Types of Expository Writing

The word ‘expository’ contains the word expose, so the reason expository is an apt
descriptor for this type of writing is that it exposes, or sets forth, facts. It is probably the
most common writing genre you will come across throughout your day. In an expository
piece, a topic will be introduced and laid out in a logical order without reference to the
author’s personal opinions.

Expository writing can be found in:

Textbooks Journalism (except for opinion and editorial articles) Business writing
Technical writing Essays Instructions

All of these kinds of writing are expository because they aim to explain and inform.

The municipal government of Happyville unanimously approved the construction of sixty-

two miles of bike trails in 2017. Made possible by a new tax levy, the bike trails are
expected to help the city reach its sustainability and clean air goals while reducing traffic
and congestion. Eighteen trailheads with restrooms and picnic areas have been planned at
a variety of access points. The city expects construction to be complete in April 2021.

Because this paragraph supplies the reader with facts and figures about its topic, the new
bike trails, without offering the author’s opinion on it, it is expository.

Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing focuses on describing in detail. The aim of descriptive writing is to

help the reader visualize, in detail, a character, event, place, or all of these things at once.
The author might describe the scene in terms of all five senses. Descriptive writing allows
the writer a great deal more artistic freedom than expository writing does.

Descriptive writing can be found in:

Fiction Poetry Advertising Journal and diary writing and in essays.

Descriptive Essays
Descriptive essays give description of things and processes. Such essays mainly deal with
static objects and situations. For example

i) Our College
ii) A Rainy Day

A descriptive essay is a form of writing which describes something. In this genre the
writer describes an object, a person, a place, an experience and a situation. The writer
gives a sensory touch to his piece of writing. The reader uses his five senses of touch, taste,
smell, hearing and sight to understand the topic of essay.

Illustration
To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration
essay, also known as an example essay, clearly demonstrates and supports a point through
the use of evidence.

The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis. A writer can use different types of
evidence to support his or her thesis. Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field,
statistics, historical events, current events, analogies, and personal anecdotes are all ways
in which a writer can illustrate a thesis. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the
reader “see” your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a
website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your
point.

Using evidence effectively can be challenging, though. The evidence you choose will
usually depend on your subject and who your reader is (your audience). When writing an
illustration essay, keep in mind the following:

 Use evidence that is appropriate to your topic as well as appropriate for your
audience.

 Assess how much evidence you need to adequately explain your point depending on
the complexity of the subject and the knowledge of your audience regarding that
subject.
For example, if you were writing about a new communication software and your audience
was a group of English-major undergrads, you might want to use an analogy or a personal
story to illustrate how the software worked. You might also choose to add a few more
pieces of evidence to make sure the audience understands your point. However, if you
were writing about the same subject and you audience members were information
technology (IT) specialists, you would likely use more technical evidence because they
would be familiar with the subject.

Keeping in mind your subject in relation to your audience will increase your chances of
effectively illustrating your point.

Structure of an Illustration Essay

The controlling idea, or thesis, belongs at the beginning of the essay. Evidence is then
presented in the essay’s body paragraphs to support the thesis. You can start supporting
your main point with your strongest evidence first, or you can start with evidence of lesser
importance and have the essay build to increasingly stronger evidence. This type of
organization is called “order of importance.”

Transition words are also helpful in ordering the presentation of evidence. Words
like first, second, third, currently, next, and finally all help orient the reader and sequence
evidence clearly. Because an illustration essay uses so many examples, it is also helpful to
have a list of words and phrases to present each piece of evidence. Certain transitional
words and phrases aid in keeping the reader oriented in the sequencing of a story.

Classification Essay

A classification essay is a formal piece of writing used to evaluate your categorizing and
generalization skills. It mainly aims to arrange various subjects and objects with similar
characteristics.

For this, a writer needs to categorize and classify things into different groups and mention
examples that fit into each. Similarly, you are also required to follow a single categorizing
approach throughout the content. However, it is up to you to decide on criteria for
classification to explain the reasoning and logic.

