Expository

Have you ever paid attention to the infinite scrolling feature on the internet? Whether it’s
a Buzzfeed article or Twitter updates, you can’t seem to stop scrolling, hungry for more
news. If you’ve read a ‘how to do something’ article or a condensed version of a long
news report, then you’ve encountered various examples of expository writing.

While expository writing dominates the content world today, businesses have been

relying on this writing style for ages. Every professional should understand the dos and
don’ts of expository writing for effective business communication and workplace
success.

1. What Is Expository Writing?

2. The Different Types Of Expository Writing
3. The Importance Of Expository Writing In Business
What Is Expository Writing?

Before we explore the basic tenets of expository writing, let’s look at what exposition
means. At its simplest, it means explaining something. The purpose of the expository
writing style is to enlighten or instruct. In other words, it means to present an idea or
relevant discussion that helps explain or analyze information. Some of the most
common examples of expository writing include scientific reports, academic essays and
magazine articles.

An expository writer can’t assume that potential readers have prior knowledge or
understanding about the information that they present. It’s best to avoid beating around
the bush and highlight things as they are. The main features of expository writing
style include:

 It Needs To Be Informative And Highlight Relevant Details For Better

Understanding

 There Should Be Clarity And An Expository Writer Should Know What

They’re Talking About

 Well-Written Expository Pieces Continue To Focus On The Main Topic And

List Events In An Organized Manner

 The Use Of The First-Person Narrative Should Be Avoided; Instead,

Second-Person Instruction Is Much More Effective
  It Should Steer Clear Of Personal Thoughts And Opinions And Present An
Unbiased Version Of The Information

The Different Types Of Expository Writing

Most of us have written some form of expository writing whether it was in school,
college or office. Here are the various types of expository writing that’ll help you deliver
ideas clearly:

1. Problem And Solution

As the name suggests, you identify the problem, provide details about it to explain
it and suggest a solution(s) to tackle it. You have to justify the solution with
sufficient data and propose ways to implement those solutions.

2. Cause And Effect

It conveys why something happened and how will it impact something. The
outcomes suggested can be either true or hypothetical but the author should
validate them.

3. Compare And Contrast

In this type of expository writing, the writer compares the similarities and contrasts
the differences between the two subjects. This is only possible when subjects
belong to the same category. For example, a comparative study between indoor
and outdoor stadiums.

4. Definition And Classification

It provides a complete description of a subject, elaborating on the meaning, types
and examples. It includes terms that have concrete meaning (e.g., objects) as well
as abstract meanings (e.g., emotions).

5. How-To/Process
This type of writing is instructive and tells the reader about a task and how to do it.
The reader may also include step-by-step instruction for easier understanding.
Cook-books and user manuals are ideal examples of expository writing.

The Importance Of Expository Writing In Business

Take any typical day at work and reflect on the kinds of tasks you’re involved with.
Written communication will be a commonly recurring activity. Business communication
is one of the cornerstones of professional success. It’s important that you become
familiar with the meaning of expository writing and establish yourself as an effective
communicator. People are bound to take notice at work. Here are some expository
writing tips that you should consider.
 1. Work With The Information That You’re Most Familiar With. For Example,
If You Don’t Know How To Begin Your Email, Write The Body And
Conclusion Before The Introduction. It’s Easier To Map Your Purpose,
Identify Your Thoughts And Then Put Them Into Writing.

2. Case-Studies And Projects Can’t Be Considered Authentic Unless You

Back Your Report With Ample Data. In Order To Be Persuasive And
Convince Your Clients Or Customers, You Need To Provide Them With
Substantial Evidence.

You write a lot of essays, and while they might share some broad
characteristics such as their structure, they can be quite different from each
other. Some essays are meant to convince the reader that the position you’re
arguing is the correct position, while others explore the differences and
similarities between literary works. Beyond these, you might also be assigned
to write essays that explain subjects, events, and concepts to the reader,
sometimes walking them through processes. These essays are known as
expository essays. 

What is an expository essay?

An expository essay is an essay that communicates factual information.

Broadly, this type of writing is known as expository writing. Expository essays
rely on different structures to communicate their positions, like compare and
contrast, process essays, and analyzing cause and effect. 

Expository writing is one of the four main types of writing. The others are
persuasive, narrative, and descriptive writing. 

Knowing how to write an expository essay, along with knowing how to write
other types of essays, is an essential skill for any student to master.
Expository writing isn’t the place to be cute, clever, or edgy; it’s the kind of
writing where you position facts and observations to let them speak for
themselves in the most effective way possible. It’s the kind of writing you do
when you’re analyzing information you’ve been assigned to study, thinking
critically about concepts covered in class, and explaining the processes and
reasons behind the conclusions you’ve reached. 

