EXPOSITORY WRITING II

Defining and dividing

 Defining and dividing writing, unlike other

types of paragraphs, takes a slightly varied
approach.
 It relies on both defining and comparing.
 Writers should classify the subject of the
paragraph in a specific context and provide
comparisons to corresponding ideas.
 It allows defining ideas, their use and/or function
through comparisons conducted on multiple
levels. It explores the meaning of things as
compared to one another, and as positioned in
related contexts.

 It uses strong descriptive vocabulary which

ought to visualize physical and conceptual
differences between the subjects of writing.
Example
 Paraphrasing is used for different purposes. Some
paraphrases will be designated to support already
existing evidence. Others will reinforce argumentation
against evidence. Still others will help to develop existing
arguments and provide back-up for any conclusion drawn
in the course of writing. Depending on the function,
paraphrases will be introduced in accordance with their
unique context. Quotations require yet another approach.
They are not self-expressive because every quotation can
signify a number of different things in various contexts. It
is both the introduction and the commentary that follows
it which decides about its context and the ultimate
meaning of a given citation in an essay. Paraphrasing
quotations - changing the original words or sense is not
allowed.
Cause and effect

 Cause and effect essays are concerned with why things

happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects).
 It is a common method of organizing and discussing ideas.
 The author focuses on the relationship between two or
more events or experiences.
 The essay could discuss both causes and effects, or it could
simply address one or the other.
 A cause essay usually discusses the reasons why something
happened. An effect essay discusses what happens after a
specific event or circumstance.
 Cue words include reasons why; if...then; as a result;
therefore; because; and so on.
Example
 Why did the American dollar, a Spanish monetary unit,
become thee basis of American currency rather than the
British pound sterling, to which the Americans were
accustomed? In part, it was a creation against all things
British. More important, there was more Spanish than
British coin circulating in the colonies and states in the late
eighteenth century. The British paid in trade goods for the
American products they purchased, and they preferred
British coin for what they sold to the colonies. Thus pounds
tended to flow back to Great Britain. But the colonists had a
favourable balance of trade with Spanish America- selling
more than they bought- so Spanish coin was comparatively
important.
 JOSEPH CONLIN, The American Past.
Compare and contrast

 The author explains how two or more things are alike

and/or how they are different.
 A comparison essay usually discusses the similarities
between two things, while the contrast essay
discusses the differences.
 A comparison or contrast may be organised in either
of the two ways (or a combination) depending on the
writer’s purpose.
 Cue words in comparing and contrasting include;
different; in contrast; alike; same as; on the other
hand.
Example

 Even though high school and college are both

institutions of learning, they differ in at least
three ways. The first difference between high
school and college is their social atmospheres. In
high school the facility is usually smaller, and
students are, for the most part, well acquainted
with each other. On the college scene people are
constantly coming and going, therefore rarely
seeing the same person twice in a day, which
accounts for fewer people being acquainted with
each other...
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-
Xhdkjpsk