UNIT IV

Communication for Various Purposes

Lesson 1
 At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of the explanation essay; and,

Write an explanation essay of at least 500 words on a topic of your choice.

WRITING AN EXPLANATION ESSAY

An explanatory essay is a type of writing in which the author presents some point of view on a
certain topic, event or situation. This view does not necessarily have to be one that the writer agrees
with, but it must have some research and logic to make it feasible.

Explanatory essays show other people’s views or give reports of a certain event or situation.
These are common in majors like history or journalism, where students explore facts and real
situations, giving unbiased explanations based on facts and evidence.

Usually, as an author you will decide upon a set topic; then you will approach the issue from a
specific angle. This angle is typically complicated, giving it room for discussion. At this point, you must
present a point of view of your choice that sufficiently explains why a certain outcome was reached.

A mistake that many writers make comes from the belief that they are defending one side of an
argument in a debate or criticizing some perspective.

Rather, explanatory writing is all about presenting a neutral point of view on the set topic by
providing analysis from research and logically created self-theory. The overall goal is to clear up any
confusion and present a lucid explanation as to why things happened the way they did. After finishing
the essay, the reader should have a clear understanding of your idea, even if they disagree with it.

EXPLANATORY ESSAY TOPICS

Usually, explanatory essay topics are pre-assigned to students. For example, a student can be
asked to outline the events that led to World War II, or explain how computers work.

If you are told to pick a topic by yourself, remember that explanatory essays are unbiased and
based on facts. Therefore, it is recommended to pick a neutral and non-controversial topic which you
can explain thoroughly. The more controversial the topic, the more points of view you’ll explore in
your essay, making it more complicated.

Almost any topic, event or idea can be described through an explanatory essay; here are a couple
of explanatory essay topics to get you started:

 What were the key causes of the American Civil War?

From slavery to states rights and the aggravating feeling of power loss, this has been a
question yet to be adequately answered.
 How does depression affect the development of young children and teenagers?
Depression affects many people in various ways. From physical changes in diet to mental
jumps in the form of mood swings, this topic still has much to uncover.


  How has the overall development of technology impacted schools?
Although technology has significantly simplified lives for the entire world, has it brought with it a
sen of laziness and reliance. Can it be considered as an addictive drug?
 What positive and negative impacts have come from social media in today’s society?
Social media has turned everybody into a keyboard warrior nowadays. It does allow people to
spread their thoughts and ideas freely, but what about the negative repercussions?

HOW TO START AN EXPLANATORY ESSAY. PRE-WRITING STEPS

Before getting into the writing process of an explanatory paper, you must not forget to do
proper research and data collection. This essay relies heavily on solid research and data. Make sure
to note down all the important information from your sources and use it as evidence in your essay.

Remember, the point of view being presented must be a combination of personal ideas and
external information — only then your thoughts properly validated. So research your topic and find
multiple sources that defend your thoughts.

Pick a neutral topic which you’d like to explain thoroughly.

Find your sources; look to online journals like Google Scholar, or JSTOR. Or find relevant
books in your college library to use as primary sources.
Prepare your research; write down relevant facts or quotes. Don’t forget to keep track of the
sources as you’d have to cite them later.
Organize your research into a paper outline, with an introduction, three main body paragraphs,
and a conclusion.
Review material and begin writing.

After collecting the required information, the next and most important step is to create an
explanatory thesis. This statement lays down a concise version of your overall point of view about the
topic. In other words, you are explaining what you will be showing to your audience. Remember, you
are not arguing or criticizing, just merely stating facts.

EXPLANATORY ESSAY OUTLINE

The outline of an explanatory essay will vary based on the length of the topic and the
information you are trying to present. However, based on the explanatory essay format, most essays
tend to be a page or two in length, so the overall essay will be around 5 paragraphs long.

The introduction will present the subject of discussion to the reader and the explanatory thesis.
The body paragraphs will then follow, backing up the thesis statement with facts, logic, statistics, etc.
Lastly, the conclusion will summarize the main points of your essay and should present an overall
concluding statement. Now, let’s break down each section into more detail.

