Expository Writing: Tips from Experts, Examples, and More

dHow many times do I have to explain it to you so that you finally understand what I mean? You might be familiar with this kind of passive-aggressive question. Think about it every time you need to write an expository essay. Its main goal is to explain something to your readers given that the audience does not know anything about this particular topic.

Consequently, if you want to use the specific terminology that correlates with the chosen topic, make sure you give your readers the definitions first.

Up until now, you might have thought that this assignment is easy to cope with because nothing is challenging about explaining something using the standard essay structure. However, there are six types of this assignment and you need to know the difference between them. Moreover, you need to be aware of the specific requirements each type has. If you want to dig deeper into this topic, keep reading this article. It has all the information you need.

Expository Writing: What Is It About?

As you already know, it is all about giving detailed and vivid explanations to your readers. One of the most popular topics nowadays is the phenomenon of distance learning and its effectiveness. Many schools had to introduce this format of studying because there was no other way for teachers to educate their students in times of social distancing. Imagine that you need to describe and explain the phenomenon to someone who has not heard about it anything at all. 

You need to mention the way it works, what gadgets students need, etc. It is crucial to remember that you should not include your opinion or evaluation of the phenomenon that you are describing. Let the readers do it on their own. Your task is to make sure they know all the important nuances of distance learning and understand its purpose. As you might have guessed, the words you choose and the structure you design are the key elements of your literary piece’s success. Pay close attention to the vocabulary and explain all the niche terms that you use.

Differentiate the Types

Now it is time to look at every type of expository writing in detail. We will use the same logic that applies to this kind of assignment and suppose that you have no background on the topic. We’ll start from the beginning and will guide you through the characteristics of every time. Hopefully, after reading this piece, you will have no questions about how to cope with this assignment.

Cause and Effect 

You’ve probably been in the situation when you said something like this: “I don’t know how it happened. One thing led to another and here I am at this point of my life”. Well, to write a nice cause-and-effect essay, you need to analyze the relationship between the things that led to other things. In other words, you need to explore the reasons why something happened and the consequences of that as well. 

For instance, if we get back to the topic mentioned above, you might explore the consequences of the recent pandemic events in terms of different social science branches. What kind of effect did they have on communication, education, psychology, etc. The key point here is to use a clear correlation between an event and its consequences. The statement that the pandemic has completely changed the psychology of people is too farfetched. Try to be more specific. For instance, you can write about the growing anxiety issues if you want to mention psychological effects in particular. Here is another example of this type of writing for you to have a better understanding of the assignment’s requirements.

Problem and Solution 

The title is pretty self-explanatory. Your task is to describe a specific problem and suggest several solutions to it. These answers you give to the big question of your essay should not be some random suggestions that you hope are going to work. Make a thorough analysis and choose the options that have logical explanations of why they should be considered. Again, if we use the same topic of the pandemic events, you might describe the inconveniences that people experience nowadays due to the many changes that took place and offer a list of the solutions that our government can use. Do you think that there should be stricter rules as to the traveling options? Do you believe that the quarantine measures work and want to make them regular? Here’s a sample that might help you cope with the task better.

Comparison and Contrast 

Here everything is simple. Your goal is to choose two events, personalities, objects, poems, stories, etc., and find what they have in common and what differentiates them from one another. The most useful tip would be to write about something or someone that you find to be interesting. Otherwise, you will get bored pretty fast. 

If you are into art, you can choose two artists and describe the similarities and differences in their styles. For instance, you can analyze the art of Claude Monet and Edouard Manet. Both of them were impressionists but you will find many interesting aspects about the work of each of them. You will find another example in the following file.

Definition 

In this case, your task is to define a phenomenon, event, or anything else that your teacher decides to assign to you. Again, you can suppose that the person you are writing all of this for has no clue on the topic. Therefore, use vivid descriptions and words that can awake the imagination of your readers. Also, this time you can include a personal perspective and write about your emotions. To have a better understanding of how to cope with this assignment, look through the following example.

Classification 

When the topic is too broad, the best way to get your head around it is to divide it into smaller sections. In other words, divide it into smaller categories and describe each of them. Use separate paragraphs for every category. If you are free to choose a topic, make sure you pick something that can have numerous categories and classifications. 

We hope that the following example is going to shed more light on this type of expository essay.

Process 

To cope successfully with this assignment, you need to have a clear understanding of the problem that needs to be solved and each step of its solution process. For instance, if distance learning is the only format of education available to you now, describe the process of using it. First, you need to have a gadget that allows you to be present at classes and an internet connection to attend lectures. Second, you need to have a space where nobody can distract you from the studying process. And so on. Mention the requirements of every stage to get the desired goal. In this example, you will find more options for coping with the task.

Even More Examples 

If you still are not sure what to write in your expository essay, here are some more examples for you. You can borrow some of the techniques the authors use to impress your teacher the next time you submit an essay. 

Even More Tips 

Here you’ll find more tips from our experts. They are short but worth every minute of your precious time.

• Do not skip the outlining stage of the writing process. 
• Write the introduction after you’ve finished the body paragraphs. 
• You will not impress the readers by using unusual terminology or unknown words. 
• Use reliable sources and double-check the information.
• Choose an appropriate tone of voice and hooks for your piece.
• Read your essay and change the parts that seem boring. 
• Use the examples that you find to be interesting.
• Don’t forget about proofreading.
• Reread your piece the next day to have a fresh perspective.

Without a doubt, you are an expert on the topic after reading this article. If for some reason you can’t cope with the assignment, let our team help you. We hire only experienced writers with backgrounds in different topics to make sure our clients get exactly what they need. Just place an order to see everything for yourself.