What are the key differences between an argumentative essay and an expository essay? What is the main aim of an argumentative essay and an expository essay?
Argumentative essay and expository essay mainly involves facts and information. However, the difference between these two types of essays is that one attempts to convince the reader to agree with the writer’s perspective, while the other is a genre of writing that provides information.
Writing an argumentative essay requires doing a lot of research to gather reliable information. The writer’s personal ideas are also contained in the essay to prove a point.
In this article, we will be discussing the difference between an argumentative and expository essay and a few examples as well.
What Is an Argumentative Essay?
An argumentative essay is a type of essay where the writer attempts to convince the reader that his argument is justifiable. The writer’s personal ideas and a combination of valid facts are the information contained in an argumentative essay.
Writing an argumentative essay requires doing lots of research and gathering of valid evidence to prove a point in the essay. Hence, a writer preparing to write an argumentative essay must do several research and collect evidence that will prove the point he or she is trying to make.
The writer of the argumentative should expect opposing views on the subject, as there are others who may not agree with his perspective. An argumentative essay is biased and it’s a type of essay that appeals to logic.
A few examples of an argumentative essay include;
- “Should the official language of the United States be English?”
- “Should cigarettes be banned completely from society?”
- “What is the best course of action to end the war in Syria?”
- “Who should be the next nominee for the supreme court?”
- “Should GMOs be banned?”
- “Should Pluto’s status as a planet be reinstated?”
- “How many refugees should be allowed into the United States annually?”
- “Should there be limits to freedom of speech?”
- “What is the best course of action for reducing the large amount of plastic in the Pacific Ocean?”
- “Should every financial advisor be required to take a course on ethics before taking their first client?”
Also Read: What Are the Sociological Concepts? (Tips for Students)
What Is an Expository Essay?
An expository essay is a type of essay that assesses and describes a specific topic. An expository essay’s structure incorporates an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
The introductory part of the essay contains a thesis/opening statement, information to cover the topic and sufficient facts to make up the body of the essay, and a brief summary of the topic concludes the essay.
An expository essay is a type of essay where the writer should always an objective and refrain from pointing out any personal ideas throughout the essay.
This is a type of essay that does not require the writer to take a stance on an issue, rather the writer should present lots of evidence, facts and statistics on the topic.
Expository essays are commonly required at the university level. Educators mainly ask students to write an expository essay to prove their knowledge and understanding of an issue.
A few expository essay topics include;
- “ The role of social media in contemporary society”
- “Cause for Global Warming”
- “Analysis of a piece of literature”
- “The economic growth of the country in the last ten years”
Also Read: 10 Ways to Set High Expectations in the Classroom
A few examples of expository essay include:
- Explore with valid evidence how carbon dating predicts the age of the planet
- Explore how the judicial system exists to ensure justice is served in Western democracies
- Provide a clear and simple explanation of how an internal combustion engine produces motion
- Provide a simple and clear explanation of how mental health disorders are diagnosed and medically treated
- Examine with simple examples how nuclear engineers are able to prevent nuclear meltdowns at power plants
Difference Between Argumentative and Expository Essay
The difference between an argumentative essay and an expository essay is that the latter only contains information explaining the topic, while the former contains statistics and facts.
Another difference between an argumentative essay and an expository essay is that an argumentative essay may sometimes be subjective, whereas an expository essay provides a balanced account of a subject.
In an argumentative essay, first person point of view is commonly used and in an expository essay, third person narration is often used.
The opening sentence in an expository essay introduces the topic, while that of an argumentative essay states the argument.
An argumentative essay can contain elements of an expository essay because argumentative essays often state information and explanations.
Also Read: 50 Open-Ended Questions Examples
Argumentative Essay vs. Expository Essay
| An expository essay is unbiased and neutral | This only contains information |
| An argumentative essay thesis statement states the argument | An argumentative essay is biased and subjective |
| The expository essay thesis statement introduces the title | An expository essay commonly use third person point of view |
| An argumentative essay commonly uses first person point of view | An expository essay commonly uses third person point of view |
Tips to help you deep in your expository essay
- Get Good Information: Use every valuable information available to you to show you have a better understanding of the issue. Gather your information from lecture notes and information obtained from Google Scholar to prove your point.
- Compare Ideas: Make sure you find two sides of an argument that you will present and then compare them. Apply critical thinking strategies like (pros and cons list and Venn diagrams) to help you with the topic.
- Don’t Use Dictionary Definitions: It’s highly recommended you avoid using dictionary definitions. Use scholarly definitions from reliable textbooks or journal articles you can find online. Try to compare the definition of a topic or term if there are several definitions.
- Be Objective: Avoid using first-person language such as (I, our, us, you, and we). Your aim is to inform and not convince, so do not take a position on the issue.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay
When writing an argumentative essay, your introductory paragraph should describe your topic and the background information. Your introductory paragraph should outline the evidence you are presenting to the reader.
The next step is to include your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.
Next, the body paragraphs of your essay will contain the reason for supporting the thesis. Generally, there are 3 to 4 body paragraphs in an essay and they all contain a topic sentence.
Avoid including new points in your conclusion instead, just summarize the valid points in the body paragraphs.
How Does an Argumentative Essay and Expository Essay Differ?
An argumentative essay and an expository essay differ in their structure, purpose, and length.
Structure
The introductory paragraph of an expository essay presents the topic, while the body section of the essay explains, informs, summarizes, and compares various issues about the topic.
The conclusion summarizes the topic and highlights key points the reader may have forgotten about the topic.
In an argumentative essay, the introductory paragraph leads the reader to the writer’s point of view. The body paragraphs of an argumentative essay discuss how reliable sources of information like journals, studies, and interviews supports the thesis statement.
Also Read: 15 Classroom Teaching Strategies and Examples
Purpose
Generally, an expository essay provides information explaining a topic for the reader’s better understanding.
The writer assumes that the audience has no knowledge about the topic.
The aim is to provide information that clearly explains the topic for easy understanding.
An argumentative essay is more about providing facts, personal ideas, and statistics about a topic. The writer assumes that the audience is already familiar with the topic and all he wants is to make them support his reasoning.
Length
Argumentative essays are usually longer assignments compared to expository essays. This is because argumentative essays rely on several research studies to prove a point.
Expository essays simply describe or explain the point without trying to defend any reasoning with facts and evidence
Conclusion
Argumentative essay and expository essay mainly involves facts and information. However, the difference between these two types of essays is that one attempts to convince the reader to agree with the writer’s perspective, while the other is a genre of writing that provides information.
Recommendations
- 12 Student-Centered Learning Examples
- 15 Teaching Styles Examples
- 12 Experimental Design Examples (Tips for Students)
- 12 Fluid Intelligence Examples (Tips for Students)
- 15 Analytical Thinking Examples (Tips for Students)
References
- PEDIAA: Difference Between Argumentative and Expository Essay
- HelpfulProfessor: Difference Between Expository & Argumentative Essays
- DifferenceBetween.com: What is the Difference Between Argumentative and Expository Essay
- WritewMyPaper.me: Comparison Of Expository Vs Argumentative Essays And Their Main Differences
- CourseHero.com: Difference Between Argumentative and Expository.docx
- L Aull – Journal of Writing Analytics, 2017: Corpus analysis of argumentative versus explanatory discourse in writing task genres
- M Rahimi – World Journal of English Language, 2011 Discourse markers in argumentative and expository writing of Iranian EFL learners