EXPLANATORY ESSAY INTRODUCTION

The explanatory essay introduction is made up of three main components: a hook, background
information and a thesis statement. It serves as a gateway for the actual content of the essay. First of
all, just like with most types of essays, get the reader interested in the topic by presenting a hook
statement. This can be an interesting fact, relevant quote, or anything that would captivate the
audience's attention.

Afterward, offer any necessary background information that may not seem like general
knowledge. This will help paint a clear picture for the reader to follow. Lastly, add the explanatory
thesis at the end to fixate the focus of your essay. This should eliminate any confusion about what will
be discussed in the body.
THE BODY PARAGRAPHS

Most likely, unless the topic is very in-depth, the body should contain three paragraphs, each
with their point of approach. However, the general style of each body paragraph is identical. First of
all, present a topic sentence that precisely explains what information you will be introducing. At the
same time, this sentence should smoothly transition the writing from the previous point to the next.

Afterward, present a position or claim that directly supports the thesis. It’s important to make
sure that the connection is evident, so the audience can easily connect the dots. Then, present the
evidence found from the research you have done. This will validate your claim and enforce your
position. Lastly, present a concluding statement that summarizes the significance of the claim in
regards to the thesis statement. Follow this systematic approach three times for each one of your
claims to complete your body.

EXPLANATORY ESSAY CONCLUSION

When writing the conclusion, three main components are crucial to properly finishing an
explanatory essay. First of all, restate your thesis statement. This will bring the audience's attention
back to the main focal point as well as add strength to your presented point of view.

Next, make sure to summarize your three supporting points presented in the body paragraphs
accordingly. It’s essential to restate the significance of each one concisely. This will show you that
you have logically and correctly defended your explanatory thesis, increasing the strength of your
overall writing.

Last but not least, offer an overall concluding statement. This should explain the value of the
specific point of view chosen from a global perspective. Leave your readers with a call to action,
instinctively captivating them to study the subject further on. Once you have done that, you are almost
finished with your explanatory essay.

Overall, your explanatory essay outline is going to look like this:

Introduction
 An attention grabber; a hook.
 Background information, presenting all sides of the argument.
 Thesis statement.
Body (Three paragraphs)
 Identify the first argument with a topic sentence.
 Provide evidence for this topic sentence using your sources.
 Explain the evidence; connect it to your argument.
 Conclude each paragraph by solidifying your argument and explaining why it’s important.
 Use the conclusion to flow into the next paragraph.
Conclusion
 Restate the thesis statement.
 Sum up all the arguments and topic sentences of your essay.
 Wrap the essay up with a conclusion and leave the audience with a final impression.
Polishing It Up
Before confidently submitting in your final work, make sure to take a couple of proactive steps
to tie the knot around your essay.
Check the Clarity
Since the primary goal of an explanatory essay is to elucidate a topic or event, you want to
ensure that your explanatory writing clearly explains and simplifies the comprehension level for the
reader. The last thing you want is for your audience to be confused after reading the essay,
questioning the overall point you were trying to make.
Reread and Edit
The worst thing a writer can offer is pesky grammatical and word usage mistakes that kill the
eloquence of the text. Reread the essay several times and make sure it runs smoothly like a Sunday
morning creek.

Get a Second Pair of Eyes

Just because you’re writing may make sense to you, does not mean that Bob down the street
will understand it. Have friends, acquaintances or teachers read over your essay to give it some final
touch-ups and adjustments. Or delegate this task to the Essay Pro team.
Source: https://essaypro.com/blog/explanatory-essay

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8
Writing My Essay!
Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________
Program/Year/Section: ________________________

Write an explanation essay on any topic of your choice. You may need to do some research about
the topic in order to better explain it. The essay must be at least 500 words long and is organized
as follows:
 Introduction- one or two paragraph
 Body- at least three paragraph
 Conclusion- One or two paragraph
Your essay will be marked using the following rubric:
CONTENT 10
Have you substantially explained the phenomenon you chose to POINTS
explain? Did you provide convincing and adequate support for
your explanations?
ORGANIZATION 6
Have you arranged the main points of your essay clearly and POINTS
logically? Are there order and logic in the ideas you presented in
each paragraph and in the entire essay?
LANGUAGE AND MECHANICS 4
Did you observed proper use of language forms (grammar) and POINTS
mechanics (Punctuation, capitalization, etc.)?
TOTAL 20
POINTS