Explication essays cover a more comprehensive range than other essay types. In an explication essay, you present a balanced analysis of a topic using statistics and examples to give an unbiased overview of the subject you are writing about.
Explication essays branch out into different essay types:
– cause and effect essays, in which you show how things, events, and things relate to each other;
– explanatory essays, which are also known as a process essay, in which you provide a step-by-step interpretation or guidance on a process or topic;
– definition essays, which require you to offer a detailed and deeper meaning of a subject, tracing its origins, associations, and perceptions;
– critical analysis essays, in which you have to analyze an issue.
Although there exist several types of explication essays, their writing process is similar. Writing a great essay requires a proper preparation. We have prepared an overview of the techniques to help you prepare an A-grade worth paper. For guidelines on how and what to write in each part of an explication essay, see this article.
Peculiarities of Explication Writing
Explication writing is used to convey factual information (as opposed to creative writing such as fiction). It is the language of studying and understanding the world around us. If you’ve ever read an encyclopedia article, a “how-to” article, or a chapter in a tutorial, you’ve come across examples of explanatory writing.
Explication writing is more informative than a creative one. Every time you write something to describe or explain, you are using explication writing.
All explication essays must follow a logical order and consist of three parts: introduction, main body text, and conclusion.
It is often easier to write the main body paragraphs before writing an introduction or conclusion.
Explication writing is present in the academic environment and everyday life. Regardless if it is an essay, intellectual journal, a newspaper article, a business report, or even book-sized non-fiction, explication writing explains, informs, and describes.
Explication Writing Types
In composition studies, explication writing (also called exposure) is one of four traditional discourse modes. It can include elements of narration, description, and argumentation. Unlike creative or persuasive writing, which can evoke emotion and use anecdotes, an explication essay’s primary purpose is to provide information about a problem, subject, method, or idea using facts.
The exposition can take one of several forms:
– Description or definition
In this writing style, topics are defined by characteristics, personality traits, and examples. An encyclopedia article is a kind of descriptive essay.
– Process/Sequence
This essay outlines a series of steps required to complete a task or create something. For example, it can be a recipe at the end of a food magazine article.
– Comparative or contrast
This kind of exposure is used to demonstrate how two or more objects are the same and different. For example, an article that explains the difference between owning and renting a house and the advantages and disadvantages is an example of comparative writing.
– Cause and effect
This type of essay describes how one step leads to a result. An example would be a personal blog that describes a workout regimen and documents the results over time.
– Problem and solution
This essay presents a problem and possible solutions supported by data and facts, not just opinion.
-Classification
A classification essay breaks a broad topic down into categories or groups.
Explication Essay Writing Tips
While writing, keep in mind some of the following helpful tips for creating a persuasive explication essay:
- Start where you know the information best. There is no necessity to write the introduction first; it can wait until the end. If you don’t like the look of a blank page, hover over the introductory paragraph’s headings and write thematic sentences for each one. Then start typing information according to the topic of each section.
- Be clear and concise. Readers have limited attention. Briefly state your case in a language that the average reader can understand.
- Stick to the facts. While the narrative may be compelling, it should not be based on your opinion alone. Support your case with facts, data, and authoritative sources that can be documented and verified.
- Consider voice and tone. How you reach out to your reader depends on the type of essay you are writing. A first-person paper is fine for personal travel description but inappropriate if you’re a business reporter describing a patent lawsuit. Think about your audience before you start writing.
How to Plan an Explication Essay
- Start with a brainstorming exercise. Write down ideas on a blank piece of paper. Connect them with arrows and lines, or make lists. The severity and bad ideas don’t matter at this stage. Just jot down ideas, and the engine in your head will lead you to the good one.
When you grasp the concept, repeat the brainstorming exercise with ideas you want to continue on this topic and information you can add. From this list, you will begin to see the path you will follow in your exploration and storytelling.
- Write a thesis. When your ideas are combined into a proposal where you can summarize the topic you are writing about, you are ready to write a thesis statement. Write down the main idea in one sentence that you are researching in your essay.
- Check your thesis. Is it clear? Does it include an opinion? If so, fix it. In this type of paper, you stick to facts and evidence. It is not an editorial. Is it possible to manage the volume of the thesis? You don’t want your topic to be too narrow or too broad. If it’s not an organized topic, please clarify it. Don’t be discouraged if you have to go back and tweak it if your research discovers that your original idea was not right. It is just a part of the focusing process.
- Outline. It may seem inconsequential, but even a quick sketch can save you time by organizing and narrowing the areas of focus. When you see your topics in a ranked list, you can discard off-topics before researching them (or while you research them and find they don’t work).
- Research. Find supporting data and sources to back up areas where you want to base your thesis. Look for sources written by experts, including organizations, and watch for bias. Possible sources include statistics, definitions, charts, graphs, and expert quotes. Collect descriptive details and comparisons to make your topic as clear to your reader as possible.
- If you are unsure about your skills and need a good example or lack time to prepare an explication essay, do not hesitate to turn to professionals for help. It is better to learn on a correct sample or hand in a quality paper than receive a low grade.