explanatory essays examples

“I really don’t think they should let the other sort in, do you? They’re just not the same, they’ve never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families.” (Rowling 61)

Harry doesn’t respond to Draco’s comment. Even though Harry is from an “old wizarding family” like Draco’s, he is one of those people who had not heard of Hogwarts because of his Muggle upbringing. Draco’s negative opinion about families he believes to be “lower” than his family creates his first conflict with Harry.

The way that Draco and Harry treat people from other backgrounds is another difference between them. On the Hogwarts Express, Harry and Draco meet again, this time with Ron Weasley. Harry makes friends with Ron, while Draco immediately insults him.

“You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” [Draco] held out his hand to shake Harry’s, but Harry didn’t take it. “I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,” he said coolly. (Rowling 81)

Harry won’t join in with Draco’s put-down and even refuses to shake his hand. Harry is the kind of person who stands up for people, while Draco tears them down. But even though Harry and Draco are early enemies, their character traits can be quite similar, too.

They are both competitive and passionate about their houses. Both boys are even willing to break Hogwarts rules for their own purposes. When Hagrid, the school groundskeeper, has an illegal dragon that is about to hatch, Harry convinces his friends to break the rules and see it.

“Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?” (said Harry.) “We’ve got lessons, we’ll get into trouble, and that’s nothing to what Hagrid’s going to be in when someone finds out what he’s doing.” (Rowling 171)

Harry and his friends end up sneaking out to see the dragon. But, as they are about to leave, they find out that another student has also broken the rules to see the dragon: Draco.

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him. Malfoy had seen the dragon. (Rowling 172)

Harry broke the rules to protect Hagrid, and Draco broke the rules to get Harry in trouble. Their motivations are different, but neither character seems to care too much about Hogwarts rules. Later on, they both get detention at Hogwarts for different reasons, demonstrating that their behavior is treated the same way.

Even though Harry and Draco are enemies throughout the book, they are not completely different. Their similarities help them grow, and their differences help them make choices that are right for their character. Their houses may be opposites, but their characters certainly aren’t.

High School Expository Essay Example

Read another example of an expository essay. This Cause and Effect essay about World War I is from the perspective of a high school student.

The Cause and Lasting Effects of World War I

It’s almost impossible to imagine a war that involved 32 countries, 40 million fatalities, and 186 billion dollars. But World War I, also known as The Great War or The War to End All Wars, ended up being one of the costliest global conflicts in terms of both funds and human lives. While it’s difficult to understand the magnitude of World War I, it’s even harder to comprehend how the actions of Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian assassin, could trigger such an international chain event.

Though there were many underlying causes to World War I, the events of June 28, 1914 are considered the inciting incident. Princip’s assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo was designed to influence the creation of Yugoslavia. As a result, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia one month later during the July Crisis.

Though Serbia effectively accepted all of Austria’s demands except for one, the Austrian government broke diplomatic relations with the other country on July 25 and went ahead with military preparedness measures. (“Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia,” History.com)

When Austria-Hungary entered the war, Germany was immediately involved. Serbia’s ally, Russia, posed a significant threat to Austria-Hungary’s objective. What could have been a small-scale skirmish turned into a larger operation when Germany then declared war on Russia.

His Majesty the Emperor, my august Sovereign, in the name of the German Empire, accepts the challenge, and considers himself at war with Russia.” (“The German Declaration of War on Russia,” wwi.lib.byu.edu/ )

By bringing Russia to the war, Germany found itself at war with Russia’s ally, France. Soon after, Germany began “The Rape of Belgium,” in which it illegally invaded Belgium in an attempt to bring its troops to Paris. The atrocity quickly attracted international attention, including that of Britain, who declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914. Britain’s declaration of war is considered the true beginning of World War I. The assassination that caused the initial conflict was left behind long ago, as its effects were rapidly escalating long past that fateful day.

The effects of Princip’s actions quickly ricocheted around the world. The Ottoman Empire entered the war after making a secret alliance with Germany, and Montenegro and France declared war against Austria-Hungary. The Battle of the Marne in 1914 between Germany, France, Russia, and Britain began four years of constant trench warfare. Soldiers suffered from the advances of chemical warfare, as detailed by nurse Vera Brittain in her 1933 memoir Testament of Youth.

