Generic Structure of Explanation Text

– General statement
General statement; stating the phenomenon issues which are to be explained.
– Sequenced of explanation
Sequenced explanation; stating a series of steps which explain the phenomena.

Purpose of Explanation Text

– Explanation is a text which tells processes relating to forming of natural, social, scientific,
and cultural phenomena.
– To explain how or why something happens.

According to Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson (1997: 82) says that the explanation text
type is often used to tell how and why thing (phenomena) occur in nature.

Language Features of Explanation Text

In an explanation text, there are linguistic features as below :
– Using simple present tense
– Using abstract noun (no visible noun)
– Using Passive voice
– Using Action verbs
– Containing explanation of the process ..

Examples of Explanation Text

Example of Explanation Text about Natural Phenomenon

How does Rain Happen?

Rain is the primary source of fresh water for most areas of the world, providing suitable
conditions for diverse ecosystems, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop
irrigation.

The phenomenon of rain is actually a water circle. The concept of the water cycle involves
the sun heating the Earth’s surface water and causing the surface water to evaporate. The
water vapor rises into the Earth’s atmosphere. The water in the atmosphere cools and
condenses into liquid droplets. The droplets grow until they are heavy and fall to the earth
as precipitation which can be in the form of rain or snow.

However, not all rain reaches the surface. Some evaporates while falling through dry air.
This is called virga, a phenomenon which is often seen in hot, dry desert regions.

Example of Explanation Text about Process of Making Chocolate

How Chocolate is Made

Have we wondered how we get chocolate from? Well this time we will enter the amazing
world of chocolate so we can understand exactly we are eating.
Chocolate starts a tree called cacao tree. This tree grows in equatorial regions, especially in
place such as South America, Africa, and Indonesia. The cacao tree produces a fruit about
the size of a small pine apple. In side the fruits are the tree’s seeds. They are also known as
coco beans.

Next, the beans are fermented for about a week, dried in the sun. After that they are
shipped to the chocolate maker. The chocolate maker starts processing by roasting the
beans to bring out the flavour. Different beans from different places have different qualities
and flavour. So they are often shorted and blended to produce a distinctive mix.

The next process is winnowing. The roasted beans are winnowed to remove the meat nib of
the cacao bean from its shell. Then the nibs are blended. The blended nibs are grounded to
make it liquid. The liquid is called chocolate liquor. It tastes bitter.

All seeds contain some amount of fat and cacao beans are not different. However, cacao
beans are half fat, which is why they ground nibs from liquid. It is pure bitter chocolate.

Example of Explanation Text – How a Cancer is Formed

How a Cancer is formed

What is cancer? It is actually a group of more than one hundred separate diseases. Most of
us are fear from cancer. It is reasonable because next to heart disease, cancer is the second
leading cause of death.

Cancer cells come from normal cells because of mutations of DNA. Those mutations can
occur spontaneously. The mutations may be also induced by other factors such as: nuclear
and electromagnetic radiation, viruses, bacteria and fungi, parasites, heat, chemicals in the
air, water and food, mechanical cell-level injury, free radicals, evolution and ageing of DNA,
etc. All such factors can produce mutations that may start cancer.

Cancer cells are formed continuously in the organism. It is estimated that there are about
10,000 cancer cells at any given time in a healthy person. Why do some result in
macroscopic-level cancers and some do not? First, not all damaged cells can multiply and
many of them die quickly. Second, those which potentially divide and form cancer are
effectively destroyed by the mechanisms available to the immune system. Therefore cancer
develops if the immune system is not working properly or the amount of cells produced is
too great for the immune system to eliminate.

Example of Explanation Text about Process of Making Chocolate

How Chocolate is Made

Have we wondered how we get chocolate from? Well this time we will enter the amazing
world of chocolate so we can understand exactly we are eating.

Chocolate starts a tree called cacao tree. This tree grows in equatorial regions, especially in
place such as South America, Africa, and Indonesia. The cacao tree produces a fruit about
the size of a small pine apple. In side the fruits are the tree’s seeds. They are also known as
coco beans.
Next, the beans are fermented for about a week, dried in the sun. After that they are
shipped to the chocolate maker. The chocolate maker starts processing by roasting the
beans to bring out the flavour. Different beans from different places have different qualities
and flavour. So they are often shorted and blended to produce a distinctive mix.

The next process is winnowing. The roasted beans are winnowed to remove the meat nib of
the cacao bean from its shell. Then the nibs are blended. The blended nibs are grounded to
make it liquid. The liquid is called chocolate liquor. It tastes bitter.

All seeds contain some amount of fat and cacao beans are not different. However, cacao
beans are half fat, which is why they ground nibs from liquid. It is pure bitter chocolate.

Terjemahan

Bagaimana Coklat Terbentuk

Sudahkah kita bertanya-tanya bagaimana kita mendapatkan cokelat? Nah kali ini kita akan
memasuki dunia coklat yang menakjubkan sehingga kita bisa mengerti persis yang kita
makan.

