expository essay: examples and explanations

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Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

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Question: So what did you do this weekend?

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Page 1: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Page 2: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Question: So what did you do this weekend?

Page 3: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Vague Answers (BAD): “I did something exciting.”

“I tried something new.”

“I met someone and we hung out.”

Page 4: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Specific Answers (GOOD): “I went skydiving.”

“I went skateboarding.”

“I met a green space alien and we bonded over frozen yogurt .”

Page 5: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Strong expository essays include SPECIFIC EXAMPLES to support each idea!

Page 6: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Vague Contains indefinite

pronouns (someone, something)

Non-specific or made-up situations

Causes the writer to repeat ideas in the explanation

The reader can’t picture it.

Specific

Uses names of people and places.

Focuses on a clear, specific situation or person (history, the news, books or

stories, your own life, etc.)Compels the writer to give details that

explain the example

The reader can imagine it!

Page 7: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

READ THE EXAMPLE PROMPT BELOW

Spring 2013 English I Writing Expository

Read the following quotation.Take risks. Ask big questions. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; if you don’t make mistakes, you’re not reaching far enough.

—David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard

Taking a risk means acting without knowing whether the outcome will be good. Think carefully about this statement.

Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a risk.

Page 8: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Now let’s looks at some bad (vague) and good (specific) examples used to support this prompt.

Spring 2013 English I Writing Expository

Read the following quotation.Take risks. Ask big questions. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; if you don’t make mistakes, you’re not reaching far enough.

—David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard

Taking a risk means acting without knowing whether the outcome will be good. Think carefully about this statement.

Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a risk.

Page 9: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk can lead to success in life.

Vague You could

discover that you’re good at something by just trying it and make a career out of it.

Specific

Page 10: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk can lead to success in life.

Vague You could

discover that you’re good at something by just trying it and make a career out of it

Specific Comedian Brian

Regan took a chance when he performed his first stand-up routine during open-mic night at a comedy club.

Page 11: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk will allow you to learn from your mistakes.

Vague If you try

something and fail, you can see what you did wrong and work to get better.

Specific

Page 12: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk will allow you to learn from your mistakes.

General If you try

something and fail, you can see what you did wrong and work to get better.

Specific Michael Jordan didn’t

make the basketball team his freshman year of high school.

Page 13: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk may inspire others.

Vague People

might see you do something and try it themselves.

Specific

Page 14: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk may inspire others.

Vague People

might see you do something and try it themselves.

Specific Jackie Robinson was

the first African American to play Major League Baseball.

Page 15: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk could change the world.

Vague Many famous

people (scientists, explorers, and inventors) took a risk to make our world a better place.

Specific

Page 16: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk could change the world.

Vague Many famous

people (scientists, explorers, and inventors) took a risk to make our world a better place.

Specific The Wright Brothers

risked their lives when they built the first successful airplane

Page 17: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Great expository essays also include an explanation of at least three sentences that supports the example.

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk could change the world. Specific

Example: The Wright Brothers risked their lives when they built the first successful airplane.

Explain:Explain:Explain:

Page 18: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Topic Sentence: Taking a risk could change the world.

Specific

Example: The Wright Brothers risked their lives when they built the first successful airplane.

Explain: They quit their jobs and worked for years to build the plane.

Explain: They could have lost all their money, ruined their reputations, or died in a crash.

Explain: Because of the risk they took, aviation has evolved along with transportation to change the lives of billions of people around the world.

Page 19: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

TIP # 1: Use SPECIFIC examples from history, literature, current events, movies/TV shows, or your own life.

Page 20: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

TIP # 2: Support each example with at least THREE SENTENCES of EXPLANATION.

Page 21: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

TIP # 3: If you start repeating yourself in the explanation sentences, this means that your EXAMPLE is TOO VAGUE!

Page 22: Expository Essay: Examples and Explanations

Now It’s Your Turn!

1. Choose the weakest example in your CBA

expository essay.2. Draw a big box around the weak example and

all the explanation sentences that support it.3. Revise/Rewrite this piece of your essay on an

index card. Include a more specific example supported by better explanation sentences.

4. Staple the index card to the back of your essay.