Basic Features Of Explanatory Essays

Essays explaining concepts display certain basic features: a well-focused subject, a point or thesis, an appeal to readers’ interests, a logical plan, clear definitions, writing strategies appropriate to the essay’s point and to the kind of information it presents, and careful use of sources.
A well-focused subjects
The primary purpose for explaining a concept in to inform readers, but writers of explanatory essays cannot possibly hope to say everything there is to say about a concept, nor would they want to. Instead, they must make choices about what to include, what to emphasize, and what to omit. Most writers focus on the one aspect of the concept.
A Main Point of thesis
In explaining a concept, all writers make some point about the concept. The point, or thesis, asserts something significant or interesting about the concept. For example Murayam makes the point in her essay that the more reader know about metal illness, the more likely they are to be understanding of those who suffer from it.
An appeal to Reader’s interests
In explaining concepts, good writers usually try to appeal directly to their reader’s interest. They put this appeal right at the beginning, as Toufexis does by being blunt (“let’s cut out all this nonsense about romantic love.”) or as Castro does by setting up an ironic contrast between Manpower and General Motors refers to fictional cowboys and detectives that readers can be expected to recognize.
A Logical Plan
Explanation must follow a clear path to keep readers on track. For organizing explanation and cuing readers, experienced writers rely on many strategies. They divide the information in such a way that it supports the main point and then alert readers to these divisions with forecasting statements, topic sentence transitions, and summaries. In addition they may try to frame the essay for readers by relating the ending to the beginning. WE have seen these features repeatedly in the reading in this chapter. For example Toufexis frames her essay with reference to PH.D.s, she forecasts the three sciences from which she has gleaned her information about the neurochemistry of the love, and nearly all of her paragraphs begin with a transition sentence.
Clear definition
Essays explaining concepts depend on the clear definitions. In order to relate information clearly, a writer must be sensitive to the readers, knowledge; any term that are likely to be unfamiliar or misunderstood must be explicitly defined.