Explanatory Essay Guide; What You Need to Know

An explanatory essay is one of the many types of articles that you have to write throughout your academic life. But just like the other academic essay, a student must understand the purpose of writing.

It is for this reason that our experts from Protuter services will be explaining to you;

Get Your Custom Essay Written From Scratch

We have worked on a similar problem. If you need help click order now button and submit your assignment instructions.

Get Answer Over WhatsApp

Order Paper Now

Just from $13/Page

what’s an explanatory essay, an explanatory essay format, how to write an explanatory essay, and much more?

Therefore, if you are wondering how to write an explanatory essay, read this article to the end.

Before you write any essay, you need to know its meaning. It is after you have understood what an explanatory essay is that you will be in a position to write one perfectly. So, what is an explanatory essay?

What Is an Explanatory Essay?

An explanatory essay is, in short, a paper seeking to explain a given subject in depth. This involves analyzing and evaluating the information of the given topic to help your reader understand it entirely. Therefore, you need thorough research and interpretation of the issue you are writing about since you will need to give a new understanding and not just state facts.

We can also define an explanatory essay as the kind of writing where the author presents some point of view over a given topic, situation, or event. The opinions given can be from different people and not just the writers. You can use or quote several thoughts of others as long as you can make sense of them.

Explanatory writing is primarily helpful in history and journalism majors, where students are required to research facts and real situations while giving clear explanations according to the facts. Remember you are not defending one side of an argument; therefore, be careful not to sound biased in your descriptions.

Therefore, when writing an explanatory essay, the fundamental facts to remember are;

you do not write your opinion but other’s

It would be best if you were not biased in your explanation essay. It would help if you stayed neutral.

Thorough research is required for you to get the facts right

Get your facts right and clear the reader’s confusion

If you strictly follow the above points, you will end up with a paper that a reader will clearly understand, even if they disagree with your idea. Now that you know what an explanatory essay is let’s look at how to write an explanatory essay.

Explanatory Essay Example Topics

Before we embark on how to write your explanatory essay lets, have a look at explanatory essay examples that you may come across. But first, it’s good to understand that your teachers and professors assign the topics, so you don’t have to come up with your subjects. For example, you can be asked to explain the events that led to World War II.

This is not to say that the possibility of your teacher asking you to select a topic. If you are unsure of how to choose or which to subject select, remember we at Protutor are ready to help. We also advise that you take a neutral topic that is non-biased and can be easily explained.

Topics can fall into the following categories:

1. Beginner/Easy Explanatory Essay Topics

These topics are for lower grades from grades 4-5. They are meant for students transitioning from paragraph writing to essay writing. Some examples include

A job for me
An Admirable person
My ideal home
Define what sadness means to you
Describe your first day of school
Who is your favorite parent
What kind of job do you want to do in the future and why?
What’s your favorite food? Do you like it spicy or sweet?

2. Intermediate Explanatory Essay Topics

These are for students from grades 6-8. These are students who have gotten used to writing multiple paragraphs. Examples are;

What is the most important lesson that parents can teach their children?
Describe your favorite sport.
What are your family’s distinctive traditions?
Describe your favorite pets or people
Define responsibility
Tell us about a skill you have that you could teach others.
Is the term “responsibility” the same for adults and children?
Describe what you believe makes someone genuinely wealthy.
What is your favorite location on Earth?
Describe how someone you know (a friend, teacher, or parent) assisted you in becoming a better person.
What is your favorite school subject?
Explain how having a brother influences one’s personality.

3. Advanced Explanatory Topics

These are topics for students in grades 9-12. Here the student can research a given case and give an in-depth explanation.

Some of the topics are;

Describe how cyberbullying can be addressed
What are the moral dilemmas of a character in a piece of literature
Where would you like to go after graduating from high school
What life lessons do you wish you could have known before joining high school
Describe the difference between living and existing
What makes a person generous?
How do you deal with stress caused by financial difficulties?
How do you define a person who has authority?

4. High/College-Level Explanatory Essay

This is where you are now at a higher level in your academics, so the essay topics become complex too. This is where you are expected to give different points of view to ensure that your reader thoroughly understands the idea you are talking about.

Some of the college explanatory essay topics are:

Define the positive and negative effects of the Internet on a person’s personality and life.
What life lessons do you wish you had known five years ago?
Tell about someone in your opinion who has authority and explain why.
Do you believe that expressing all emotions is preferable to concealing them?
Describe the most life-changing experience you’ve had.
How do you deal with financial problems?
Explain the advantages of social media for current pupils.
What makes someone generous?
Describe the technological advancements that have occurred in the recent decade.
Define the distinction between “living” and “existence.”

The above explanatory essay topics are but a few explanatory essays that you expect in your academic journey. The next level is now to write the explanatory essay. Here’s how.

How To Start an Explanatory Essay

Before you get down to writing your explanatory essay, you must do thorough research, as this is the only way you can come up with solid facts and data. The best way to remember your facts well is by noting every point that helps build the essay. A combination of unique ideas and external information is a sure way to validate you’re your thoughts.

So, for you to get started on your explanatory essay, ensure that:

The topic you pick is neutral
Your sources are authentic. Look up information online from a journal like google scholar or use relevant books from your library as primary sources.
You Research well on the topic you will write about and note down all the facts.
Create your explanatory essay outline. Remember it has to include an introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Review to ensure all is covered, and begin writing your explanatory essay.
After you are sure of all the writing requirements, it’s time to prepare your explanatory thesis statement.
An explanatory thesis comprises all the information you intend to write about in your explanatory essay. It clarifies a short version of your overall point on the explanatory essay topic. Remember that you are not arguing but merely stating facts concerning the given topic.

