How to Write Expository Text (with Images)

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How to Write Expository Text (with Images)
How to Write Expository Text (with Images)

Video: How to Write Expository Text (with Images)

Video: How to Write Expository Text (with Images)
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Expository texts are often required in academic contexts. In this writing format, you have to present an idea, investigate it, explain it and, finally, defend it. While this task seems daunting, it's easy to do expository writing if you take it one step at a time.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Planning the text

Write an Expository Essay Step 1
Write an Expository Essay Step 1

Step 1. Define the purpose of the essay

Ask yourself why to write an expository text. Write down your reasons for bringing up the subject and what you hope to achieve with the text.

If the text is for an academic paper, read the teacher's guidelines. Ask questions with him, in case any topic is not clear

Write an Expository Essay Step 2
Write an Expository Essay Step 2

Step 2. Take the audience into account

Before starting to write, think about who will be the reader of the text: what are their needs and expectations? Write down information about the reader that you need to keep in mind when writing the text.

If the text is for schoolwork, try to think of everything the teacher would like you to cover

Write an Expository Essay Step 3
Write an Expository Essay Step 3

Step 3. Gather the ideas that will form the text

Before entering the writing phase, create an outline of the main ideas. Creativity techniques - such as lists, free writing, clustering and the six questions of journalism - can help you with this step.

  • Make a list. As the name suggests, you should list the main ideas. After you finish, read the list and group similar ideas together. If you want to expand the list, write more ideas or use another creativity technique.
  • Try free writing. Write non-stop for 10 minutes - whatever comes to mind, uncensored. After you finish, proofread the text, underlining or underlining anything that seems useful. Repeat the exercise using the underlined subjects as a starting point. To refine and develop your ideas, you can repeat the exercise as many times as you like.
  • Do the clustering. In the center of a piece of paper, briefly describe the theme of the expository text. Circle what you wrote and draw three lines radiating from the circle. At the end of each one, write topics related to the central theme. Keep creating topics and subtopics until you discover as many connections as possible.
  • Ask the six journalism questions. On paper, write the following questions: "Who?", "What?", "When?", "Where?", "Why?", "How?" Leave two or three lines between each question. Answer them as fully as you can.
Write an Expository Essay Step 4
Write an Expository Essay Step 4

Step 4. Write a script

Once you've gathered the main ideas, organize them into a script before making the first draft. The script step is the time to plan the structure of the text, develop ideas (or add new ones, if necessary) and check if you've forgotten something.

Write an Expository Essay Step 5
Write an Expository Essay Step 5

Step 5. Find appropriate references

Consult the teacher's guidelines or talk to him to find out what kind of sources he expects you to cite. Books, scholarly journal articles, magazine articles, reports, and trustworthy websites are some of the references you can use.

Write an Expository Essay Step 6
Write an Expository Essay Step 6

Step 6. Try to certify the credibility of the sources before citing them

There are several things to consider before including a source in your work's body of references.

  • Identify the author and their credentials. What qualifies you to address the issue at hand? Sources without authors (or whose authors do not have proper credentials) may not be trusted.
  • Check the citations to find out if the topic has been satisfactorily researched by the author. If the references of the work you consulted are rare or non-existent, it is not advisable to cite it.
  • Note if there is any bias. Find out if the author approached the topic objectively and reasonably. Don't regard work that appears biased as trustworthy.
  • See the publication date to find out if the author relied on recent information.
  • Cross-reference the information presented in the work. If you are still unsure of the source's reliability, compare the information outlined there with that of a trusted source.
Write an Expository Essay Step 7
Write an Expository Essay Step 7

Step 7. Read the sources carefully

Understand what the author is saying, always stopping to research words and concepts you have not yet mastered - otherwise you may read and misquote the work.

Write an Expository Essay Step 8
Write an Expository Essay Step 8

Step 8. Take notes while reading

Mark or underline significant passages so you can easily return to them. Write down all the information that seems important and can be used in your text.

  • To demonstrate the direct citations used in the work, place them in quotation marks and make the proper reference to the source from which the citation was taken: name of the author, title of the book or article, page number, etc.
  • Write down the publication information for each source. Such information must be included in the "references" or "bibliographic sources" section of the work. Consult your teacher's guidelines or your country's technical standards for how to format these sections.
Write an Expository Essay Step 9
Write an Expository Essay Step 9

Step 9. Develop the thesis

An effective thesis expresses the purpose of the text and is based on a reasonable assumption. The thesis should not be longer than one sentence.

  • Choose a thesis you are able to defend. Avoid truisms and questions related to personal taste. For example, "George Washington was the first president of the United States" is a proven fact and does not need to be defended in an expository text. "Hard to kill is an excellent movie" is also not a good thesis because it goes down to the question of personal preferences.
  • Provide enough detail in the thesis. In other words, avoid describing something as just "good" or "efficient" - instead, explain what makes it good or efficient.

Part 2 of 4: Writing the Introduction

Write an Expository Essay Step 10
Write an Expository Essay Step 10

Step 1. Open the text with a catchy sentence that gets to the point

In the introduction, start discussing the topic right away. Think through everything you plan to discuss in the text to define what will be included in the introduction. Remember to provide the reader with a means of identifying the topic of the text, as well as a summary of the line of argument.