Here are some important steps that you should follow to start a classification essay.

 Brainstorm Ideas

Most professors assign you a specific topic to write your classification essay. If you are not
assigned, brainstorm different ideas and come up with an engaging topic. Decide on a
group of things that can be logically divided into groups. Also, come up with something
that has definitive categories for comparison.

 Choose the Categories

After choosing a topic, decide on classification criteria. Think about all the possible
categories in which the topic can split up. Some topic ideas have several options; thus, you
will have to determine the exact angle to approach the essay’s theme. Furthermore, make
sure that none of the categories is overlapping.

 Develop a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the main argument of the writer on the topic. It is the stance that
supports your entire essay, including the main body. Therefore, it is important to draft a
strong statement. Also, use examples and evidence to make your essay effective and
persuasive.

 Conduct Thorough Research

The next step is to conduct thorough research to gather interesting information for the
audience. However, make sure to collect data from credible and authentic sources. It will
further strengthen the content of your essay by making it more convincing and logical.

 Create a Classification Essay Outline

After collecting relevant information, you are now required to structure and organize it
properly. Thus, write down the main ideas and present a logical connection between them.
Eliminate unnecessary ideas if there are any.

Check out the following classification essay outline that you can use for your division and
classification essay.

o Introductory paragraph - (A hook statement and thesis)

o Body paragraph 1/Category number 1

o Body paragraph 2/Category number 2

o Body paragraph 3/Category number 3

o Conclusion

o References

Cause and effect essay

A cause and effect essay is a type of expository essay that explores its topic by discussing
the issue’s causes and consequences. For example, a cause and effect essay about
deforestation’s role in climate change might discuss a few of deforestation’s specific
causes, like a demand for wood and the clearing of land for grazing pastures, and then
explain how these causes create effects that contribute to climate change.

As with other types of expository essays, the purpose of a cause and effect essay is to
educate the reader. As an expository essay writer, think of yourself as the informed
explainer who gives their readers the information they need to think critically about a
topic and reach their own conclusions. Your goal isn’t to persuade, argue, or entertain
your readers—although there are instances when authors of argumentative and
persuasive essays use cause and effect rhetoric in their writing. It’s also possible to write a
creative essay using the cause and effect format. However, within the realm of
academic essay writing, a cause and effect essay is an expository piece of writing.

Cause and effect essays are similar to other kinds of expository essays in that they present
facts in a clear, logical format. They employ an objective, analytical tone and stay away
from flowery and inciting language. This is how they differ from argumentative,
persuasive, and descriptive essays. You might use the passive voice more frequently in
cause and effect essays than in other kinds of essays, especially in cause and effect essays
you write for your science courses.

Comparative Essay

A comparative essay is a type of essay in which an essay writer compares at least two or
more items. The author compares two subjects with the same relation in terms of
similarities and differences depending on the assignment.

The main purpose of the comparative essay is to:

 Highlight the similarities and differences in a systematic manner.

 Provide great clarity of the subject to the readers.

 Analyze two things and describe their advantages and drawbacks.

A comparative essay is also known as compare and contrast essay or a comparison essay.
It analyzes two subjects by either comparing them, contrasting them, or both. The Venn
diagram is the best tool for writing a paper about the comparison between two subjects.

Moreover, a comparative analysis essay discusses the similarities and differences of

themes, items, events, views, places, concepts, etc. For example, you can compare two
different novels (e.g., The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Red Badge of
Courage).

However, a comparative essay is not limited to specific topics. It covers almost every topic
or subject with some relation.
Comparative Essay Structure

A good comparative essay is based on how well you structure your essay. It helps the
reader to understand your essay better.

The structure is more important than what you write. This is because it is necessary to
organize your essay so that the reader can easily go through the comparisons made in an
essay.

The following are the two main methods in which you can organize your comparative
essay.

Point-by-Point Method

The point-by-point or alternating method provides a detailed overview of the items that
you are comparing. In this method, organize items in terms of similarities and differences.