“I wish those people who talk about going on with this war whatever it costs could see the soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning. Great mustard-coloured blisters, blind eyes, all sticky and stuck together, always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that their throats are closing and they know they will choke.” (Brittain)

Operations continued in the Pacific as Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa declared war against Germany. Italy, having already proclaimed their neutrality, declared war on Germany after the Treaty of London. In 1917, Germany tried to coerce Mexico to declare war against America, leading President Woodrow Wilson to finally bring the United States into the strife.

But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—democracy. . . . .” (Wilson)

Immediately following the United States’ entrance into the war was Cuba and Panama, who declared war on Germany the next day. Greece followed suit in June 1917, followed closely by Liberia and China. Over the next year, countless battles and operations pushed boundaries and lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the cause. The final offensive of World War I, the Hundred Days Offensive, led Germany to the brink of defeat. After Germany signed the Armistice of Compiègne on November 11, 1918, the fighting was officially over – but the effects of the war were just beginning.

World War I may seem like it took place over four very busy years, but the effects of the international strife would come to define the 21st century. By the time the Paris Peace Conference began in January 1919, Germany’s economy and morale had plummeted. They had fought against nearly 30 countries and had come close to complete destruction, only to feel cheated by the Versailles Treaty.

The social and economic upheaval that followed World War I gave rise to many radical right wing parties in Weimar Germany. The harsh provisions of the Treaty of Versailles led many in the general population to believe that Germany had been "stabbed in the back" by the "November criminals." (“WWI: Aftermath,” encyclopedia.ushmm.org/ ).

The discouraged nation was resistant to the provisions of the treaty and to their new democratic rule. Many German citizens longed for more authoritarian rule as they’d had prior to World War I. A ruined economy led to hyperinflation, which made Germany fearful of Communism as well. Adolf Hitler, an Austrian extremist and leader of the Nazi Party, became a welcome voice in right-wing nationalist politics.

Beyond Marxism he believed the greatest enemy of all to be the Jew, who was for Hitler the incarnation of evil. (“Rise To Power,” britannica.com)

Hitler’s leadership in the years following World War I was a direct result of the war’s events. The next global crisis, World War II, would result in atrocities far beyond the scope of its predecessor. The world would spend the second half of the 20th century recovering from the enormous costs of both of these wars.

One assassin on an ordinary day in 1914 ended up starting an unfathomable chain of events. The wars that resulted would define an entire century, several generations, and countless government actions. It’s important to consider the effects of any action, political or not, to decide whether it’s the best path to take.

More Expository Writing Ideas

Need some ideas to get started on your expository essay? Check out a list of 100 writing prompts for middle school students. You can also find some writing strategy tips or more examples of informative essays to get your creative juices going.

Expository Essay Samples

When writing an expository essay, you need to show the deeper side of your chosen subject. Check out our expository essay samples to better understand the process of writing one yourself.

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What is an Explanatory Essay and How to Get Started

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So you’re watching a movie with your younger sibling, and after it gets over, your confused sibling asks, “I didn’t understand. What was the movie about?”

The next thing you do is break down the movie and explain it in a way that your sibling can understand.

Now imagine having to write an essay on it - that’s essentially what an explanatory essay is.

Don’t worry - in this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about writing explanatory essays and how you can submit a well-written one that will help you get the highest grades.

What is an Explanatory Essay

An explanatory (also known as expository) essay requires you to describe and explain a particular point of view, incident, event, or situation.

Unlike the other kinds of essays, such as argumentative and persuasive, explanatory essays are more about presenting information, facts, statistics, and examples to explain the situation rather than taking a side and persuading the readers to agree with your opinion.

Students must evaluate the situation and present a clear, logical explanation of what transpired while keeping a neutral standpoint.

The purpose of such essays is to encourage students to pay attention to the details, consider factual observations, analyze and write with utmost clarity.

6 Types of Explanatory Essays

These are the six types of explanatory essays you will come across in school and college.

In this type of essay, you are required to explain, expand and define a complicated concept to your readers in a more straightforward, and easier-to-understand way.

Furthermore, through the introduction, you should explain the concept and give your personal take on what you understood of the topic.

Following the introduction is the body paragraph in which you write a detailed and well-researched analysis of the assigned topic. These points are then finally summarized in the conclusion.

Some examples of definition essay questions include:

Cause and effect

This type of essay revolves around a situation that was caused which eventually had some kind of an effect. You have to cover basic questions like “what was the reason for this cause” and “what are the outcomes or repercussions of this.”