Write an Expository Essay Step 11
Write an Expository Essay Step 11

Step 2. Provide the context

Describe the background or context surrounding the subject of the essay. Think of all the information the reader needs to have for the text to make sense to him. This information must be provided in the first paragraph.

  • If you are writing about a book, state the name of the work, the author and make a brief synopsis.
  • If you are writing about a specific day or event in history, summarize the events, then explain how they relate to a broader historical picture.
  • If you are writing about a person, enter their name and provide a short biography.
  • Remember that contextual data should help to consolidate your thesis. Explain everything the reader needs to master to get an overview of the subject at hand, then take the text along an increasingly specific path to get to the particular subject.
Write an Expository Essay Step 12
Write an Expository Essay Step 12

Step 3. State the thesis

The thesis statement must consist of a single sentence that expresses the main argument.

Part 3 of 4: Developing the Main Topics

Write an Expository Essay Step 13
Write an Expository Essay Step 13

Step 1. Determine how many paragraphs will be needed

The five-paragraph length is most common in expository texts, although they can be longer than that. If you don't know the minimum size, consult the work instructions or the teacher.

  • A five-paragraph text should consist of three development paragraphs. In each of them, address an evidence that supports the thesis.
  • The above rule also applies to texts longer than five paragraphs. Each paragraph in the core of the essay should discuss evidence.
Write an Expository Essay Step 14
Write an Expository Essay Step 14

Step 2. Begin each paragraph with a sentence that defines the topic

In it, you should give an idea of what you're going to cover in the paragraph and present new evidence that will help substantiate your assumption.

  • Suppose the newsroom will address the use of dogs by the US Marine Corps in World War II. The topics and introductory sentences of each paragraph should look something like:

    • "Dogs played a decisive role in the Marines' offensives in the Pacific Ocean."
    • "The Doberman pinscher was the official Marine Corps dog in World War II, although all dogs of all breeds can be used in war."
    • "War dogs can even receive decorations for their services."
Write an Expository Essay Step 15
Write an Expository Essay Step 15

Step 3. Expose the evidence

After stating the topic of the paragraph, expose and defend the evidence that supports the thesis. In each new paragraph address new evidence.

  • Such evidence should come in the form of direct citations, paraphrases and summaries of your research.
  • Another way to obtain data is through interviews, anecdotes, personal experiences, etc.
  • Each of the assumptions must be supported by two or three pieces of evidence.
  • In the hypothetical paragraph that begins with the phrase "War dogs may even receive awards for their services.", a list of decorated dogs would be possible evidence.
Write an Expository Essay Step 16
Write an Expository Essay Step 16

Step 4. Analyze the value of each evidence

Explain how they relate to your thesis. Dedicate a sentence or two to each evidence. Try to establish a clear connection between them and your thesis.

Write an Expository Essay Step 17
Write an Expository Essay Step 17

Step 5. Finish and transition to the next paragraph

Try to create a continuous flow between all parts of the text. End each paragraph with a summary of the topic previously covered and, at the same time, indicate what the subject of the next paragraph will be.

  • Suppose you have to connect two paragraphs that begin with these sentences: "The Doberman pinscher was the official Marine Corps dog in World War II, although all dogs of all breeds can play in war." and "War dogs may even receive decorations for their services." The conclusion of the first paragraph must bring together the question of canine breeds and the question of decorated dogs in military service.

    A possible solution would be: "Although the Doberman was the race that served the most in World War II, it was not the only one, nor was it the only one awarded for its performance in combat."

Part 4 of 4: Finishing the Text

Write an Expository Essay Step 18
Write an Expository Essay Step 18

Step 1. Restate and rephrase the thesis

In the first sentence of the last paragraph, remind the reader of the initial assumption. However, don't limit yourself to this: you must demonstrate the extent to which it is supported by the evidence offered throughout the text.

  • Suppose the essay's thesis is "Dogs used by the US Marine Corps during World War II played an important role in 2nd GM, particularly in Pacific Ocean operations." Once the arguments exposed in the text are incorporated, the thesis could be reaffirmed as follows: "Dogs of all breeds and sizes had a distinguished and remarkable performance in the 2nd GM, especially in the Pacific Ocean".

    Note that the second sentence repeats the idea of the original thesis while referring to the information presented in the body of the text

Write an Expository Essay Step 19
Write an Expository Essay Step 19

Step 2. Summarize and review the main points

Dedicate a sentence to each evidence covered in the text. Do not present any new information at the conclusion. Revisit the most important statements and discuss how they support the thesis you want to prove.

Write an Expository Essay Step 20
Write an Expository Essay Step 20

Step 3. Offer the reader a final reflection or call to action

Use the last sentence to crown the text - here you have the opportunity to say what will happen in the near future. Offer a solution to the problem or expose the new questions posed by your research.

  • Explain how the topic affects the reader's life;
  • Explain how this particular topic relates to a more universal picture;
  • Invite the reader to act or deepen their studies on the topic;
  • Or present the new questions raised by your newsroom.

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