Coklat memulai pohon yang disebut pohon kakao. Pohon ini tumbuh di daerah khatulistiwa,
terutama di tempat seperti Amerika Selatan, Afrika, dan Indonesia. Pohon kakao
menghasilkan buah seukuran apel pinus kecil. Di sisi buah adalah biji pohon. Mereka juga
dikenal sebagai coco beans.

Selanjutnya, biji difermentasi selama sekitar satu minggu, dikeringkan di bawah sinar
matahari. Setelah itu mereka dikirim ke pembuat cokelat. Pembuat cokelat mulai
memproses dengan memanggang biji coklat untuk mengeluarkan rasa. Biji yang berbeda
dari tempat yang berbeda memiliki kualitas dan rasa yang berbeda. Jadi mereka sering
disortir dan dicampur untuk menghasilkan campuran yang khas.

Proses selanjutnya adalah menampi. Biji coklat yang dipanggang diminyaki untuk
mengeluarkan nib daging dari biji kakao dari cangkangnya. Kemudian nibs dicampur. Nibs
yang dicampur digiling agar cair. Cairan itu disebut minuman cairan coklat. Rasanya pahit.

Semua biji mengandung sejumlah besar biji kakao dan lemak tidak berbeda. Namun, biji
kakao setengah lemak, itulah sebabnya mereka menggiling nib dari cairan. Cokelat itu
murni pahit.

Note on the Generic Structure of Explanation Sample

Every genre has its special purpose or social function. However if we see the generic
structure point, we will get the understanding which both the explanation and procedure
text have similar purposes. Both explain how to make or form something. However the
procedure text will explain how to form or make something completely by instruction way.
That is why most of procedure text is composed in command sentences. In the other hand,
explanation text will show a knowledge about how thing is formed.

The above example of explanation text has the following generic structure :

General statement; it is a statement which says about chocolate and how it is formed
Sequenced explanation; it is a series of explanation on how chocolate is formed before we
eat. First, the chocolate is coming from the cacao tree. Then it is fermented and ship to the
chocolate producer. The cacao bean then are roasted and winnowed.

Example of Explanation Text – How A Fuel Light Works

How A Fuel Light Works

Many cars, motorcycles and other modern vehicles have fuel warning light devices. the
warning light is usually red which switches on automatically when the level of fuel in the
tank is very low. The warning light gives the driver information about the amount of petrol in
the tank. When the light switches on red, it tells the driver that the petrol in the tank is
almost empty. Therefore we have to put more fuel into the tank. However do you know how
the fuel warning works?

Well this is the way the fuel warning light work and gives the driver information about the
accurate amount of the petrol in the tank. When the level of the fuel falls, the float inside
the tank moves downwards. When this condition happens, the arm also moves downwards
and it make the lever touch an electrical contact. This switches on the fuel light in the car
dashboard.

The red light which appears in the fuel panel of the dashboard tells the driver that he needs
more petrol for his car. When he pours more petrol into the tank, this condition makes the
fuel level rise and it pushes the float upwards. In return it disconnects to the electrical
contact and makes the red light switch off.

Terjemahan

Cara Kerja Cahaya Bahan Bakar

Banyak mobil, sepeda motor dan kendaraan modern lainnya memiliki lampu peringatan
bahan bakar. Lampu peringatan biasanya merah yang menyala secara otomatis bila tingkat
bahan bakar di dalam tangki sangat rendah. Lampu peringatan memberi informasi tentang
jumlah bensin di tangki. Bila lampu menyala merah, berarti pengemudi nya bensin di tangki
hampir kosong. Karena itu kita harus memasukkan lebih banyak bahan bakar ke dalam
tangki. Namun tahukah anda bagaimana bahan bakar bekerja?

Nah begitulah cara kerja lampu peringatan bahan bakar dan memberi informasi pengemudi
tentang jumlah bensin yang akurat di tangki. Bila tingkat bahan bakar turun, pelampung di
dalam tangki bergerak ke bawah. Bila kondisi ini terjadi, lengan juga bergerak ke bawah dan
itu membuat tuas menyentuh kontak listrik. Ini akan menyalakan lampu bahan bakar di
dasbor mobil.

Lampu merah yang muncul di panel bahan bakar di dasbor memberi tahu pengemudi bahwa
ia membutuhkan lebih banyak bensin untuk mobilnya. Saat menuangkan bensin lagi ke
tangki, kondisi ini membuat tingkat bahan bakar naik dan mendorong float ke atas. Sebagai
gantinya diputus ke kontak listrik dan mematikan lampu merah.

(Grammar – xx)

Related Articles : Report Text ; Definition, Generic Structures, Purposes, Language

Features
Oke. I think that’s all my explanation about Explanation Text. I hope it will be useful for us. I
hope you are never bored to visit this site. Don’t forget to visit this site if you need English
reference in your study. See you next time..

Reference :
Rudi Hartono, Genre of Texts, (Semarang: English Department Faculty of Language and Art
Semarang State University, 2005).
Text Genre, Grammar: Technologies for Teaching and Assessing Writing, Peter
Knapp & Megan Watkins, New South Wales Press, Ltd : Australia
Mark Andersons and Kathy Andersons, Text Type in English 1-2, Australia:
MacMillanEducation, 2003.