How to Write an Expository Essay | Structure, Tips & Examples,Expository Essay Format
WebJun 2, · Expository essays rely on different structures to communicate their positions, like compare and contrast, process essays, and analyzing cause and effect. Expository Missing: wikipedia WebExpository essays are fact-based and share information with the audience in an objective, academic tone. Expository essays regularly show up on exams because they measure Missing: wikipedia WebSep 16, · Expository writing is writing that aims to inform its reader. As we mentioned above, this includes all types of factual writing, like textbooks, news stories, technical Missing: wikipedia WebIn expository writing, a topic sentence [1] is a sentence that summarizes the main idea of a paragraph. [2] [3] It is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. Also known as a focus ... read more
Inevitably, a good part of narration is taken up with describing. But a narrative essay differs from a descriptive one in its emphasis on time and sequence. The essayist turns storyteller, establishing when and in what order a series of related events occurred. Exactly the same guidelines that hold for a descriptive or narrative essay can be used for the descriptive or narrative paragraph. That is, such a paragraph should be vivid, precise, and climactic, so that the details add up to something more than random observations. The purpose of description is to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that which is being described.
Descriptive writing can be found in the other rhetorical modes. A descriptive essay aims to make vivid a place, an object, a character, or a group. It acts as an imaginative guide to stimulate the thoughts of the reader in the form of allowing the mind to personally interact with what the writer has molded through literary enhancement of thoughtful impressions. The writer tries, not simply to convey facts about the object, but to give readers a direct impression of that object, as if they were standing in its presence. The descriptive writer's task is one of translation: he wants to find words to capture the way his five senses have registered the item, so a reader of those words will have a mental picture of it.
Essays whose governing intent is descriptive or narrative are relatively uncommon in college writing. Exposition and argument tend to prevail. Expository writing is a type of writing where the purpose is to explain, inform, or even describe. The purpose of expository writing is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. In narrative contexts such as history and fiction , exposition provides background information to teach or entertain. In other nonfiction contexts such as technical communication , the purpose is to teach and inform. The four basic elements of expository writing are the subject being examined; the thesis , or statement of the point the author is trying to prove; the argument , or backing, for the thesis, which consists of data and facts to serve as proof for the thesis; and the conclusion , or restatement of the proved thesis.
There are two types of subject, according to Aristotle : thesis , or general question such as, "Ought all people to be kind to one another? Examples include: [16]. An expository essay is one whose chief aim is to present information or to explain something. To expound is to set forth in detail, so that a reader will learn some facts about a given subject. However, no essay is merely a set of facts. Behind all the details lies an attitude, a point of view. In exposition, as in all the other modes, details must be selected and ordered according to the writer's sense of their importance and interest.
Though the expository writer isn't primarily taking a stand on an issue, he can't—and shouldn't try to—keep his opinions completely hidden. There is no interesting way of expounding certain subjects without at least implying a position. An argument is a discussion between people representing two or more sides of an issue. It is often conducted orally, and a formal oral argument is a debate. The purpose of argumentation also called persuasive writing is to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument to thoroughly convince the reader. When an essay writer's position is not implied but openly and centrally maintained, the essay is argumentative. An argument is simply a reasoned attempt to have one's opinions accepted.
The ideal is to present supporting evidence which points so plainly to the correctness of one's stand that one can afford to be civil and even generous toward those who believe otherwise. Another form of persuasive rhetoric is the use of humor or satire in order to make a point about some aspect of life or society. Perhaps the most famous example is Jonathan Swift 's " A Modest Proposal ". Jump to content Navigation. Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item.
Begin with an engaging sentence that gets right into your topic. Your introduction should immediately begin discussing your topic. Think about what you will discuss in your essay to help you determine what you should include in your introduction. An engaging hook can take many forms. You could start with an anecdote, an informative and attention-grabbing quote, a bold opinion statement, or anything that will make your readers want to continue with your essay. Provide context. Provide enough background information or context to guide your readers through your essay.
Think about what your readers will need to know to understand the rest of your essay. Provide this information in your first paragraph. If you are writing about a book, provide the name of the work, the author, and a brief summary of the plot. If you are writing about a specific day in history, summarize the day's events. Then, explain how it fits into a broader historical scope. If you are writing about a person, name the person and provide a brief biography. Keep in mind that your context should lead up to your thesis statement.
