Writing Expository Compositions/Essays

Writing Factual Information on a Topic/Subject

1. Expository Essays

   • Expository essays explain something with facts, as opposed to opinion.
   • They may:
     • Describe how to do something
     • Analyze events, ideas, objects, or written works
   • These essays must contain:
     • An introductory paragraph
     • Body paragraphs
     • A conclusion
   • The introductory paragraph may contain the thesis statement or topic sentence that introduces the theme of the essay.

2. Purpose and Context

   • Expository essays are commonly written by college, school, or university students during their tests and examinations.
   • These essays respond to questions that ask the writer to explain or expose a specific issue based on a given topic or subject or describe a process.

Characteristics of an expository essay

1. It focuses on the main topic.
2. It needs logical supporting facts details, explanations and examples.
3. It needs strong organization.
4. Unity and coherence of ideas.

Expository essay includes writing letters, definitions, reports and research, instructions, newspaper articles, magazine articles, etc.

Steps to writing an expository essay.

1. Select a topic – it should not be wide so as to make you manage to describe it (it should be a narrow enough topic).
2. Provide an introduction paragraph – it should state the thesis of the essay.
3. Think how to develop your essay – e.g. definition, listing, and explaining, classifying, process analysis, etc.
4. Think of organization of the essay – provide topic sentence for each body paragraph that relates to the thesis sentence; make few suggestions related to the essay, e.g. in conclusion……, all in all……. It is now in position to say that……, etc.

Example

Facts About the Locust Menace

1. Despite recent efforts to combat the threat of locusts, they remain a menace to the entire food supply of a quarter of the world.

Breeding and Feeding

• One major problem with locusts is that they breed the more they eat; and the more they eat, the more they breed.
• A breeding area may have up to 5,000 eggs per square yard.
• A breeding area may cover up to 200,000 acres.

Swarm Migration

• A large swarm, migrating from one of these breeding grounds, may number up to 500 million locusts.
• Such a swarm can be capable of destroying an area of 200 square miles.

Impact on Agriculture

• Locusts are a serious menace to plants, and therefore, effective steps should be taken to destroy their breeding places.