explanatory essay generator

Advanced AI Essay Writer

20,000 AI-powered essays generated daily

Write unique, high-quality essays in seconds

See it for yourself: get a free essay by describing it in 5 words or more, instantly generate any essay type.

Get your content after just few words , or go step by step.

Full control of each step

Check the references

Edit your references using popular reference types like APA or MLA

How Smodin makes Essay Writing Easy

Generate different types of essays with smodin, instantly find sources for any sentence.

Our AI research tool in the essay editor interface makes it easy to find a source or fact check any piece of text on the web. It will find you the most relevant or related piece of information and the source it came from. You can quickly add that reference to your document references with just a click of a button. We also provide other modes for research such as “find support statistics”, “find supporting arguments”, “find useful information”, and other research methods to make finding the information you need a breeze. Make essay writing and research easy with our AI research assistant.

Easily Cite References

Our essay generator makes citing references in MLA and APA styles for web sources and references an easy task. The essay writer works by first identifying the primary elements in each source, such as the author, title, publication date, and URL, and then organizing them in the correct format required by the chosen citation style. This ensures that the references are accurate, complete, and consistent. The product provides helpful tools to generate citations and bibliographies in the appropriate style, making it easier for you to document your sources and avoid plagiarism. Whether you’re a student or a professional writer, our essay generator saves you time and effort in the citation process, allowing you to focus on the content of your work.

Produce Better Essays than ChatGPT

Our essay generator is designed to produce the best possible essays, with several tools available to assist in improving the essay, such as editing outlines, title improvements, tips and tricks, length control, and AI-assisted research. Unlike ChatGPT, our AI writer can find sources and assist in researching for the essay, which ensures that the essay is backed by credible and relevant information. Our essay generator offers editing assistance and outlines to improve the structure and flow of the essay. This feature is especially useful for students who may struggle with essay organization and require guidance on how to present their ideas coherently. Another advantage of our AI essay writer over ChatGPT is that it is designed explicitly for essay writing, ensuring that the output is of high quality and meets the expectations of the instructor or professor. While ChatGPT may be able to generate essays, there is no guarantee that the content will be relevant, accurate or meet the requirements of the assignment.

Easily Avoid Plagiarism

Our AI generated essays are 100% unique and plagiarism free. Worried about AI detection? Worry no more, use our AI Detection Remover to remove any AI Plagiarism produced from the essay generator.

Testimonials

Millions of users love Smodin's AI Writing Features

Smodin.io is an exceptional app that offers a range of outstanding features designed to help users with their research and content creation needs. One of the app's most impressive features is the Article 2.0, which generates high-quality articles and provides references for further study. The app's ChatIn feature and Research Paper generator are also incredibly unique, allowing users to conduct thorough research on the internet and find genuine paraphrased papers. One of the most impressive aspects of Smodin.io is its customer service team. The team is highly responsive, always available to help, and goes the extra mile to understand users' issues and offer solutions. This level of commitment to customer satisfaction is commendable and sets Smodin.io apart from its competitors. Another notable feature of Smodin.io is its continuous improvement. Every time you use the app, you'll notice new features that have been added based on feedback and recommendations. This level of attention to user feedback is remarkable, and it shows the app's developers' commitment to ensuring that Smodin.io remains the best in the market. I highly recommend Smodin.io to anyone looking for a reliable and efficient research and content creation tool.

I like this app. This app is useful mainly for student

Nice product

© 2024 Smodin LLC

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• How to write an expository essay

How to Write an Expository Essay | Structure, Tips & Examples

Published on July 14, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

“Expository” means “intended to explain or describe something.” An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a particular topic, process, or set of ideas. It doesn’t set out to prove a point, just to give a balanced view of its subject matter.

Expository essays are usually short assignments intended to test your composition skills or your understanding of a subject. They tend to involve less research and original arguments than argumentative essays .

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

When should you write an expository essay, how to approach an expository essay, introducing your essay, writing the body paragraphs, concluding your essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about expository essays.

In school and university, you might have to write expository essays as in-class exercises, exam questions, or coursework assignments.

Sometimes it won’t be directly stated that the assignment is an expository essay, but there are certain keywords that imply expository writing is required. Consider the prompts below.

The word “explain” here is the clue: An essay responding to this prompt should provide an explanation of this historical process—not necessarily an original argument about it.

Sometimes you’ll be asked to define a particular term or concept. This means more than just copying down the dictionary definition; you’ll be expected to explore different ideas surrounding the term, as this prompt emphasizes.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

An expository essay should take an objective approach: It isn’t about your personal opinions or experiences. Instead, your goal is to provide an informative and balanced explanation of your topic. Avoid using the first or second person (“I” or “you”).

The structure of your expository essay will vary according to the scope of your assignment and the demands of your topic. It’s worthwhile to plan out your structure before you start, using an essay outline .

