Expository writing definition
We most commonly know expository writing as report writing. This type of writing has the purpose of explaining and clarifying.
Expository writing is fact-based and presents reason, explanations, instructions or directions. Unlike other forms of writing, this type of writing does not include descriptive details or opinions. For expository writing students need to organize their thoughts, follow a plan, sometimes conduct research and support their findings. Honestly, this writing is the most straightforward type of writing your child will learn, yet it is the hardest to grasp.
Why is expository writing so hard?
This style of writing requires thinking on multiple levels, and that takes some practice. Students do not only need to be adept at grammar and spelling, but also to convey their thoughts in an organized fashion, follow a plan and put their points forward in writing in a concrete and concise way.
Techniques in expository writing
The aim of the writer in expository writing is mainly to explain something - facts, ideas or beliefs. The writer does this by using various techniques of exposition such as:
- explanation of a process: how to do something or how something works;
- use of examples;
- reasons in support of a statement;
- comparison and contrast: the ways in which certain things (or ideas) are similar to and/or different from one another;
- classification: the process of arranging things according to shared qualities or characteristics;
- restatement: the act of stating something again or differently, especially more clearly or convincingly;
- definition: a statement of the meaning of a term;
- analogy: a comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification;
- cause and effect: a relationship between events or things, where one is the result of the other or others;
- analysis: the detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.
Why is it important that my child learns expository writing?
Students will need expository writing not only in school but also in many potential careers, most of which aren't primarily writing-oriented. Professions that make use of expository writing include the sciences, law, technology, politics, journalism and healthcare to name a few.