Explain everything your reader needs to know to understand what your topic is about. Then narrow it down until you reach the topic itself. Provide your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should be sentences that express your main argument. If your essay is purely informative, it should address your methods for presenting your information to your readers. Part 3. Determine how many paragraphs to include. The most common length for an expository essay is five-paragraphs, but an expository essay can be longer than that. Refer to your assignment guidelines or ask your instructor if you are unsure about the required length of your paper. A five-paragraph essay should include three body paragraphs.
Each body paragraph should discuss a piece of supporting evidence that supports your thesis. Even if your essay is longer than five paragraphs, the same principles still apply. Each paragraph should discuss a piece of supporting evidence. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. It should introduce one piece of supporting evidence that supports your thesis. If you're working with a specific text, you may start with a direct quote or a properly cited paraphrase of the argument you're referencing. For example, if you are writing an expository essay about the use of dogs in the US Marine Corps during WWII, your main ideas and topic sentences could be something like: "Dogs played an active role in Marine Corps missions in the Pacific.
Elaborate on your supporting evidence. After you have stated your topic sentence, provide specific evidence from your research to support it. Offer a new piece of evidence for every body paragraph in your essay. Most of your evidence should be in the form of cited quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from your research. Your evidence could also come from interviews, anecdotes, or personal experience. Try to provide at least two to three pieces of evidence to support each of your claims. For example, if a paragraph starts with, "War dogs were even eligible to receive military awards for their service," the supporting evidence might be a list of dogs who got awards and the awards they were given.
Analyze the significance of each piece of evidence. Explain how the evidence you have provided in that paragraph connects to your thesis. Write a sentence or two for each piece of evidence. Consider what your readers will need to know as you explain these connections. Conclude and transition into your next paragraph. Each paragraph should transition into the next. The conclusion of each body paragraph should sum up your main point while showing how it works with your next point. For example, imagine that you want to connect two paragraphs that begin with these sentences: "The Doberman Pinscher was the official dog of the US Marine Corps during WWII, but all breeds could train as war dogs.
You could write, "Even though Dobermans were the most common breed used in WWII, they were not the only breed, and were not the only dogs recognized for their help. Part 4. Restate and rephrase your thesis. The first sentence of your concluding paragraph should restate your thesis. But you should not just restate your thesis. You should also say what the evidence you have provided has added to your thesis. It just says it in a new way while also hinting at the information you included in the body of the essay. Summarize and review your main ideas. Take one sentence to summarize each main piece of supporting evidence, as presented in your essay's body. You should not introduce any new information in your conclusion. Revisit your most compelling claims and discuss how they all support your main point.
Offer a final thought or call to action. Use your last sentence to make a final statement about your topic. This last part of your final paragraph is your opportunity to say what should happen next. You can offer a solution or ask a new question about your topic. Tristen Bonacci Licensed English Teacher. Tristen Bonacci. An example of an expository essay could be discussing how to ride a particular type of bike. You'd take the reader through those steps so they could paint a clear picture in their head. We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Claim Your Gift If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you.
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In other languages Español: escribir un ensayo expositivo. Português: Escrever um Texto Expositivo. 中文: 写说明文. Français: rédiger un texte explicatif. Bahasa Indonesia: Menulis Esai Eksposisi. Nederlands: Een verklarend essay schrijven. العربية: كتابة مقالة تفسيرية. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. Reader Success Stories. Freida Ghabiliha Nov 24, I am required to write in expository writing. It is giving the outline of where and how to start. Rated this article:. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better.
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Narrative exposition is the insertion of background information within a story or narrative. This information can be about the setting , characters' backstories , prior plot events, historical context, etc. Exposition is one of four rhetorical modes also known as modes of discourse , along with description , persuasion , and narration , as elucidated by Alexander Bain and John Genung. An expository paragraph presents facts, gives directions, defines terms, and so on. It should clearly inform readers about a specific subject. An expository essay is one whose chief aim is to present information or to explain something. To expound is to set forth in detail, so a reader will learn some facts about a given subject. However, no essay is merely a set of facts. Behind all the details lies an attitude, a point of view.