This method makes the writing phase easy for the writer to handle two completely
different essay subjects. It is highly recommended where some depth and detail are
required.

Below given is the structure of the point-by-point method.

Introduction

Body Paragraphs

 Paragraph 1: Point 1 (Item A and B)

 Paragraph 2: Point 2 (Item A and B)

 Paragraph 3: Point 3 (Item A and B)

Conclusion

Block Method
The block method is the easiest as compared to the point-by-point method. In this method,
you divide the information in terms of parameters. It means that the first paragraph
compares the first subject and all their items, then the second one compares the second,
and so on.

However, make sure that you write the subject in the same order. This method is best for
lengthy essays and complicated subjects.

Here is the structure of the block method.

Introduction

Body Paragraphs

 Paragraph 1: Item A (Point 1, 2, and 3)

 Paragraph 2: Item B (Point 1, 2, and 3)

Conclusion

Therefore, keep these methods in mind and choose the one according to the chosen
subject.

Mixed Paragraphs Method

In this method, one paragraph explains one aspect of the subject. As a writer, you will
handle one point at a time and one by one. This method is quite beneficial as it allows you
to give equal weightage to each subject and help the readers identify the point of
comparison easily.

Persuasive Writing

The aim of persuasive writing, or argumentation, is to influence the reader to assume the
author’s point of view. The author will express personal opinions in the piece and arm
him- or herself with evidence so that the reader will agree with him or her.
Persuasive writing can be found in:

Advertising Opinion and editorial pieces Reviews Job applications

The bike trail is the glittering gem of Happyville’s new infrastructure. It winds through
sixty-two miles of lush landscape, dotted by clean and convenient facilities. If you haven’t
experienced the Happyville Bike Trail yet, ditch your car and head outside! Could life in
Happyville get any more idyllic?

A number of statements in this paragraph are opinion rather than fact: that the bike trail
is a glittering gem, that the facilities are clean and convenient, and that life in Happyville
is idyllic. Clearly, the author’s aim here is to use these depictions to persuade readers to
use the bike trail.

Narrative Writing

The purpose of narrative writing is to tell a story, whether that story is real or imaginary.
Pieces in a narrative style will have characters, and through the narrative, the reader
learns what happens to them. Narrative writing can also include dialogue.

Narrative writing can be found in:

All types of fiction (e.g., novels, short stories, novellas) Poetry Biographies Human interest
stories Anecdotes

As I cycled down the trail, I heard children giggling and whooping just around the bend. I
crested a small hill and coasted down the curving path until I found the source of the
noise. Three little girls sat in the grass by a big oak tree. They were startled to see me, and
I smiled kindly to put them at ease.

“Whatcha doing?” I asked.

“Nothing,” they chirped in unison.

In this passage, the author sets the scene on the bike trail from his or her own point of
view (which is referred to as narrating in the first person). Using both description and
dialogue, the story that takes place is laid out in chronological order.

Understanding Your Purpose Empowers Your Writing

Simply puzzling out which of these four types of writing best suits your purpose and
adhering to it can help you write more efficiently and effectively.

To summarize:

 Expository writing sets forth facts. You can find it in textbooks, journalism (except
opinion or editorial articles), business writing, technical writing, essays, and
instructions.

 Descriptive writing evokes images through rich description. You can find it in
fiction, poetry, journal writing, and advertising.

 Persuasive writing aims to sway the reader toward the author’s point of view. It is
used heavily in advertising, and can also be found in opinion and editorial pieces,
reviews, and job applications.

 Narrative writing tells a story. It can be found in fiction, poetry, biographies, human
interest stories, and anecdotes.

Argumentative Writing

In argumentative writing, you are typically asked to take a position on an issue or topic
and explain and support your position with research from reliable and credible
sources.

Characteristics of an argumentative paper

 The argument you are making should be clearly stated within your thesis statement.
 You should have several reasons or points of discussion that help you to support
your argument. You will explain and support these reasons and points of discussion
within the body paragraphs of your paper.

 As with all academic writing, you’ll need to cite any information that you used from
a source within your paper.