Essential Characteristics Of An Expository Essay On English


What is Expository Writing?

The aim of expository writing is to enlighten or inform the reader about the subject under discussion. The reader should clearly understand the subject being handled regardless of whether he or she had prior knowledge or hints. It is aimed at exposing the characteristics, operation, appearance, etc of a subject with the aim of bringing clarity.

Essential Features

An expository essay in English must meet the following basic properties in order to be considered befitting that description.

  • Informative
  • An informative paper leaves the reader more knowledgeable. It provides a much details as possible in line with the perspective adopted by the writer. Similar informative materials include reports of events, scientific reports, encyclopedia articles and term papers. The purpose is to inform without persuading the reader to take a stand.

  • Clear
  • Expository writing demands clarity. This means specific information regarding features like length, color, size, duration, population, etc. It is this form of clarity that enables a reader to form a mental picture of what is being described. Your choice of words will make your expository essay easier to understand as well as give it a context.

  • Organized
  • Organization makes it easier for the reader to follow. This is especially important when dealing with processes and procedures. Any misplacement of a step will lead to a production disaster. Organize your ideas in a chronological manner that makes it easier to follow. An orderly description is easier to follow and understand.

  • Objective
  • Expository writing has no room for personal opinions. You are supposed to write based on existing facts. This means that your words must not have multiple interpretation options. The words must describe the object, scene, event, etc through the eyes of an objective observer. In this way, every reader forms a similar mental picture of the subject under discussion.

  • Impersonal
  • The language used in expository writing is impersonal. This is in line with the attempt to make your writing free of biasness. This calls for avoidance of first person pronoun. The pronoun is likely to cause the reader to conclude that in case another person was watching the scene or object, the results or judgment would have been different.

An expository essay reveals what would be visible or possible to experience with regardless of the observer. It therefore calls for an independent revelation of events, appearances, procedures, etc. Personal opinions are not entertained in this category.