Evaluative patterns in the concluding components of expounding essays.

This article investigates the rhetorical structure and evaluative language in expounding essays written by English-as-a-Second-Language associate degree business students at a Hong Kong tertiary institution. Using Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) and the appraisal framework, the study analyzes how body paragraphs explaining causes or effects of business phenomena are organized and how concluding sentences express the writer’s evaluative stance. Findings reveal that paragraphs commonly employ rhetorical relations of Cause, Elaboration, and Conjunction to develop arguments, concluding with either Evaluation—where the writer’s assessment aligns with the preceding content—or Interpretation—where the writer offers a personal judgment that may shift the evaluative frame. The study highlights pedagogical implications for teaching students to construct coherent, persuasive paragraphs that balance factual explanation with evaluative commentary.