Expository Essay – Definition, Structure, Tips & Examples | How do you Write an Expository Essay?

An expository essay is structural academic writing that uses and presents the facts to elucidate a certain topic. This essay writing form provides a neutral point of view and is not biased or focused on proving a theory false. Let’s understand it in detail.

There are many types of essays that have some other thing in common. It could be the structure and the language, whereas some essays are quite different from each other. Mostly, in terms of the genre, the essays are informational, general, and educational, on some debated issues, literary essays.

Some are essays that explain certain topics, events, or concepts to readers. And these kinds of essays are called expository essays. This type of essay demands in-depth research on an idea, evaluation of the evidence, expounding the idea, and setting a conclusive argument concerning the idea clearly and crisply.

What is an Expository Essay?

An expository essay is the type of essay that demands a good depth of research and exploration on a particular subject matter. It is a well-structured write-up that is based on an objective argument. The literal meaning of the word is self-explanatory- EXPOSitory- the article or essay which exposes anything.

While writing this essay, one needs to make a deep study of any topic, to open or expose any information on a topic backed by facts and figures. The expository essay writing process involves research and critical analysis skills one should be able to present a fact-based sensible argumentative essay.

Types of Expository Essay

The main purpose of writing an expository essay is to create a balanced, objectified, and described essay piece for the readers on certain topics. The format of the expository essay has logical and sensible information on any topic (concerned) that provides either the writer’s personal opinion on the topic or evinced the point. Moreover, this is the most professional type of writing therefore this skill is valuable in the case of writing papers too.

There are mainly 5 types of expository essay writing. Before writing an expository essay, one should know what are the genres and domains best suited for the essay writing. The five types of essays are as follows:

  1. Cause and effect essay: As the name suggests clearly, the cause and effect essay is a type of expository essay which explains the causes or reasons for an event or phenomenon. While writing it should be taken care that, only facts are presented and there is a relationship between causes and effects.
  2. Compare and contrast essay: The central idea of writing the compare and contrast essay is to drive out the similarities and the differences between the two subjects. It could be a historical period, people, or phenomena.
  3. Descriptive essay: descriptive or describing or defining. All are the same, similarly, these types of essays are meant to describe any place, event, or phenomenon.
  4. Problem and solution essay: These types of essays, pick out the problem and provide a solution to it. Sounds decisive, but not. The writing style for the problem and solution essay follows like putting up a problem, writing a solution for it and simultaneously providing the pros and cons, and letting readers be the judge for them. This type of essay talks about an issue and intends to provide a possible solution to it.
  5. Process essay: Process essays are those which explain some kind of processes being performed. Also better known as the how-to essay, can be easily explained if the steps are provided in the article.

Read Similar: Personal Essay

How to Write Expository Essay?

  • Outline of the essay: It is important to jot down the bullets or the main important pointers to writing a long piece of article. get all the resources nearby and start the research, rainstorm and create a minor outline of the essay and accordingly the paragraphs. And always remember that the best person to write an expository essay is the third person.
  • Introductory Paragraph: The first impression is the last; hence the first paragraph should be quite catchy and hooking. The core of the essay should be clear in the first two lines and there should be fillers that engage the reader till the end.
  • Three-Body Paragraphs: Too-long essays are boring and are less engaging. Therefore at most, the essay should contain three paragraphs. Every paragraph should hold some distinct issue that supports the topic and is backed by the facts. Make sure to use factual information to support your essay to maintain the point of view.
  • Concluding Paragraph: Nothing new, long story short. The conclusion should contain all the information already displayed previously in a very concise manner.

Expository Essay Topics Examples

Social Issues Topics

  1. Reasons behind students taking a gap year in college.
  2. What are double standards and the main triggers that cause their manifestation?
  3. Reasons behind the rise in teenage pregnancy?
  4. The connection between stress and hunger?

Education Topics

  1. The impact of early education on children’s mental development.
  2. Importance and benefits of learning foreign languages?
  3. Online schooling v/s traditional schooling?
  4. What are the influences of poor literacy on a human’s life?

Check out for different Essay Writing Topics Ideas and learn the structure, format, tips on how to write one.

FAQs on Expository Essay

1. What is the maximum length of an expository essay?

An expository essay is a broad form of writing whose length may vary depending on the subject/topic.

2. When can an expository essay be written?

It is a professional form of essay writing which can be practiced by students and writers.

3. In argumentative essay and expository essay which is easier?

An argumentative essay involves a long writing form and aims to make a real argument on a topic, whereas, the expository essay aims to be objective but not real arguments. So both are easy at their respective places.

4. What is the most important part of an expository essay?

The thesis statement or the central statement is the most important part of an expository essay.

Conclusion

An expository essay allows a writer and at the same time the reader to explore and present thought in a detailed, and descriptive manner. It has five types and is neutral. The important factor that makes your expository essay one in may is that it has to be proofread thoroughly and polished with no errors.

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