In exposition, as in other rhetorical modes, details must be selected and ordered according to the writer's sense of their importance and interest. Although the expository writer isn't primarily taking a stand on an issue, they can't—and shouldn't try to—keep their opinions completely hidden. An information dump or infodump is a large drop of information by the author to provide background they deem necessary to continue the plot. This is ill-advised in narrative and is even worse when used in dialogue. There are cases where an information dump can work, but in many instances it slows down the plot or breaks immersion for the readers.
Exposition works best when the author provides only the bare minimum of surface information and allows the readers to discover as they go. Indirect exposition , sometimes called incluing , is a technique of worldbuilding in which the reader is gradually exposed to background information about the world in which a story is set. The idea is to clue the readers in to the world the author is building without them being aware of it. This can be done in a number of ways: through dialogues , flashbacks , characters' thoughts, [6] background details, in-universe media, [7] or the narrator telling a backstory.
Indirect exposition has always occurred in storytelling incidentally, but is first clearly identified, in the modern literary world, in the writing of Rudyard Kipling. In his stories set in India like The Jungle Book , Kipling was faced with the problem of Western readers not knowing the culture and environment of that land, so he gradually developed the technique of explaining through example. But this was relatively subtle, compared to Kipling's science fiction stories, where he used the technique much more obviously and necessarily, to explain an entirely fantastic world unknown to any reader, in his Aerial Board of Control universe. Kipling's writing influenced other science fiction writers, most notably the "Dean of Science Fiction", Robert Heinlein , who became known for his advanced rhetorical and storytelling techniques, including indirect exposition.
The word incluing is attributed to fantasy and science fiction author Jo Walton. Jump to content Navigation. Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item. Download as PDF Printable version. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Go to top. Contents move to sidebar hide.
Article Talk. Read Edit View history. More Read Edit View history. Background information within a narrative; one of four rhetorical modes. For other uses, see Exposition disambiguation. Kaplan Publishing. ISBN Modes of Discourse: The Local Structure of Texts. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 10 March Building Better Plots. Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books. composition Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 6 November Archived from the original on 19 November Methods of screenplay exposition".
Scithers TSR Hobbies. Write Great Fiction — Dialogue. FutureSpeak: a fan's guide to the language of science fiction. Paragon House. Fiction Writer's Mentor. Archived from the original on 23 June Antagonist Archenemy Character arc Character flaw Characterization Confidant Deuteragonist False protagonist Focal character Foil Gothic double Hamartia Hero Anti Byronic Tragic Narrator Protagonist Stock character Straight man Supporting character Title character Tritagonist Villain. Alternate history Backstory Crossover Dreamworld Dystopia Fictional location city country universe Utopia Worldbuilding.
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Expository Essay,Expository Essay
WebIn expository writing, a topic sentence [1] is a sentence that summarizes the main idea of a paragraph. [2] [3] It is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. Also known as a focus WebSep 16, · Expository writing is writing that aims to inform its reader. As we mentioned above, this includes all types of factual writing, like textbooks, news stories, technical Missing: wikipedia WebJun 2, · Expository essays rely on different structures to communicate their positions, like compare and contrast, process essays, and analyzing cause and effect. Expository Missing: wikipedia WebExpository essays are fact-based and share information with the audience in an objective, academic tone. Expository essays regularly show up on exams because they measure Missing: wikipedia ... read more
Various skills were examined, including the ability to write coherently and to display basic logic. If you are writing about a book, provide the name of the work, the author, and a brief summary of the plot. An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument , but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter , a paper , an article , a pamphlet , and a short story. It is often useful to leave the writing of the introduction till the end because after writing the body paragraphs you will have a better idea of what to say in an introduction, but make sure that you write down your thesis statement. Hidden category: Webarchive template wayback links. You can offer a solution or ask a new question about your topic. Português: Escrever um Texto Expositivo.
Conclusion Avoid discussing final thoughts that weren't in the thesis or body paragraphs. Later in the century, Robert Louis Stevenson also raised the form's literary level. Depending on the type of expository writing, expository essay wikipedia, you may have to structure it in different ways, but using an expository expository essay wikipedia outline is always going to be beneficial to organize your research and to visualize the flow of the essay. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Expert Interview. More success stories Hide success stories. Broad topics may seem easier to write about but they don't let you showcase in-depth research and bring up interesting facts.
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