The purpose of expository writing

Expository writing has a clear purpose: to educate the reader. While it may
also entertain or persuade the reader, these are secondary benefits and not
the author’s goal. Well-crafted expository writing demonstrates the author’s
expertise on the subject and in many cases demonstrates how they learned
about their subject.

For example, you might be assigned to write an essay about the mock trial
your class held. In this essay, you would introduce the assignment and the
case your class worked on through the trial. Then in the following body
paragraphs, you would describe each stage in the mock trial process
(discovery, opening statements, cross-examination, closing statements, jury
deliberation, and verdict) and how your class completed each of these stages.
In the final paragraph, you would state the verdict your class reached and the
judge’s ruling. 

Your essay about the mock trial doesn’t argue that the ruling was right or
wrong. It merely explains the process your class used to work through the trial
process and learn how real court cases move through the court system. In
other words, your essay would present facts and process rather than opinion
and commentary.

Types of expository essays

As we mentioned above, expository essays come in many forms. These

include the following:

Classification essays

In a classification essay, you write about various subjects within one category,
discussing each subject’s unique characteristics alongside the characteristics
that connect it with others in its category. For example, you might write a
classification essay about different kinds of herding dogs. Your essay would
start with a thesis statement about how herding breeds are different from
other categories of dogs, then in each paragraph, discuss specific herding
breeds (corgi, collie, heeler, etc.). 

Definition essays

A definition essay defines its subject by presenting clear facts about it. Your
definition essay might challenge commonly repeated myths about a historical
event by presenting firsthand accounts of the event from primary sources and
discussing relevant social, political, and economic trends that impacted the
event and influenced perceptions of it. 
Process essays

A process essay walks the reader through the steps involved in completing a
task. A recipe has a lot in common with a process essay. A process essay’s
opening paragraph explains the process that will be covered and the end
result of following the directions. Each body paragraph is a step in the
process, then the conclusion explains what the reader should have achieved
by completing each step. 

Compare-and-contrast essays

In a compare-and-contrast essay, you support your thesis statement by

examining the differences and similarities between the sources cited. For
example, you might write an essay comparing and contrasting the dress code
at your school with the dress codes at two neighboring schools. Your body
paragraphs might examine the differences in which articles of clothing are and
aren’t allowed as well as the overall preciseness of each dress code’s
language and the amount of “gray area” present in each policy. 

Cause-and-effect essays

As the name implies, a cause-and-effect essay gets into how specific events
and/or actions caused others to occur. They sometimes trace chains of events
to explore why we find ourselves facing certain circumstances today. An
example of a cause-and-effect essay might be one tracking how shifting
market trends over the past few decades impacted the industries in your
region, creating the current local economy. 
How expository essays are structured

Expository essays follow the same general structure you use with every essay
assignment: an introduction, body paragraphs that support and expand upon
the points you made in your introduction, then a conclusion that reiterates
those points and underscores your thesis. 

Unless your instructor requires your essay to hit a certain word count, there’s
no specific length your essay needs to be. Similarly, it doesn’t need to have a
specific number of paragraphs—but it does need to express your points
thoroughly and accurately. To achieve this, your essay should follow this
format, give or take the quantity of body paragraphs for the number of
supporting points you make: 

Introduction

In the introduction, you present your essay topic and your thesis statement,
ideally hooking your reader with intriguing facts. You also introduce your
supporting evidence and all necessary context to help your reader understand
your thesis. 

Body paragraph

Each supporting point you make needs its own body paragraph. Although the
five-paragraph essay is typically considered the “standard” essay length, you
might need a six-paragraph or longer essay to thoroughly communicate your
thesis statement. 

Body paragraph
Use transition words and sentences to transition between body paragraphs.
Transition words and sentences are the phrases that express the relationship
between two paragraphs, signaling to the reader why you’re making a specific
point and how that point fits into your overall work. 

Body paragraph

In your last body paragraph, you’ll need to transition to your conclusion. That
doesn’t mean you should start summarizing here—give your final body
paragraph as much insight and detail as you gave your previous body
paragraphs. 

Conclusion

In your conclusion, you restate your thesis statement and summarize the
points you made in your body paragraphs. It should neatly tie up any loose
ends and answer any lingering questions the reader may have. 

How do you write an expository essay?

