Overview

Writing that explains and informs is called exposition. Although expository writing is most effective when it is interesting to the reader, its purpose is to provide information. An expository piece consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The supporting details in the body are usually facts, statistics, examples or incidents, sensory details, or reasons. When writing an expository piece, consider your purpose and audience when choosing and organizing details. You may also want to illustrate your writing with graphics such as maps, graphs, diagrams, or tables.

Expository writing can define a term or a theory, give steps in a process, explain cause-and-effect relationships, classify categories within a broad topic, or compare similarities and contrast differences between related events or phenomena.

When you write a feature article for a newspaper or magazine, you should use description, narration, and exposition to entertain, to tell a story, and to inform. Knowing how to write exposition is also helpful when you are answering an essay question on a test. You should follow the basic format of an expository essay by dividing your writing into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. You should also apply your knowledge of expository writing when analyzing literature—for example, by comparing and contrasting two myths.