EXPLANATION ESSAY

The main function of an explanation essay is to clear up the issue of the research, describe it and reveal the essence of the matter in a brief and coherent way. To make the work easier, apply the following questions to your thesis statement:

What/Who? Why? What for? When? How?

If your essay contains the answers to these questions you are more likely to reveal the topic to the fullest. Before you get started, it is a good idea to make a relative plan, where you state the points you want to mention as a special feature of the matter. It will save time in structuring the main body and forming the conclusion afterwards. Your introduction should tell what you are going to explain and why you chose it as your topic. Your thesis statement should include a bit of all the aspects you mention in your plan and the other structural part of your essay will reveal the details of every aspect. The main body is likely to consist of more than one paragraph. If your thesis statement consists of several aspects, you should evaluate each of them in a separate paragraph. In the main body you have to develop your thoughts backing them up with trustworthy evidence. You have to sound convincing. The main task of this essay is to show that you are knowledgeable in this sphere. A conclusion is a paragraph where you state the definition of the problem you made out of the sources youve used. Your conclusion is a concise summary of the essay; therefore you are to make it logical and solid. Proofread your work a couple of times and make necessary corrections. It is a well-known fact that it is more difficult to proofread yourself than the other person. Ask anyone you respect to do it but if it is impossible, try to be as objective as possible. After all necessary preparations and revision you may be sure that your essay is nicely completed.

How to Write an Explanation Essay

Keep your reference materials with you while you write. Explanation essays are descriptive essays that examine a process, event, or idea and explain how it works or what it is. To write a good explanation essay, the writer must have a clear sense of whom the reader is and maintain an awareness of what that reader will need in order to understand the topic. The writer also has a responsibility to fully address the topic, warts and all, otherwise, the essay will sound like advertising copy. On the other hand, the essay shouldn't sound like an attack, either. Explanation essays are not position papers. Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions
Things You'll Need

Notepaper Pen Reference materials 1.

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1 Brainstorm your topic from the point of view of someone who knows little about about it, if anything, making notes as you think of points that you want to discuss. You can then arrange them into an outline or orderly list from which you will write. Toss out ideas that you realize don't fit.

2 Introduce the topic in the opening paragraph. Include some background or basic facts to orient the reader and a statement of purpose, rather than a thesis, which is not necessary for an explanation essay. A statement of purpose tells the reader what you will be discussing, whereas a thesis tells the reader what you will be arguing. The statement of purpose can also narrow the scope of an explanation essay, so, for example, if your broad topic concerns the nutritional value of vegetables, you can narrow that down to the nutritional value of root vegetables.

3 Develop the body of the essay by devoting an appropriate amount of explanation to each main point. A main point may need only one paragraph or several that are

organized in a logical fashion. Keep in mind that you are explaining something to someone who is unfamiliar with the topic, so you don't want to leave out material that will be necessary for reader comprehension, even if it seems obvious to you, and you do want the reader to see how one point may be the foundation to another. Purdue University's Online Writing Lab recommends that you "always consider and think about your audience."
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4 Transition gracefully between paragraphs and sections. You can play off the last sentence of a paragraph to lead you naturally into the first sentence of the next paragraph. Between sections, you can do the same thing or use section markers, such as Roman numerals or sub-titles.

5 Conclude the essay with a summary of the points you covered or by discussing the importance of the topic or both. Discussing the importance of the topic is a more sophisticated approach, but you must take care not to develop an argument that turns the article into a persuasive essay rather than an explanation essay.