A common structure for a short expository essay consists of five paragraphs: An introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Like all essays, an expository essay begins with an introduction . This serves to hook the reader’s interest, briefly introduce your topic, and provide a thesis statement summarizing what you’re going to say about it.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

The body of your essay is where you cover your topic in depth. It often consists of three paragraphs, but may be more for a longer essay. This is where you present the details of the process, idea or topic you’re explaining.

It’s important to make sure each paragraph covers its own clearly defined topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Different topics (all related to the overall subject matter of the essay) should be presented in a logical order, with clear transitions between paragraphs.

Hover over different parts of the example paragraph below to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

The conclusion of an expository essay serves to summarize the topic under discussion. It should not present any new information or evidence, but should instead focus on reinforcing the points made so far. Essentially, your conclusion is there to round off the essay in an engaging way.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a conclusion works.

The invention of the printing press was important not only in terms of its immediate cultural and economic effects, but also in terms of its major impact on politics and religion across Europe. In the century following the invention of the printing press, the relatively stationary intellectual atmosphere of the Middle Ages gave way to the social upheavals of the Reformation and the Renaissance. A single technological innovation had contributed to the total reshaping of the continent.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

An expository essay is a broad form that varies in length according to the scope of the assignment.

Expository essays are often assigned as a writing exercise or as part of an exam, in which case a five-paragraph essay of around 800 words may be appropriate.

You’ll usually be given guidelines regarding length; if you’re not sure, ask.

An expository essay is a common assignment in high-school and university composition classes. It might be assigned as coursework, in class, or as part of an exam.

Sometimes you might not be told explicitly to write an expository essay. Look out for prompts containing keywords like “explain” and “define.” An expository essay is usually the right response to these prompts.

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Write an Expository Essay | Structure, Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/expository-essay/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, academic paragraph structure | step-by-step guide & examples, how to write topic sentences | 4 steps, examples & purpose, how to write an argumentative essay | examples & tips, what is your plagiarism score.

Free Essay Outline Generator

Need to quickly outline an argumentative essay or a research paper? Try out this free essay outline generator!

Are you a college student struggling to compose a well-organized essay, yet your deadline is approaching fast?

Our essay outline generator is here to help you save time and avoid stress by creating a structure for whatever kind of essay you’re writing. This AI-powered essay outline-making tool employs cutting-edge Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies to swiftly and accurately comprehend complicated themes. So, you don’t need to worry about grammatical or spelling issues when preparing outlines for papers or articles.

• 🔢 How to Use It?
• 🤩 The Tool’s 5 Benefits
• 📝 What Is an Essay Outline?
• ✍️ How to Write an Outline

🔎 References

🔢 essay outline generator: how to use it.

To generate an essay outline, you’ll need to take the following steps:

• Choose the genre of your assignment . Is it an essay, research paper, literature review, or proposal?
• Choose the type of the text . Do you need an informative, analytical, persuasive, or argumentative paper?
• Indicate the number of paragraphs . That’s an optional step.
• Add the topic . Please note that it should not be too long or too short.

🤩 Essay Outline Generator: the 5 Benefits

Using our outline generator is easy and beneficial for students.

Here are the parameters you’re sure to like:

📝 What Is an Essay Outline & Why Is It Important?

An essay outline is a technique of organizing the structure and flow of your essay before you begin writing the text itself. You should outline any essay, no matter which type you need: argumentative , comparative , narrative , or other.

Outlining highlights each section’s content, the paragraphs’ sequence , and the relationship between various arguments. Though you may only sometimes be required to make an outline before drafting the essay, doing so can help you plan your thoughts and ensure that you cover all the basics.

Let’s review 5 advantages of an essay outline.

Enhanced Focus

An outline gathers and emphasizes all of your ideas to determine if you’ve adhered to your main point or veered off course. In essence, it helps you maintain concentration and prevents you from wandering off into unrelated topics’ discussion.

Seamless Transitions

If you organize your thoughts logically, your writing will flow more smoothly , and the topic sentences in the body paragraphs of your essay will have more impact. You may check your transitions and the logic of your material with a well-planned outline.

Effective Information Sequence

Presenting your strongest point first is better. Your outline will help you determine whether you have presented your information in the most effective sequence .

Conciseness

An essay outline allows for achieving one of the most important writing goals: conciseness . Maintaining simplicity and brevity will help the reader understand your message rather than burying it beneath a sea of superfluous words and off-topic discussion points.

Better Organization

An outline is fundamentally a tool of organization . Have you said everything you intended to? Did you use a logical approach to your argument? Is your argument convincing? It’s still crucial to plan your strategy for the essay, even if you’re not writing to prove or debate a specific point.

✍️ How to Write an Essay Outline

Here are a few pointers on developing an outline for your essay.

Step #1 Understand the Requirements

Before beginning to write the outline, please read the assignment instructions thoroughly .

Ensure you understand:

• The style of the essay you should write
• The number of citations required
• The required length

Ask yourself:

What’s the goal of my essay?

Do I intend to inform, convince, or merely entertain the readers? Depending on the objective, you will know which thesis to consider, which writing techniques to employ, and how to conceptualize research in the article.

