Expository Writing II

By Sadeed Ahmad Khan

Lecturer in English
Department of English (Literature and
Linguistics)
University of Haripur
 Writing
• Writing is both productive and active skill. Francis Bacon says that “
Writing makes a man perfect ”.
• A writer must have a good knowledge of punctuation, capitalization,
spelling and underlying a mechanical aspects of writing.
 Definition of Writing
• It can be defined as “ The way that you use written words/ symbols to
express your ideas or opinions”.
• Writing is the process of using symbols, typically letters or characters,
to convey thoughts, ideas, information, or emotions. It can take
various forms, including creative writing, academic writing, technical
writing, and more, and is often aimed at informing, persuading,
entertaining, or expressing oneself. Effective writing requires clarity,
coherence, and consideration of the audience and purpose.
• Finite set of rules with the help of which we can create infinite number
of words/sentences.
 The Writing Process
• There are five basic stages of writing process. They are
• 1 Pre- Writing
• 2 Drafting
• 3. Revising
• 4 Editing
• 5 Publishing
 Pre-Writing
• The key to a great paper is in the planning.
• Before you sit down to write something, you need to figure out what
you are going to write about.
• Most of us start with a topic, and then decide what we have to say
about this topic.
• For an essay, you might generate a “ working thesis” or idea that you
would like to explore, and then start collecting information and idea
that relate to that idea.
 Determine the purpose
• In the planning stage of writing, "determine the purpose" refers to
identifying the primary reason or goal behind why you are writing.
• It involves understanding what you want to achieve with your writing,
such as informing, persuading, entertaining, or explaining something
to your audience.
• Defining the purpose helps shape the content, tone, structure, and style
of the writing, ensuring it aligns with the intended message and
audience needs.
 Determine the purpose
• For example:
• To inform: Provide factual information or explain a concept.
• To persuade: Convince the reader to adopt a particular opinion or take
action.
• To entertain: Engage the readers with creative storytelling.
• To explain: Clarify or break down complex ideas or instructions.
 Consider the audience
• Considering the audience during the planning stage is critical for
ensuring that your message, content, or project resonates with those
you're targeting.
• Here’s how you can incorporate audience consideration into the
planning process:
• 1. Understand the Audience
• Age, Gender, Culture: Tailor your approach to suit the age group,
gender balance, and cultural backgrounds of the audience.
• Education Level: Adjust the complexity of the content or project to
match the audience's knowledge or expertise.
 Consider the audience
• 2. Identify Audience Needs and Expectations
• Interests and Goals: What does the audience want or need from your
presentation or product? Focus on fulfilling their goals.
• Main Points: Address specific problems the audience faces and how
your solution or content can help.
• 3. Adjust Communication Style
• Tone: Decide if the tone should be formal, conversational, or somewhere
in between, based on your audience’s preferences.
• Language: Use language that’s familiar and relatable to your audience,
avoiding jargon if it’s not necessary.
 Consider the Audience
• 4. Evaluate Audience Engagement Preferences
• Format: Whether it’s an in-person event, digital presentation, or written
communication, consider the most effective medium for your audience.
• Interaction Level: Some audiences might prefer a hands-on, interactive
approach, while others might appreciate a more traditional, lecture-style
format.
• 5. Feedback Mechanisms
• Real-Time Adjustments: If possible, incorporate feedback mechanisms
to adjust the message on the go, like Q&A sessions, to ensure your
audience stays engaged.
 Consider the audience
• 6. Analyze Prior Engagement
• If you have previously interacted with this audience, reflect on what
worked or didn’t, and use those insights to guide your planning.
 Consider the content
• In the planning stage of writing, the context plays a crucial role, as it
influences the purpose, audience, tone, structure, and content of the
writing. Here’s how you can consider different aspects of context
during the planning stage:
• Purpose: What is the objective of the writing? Are you informing,
persuading, entertaining, or describing something?
• Understanding the purpose will guide your overall approach.
• Audience: Who are you writing for?
• Tailoring the language, complexity, and content to fit the needs,
expectations, and knowledge level of your audience is essential.
 Consider the content
• Tone and Style: The context helps shape the tone (formal, informal,
persuasive, neutral) and the style of writing. For instance, academic or
business writing demands a more formal tone, while personal
narratives can be more relaxed.
• Content and Research: Consider what background information,
evidence, or examples will be necessary based on the context. This will
guide what research or preparation is needed to support your ideas.
• Format and Structure: The context can affect how you organize the
writing. For example, an email, a report, and a story all have different
structures, and the context will dictate which format is most
appropriate.
 Consider the content
• Constraints: Be mindful of any limitations (like word count,
deadlines, or specific guidelines) that the context imposes.
 Determine the Scope
• Determining the scope involves setting limits on the topics, depth, and
approach so that the writing remains clear, concise, and relevant. Here
are key elements to consider when defining the scope:
• 1. Purpose
• Why are you writing? Clearly define the objective. Is it to inform,
persuade, entertain, or analyze?
