Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Argumentive essays
How to Write an Expository Essay
When writing an essay, follow these eight basic steps:
Select a topic:
Be sure the topic is narrow enough to make it manageable within the space of an essay
Write a thesis sentence:
Be sure the thesis statement(or sentence) expresses a controlling idea that is neither too
broad nor too specific to be developed effectively
Select a method of development:
Check through all the methods before you finally settle on the one which will best serve your thesis:
definition example
compare and contrast cause and effect
classification process analysis
Organize the essay:
Begin by listing the major divisions which the body paragraphs in your essay will discuss; then fill in the primary supports that each body paragraph of the essay will contain
Write topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the essay:
For each body paragraph, furnish a topic sentence that directly relates to the thesis sentence
Write the body paragraphs of the essay:
Each body paragraph should develop the primary support covered in that paragraph's topic sentence
Furnish a paragraph of introduction:
An introductory paragraph should state the thesis of the essay, introduce the divisions in the body paragraphs of the essay, gain the interest of the reader
Write a paragraph of conclusion:
A concluding paragraph should restate the thesis and divisions of the essay bring the essay to an appropriate and effective close without digressing into new issues.
Source: Ida Masters Hollowell, James A. Levernier, A. Franklin Parks, Structuring Paragraphs: A Guide to Effective Writing. 2nd ed. New York: St. Martin's,1986.
Feedback to improve this page
(please specify which page)
Return to Study Guides English Index
http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides
Study Guides and Strategies was created and is maintained by Joe Landsberger, Supervisor, ISS/Learning Center, University of St.
However, though John Warner’s argument is strong, Kerri smith’s argument is stronger. In Kerri Smith’s article “In Defense of the Five-Paragraph Essay,” She claims that the five-paragraph essay should stay taught in schools as a guideline for a well-structured essay. She explains the five-paragraph essay as an “introduce-develop-conclude structure” that even great expository writing follows this structure (Smith 16). She purposefully communicates to her audience this idea to show that this structure gives students the knowledge and capability to write a professional essay. The five-paragraph essay includes the three key points to have a well-structured and organized essay. By mentioning that other great writers use this form of structure, she creates a stronger argument as to why the five-paragraph essay is important to education. She continues her article by explaining her early stages of writing and how she was taught; over time, her teachers would show her new ways to improve her writing which, in the end, she was told to think “of those five paragraphs simply as a mode of organization” (Smith
1. You should include a conclusion paragraph in your paper. A conclusion re-caps on what you have discussed in your paper. In one sentence each describe what you wrote in each paragraph. Then combine all of those thoughts into one sentence to end your paper. The conclusion paragraph begins specifically with each theme but broadens, by the end, to include every theme.
2. Your first paragraph seems to be your first point instead of your introduction. Your first sentence also appears to be your thesis statement. Your introduction should incorporate all of the points of your paper. You are introducing all of them. So, lengthen your introduction and then for your thesis statement you need to list all of the points that you discuss. In his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare clearly establishes the feelings of Theseus with respect to love, reason.
Through most of my time in high school, I always found myself writing more of exploratory writing for two simple reasons; it took a shorter amount of time, and relating writing to my personal experiences was something I had no need to look up. Exploratory writing is a time to take advantage to relate your own personal experiences and an attempt to make a connection with a certain reading. The experiences you have will not be exactly the same as you’re classmate and might be very enjoyable to read. Lamott and Hairston both use explanatory and exploratory writing in their essays by explaining the techniques of what good writers do and applying their own personal experiences. By applying both explanatory and exploratory in their essay they are able to provide the reader with new ideas they can adopt to improve their writing skills.
1. The thesis of the essay is stated at the end of the first paragraph. The author says,
In Laura Purdy’s account of Genetics and Reproductive Risks: Can Having Children Be Immoral?, Purdy’s claim is that conception of a child is immoral when there is reasonable concern of a genetic disorder and if prenatal screening is not done to see how likely it is for your child to obtain that disease, then it is wrong. Purdy thinks it is immoral to reproduce when we are at high risk of transmitting a disease or defect and she says it is wrong to reproduce without knowing the consequences of our genome. The birth of a child at risk of a serious defect could be prevented by abortion or preventing conception of a child. And conception is only allowable once a person has undergone a prenatal screening and if a selective abortion would be done, and for those who are against abortion must be extremely careful not to conceive.
A writer might view a film and discuss or write their impressions, write a list
Use transitions and make connections not only between paragraphs, but among sentences, too. Play with different types of sentence structures (some long, some short, etc.) and more vivid, descriptive word choice to make the essay engaging to the reader.
2. Your thesis statement appears in its own paragraph. Thesis statements are a part of the introduction and should be included in the introductory paragraph.
The strengths in my writing are my organizational skills, grammatical construct, and my work ethic. Organizing an essay is a very natural process for me. I always follow the basic guidelines for the structure of an essay, which state that one must have an introduction, thesis statement, body, conclusion, and a works cited when needed. The “Are Helicopter Parents Entering the No Fly Zone?” essay, “Animal Cloning—How Unethical Is It?” essay, and the “The Clean Water Act—Is it Successfully Reducing Water Pollution?” essay all have a proper introduction, an informative thesis statement, a body, great conclusions, and works cited pages. Formatting the essays is an integral aspect of organizational skills. Each new paragraph is indented, the font is twelve-point Times New Roman, the sentences are double spaced, and the headers are correct.
will be included in each specific paragraph. This will help to avoid getting off of the subject and
NOTE: This isn’t even close to how I would like the essay to be laid out. I’m just writing paragraphs and eventually I will get them in an order I like them and revise.
• how the introduction introduces the topic and offers a clear forecast of the essay's thesis (the author's position and stated reasons)
are going to say about your topic. Thesis statements often come at the end of the introductory paragraph. This
I have learned many things throughout the course of the term, including such things as: how to write an essay and how to improve on essays that I have already written, how to locate and composite better research through the use of numerous resources found at the campus library, the internet, and the “Common Sense” textbook, how to cite research, examples, and quotations properly within the contents of my research paper as well as document it accurately according to MLA standards. Through the exploration of the “Subjects and Strategies” textbook, I have learned nine different methods used when writing an effective essay and how the different writing styles affect the overall theme and tone of the essay when used properly. This past semester, I have encountered many difficulties when trying to write these essays, but through the use of the textbooks, the aide of the instructor, and once I was able to classify the different types of essays and styles, I found them possible to overcome.