EXPLANATION TEXT

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.

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.

Butterfly Metamorphosis

            To grow into an adult, butterflies go through 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
Depending on the type of butterfly, the life cycle of a butterfly may take anywhere from one
month to a whole year.

A butterfly starts life as a very small, round, oval or cylindrical egg. The egg hatches and the
young one called larvae or caterpillar comes out of the egg. The caterpillar first feeds on the egg
shell from which it is born. It then starts feeding on the leaves and starts to grow. Its exoskeleton
(skin) does not stretch or grow, so it grows by “molting” (sheding the outgrown skin) several
times while it grows. As soon as a caterpillar is done growing and it has reached its full
length/weight, it forms itself into a pupa, also known as a chrysalis. The pupa remains motionless
in the chrysalis. In the chrysalis, the pupa undergoes a series of changes. After about 15 days, a
beautiful adult butterfly emerges out of the chrysalis. When the butterfly comes out, it’s wings
are small and wet, then the butterfly pumps fluids into them to make them strong and to expand.
After a few hours, the wings become strong enough and the butterfly is able to fly.
 A rainbow

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion

of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of
a multicoloured arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly
opposite the sun.

Rainbows can be full circles; however, the average observer sees only an arc formed by
illuminated droplets above the ground, and centred on a line from the sun to the observer’s eye.

In a primary rainbow, the arc shows red on the outer part and violet on the inner side. This
rainbow is caused by light being refracted when entering a droplet of water, then reflected inside
on the back of the droplet and refracted again when leaving it.

In a double rainbow, a second arc is seen outside the primary arc, and has the order of its colors
reversed, with red on the inner side of the arc.

Tsunami

In Indonesia, we are very familiar with the word " Tsunami ". This natural disaster has ever killed
thousands of lives in Banda Aceh a few years ago. Indonesia mourned, the world mourned.
Then, how the Tsunami happens? Here is a brief explanation of the process of how the Asian
tsunami happens.

Tsunamis can occur if there is a phenomenon which causes the displacement of large amounts
of water in the ocean, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, and meteors that fall
to Earth. However, 90% of tsunamis is the result of underwater earthquakes.

Vertical movement in the Earth's crust in the bottom of the ocean causes a sudden up or down
movement of sea floor which then causes the water balance disorders above it. This
disturbance causes the occurrence of the flow of the massive sea water energy, that once it
reaches the shore, it becomes huge waves resulting Tsunami.