There are two ways you can approach this type of essay:

Some examples of cause-and-effect essay questions include:

Compare and contrast

In this type of essay, your purpose is to identify and lay out the similarities and/or differences between two ideas, phenomenons, situations, things, people, or even a period of time.

Majority of the time, the two subjects that are being compared or contrasted fall under a broad category. For example, if you are writing an essay about high school and college, you can find similarities and differences in the way of teaching, the grading system, the campus, the curriculum, the activities, etc.

Like the cause and effect essay, this type is also approached in the chain and block pattern.

Some examples of compare and contrast essays include:

This type of explanatory essay is a prevalent one. In this, you are required to explain the entire procedure and the correct steps of making or doing something. This is why most of the topics for this type of essay start with a “how-to”.

The purpose of writing “how-to” essays is to provide the readers with necessary steps in such a way that it makes it easier for the readers to follow them correctly and systematically, without causing any mistakes.

Some examples of how-to essay questions include:

Classification

In this type of essay, you will be given a broad topic from which you must sort out points into different groups or sections accurately.

In other words, arrange objects, scenarios, and people with the same characteristics into different categories and further explain your reasoning of why you segregated it this way.

Using examples and references for each category will help bring quality to your essay and authority to your writing.

Some examples of classification essay questions include:

Problem and solution

In this type of essay, there is a problem or an issue that is being raised through the topic given by your professor, and your job is to figure out the best way to solve the problem.

This can be done by looking at the problem from different angles and scenarios and brainstorming to find the correct solution that suits all the attributes.

Some examples of problem and solution essay questions:

How to Structure an Explanatory Essay

Creating an outline is the first step to writing an excellent explanatory essay. Here’s what the structure comprises.

Introduction

The introduction of explanatory essays is the first and most crucial paragraph that your professors will read, and based on how good of an introduction it is, they will be instigated to continue reading the rest of the essay.

Your introduction needs to be strong and exciting enough to grab the attention of your professors.

The introduction covers the first two paragraphs of the essay, which also includes the thesis statement. In this, you need to give a brief description of the topic and essential points that your professor will come across while reading the explanatory essay.

The middle and central portion of your paper consisting of 3 paragraphs, is the body of your explanatory essay.

Through the body paragraphs, you can describe and expand the given topic in detail and use references, data, and other supporting evidence to back up the claims you made and the facts you added to the essay.

In this body paragraph, you can use relevant images, infographics, examples, theories, quotes, etc., to detail the contents of the essay further and make it a more exciting read.

Lastly, we have the conclusion paragraph, which summarizes all the crucial points made in the essay, as well as your (the writer’s) views on this specific topic.

This paragraph is equally as crucial as the introduction.

This is because, when your professors read your conclusion paragraph, they will have a summarized understanding of the entire essay and will be left with a positive lasting impression of your writing and the content you chose to include to draft the essay.

8 Steps to Start a High-Scoring Explanatory Essay

Writing explanatory essays are like educating people about a particular concept. The best ones are those that engage the reader and leave them with everything they need to know about the topic.

Now that you know what is an explanatory essay, its purpose, and the various types, let’s take a look at the steps involved in writing a winning essay and scoring the best grades.

Pick a Neutral Topic

One of the most critical aspects of writing an explanatory essay is having a neutral point of view.

Many students don’t realize the difference between explaining and persuading. An explanatory essay needs you to describe/explain instead of taking sides and persuading the reader.

Hence, it’s imperative to pick a topic that’s non-controversial and which allows you to be neutral. So, brainstorm and make a list of topics that interest you. Then, narrow them down and look at them with an ‘expository’ lens and evaluate the scope to explain it in detail.

Conduct Research and Gather Evidence

What is an explanatory essay without proper and in-depth research?

Give yourself ample time to look into credible and reputable sources to do research and gather evidence that can be used to validate your arguments while writing the essay.

From facts and quotes to statistical data, survey results, and examples - lookout for any kind of factual, anecdotal, or logical evidence that can be used in the paper.

Here's an explainer video by Raynor Memorial Libraries, offering practical advice on how you can conduct research for your explanatory essay

Outline your Ideas

After all the extensive research, you will be left with a whole lot of information and data. Don’t make the mistake of diving right into the writing stage.

Take a moment to organize your thoughts and outline your ideas to avoid getting overwhelmed and, worse, leaving out important points.

Writing a five-paragraph explanatory essay generally means devoting one paragraph to the introduction and conclusion and three paragraphs to the body.

