Expository Writing
Expository Writing
Expository Writing
⦿Informational writing
Expository text differs greatly from narrative text in tone, style, structure, and features. First, expository
texts purvey a tone of authority, since the authors possess authentic and accurate information on the
subjects they write about.
Another aspect of expository texts is that they utilize specific structures to present and explain
information
Expository texts typically follow one of five formats:
cause and effect
compare and contrast
description
problem and solution
sequence.
Types of Text Structures
Sequence
In the sequence structure, students identify and describe items or events in sequences. In sequence text
structures, passages will typically follow a timeline of events as it takes the reader through a story.
Students can spot them by committing certain chronological signal words to memory, such as:
● Since
● Later
● Last
● Moreover
● Thereafter
● Hereafter
● Formerly, previously
● Subsequently
Description
In description expository text structures, students describe a topic by identifying and explaining its
characteristics, features, and attributes, and by providing examples.
When a text spends time describing a particular person, event, time period, or object, students can lose
the facts in the words. Organizing the key details will provide students with a visual aid and quick
reference, and increase their ability to retain the information presented in the text.
For example, an expository text may go into extensive detail about how water moves through the water
cycle, taking several paragraphs to do so, even though the water cycle only has five steps that could just
as easily be listed in a sentence.
Persuasion
A sixth type of structure, persuasion, is recognized by some academic institutions. In persuasive
passages, there is typically an introduction of a thesis argument for why an idea about an idea is correct,
or action should or should not be taken. Then, the passage outlines supporting arguments for the
argument it is trying to “persuade” its readers of, followed by a counterargument, a rebuttal of the
counterargument, and a conclusion.
Examples of persuasive text are most commonly found in academic or scientific journals, where
researchers are trying to persuade readers that their thesis statement is correct, or that their experiment
uncovered certain results. This type of structure can also be found in more modern textbooks arguing
ideas, such as why a certain law might be overturned in the coming years, or why an old scientific concept
is looking for traction as discoveries are made in the field.
The purpose of the expository writing program is for students to master the techniques required.
to complete a well-organized informational piece of writing that includes:
• a clear introduction with an attention-grabbing lead and a clear, concise topic sentence
or thesis statement
• three well-defined paragraphs, each containing a distinct main idea and a variety of
supporting details, such as quotes, statistics, interesting facts, anecdotes, or descriptions
• a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main ideas in a new way.
Expository essays are written to provide information, define, and illustrate a certain topic.
How to Write an Expository Essay
To write an expository essay, you will need to gather information and present it in a clear and concise way.
Make sure to use evidence to support your points and be sure to structure your essay in a way that is easy
to follow.
Here are some steps that you should follow after creating the essay outline and start writing an essay.
Writing a good introductory paragraph cannot be difficult, but if you follow these guidelines.
Craft a Conclusion
The conclusion of an expository essay is meant to remind the reader of the main points in the essay and
state the hypothesis one more time. The information presented in the conclusion connects to the main
purpose. The thesis statement is restated and explained in greater detail.
The Comparance and Contrast Essay
The compare and contrast essay is used to compare all sorts of things on any number of points.
A common example is two items compared on three points, such as the movies Star Wars and Avatar
compared on their visuals, stories, and soundtracks. People often wonder how to organize the
comparison of their points.
The name of the essay pretty much tells you what you’ll be doing: comparing and contrasting things or
ideas. Sounds easy enough, right?
It can be fairly easy to construct a compare and contrast essay. The key to writing a successful essay is
to choose the right points to compare and contrast and to tie them all together with a strong thesis
statement. The thesis statement provides a roadmap to the rest of your essay, so it’s important that you
take the time to craft a thesis statement that tells readers the focus of your paper.
What are the differences between brands of soda?
Example thesis: Even though many people cannot tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi, there are
distinct differences in taste, nutritional content, and advertising.
2. Prepare the Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence: Dogs make wonderful pets because they help you to live longer.
The topic is "dogs make wonderful pets" and the controlling idea is "because they help you to live longer."
Topic Sentence: Crime in poverty-stricken areas occurs as a result of systemic discrimination.
The topic is "crime in poverty-stricken areas" and the controlling idea is "systemic discrimination."
Staying on Topic
Remember that topic sentences set the tone for the paragraph and should relate back to the thesis or the
main idea of the paper. A carefully thought-out topic sentence helps you, the author, to stay focused. It
also gives readers the tools they need to clearly understand what you have to say.
Because the purpose of an expository essay is to share information, it is important that the writer’s main
points are easy to understand and that the supporting details are well-researched, relevant, and clearly
explained.
Your first step is to choose a topic for your essay. For a cause-effect essay, you want to choose a topic
for which you can develop three causes of one effect or three effects from one cause. Your teacher may
assign a topic, you may think of one yourself, or you may choose one from the suggestions in the chart.
As you consider possible topics, ask yourself, “What do I know about this topic? What do my readers
know? What else do I need to know? Do I need to research this topic?”
Step 2: Brainstorm
A. Use the chart to brainstorm a list of possible causes and effects for your topic.
Now carefully consider the causes and effects. Which focus do you think would be better for your
essay? If you have more causes, then you should write a focus-on-causes essay with one effect. If you
have more effects, then you should write a focus-on-effects essay with one cause
1 Introduction
A clear thesis statement that states the central idea of the essay
2 Body
A topic sentence for each body paragraph
Development of each topic with relevant factual support
Clear transitions from one body paragraph to the next
3 Conclusion
Restatement of the central idea
A satisfactory ending
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