Expository

Expository Writing

What is it?

Explaining why soccer is your favorite sport

Explaining why the sky is blue

Explaining why fish have gills

Explaining why friends are important

All of these are examples of expository writing

What should it include?

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"My dog is special to me for many reasons."

The subject

Says something about the subject.

Main Ideas

Remember, the main idea

should always start with

the topic (in this case, "my dog")

Anecdotes

For example. . .

Conclusion

Are both excellent conclusions.

Transitions

A transition signals the end of one part of an essay, or the beginning of another. Each part of an essay has it's own type of transitions.

"To begin with, my dog helps to keep me safe."

In conclusion, my dog is the greatest canine in the world!

In summary, I love my dog because he keeps me safe and he is loyal.

The Structure

Because we already now know what all these parts are the structure is relatively easy. But we do need to talk a little bit more about anecdotes

Remember anecdotes? The stories which prove the main idea? Well in order to write a solid expository esssay you're going to need to streeeeetch them out. To do this we'll use a strategy called WSADK.

What this means is that each time you

write an anecdote you include:

Then we take this stretched out plan and turn it into an actual anecdote.

For example, one time when I was a little boy like you I was swimming in the ocean. Suddenly, everyone started shouting "Shark! Shark!". I looked and a huge shark was right behind me. Just then my dog, Blacky, leaped into the water, bit the shark in the nose, and carried me safely back to shore on her back. Without Blacky, who knows if I would ever have made it out of the ocean alive that day.

The essay

Now all that's left is to put everything together

Friends are important for many reasons.

To begin with,

Focus Statement

Stretching out your Anecdotes

(WSADK)

(

)

hen

ituation

ction

ialogue

iss it goodbye

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One time when I was your age

Main Idea #1

I was swimming in the ocean

W

S

A

D

K

• Suddenly everyone started shouting,
• Looked over my shoulder
• Blacky leaped through the air, bit the shark, and helped me swim back to shore

• anecdote

W

S

A

D

K

Definition

"Shark! Shark!"

Main Idea #1

Without Blacky who knows if I would have made it home that day?

Sample Anecdotes

Expository writing is writing

that explains why.

• Anecdote

• Anecdote

• anecdote

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S

A

D

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Main Idea #2

Examples:

Main Idea #2

• anecdote

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• Anecdote

• Anecdote

4

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Finally, there is the. . .

Focus statement

Conclusion

• anecdote

The focus statement tells or announces what the essay will be about

For example,

Anecdotes are stories that prove the

main ideas.

Main ideas are reasons why the focus

statement is true.

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D

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Then, of course, there are. . .

The conclusion wraps up the

essay by restating the focus

statement using a synonym.

An expository essay should also have. . .

For example,

The structure of an expository essay is kind of like scaffolding: It provides support for all the other details you will add in as you build/write.

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Or. . .

Hey, what about transitions?

Main Ideas

Anecdotes

Conclusions

To begin a conclusion you can use:

Transitions that introduce anecdotes:

Some typical transitions to start main ideas are:

• In conclusion,
• In summary,

• To begin with,
• To start with,
• In addition,
• Also,
• First of all,
• Second of all,

• For example,
• For instance,
• One time when. . .