Explanatory Essay Outline

Like other types of essays, an explanatory essay outline must have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

A standard explanatory essay outline has five paragraphs. One paragraph is for the explanatory essay introduction, three for the body, and one last one for the conclusion. As you write your explanatory body, ensure that each section explains one topic.

However, the explanatory essay outline must not be limited to a five-paragraph paper. Your paragraphs can be more or less, depending on the topic you are tackling.

Remember, if you are having issues coming up with a suitable format for your essay, don’t hesitate to reach us at Protutor services for excellent assistance.

1. Explanatory Essay Introduction

The explanatory essay introduction has three parts;

A hook
Background information of the explanatory essay
An explanatory thesis statements.

The introduction is the gateway to the actual content you have researched and are ready to give facts about. You can use relevant and interesting facts about the topic you are writing about. Ensure that your hook is captivating, and it will leave the reader yearning for more on the information you have to offer.

From your research, there must be a little history or background on the chosen topic. You provide some knowledge on the explanatory essay topic of choice in the introduction.

After the background, you now draft your explanatory thesis statement as stated before. The explanatory thesis is a sneak peek of the entire essay in a paragraph. Ensure that the information in your introduction removes confusion about what you intend to write about in the body section.

2. Explanatory Essay Body Paragraphs

Under normal circumstances, if the explanatory essay you are writing does not require in-depth explanations, then you only need to write three paragraphs. However, you are not restricted to three paragraphs. It all depends on how broad the topic you are tackling is.

Every paragraph starts with a topic sentence to let the reader understand what you are writing about, and do not deviate from the topic in the paragraph to avoid confusion.

Ensure the connection between the various topics you introduce is in the body paragraph. This way, your readers will have an easy time connecting the dots.

At this point, you present all the evidence you have collected on the topic you are writing about. Remember, an explanation essay gives opinions and facts, but at the same time, you should make sure that your sentences transition smoothly to the next.

And just like you will be writing a conclusion for the whole essay, it is crucial to write a conclusion sentence for the explanation essay body paragraphs.

You must follow this sequence for all your explanation essay paragraphs to complete your explanatory essay body.

3. How to Write a Conclusion for An Explanatory Essay

After the introduction and the body parts of your explanation essay, you may be wondering how to write a conclusion for an explanatory essay. Note that you have come to the final part of the explanation essay, so you don’t need to relax because you might end up messing things up.

For you to finish beautifully, put these three points into consideration.

Restate the explanatory thesis statement bringing the readers back to attention concerning the facts you have presented in the whole paper.
Summarize the three or more supporting points in the explanatory essay body paragraphs. State the importance of every issue you have highlighted in the body section.
Finally, offer a concluding statement explaining the value of your chosen point from the worldwide view.
Don’t forget to leave a call to action. This will motivate readers to research and study the subject further.

How To Write an Explanatory Essay

It is not surprising that most students have a problem with how to write an explanatory essay. And it’s for this reason that we will walk you through the process of writing one without a hitch. So far, you know what is required of you before you begin to write the essay. Without wasting more time, here is how to write an explanatory essay that will leave your reader happy and satisfied.

Make Use of Transitions and Linking Words.

This will help you quickly move from one sentence or paragraph to another without losing focus. Some of the explanatory essay examples of transition words are;

For instance
Such as
On the other hand
However
In conclusion

Cite Your Sources.

Remember we said that as you write your body paragraphs, ensure you give facts and evidence. You can only do this by citing the sources of your opinion and facts. Let your citations be easy for your reader to check your references as they read through your work.

Revise Your Explanatory Essay

After you are done writing citing and are satisfied with what you have done, revise your explanation essay to be sure that it conforms to the rules or write an explanatory essay. Here are some lead questions that will help you see if what you have written is correct or if you need to do revisions before you submit it.

Have you communicated clearly to your readers?
Does the essay give a logical explanation of the topic of choice?
Did you use the transition and linking words well, and are they easy for the reader to understand?
Does the conclusion express the value and meaning of the explanatory thesis statement and its supporting ideas?

Edit Your Explanatory Essay

Like all other papers, you must edit your explanatory essay paper to ensure it is free of grammatical errors and in the right tone. We advise that you edit in a quiet place so you can pick the mistakes. Also, ensure that it’s engaging and lively no one wants to read a boring essay.

You can also edit by sharing your essay with a friend to go through it and help you identify errors where you could not.

Explanatory Essay Example

It would not be fair if we concluded this guide without giving you a feel of what an explanatory essay appears. Remember, if to this point you still feel you can’t write a perfect explanatory essay, we are here to help. Reach out, and Protutor services experts will be glad to offer help.

Explain the Impact of the Rising Child Gangs. Source:

APA Format Comprehensive Guide for Students & Researchers

The link above will lead you to A Guide in APA Format example to help you write your next assignment.

Talk To Us!

At Protutor services, we are ready to help you work on your explanatory essay assignment by putting all the steps mentioned in the article. Therefore, if you need help with your next project, reach out, and we will be happy to help you as you attend to other important academic issues.

Needs help with similar assignment?

We are available 24x7 to deliver the best services and assignment ready within 3-4 hours? Order a custom-written, plagiarism-free paper