• Who is your audience? Tailor the content to the needs, interests, and
knowledge level of your readers.
 Determine the Scope
2. Topic Selection
• What will you cover? Narrow down the subject matter to a specific area
or theme.
• What will you exclude? Determine which subtopics are outside the scope
of the writing.
3. Depth and Detail
• How detailed will you be? Decide how much depth is necessary for the
topic. Will you provide a high-level overview or an in-depth analysis?
• What sources or research will you need? Identify the type and amount
of evidence or data you will use to support your points.
 Determine the Scope
4. Length and Structure
• How long will the piece be? Consider the word count or page limit.
• What structure will you use? Plan the organization of your writing,
whether it's an essay, report, blog, or article.
5. Time Frame
• How much time do you have? Set realistic deadlines for each stage
of the writing process: research, drafting, revising, and finalizing.
 Selecting the Medium
• Selecting the medium in the planning stage of writing refers to choosing the
appropriate format or method for delivering your message.
• This decision is influenced by factors such as your audience, purpose, and the type
of information you are conveying. Common mediums include:
• Email (for formal or informal communication, quick responses)
• Report (for detailed, structured, formal presentations of data or research)
• Presentation (for conveying ideas visually and verbally in front of an audience)
• Social Media Post (for brief, engaging communication intended for mass
audiences)
• The choice of medium affects how your message is perceived and received, so it is
important to select one that best aligns with your communication goals.
 Choosing a topic
• "Choosing a topic" in the planning stage of writing refers to the initial
step where you decide the specific subject or focus of your writing.
• This is a crucial part of the prewriting process because it sets the
direction for the entire piece.
• When selecting a topic, it's important to consider factors like:
• Purpose: What is the goal of your writing? Are you informing,
persuading, entertaining, or reflecting?
• Audience: Who will read your work? The choice of topic should be
relevant and interesting to your intended audience.
 Choosing a topic
• Scope: How broad or narrow will your topic be? A well-chosen topic
should be focused enough to cover in the length of your writing but
broad enough to provide ample content.
• Interest and Knowledge: Picking a topic that interests you or one you
know well can make the writing process smoother and more engaging.
• Once a topic is chosen, it becomes easier to move on to brainstorming,
outlining, and drafting, as it provides a clear framework for your ideas.
 Ways to generate idea
• Free write or use a journal
• Brainstorms your likes and dislikes, and things, people, place and
hobbies that are important to you.
• Review assignments, research questions and notes.
• Use Graphic organizers
• Determine what you already know and what you need to learn.
• Mind mapping is a visual tool used during the planning stage of writing
to organize and explore ideas.
• It helps writers brainstorm and structure their thoughts in a flexible way.
• A mind map typically starts with a central idea or topic, and related ideas
branch out from it.
• Each branch can lead to sub-ideas, examples, or concepts, helping to
build connections between thoughts.
• In the context of writing, mind mapping allows you to:
• Generate ideas: Quickly jot down all potential ideas without worrying
about structure.
• Visualize connections: See how different ideas are related, making it
easier to organize and expand on them.
• Identify gaps: Spot missing details or areas that need further
development.
• Organize structure: Begin to arrange ideas into sections, paragraphs,
or arguments for the final piece.
• Mind mapping is especially useful for writers who prefer visual
approaches to organizing thoughts, as it provides a clear overview of
complex topics before the actual writing process begins.
 Ways to Plan your Writing
• Create a diagram or proper cluster.
• Make an outline
• List supporting arguments
• Sort and organize notes/ paragraphs by topic.
 Listing / Brainstorming
• Listing/brainstorming in the planning stage of writing is a prewriting
technique where you generate and organize ideas before beginning a
draft.
• Here's what each entails:
• 1. Listing:
• Definition: Writing down a series of related words, phrases, or ideas in
a list format, focusing on topics, concepts, or themes you want to
include in your writing.
• Purpose: It helps you collect thoughts without worrying about
structure, just to get them out on paper.
• 2. Brainstorming:
• Definition: An idea-generating process where you think freely and
creatively about your topic without judgment or filtering ideas.
• Purpose: The goal is to develop as many ideas as possible to explore
different directions your writing could take.
• Both methods help in:
• Identifying key points.
• Organizing and categorizing ideas.
• Clarifying the direction of your writing.
 Research (For the topics you do not know
about)
• In the planning stage of writing, research refers to the process of
gathering information, data, and evidence to support your topic, ideas, or
arguments.
• This step helps to ensure that your writing is accurate, credible, and well-
informed.
• Research during the planning stage typically involves:
• Identifying key questions or gaps: You determine what you need to
know more about to cover your topic effectively.
• Finding sources: You look for relevant books, articles, studies,
interviews, websites, or other resources that provide reliable information.
 Research (For the topics you do not know
about)
• Evaluating sources: Not all sources are equally credible, so it's
important to evaluate their reliability, bias, and relevance to your topic.

