10 Useful Expository Essay Writing Tips for Students
The expository essay is grounded in facts not emotions. It challenges the writer to be fair and provide objective analysis of a given topic. This is no place for personal emotion, and it gives a student an opportunity to fine-tune analytical skills. Writing something like this should not be a frightening challenge for a student. Here are a few tips to make the whole process a lot easier.
- Do a Little Brainstorming First. Think about the topic you will be writing about and take some notes. This will help you get some ideas for the content.
- Prepare a good topic sentence. This is also known as the thesis statement and it concisely announces the main point to be addressed in the essay.
- The Objective Is to Inform and Also Explain. This should influence all of the writing. You may need to go back over the paragraphs to be certain that you are not allowing a personal prejudice to creep into the words.
- You Have a Number of Writing Patterns to Choose From. This can be cause-and-effect, problems and possible solutions, and comparisons among other styles. Pick the one that best suits the topic of your essay.
- Carefully Introduce Any Supporting Material. Too often people will cite supporting data as if they are doing a statistical report. You need to introduce the supporting evidence in a way that does not disrupt the flow of your words.
- Keep To The Third Person. The problem with using first person tone is a temptation to go into opinions and personal attitudes. Third person is neutral and better enables informing and explaining.
- Brevity Is Preferred. You may have a limit to the number of words in your essay, but if you don’t you should try to be concise and to the point. You have to resist temptation to wander in the sentences.
- Remember Flow Is Important. Try not to write abrupt sentences, but use a style that encourages a smooth transition from one thought to the other.
- The Conclusion Is Just As Important As the Introduction. You are bringing everything together in the conclusion and it needs to make sense. Those last sentences could be the frosting on the cake of a great essay and a superior grade.
- Always Be Willing to Revise and Edit. Your first draft may not be your best effort. Be willing to go back and edit and revise the text up until the time that you have to finally hand it in.