Main Difference – Argumentative vs Expository Essay
Argumentative essay and Expository Essay are two types of essays that deal with facts and information. The main difference between Argumentative essay and expository essay is that Argumentative essay is a genre of writing that attempts to convince the reader to accept writer’s point of view while expository essay is a genre of writing that provide information and explanations in a straightforward manner to the readers.
What is an Expository Essay
Expository Essay is a type of writing that evaluates and explains a certain issue or a topic. A writer should always maintain an objective, neutral tone throughout the essay. In this type of an essay, the writer should refrain from pointing out his personal ideas and beliefs. The structure of an expository essay includes an introduction containing a thesis/opening statement, a body that contains sufficient facts, information to cover the topic and a conclusion that briefly summarizes all the points explained in the body. Some expository essay topics include, ” The role of social media in contemporary society”,”Causes for Global Warming”, “Analysis of a piece of literature,” “The economic growth of the country in the last 10 years.”
What is an Argumentative Essay
An Argumentative Essay is a type of writing in which the writer attempts to convince his audience that his argument is valid. An argumentative essay contains a combination of facts and writer’s personal ideas. A writer preparing to start an argumentative essay have to do a lot of research and gather evidence to prove as well as to defend his point. An argumentative essay is biased and subjective, although the writer has to be aware of the opposing views on the subject. This type of essay appeals to the logic and the reasoning. Examples for some argumentative essays are “Should English be the official language in the United States?”, “Is dieting useless ?” ,”Should cigarettes be banned from the society?” etc.
Difference Between Argumentative and Expository Essay
The main difference between argumentative and expository essay is that an expository essay contains only information, explaining the topic, whereas an argumentative essay contains statistics, facts and writer’s personal ideas. Another vital difference between argumentative and expository essay is that an expository essay always give a balanced account of a subject while an argumentative essay may be unbiased and subjective. First person point of view is usually used in an argumentative essay (I strongly believe, In my opinion, I do not agree with…, etc.) while, in an expository essay, third person narration is preferred. It should be also noted that an argumentative essay can contain elements of an expository essay, as argumentative essays also state explanations and information. Another central difference between argumentative and expository essay can be noted in the opening sentence in the essay; the opening sentence in an argumentative essay states the argument, and the opening line in an expository essay introduces the topic.