• Taking notes: While researching, you record important information,

ideas, and quotations that you might want to use in your writing.

• Organizing information: Grouping related data and ideas together,

which will later help structure your outline and draft.
 Drafting

• Once you have planned out your ideas, the next step is to start
drafting, or writing.
• As you write, keep referring back to your notes/ ideas that you
determined in pre-writing.
• During the drafting stage, you should concentrate on getting your
ideas on paper, organizing the information logically, and developing
your topic with enough details for your audience and purpose.
• Drafting is the second stage of the writing process. When drafting, you write
the first, second, and third (or more) versions of your document.
• As soon as you begin to write, you are writing a first draft—an early
version of a document that is subject to change.
• Do not put off writing because you are waiting for that perfect first sentence
to come to mind.
• Just start writing. → Expand your outline into paragraphs, without worrying
about grammar, usage, or punctuation.
• Writing and revising are different activities; refinements come with revision.
• Write the rough draft, concentrating entirely on converting your outline
into sentences and paragraphs.
• You might try writing as though you were explaining your subject to a
reader sitting across from you.
• The order in which you write does not matter.
• What does matter is the order in which the reader reads.
• Do not worry about a good opening. Just start.
• Do not be concerned in the rough draft about exact word choice unless it
comes quickly and easily — concentrate instead on ideas.
 The introduction
• Your opening should announce the subject and give readers essential
background information, such as the document’s primary purpose.
• For longer documents, an introduction should serve as a frame into which
readers can fit the detailed information that follows.
• The Function of an introduction:
• Grab the attention of the readers.
• Give startling statistics or an eye-opening quotation.
• Sets the tone and determines how receptive your readers are to the
information you present.
• Relate to your readers
 The Introduction

• Discuss a situation that you and your readers have in common.

• Should announce the subject and give the background of the situation.
• Present events that lead to the need for the document or research.
• Forecast / overview the topics / claims.
• Hints to major headings/points and information
• Identify questions / problems.
• List the questions / problems that are answered in the document.
 The Body

• As you write, you decide how to support your subtopics in the body of your paper.
• When thinking about ways to elaborate, explain, or prove your points, ask yourself what your readers need.
• Do they need:
• Long or short examples → specific occurrences that happened or could happen

• → real-life stories from people who can attest to or support a view

• Quotations → statements from people who are often authorities on a topic

• Statistics → numerical data, percentages, and/or test results to support a view

• Historical facts → verifiable information researched by credible scholars

• Financial facts or estimates → financial reports, trends, and/or economic news

 The Conclusion

• Finally, you will need to write a conclusion that ties the main ideas
together and makes a final, significant point.
• The final point may be to recommend a course of action, make a
prediction or a judgment, or merely summarize your main points
• The way you conclude depends on the purpose of your writing and
your readers’ needs as:
• Proposals may need a reminder of the solution;
• Sales letters may need a call to action;
During drafting the following things
should be kept in mind.
1. Drafts are for the writer:
• As we know that our brain simply processes the information as we
write down the things.
• When we sit down to write the first draft we can find ourselves
making connections and discovering new ideas related to that
particular topic.
• When this happens, we should simply go back to the planning stage to
work in the new ideas.
• There are so many writers who didn’t write their introduction until
they have finished the body of the paper.
 Drafting takes time

• When your task is complicated, it takes more time to prepare a draft.