Before you write your next expository essay, familiarize yourself with
the conventions and rules for essay writing. These general guidelines will help
you structure your essay and determine the most effective way to present
your information. But because you’re writing an expository essay, it’s also
important that you understand and incorporate all the characteristics that
separate expository essays from other kinds of writing. Keep the following
rules for expository writing in mind:
 Your thesis statement needs to be well thought out and presented clearly in
your opening paragraph. Your thesis statement is the decisive statement
around which you’ve built your entire essay. A good thesis statement is a
sentence that communicates your essay’s position, the context for this
position, and the scope of your essay’s supporting paragraphs. This might
sound like a lot for one sentence—generally, thesis statements are fairly long
sentences with multiple clauses. Here are two examples of good thesis
statements:

o Despite the taboo, insects make an excellent food source and could stem
humanity’s looming food shortage, based on both their protein output and the
sustainability of farming them.

o The backlash to rock ’n’ roll music in the ’50s by religious groups and
traditionalists actually boosted the genre’s popularity instead of diminishing it
as intended.

 Your tone should be objective and academic. While narrative and descriptive

essays can take on artistic, impassioned, and familiar tones, expository
essays stick to conventional language and a neutral tone.

 Stick to the facts. An expository essay is not the place to express your opinion
—or even present the facts in a way meant to change or shape the reader’s
opinion. 

 Always be completely sure of the facts you’re presenting. That means

thoroughly vetting your sources, cross-checking them with other reputable
sources, and properly citing every fact you put forth as the truth.
Start writing your expository essay the same way you would start the writing
process for any other project: by brainstorming. If you weren’t assigned a
topic, you’ll need to determine an appropriate topic on your own—
brainstorming is where you’ll determine that topic. It’s also where you’ll
determine your thesis statement, the most important component of your
expository essay. Don’t move forward with outlining your essay until you
have a thesis statement. 

Once you have a clear thesis statement, it’s time to outline your essay. With
an expository essay, it’s especially important that you present accurate facts
in a logical way. It can be very helpful to note your sources for each paragraph
in your outline. 

With a completed outline, it’s time to start writing. Follow the standard writing
process through this first draft, editing, and your revision. Once you’re
finished, make sure you proofread your essay carefully—not only for grammar
and spelling mistakes, but to double-check that you’ve properly cited every
source and formatted your essay according to your assigned style guide.  

You write the essay, Grammarly gives it extra

polish

In an expository essay, it’s especially important that your writing is mistake-

free. Having spelling and grammatical mistakes in your writing undermines
your credibility as a writer, so even if your ideas and insights are solid, readers
won’t get as much out of your work as they would if it had no mistake
That’s why proofreading is so important . . . and why Grammarly is so helpful.
Before you submit your essay, use Grammarly to catch any mistakes or
unclear sentences that might have sneaked past you while you were
proofreading your work. It can also ensure that the tone you’re using is the
tone you want to be using—and that it’s consistent through your whole essay.

Expository Writing: Types and How To

Write in This Style
Expository writing is a compositional style that you
may use when writing essays, but this form of
writing also can have uses in business settings. The
primary goal of expository writing is to inform or
educate the reader with facts, statistical data and
information, which means it can benefit you when
writing reports on professional topics such as
finance or research. Learning more about this style
of writing can help produce documents that explain
important technical information in ways people can
easily comprehend and remember.
In this article, we discuss what expository writing is,
list the common types of it, explain how you can
write an expository paper and provide tips for doing
so.
Key takeaways:
 Expository writing is a useful style when you're
presenting research or data to help inform
readers about a topic
 When writing in this format, it's important to
rely on facts from reliable sources instead of
opinions or conjecture.
 This style of writing has various professional
uses, including for people who work in
journalism, academics or research.
What is expository writing?
Expository writing is a style of composition that
exposes or explains a topic using facts. Expository
writing often includes a thesis statement,
supportive information, explanatory paragraphs and
a conclusion that summarizes the information. With
this, expository writing primarily focuses on
presenting factual information that's free of any
biases or opinions. Instead, these documents
discuss proven details about a topic, allowing the
reader to make informed conclusions on their own.

When writing in an expository style, it's often

important to assume the reader has minimal or no
knowledge of the topic. It's the writer's
responsibility and goal to include as much unbiased
information about the topic as possible without
encouraging the reader to feel a certain way or
choosing a specific stance on the topic. Texts that
employ expository writing may include:

Essays
Newspapers
Magazine articles
Instruction manuals
Encyclopedias
School textbooks

Types of expository writing

Expository writing can be any type of writing that
explains something in detail to a reader. For
example, people who work in academics often use
expository writing because it contains information
to educate others on a topic. The most common
forms of expository writing include:

Descriptive essay
A descriptive essay uses characteristics, traits and
sensory information to describe a topic or theme to
the reader. While this form of expository writing
includes data, it also includes imagery and specific
details that encourage the reader to imagine a
situation. Common types of descriptive essays
include those about fiction, poetry or advertising.
Process writing
Process writing includes a list of steps that guide the
reader through the process of completing a certain
task that relates to the topic. For example, learning
how to write a paper is an example of process
writing because it might include steps for
brainstorming, writing a rough draft, editing and
completing the paper. A few other examples of
process writing might include recipes or how-to
guides.
Comparative and contrast
Comparative and contrast writing analyzes two
ideas against each other. This type of writing
discusses the similarities and differences between
two topics while maintaining an unbiased
perspective. Comparative writing also may discuss
the advantages and disadvantages of a topic,
allowing the reader to make their own conclusion.
For example, comparative and contrast writing may
be useful when crafting a guide to helping readers
decide between two options, such as buying or
renting a home and going to college right after high
school or taking a gap year.\
Cause and effect
Cause and effect writing describes the cause of a
topic and its outcome. This form attempts to
demonstrate how one topic or theme influences
another topic or theme. For example, a writer may
use this style to craft a paper that discusses the
cause and effect of a college preparatory class on
standardized testing scores. These forms of writing
often rely on research that links two subjects and
aims to describe their relationship simply and
definitively.
Problem and solution
Problem and solution writing discusses an issue and
a potential way to address or fix the issue. This style
uses facts to present potential solutions to the
problem topic. The first few paragraphs of the
paper often discuss potential solutions after
introducing the problem, and the conclusion
paragraph often summarizes the most practical
solutions. Writers may use this writing style when
discussing current news events or writing an article
on how to overcome specific challenges.

Classification essay
A classification essay covers a broad topic by
dividing it into smaller subcategories. This is a
common method that can help writers organize an
educational paper with multiple separate parts.
Using this style, writers can educate the reader
through different sections of a paper, including
specific details and facts that support the idea of
each one. The classification form often is common
in academic papers and research reports.
3. Gather your data
Once you chose a topic, you can gather the data to
help you discuss it. It's often best to choose data
that educates and doesn't direct the reader toward
a specific opinion or claim about the topic. The
investigative process is one of the most important
parts of expository writing. Because this form of
writing includes only proven data, try to collect as
much information as you can during this step. There
are various types of information you can present
within expository writing. You may use anecdotes,
comparisons, quotes or charts and graphs to
provide additional information about topics.
4. Make an outline
To make an outline, consider dividing your essay
into an introduction, body paragraphs and a
conclusion. This is an opportunity to determine
what points you want to discuss in each paragraph
and which details you can use to help prove each
point. You also can divide your data points and
assign them to a section of the outline.
You can format your expository essay or paper
depending on its topic and the information you
want to include. A common method is to use the
basic essay format using an outline of five
paragraphs, but you may use additional paragraphs.
The first paragraph is the introduction, the next
three paragraphs are body paragraphs that include
supportive information about the topic and the final
paragraph is the conclusion.
5. Write your paragraphs
The introduction is an important part of expository
writing because lets the reader know what to
expect. Some choose to use a hook in their
introduction, which is a statement that captures the
reader's attention. It's also a standard practice to
include your thesis in the introduction. Next, you
can fill in your expository paper with each
paragraph. At the beginning of each paragraph, try
to include a topic sentence that introduces the next
topic. As you write, you can include data or facts to
support each paragraph's main topic, which helps
you maintain a common theme in your paper.
As you write your body paragraphs using data to
support the points you make, try to cite credible
sources that list where you found the information.
This allows readers to analyze the source and verify
its accuracy, which can add credibility to your
writing. Finally, you can use the conclusion to
summarize information from the previous
paragraphs. Although you can paraphrase
information, try to include information or data you
discussed in the paper.

6. Edit your writing

It's typically standard practice to write a rough draft
and then edit your paper to strengthen its quality.
You can read through your paper a few times,
focusing on items like grammar or voice. Try to
check that each paragraph serves a purpose and
provides value to the reader. You may also have a
trusted friend or colleague review the paper. After
reading it, you make any necessary changes and
review the final draft.
Tips for effective expository writing
Here are some tips you can consider to help
improve your expository writing:
 Be clear and concise. Because expository
writing often relies on the assumption the
readers aren't familiar with the topic, it's
important to write in clear language and avoid
any jargon they might not understand. This can
allow you to keep the writing focused and avoid
long thoughts or explanations that detract from
your topic.
 Verify your information. When performing
research on your topic, it's important to check
all the facts you plan to use to ensure they're
accurate. Even if it's a fact you heard before, it's
still important to verify it to ensure you have
the right understanding and don't spread
misinformation.
 Consider your voice and tone. Before writing,
try to think about your audience and topic to
help you determine an appropriate tone for
your article. If you're writing about a sensitive
or potentially negative subject, for example,
 you might want to avoid getting too creative or
whimsical when you present facts.
 Write out of order. After finishing your outline,
you can start writing your document at any
point. For example, if you already have a
compelling conclusion in mind, you can write
that first to help you start your process and find
your voice for the paper.