Step #2: Formulate Your Thesis Statement

Establish your thesis statement to determine which topic sentences to outline in your essay .

The thesis statements must:

• Be debatable
• Contain sufficient details to captivate readers

Once you have a thesis prepared , you may begin organizing your essay. Please note that the outline is not an initial stage of work. You should already have a clear idea of your essay by the time you are creating an outline.

Step #3: Brainstorm

Brainstorming involves writing down as many concepts as possible without limiting yourself or critiquing any of them. You can generate ideas and arguments confirming your thesis during brainstorming or, vice versa, choose opposing points.

Step #4: Select the Best Points

Now that you came up with ideas for the essay, it’s time to review your planning notes and choose the ideas that will help you reach your essay’s purpose.

How does this prove my point?

Do that for each piece of information you have written down. If you have a concise, well-thought-out response to that query, consider including it on your list of essay topics.

Step #5: Structure the Body

Using the compiled perspectives you created, determine the most significant points you will present in your essay. These will be the parts of your essay’s body. List the facts, anecdotes, and statistics that corroborate these claims.

There should be only one idea per paragraph, and each of them should be connected with your thesis statement.

Step #6: Write Your Outline

Now that you fully understand your main claims and supporting evidence, it’s time to compose your outline.

Format your essential points into a concise, well-organized framework using a template for the style of essay you’re writing. You’ll fill in the blanks with information when you write your first draft.

👀 Essay Outline Examples

In this section, you’ll find outline examples for various essay types. Note that these are 5-paragraph essay outlines.

Argumentative Essay Outline

Here is an illustration of an argumentative essay outline that a college student can use:

• Title : Almond Milk Is Better Than Soy Milk
• Introduction : Discuss the distinctions between soy and almond milk and their respective levels of popularity.
• Thesis : Almond milk is a more nutritious, flavorful, and sweeter alternative to soy milk.
• Compare the typical calories in a serving of soy milk with almond milk.
• Cite how almond milk is more easily included in consumers’ daily calorie allowances.
• Compare the advantages of consuming vegan versus items made from animals.
• Describe how almond and soy milk’s vegan status makes them available to vegans and non-vegans and a better, more environmentally friendly option for everyone.
• The product is easier to find than soy milk due to the availability of almonds and how much milk they produce with every squeeze.
• Tell stories of people who have dairy allergies and the health issues they cause.
• Conclusion : Explain why almond milk is preferable to soy milk again, and include any supporting arguments.

Expository Essay Outline

Here is an illustration of an expository essay for a middle school student.

• Title : My Favorite Pet
• Introduction : Describe your favorite animal and your feelings towards the pet. Provide background on the pet and some interesting features about it.
• Thesis : My dog, Coco, is my best friend.
• Compare the dog to other pets you have encountered.
• Describe how the dog’s breed, color, favorite snack, and why you chose the name for the dog.
• Tell stories about your dog’s hobbies and your best memories together.
• Conclusion : Explain why you love your dog and how you plan to care for your furry best friend.

Personal Essay Outline

Here is a sample of an essay outline for a personal essay suitable for high school students:

• Title : The Two Best Birthdays in My Life
• Introduction : Describe your feelings around birthdays and how you prefer commemorating yours.
• Thesis : My 16 th and 17 th birthdays were the two happiest days of my life.
• I obtained a driver’s permit on my sixteenth birthday, and my closest pals and I went to our first live music concert.
• I still have my armband and ticket voucher from the event.
• I initially believed that everyone didn’t remember my birthday. I was inconsolable.
• Then, as a pleasant surprise, my family drove six hours to pick me up and take me to the art exhibition I had been dying to see.
• Conclusion : The reasons mentioned above made my 16 th and 17 th birthdays very special.

Thank you for reading this article! If you wish to continue working on the sample, check out our essay generator to get a full-scale paper example.

❓ Essay Outline Generator FAQ

❓ what is an essay outline.

An essay’s outline is used as the paper’s basic framework. It’s a written version of an essay’s main idea and most important supporting points. Whenever you are working on an essay, creating one is a good idea to help you build a supporting structure for further writing stages.

❓ How to make an essay outline?

You should formulate the essay’s main point that will lay the basis for your essay’s thesis statement. Then apply brainstorming to generate supporting arguments and find academic sources that expand those points and help you build solid, coherent content.

❓ What elements are required in an outline for an argumentative essay?

The standard format for an argumentative essay consists of an introduction, a thesis statement, supporting evidence, counterarguments, and a conclusion. You should insert that data in the argumentative essay outline generator to get high-quality results.

❓ How does an essay outline generator work?

An outline generator for essays is an online, AI-powered tool that helps students organize their essay ideas orderly. The essay outline builder uses complex AI models to research, paraphrase information, create relevant outlines, and guarantee that its content is authentic, interesting, and related to the topic.

• How to Write an Outline in 5 Steps, with Examples
• Types of Outlines and Samples - Purdue OWL
• Why and How to Create a Useful Outline - Purdue OWL
• Creating an Outline
• Outlining | - Harvard College Writing Center