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Explanatory Writing Skills Practice

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Explanatory Writing Skills Practice

Read each question carefully. For the writing task, choose one topic and explain it clearly using facts and helpful linking words.

Understanding Explanatory Writing

1.What is the main purpose of an explanatory text?

To entertain readers with an invented adventure
To show how or why something happens
To convince readers to agree with a viewpoint
To describe a person’s appearance

2.Select all the features that can help make an explanation clear and informative.

A topic sentence that introduces the main idea
Linking words that show order, such as first and next
Facts that explain the topic
Specialist vocabulary where it is useful
Rhyming lines throughout the text

3.A writer says, “As warm air rises, it cools and water vapour forms tiny droplets.” What kind of sentence is this?

A factual explanation
A personal opinion
A character’s dialogue
A line from a poem

4.Complete the sentence: A paragraph’s first sentence often introduces its main idea. This is called the sentence.

5.Which sentence would be the strongest opening for an explanation about how a seed grows?

Seeds are small and some are brown.
Have you ever found a seed in your pocket?
A seed begins to grow when it has the right conditions, including water, warmth and air.
I think gardens are the best places to play.

Explanatory Writing Vocabulary

6.Match each writing term with its meaning.

Topic sentence
Sequence words
Technical vocabulary
Conclusion
Process
Cause

Words that show the order of steps or events
Words with a specialised meaning in a subject
The ending that brings the explanation to a close
A sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph
A set of stages through which something happens
Something that makes an event or change happen

7.Choose the best sequence word to complete the sentence: “At the start of the drying process, _____ the wet clothes are hung in the sun, and the heat helps the water evaporate.”

Finally
First
However
Instead

Plan and Write an Explanation

8.Choose one topic and write a short explanatory paragraph of about four to five sentences. Begin with a clear topic sentence, use linking or sequence words, include accurate facts, and finish with a concluding sentence. Topics: how a shadow changes during the day; why some birds migrate; how a sponge absorbs water; why looking after teeth helps keep them healthy. Write your chosen topic above your paragraph.

9.After writing your paragraph, use this checklist to review it. For each feature, mark Yes if you included it and No if it is missing; revise your paragraph to add any missing feature. 1. I introduced the main idea in a topic sentence. Yes / No 2. I used linking or sequence words to connect ideas. Yes / No 3. I included relevant facts about my topic. Yes / No 4. I ended with a sentence that sums up the explanation. Yes / No 5. I checked spelling, capitals and punctuation. Yes / No