Writer's Choice Grade 12Unit 5: Expository WritingOverviewExpository writing presents information and explains ideas. The five kinds of expository writing, classified by the approaches used for providing the information, include explaining a process, showing a cause-and-effect relationship, dividing and classifying, defining, and comparing and contrasting. A document can contain one or more than one kind of expository writing. Users of written instructions need a clear, step-by-step explanation of each stage in the documented process. The thesis statement should tell readers what process is being described and what the expected result is. Cause-and-effect relationships are often explained in expository writing. However, it is important not to create faulty causal relationships that can produce false conclusions. An analogy relates an unfamiliar topic to a familiar one. The similarities between the familiar topic and the unfamiliar one help the audience understand the new information. Visual elements, such as graphs and illustrations, can often explain difficult concepts or numeric data more effectively than words. Business documents, including business letters and business plans, benefit from the clear style of expository writing. The information in a business document ideally identifies a problem, proposes a solution, and provides support for the writer’s viewpoint. Supporting details are also important for opinion pieces and biographies. |  |
