Process Analysis Essays
A process is a series of steps or stages; analysis involves taking a subject apart
and examining its components in order to better understand the whole.
Explains the way something happens so the reader can understand the steps and
the result more clearly but is not necessarily intended for the reader to duplicate.
It provides people with practical information—sometimes this type of writing
can inform people about things that affect their lives, such as how a medication
works or how a child learns how to read.
Process analysis can be applied to any number of actions, operations, functions,
or changes--each with a distinctive sequence to be developed. In each instance,
there is a different set of principles underlying the sequence.
In general, process analysis is:
 Used to explain things step by step, to give directions (directive)
 The process may also be one that readers are unlikely or unable to
perform themselves.
 Used to show how something works or how something is done, and to
explain behaviors (informational)
 Organized according to time or logic (chronologically or logical order of
events)
The informational approach:
 provides readers with thorough understanding of a process that they would
like to know something (or know more) about.
 the emphasis shifts from how-to-do-it instructions to how-it-is-done
explanations.
 Readers should come away from informative-process writing with a
general understanding of the principles involved in how something works
or happens—whether it is a simple household appliance or a complex
political crisis.
 The informative process analysis may be classified as:
o mechanical (how an instant camera works)
o scientific (how our lungs function)
o historical (how the United States came to suffer in Vietnam)
o natural (how rain clouds form)
o social (how women’s roles in society have changed)
o creative (how songs are written)
o or psychological (how dreams are interpreted)
The writer of any process-analysis essay typically follows a sequence of moves:
- Present a general description of the process and its purpose.
- Break the process down into its chief stages and further down into particular
steps.
- Describe the main steps in detail.
- Conclude the essay by citing the significance of the main stages of the process
and perhaps offering a general comment on it. Create a sense of closure--a
satisfying sense of completeness--for the process analyzed.
 Know your audience. Does your audience need to perform the process
or do they want to understand the process, not actually perform it?
 Explain, define and inform your reader—don’t assume they know
your ‘lingo’. Maintain a balance between presuming too little
knowledge on the part of the audience (=boredom) and presuming too
much (=confusion).
 Define any unavoidable special terms and identify any ingredients
crucial to completing the process.
 Anticipate “trouble spots” your reader might have and be sure to address
these areas by offering advice on how to avoid or resolve them.
Determine what background information is needed, what steps to
include, and what pitfalls to mention.
Process analysis essays include a clear thesis statement that identifies the process
to be discussed and the writer’s attitude or approach toward it.
Examples:
-Here are 10 practical tips that can help you avoid legal hassles.
-Switching to a low-fat diet can improve weight control dramatically.
-By carefully preparing for a vacation in a foreign country, one can
save time and prevent hassles.
Topics for Directive essays (Informative or Directive?)
How to improve___________
How to be a successful__________
Writing a Book Review
How Lightning Kills
How ___________ works
How a decision is made to_______
How NOT to do ___________
How to fix/repair a/ an _________
Writing a Good Paper
Planning a Wedding
Preparing for a Trip
How to prepare for___________
How an American President Is Elected
How a Meeting Is Conducted
How I Selected a (Major, College, Mate, Home, Job, etc.)
How a computer works/ are manufactured
How oil is refined
How to make a ___________
How a dictatorship was overthrown How a bill becomes a law
How an egg becomes a chicken
How witchcraft was diagnosed in the seventeenth century
YOUR essay topic:
Write an Informational Process Analysis essay explaining one of the following:
-How a natural process (of your choice) takes place.
-How a machine (of your choice) works. For example, how a DVD player works.