What Is an Example of an Explanatory Paragraph?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

An explanatory, or expository paragraph, informs the reader on the particular subject the writing piece is about. The writer is objective and presents factual information when writing an explanatory paragraph.

An explanatory paragraph informs the reader on a particular subject. It provides the reader with information regarding the topic of the written piece. Explanatory paragraphs are instructions to a product or are found in school textbooks. There are a few different types of explanatory paragraphs, the most common being paragraphs that inform, paragraphs that explain the cause and effect of something, or paragraphs that compare or contrast a topic.

A writer should focus on presenting the reader with factual information while remaining objective. Most explanatory paragraphs are written in third person, but using first person is also acceptable, depending on the subject the written piece is about.

A comparison-contrast explanatory paragraph compares two different things. A cause and effect paragraph explains why the action of one thing produces a certain result. When a writer writes an explanatory paragraph, he takes on the assumption that his reader has little knowledge of the subject or topic the writer is writing about. The reader should feel as though he has learned something new after reading an explanatory paragraph.