• When you want to discover new ideas and connections, you need the
time to incorporate them into your plan.
• It is not necessary that you should finish your whole paper in one
sitting.
 Revising
• Your writings will be good if you give some time to revision.
• You will be better able to look at your own writing with the readers eye
if you can put it aside for a while and then start working on it again.
• If drafting is for the writer, revision is for the reader.
• During revision you consider your writing from your audience point of
view.
• In fact, to revise means literally to “re-see” or “re-look” at your
writing.
• You can also change the order of your information, expand certain
sections, or cut details in others.
• In this stage you can also reword parts of your writing.
• Revision is not editing , the main purpose of revision is to correct the
spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.
• Most of the writers find it helpful to have someone else read their
writing and thesis statement.
• A reader who is unfamiliar with your document can help you identify
which parts are working and which parts are still unclear.
 Revise in stages

• Do not try to revise for everything at once.

• Avoid drafting and revising in one sitting.
• Focus on one type of revision at a time
• Read your rough draft several times, each time looking for and correcting a
different set of problems or errors.
• Concentrate first on larger issues, such as unity and coherence; save mechanical
corrections, like spelling and punctuation, for later proofreading.
• Draw arrows, cross out phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that can be deleted.
• Finally, for important documents, consider having others review your writing and
make suggestions for improvement .
 Content questions for revision

• Is it accurate? Are my facts (figures, names, addresses, dates, costs,

references, warranty terms, statistics) correct?
• Do I have enough or too much information for my reader?
• Do I need to conduct more research or delete something?
• Is my information clear?
• Do I need to revise for clarity?
• Is my introduction effective?
• Do I need to revise to attract my readers’ attention?
• Is my purpose clear?
• Do I need to add a sentence that explains the purpose?
• Do my details logically support my purpose?
• Have I given enough concrete evidence to explain things adequately
and to persuade my readers?
 Organizational Questions for Revision
• Is the information in the best logical order for my reader?
• Have I clearly identified my main points and shown readers why those points are
important?
• Do I need to move paragraphs or sections?
• Are my paragraphs and sections unified?
• Do I need to remove sentences that do not fit the purpose?
• Do sections and paragraphs have topic sentences?
• Do I need to add topic sentences?
• Are transitions clear between sections and paragraphs?
• Do I need to add transition sentences or phrases?
• Does my conclusion logically end the document?
 Readability Questions for Analysis
• Does my writing flow from one sentence and paragraph to the next?
• Would my sentences be more interesting if I combined them?
• Have I selected the best words?
• Do I need to define words?
How important is an error free document?
• In business, a professional image indicates a professional, responsible
institution behind the image.
• In the absence of a person, the document represents a company. The
document becomes the face of the company. If the face has smudges
and errors, the impression is negative. If the face is clean and
attractive, the impression is positive.
• Therefore, after you have planned, drafted, and revised your
document, you must take care of the finishing touches by copyediting
and publishing your writing.
 Editing
• While revising focuses mainly on making your content clear for your
readers, editing focuses on making your document meet the conventions
of standard written English. During the editing stage, check the
following;
• Do I have any sentence/’s problems—fragments etc?
• Is the punctuation correct?
• Have I used words correctly?
• Have I double-checked frequently misused words?
• Have I spelled the words correctly?
• Is the documentation of sources accurate?
 Editing
• Does the document look professional?
• Is the page design balanced and attractive?
• Is the formatting consistent?
• Look for fragments, grammatical errors, and awkward sentences.
• You also can read the draft backward, starting with the last sentence of
the paper and moving toward the beginning.
• Ask someone to proofread for your document, but remember → “The
biggest enemy of revising or editing material is a large ego.”
• Some authors are offended when someone edits their work or asks
questions.
 Publishing
• “Publish” is a legal term meaning to make the document available to
the public.
• Writing is a form of communication.
• If you have written something, you must have intended for someone to
read it, even if that person is only yourself.
• When we publish a document, we are releasing it to the public for
others to read.
• Not all of your writing will be taken through the publishing stage, but
even presenting a paper to your teacher also constitutes “publishing”.
 Ways to publish your writing include
• Presenting a paper to your teacher
• Entering an essay contest.
• Sending a letter to the editor.
• Writing for school/ college magazine, newspaper etc.
• Posting a piece of paper on the internet.
Thank You