding your work. You can answer them directly or leave space to fill out later. Either way, you will be able to assess your work and give an extended response once you know the assignment.
Outlining an essay. Reliable sources
If you are full of ideas and your expository essay is almost finished, it’s time to make an outline. For those who think it is a waste of time, we have a reasonable explanation: a decent outline helps you determine the structure of the work and make it concise, which is important for college and high school students.
Focus on the importance of the background information. This will help the reader understand the structure of your essay and make it look concise. Do not make your expository paper too lengthy or wordy – it will ruin the impression for the reader and for the teacher, who provided you with the necessary guidelines.
Anytime you decide to use sources from the Internet, check their reliability and authenticity. Also, make sure you know the authors and don’t end up confusing their names when you defend your work. It’s better to pick sources that are available to the general public, yet easily pronounced and written, otherwise you may fall into a trap of misusing them every time you have to voice your opinion on the paper.
In the process of collecting information, it is important to outline the main paragraphs. Highlighting is the best technique when it comes to creating an expository essay and you can’t go wrong with a notebook. Also, do not forget to indicate the authors if you have to use quotations. You can do it by gathering material on the publishing house. This is vital for your future bibliography as you follow the instructions and start formatting your paper according to the guidelines.