THE EXPOSITORY ESSAY What to Know

Activity 1: At the Movies  Think about movies for a moment.  Now write down as many different types of movies (genres) as you can in 1 minute.  We will put them on the board.

What Types Did You Think Of?  Action  Romance  Horror  Drama  Suspense  Comedy  Animated

At the Movies, Part 2  Using your list of movie categories, write down as many examples of the different genres as you can.  For example: Science Fiction – Star Wars

What to Know Before Writing an Expository Essay  The difference between general and specific topics  Good organizational strategies  How to write a thesis sentence (topic sentence)

Cause and Effect Compare and Contrast Descriptive Process Narration Problem and Solution Types of Expository Essays

Cause and Effect  The cause and effect essay shows the relationship between an action and a result.  (Very similar to Newton’s Law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction)  Example: Running a red light might help to cause an accident, though other facts -- pedestrians or other cars in the intersection -- must also be present.

Compare and Contrast  This essay compares the relevant similarities and differences between two people, places, things, or ideas.  Example: Although the Twillight characters Edward Cullen and Jacob Black may seem very different, they have more in common than either one realizes.

Descriptive  A descriptive essay describes the characteristics of something.  Example: While the controls of a 747 aircraft may look complicated, they’re actually very easy to understand.

Process Narration  Explains how an event unfolds, usually in chronological order.

Problem and Solution  This essay is a special type of descriptive writing that discusses a problem and potential solutions.

Writing a Topic Sentence  You will need a partner for this activity.  Write a topic sentence for EACH type of expository writing: cause and effect, compare and contrast, descriptive, process narration, and problem and solution.  The sentences must be narrow and specific.  Be prepared to share them with the class when you are done.