Definition of Explanation Text

Explanation is a text which tells processes relating to

forming of natural, social, scientific and cultural phenomena.
Explanation text is to say ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the forming of
the phenomena. It is often found in science, geography and
history text books.
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

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
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.
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.
Contoh Explanation Text – 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 kacang untuk
mengeluarkan rasa. Biji yang berbeda dari tempat yang
berbeda memiliki kualitas dan rasa yang berbeda. Jadi
mereka sering korslet dan dicampur untuk menghasilkan
campuran yang khas.
Proses selanjutnya adalah menampi. Kacang panggang
diminyaki untuk mengeluarkan nib daging dari biji kakao dari
cangkangnya. Kemudian nibs dicampur. Bib campuran
dicampur agar cair. Cairan itu disebut minuman keras
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.
Contoh Explanation Text – 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 he 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 pengemudinya
bensin di tangki hampir kosong. Karena itu ia 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.