Expository Writing

Expository writing seeks to inform, explain, clarify, define, or instruct.
Examples:
Explain the process of baking a birthday cake
Describe the causes and effects of pollution
Explain the differences between Hinduism and Judaism
Purpose:
Appears in but is not limited to:
Letters
Newsletters
Definitions
Instructions
Guidebooks
Magazine or Newspaper articles
Reports
Research papers
Uses of Expository Writing
The different parts of an expository essay can be looked at like a traffic light. The topic sentence is green because it tells the reader that you are ready to “go,” or that the essay is starting. Your three main reasons are yellow because you are slowing down and giving reasons that support the topic sentence. Your detailed explanations are red, because you are stopping and explaining your reasons. Lastly, your conclusions are green because you are going back to the topic sentence to make you that you are still talking about the topic sentence in your conclusion.
Expository Writing as a Traffic Light!
http://library.thinkquest.org/10888/expos.html

Examples of Expository Essays
Expository Writing
Characteristics
• focus on main topic
• logical supporting facts
• details, explanations, and examples
• smooth transitions
• conclusion wrapping up ideas presented