Overview

Expository writing is the writing you do to explain and inform. The most familiar form of expository writing is the essay. An essay has three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.

There are four types of expository writing: writing to define, writing to explain a process, writing to compare and contrast, and writing to explain a cause-and-effect relationship. Most essay questions will ask you to use one of these approaches. By reading the question carefully, you'll know which approach is required.

Good expository writing is clear, concise, and informative. It is also well organized. How you organize your writing depends on what you want to say.

Research reports that you write for school are expository. A good research report will include information from several sources. Because of that, you will spend a good deal of time in the prewriting stage, gathering information. In the drafting stage, you'll lay out the basic parts of your report and start to pull all of your information together. You will make any changes needed to clarify or strengthen your report during the revising stage. Before you present your report, you should read it once more and correct any grammatical or mechanical errors.