The Expository Essay Writing Process - Pitfalls To Avoid

There are several things to avoid when writing the expository essay. While the concept of the essay seems easy enough to follow, few still seem to experience trouble during the writing process. The main purpose of the essay is to define or explain your argument in details that is simple to follow while being concise. The following points may help students understand common areas of concern when writing the expository essay and how to avoid them.

  • Failing to adhere to guidelines and instructions of the essay assignment. Sometimes misinterpreting or having a lack in understanding may cause you to write your content from a different viewpoint.
  • Lack of understanding the expository essay concept. When writing your essay it helps to use words and details that will help you explain or define your argument.
  • Not understanding the structure of the essay assignment. Most essays include 5 paragraphs, meaning you would have essentially 5 steps to help you write each part.
  • Not allowing enough time to thoroughly think about their main idea or brainstorm. Some even fail to create an outline which could help you to include the right content. The outline helps you lay out your notes so you know where they should appear in the essay.
  • Neglecting to create a rough draft or revising paragraphs and sentences. This allows you to refine your data to make sure it works to explain the main idea. When revising your content you should look to see if it indeed explains what the reader should know. Look for details that seem unnecessary.
  • Not writing in third person. There are times in which an expository essay works to explain an event or viewpoints of another. In other words, don’t use “you” or “I” when trying to explain your content.
  • Failing to proofread and edit your content. Grammar, punctuation, word usage and other technical writing aspects in this case are crucial. Word usage alone can be a problem if you use the wrong word or have it in sentence when you could do without it.
  • Failing to take time to distinguish the differences in essay variations. Doing this can help you better define the meaning of the expository essay while helping you remember their differences. Such essays related to but not exactly called the expository essay includes classification essays, compare and contrast essays, definition essays, cause and effect essays, and process essays (how-to).