Creating an outline is just jotting down the points you plan to include in the introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. This rough outline serves as a skeleton and ensures your paper follows a logical flow.

Regardless of how stressed and pressed you are for time, don’t miss out on this step.

Craft a Strong Thesis Statement

The importance of a strong thesis statement cannot be emphasized enough - it forms the backbone of every essay.

The thesis statement is essentially two to three sentences that appear at the end of the introductory paragraph. They need to clearly communicate what the rest of your essay is about and make the reader want to know more.

Remember - an effective thesis statement is concise, debatable, and supportable. Make sure you’re able to justify it in the succeeding paragraphs.

If you find yourself spending too much time wondering “how to write the thesis statement” and developing it, work on a rough version and come back to refine it after you’re done writing the entire paper.

Start with an Enticing Hook

“How do I start an explanatory essay” you may wonder.

The key is to grab the reader’s attention by starting with an enticing hook. A hook may be a rhetorical question, a quote, a startling statistic, a funny anecdote, an interesting fact, a metaphor, or anything else that would reel the readers in and pique their interest.

The hook is the first one or two sentences of the essay, after which you need to go on to give background information that will offer context on the topic.

Lastly, end the introductory paragraph with a strong thesis statement you crafted earlier.

Validate your Arguments with Facts and Examples

Now comes the meat of your explanatory essay and the most time-consuming section - the body paragraphs.

It’s advisable to devote one paragraph to each idea wherein you state the main opinion, offer evidence, and smoothly transition to the following picture.

Speaking of evidence, here’s where your research efforts need to pay off. Make sure you offer enough evidence to justify your arguments and back your claims up. This will only strengthen the paper and your writing.

Feel free to use charts, graphs, and illustrations, if necessary.

Wondering how to use and apply evidence in your explanatory essay?

Here’s a video of Ariel Bissett offering some valuable tips

The reader needs to see a logical connection between the main ideas you’re stating and the thesis statement - so make sure you’re able to correlate each of them back to the statement made.

Stay within the word count because it’s easy to get carried away while writing this section.

Wrap up with a Strong Conclusion

“How do I end my explanatory essay” is a valid question to have because, like it or not - the concluding paragraph has the highest recall value, and your instructor is most likely to remember your writing basis this section.

So, if you think you can summarize the thesis statement, you’re mistaken.

An ideal conclusion needs to reinstate the thesis statement while touching upon the main ideas and evidence you highlighted in the essay.

Once you’ve wrapped up the critical points, leave the reader with a powerful call to action that makes them think and effectively puts across the point you set out to make.

Edit and Proofread

After days of hard work, you ought to set aside time to edit and proofread the essay. You don’t want to submit a paper filled with silly mistakes and let all your efforts go down the drain.

So, make sure you read the essay multiple times and watch out for grammatical and spelling errors, and see that your paper covers all the points and flows in a logical manner. It’s also essential to use the correct transition words to make for a smooth reading experience.

To avoid any unintentional plagiarism , you must accurately cite all the sources you have referred to in the paper in the required style (MLA, APA, Harvard, etc.).

An explanatory essay is a typical assignment, but that doesn’t make it easy to tackle. It’s important to stay true to the rules of writing an explanatory essay and remember the core purpose, explaining or describing a concept, situation, event, etc., and not sharing your opinion or stance.

If you’re still worried about how to go about it, we at Writers Per Hour can help you out. Our professional writers are experts at explanatory essay writing and can offer you the assistance you need to score well.

All you need to do is write to us saying, “I need help with my explanatory essay,” and we will get the best-suited writer on the job to deliver a high-quality explanatory essay written from scratch.

Last edit at Dec 23 2022

Stefani Holloway

Stefani is a professional writer and blogger at Writers Per Hour . She primarily contributes articles about careers, leadership, business, and writing. Her educational background in family science and journalism has given her a broad base from which to approach many topics. She especially enjoys preparing resumes for individuals who are changing careers.

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Explanatory Essay Examples: a Good Read!
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COMMENTS

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An explanatory essay, also known as an expository essay, is a type of academic writing that aims to explain a particular topic or concept
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“You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there
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Expository Essay Samples · Beyond Identity · How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks · When Was Jesus Born? · Canada: The Beginning · How to Get Rid of Hiccups · April Fools'
What is an Explanatory Essay and How to Get Started
An explanatory (also known as expository) essay requires you to describe and explain a particular point of view, incident, event, or situation.