ENG 112

Expository writing
Instructions
 Please Read the notes, then individually try to
understand with the help of the questions given
 At the end of the class, individually practice
writing a one paragraph of 5-6 sentences, double
spaced comparing and contrasting life during and
before the lock down.
Strategies of developing expository
writing
 Expository essay informs and explains
 It can also persuade
 It is developed around strategies such as process
writing, comparison and contrast, cause and effect,
definition, use of examples,
 Analysis and classification
Purposes of informative writing
 To explain a process
 To make a comparison and contrast
 To illustrate a point with examples
 To explain causes and effects
 To analyze or classify a subject
 To define a concept
 To make an analogy
Process writing
 Use it to describe concrete processes: how things
are done or how they work.
 Use chronological order.
 Make sure each step is complete.
 Use consistent verb tenses.
 Use appropriate transitions
Comparison and contrast
 Decide on your points of contact
 Apply your analysis equally
 Use either a block method or point-by-point
method
 Use the same order in each part
The point-by-point method looks like
this:
 Introduction
 Point of contact one
 Point of contact two
 Point of contact three
 Point of contact four
 Example: The waiters in restaurant Y were tidy
and respectful, while those in restaurant X were
untidy and rude to customers.
The block method looks like this:
 Introduction
 All the points about X
 All the points about Y
 Conclusion
 Example:
 Dining at restaurant Y is better than dining in
restaurant X because the waiters in restaurant Y
are tidy and respectful
 Restaurant Y
 Food- served discuss the food
 Service-discuss the service offered
 Cost- talk about the cost

 After this discuss Restaurant X by looking at the

same aspects: food, service, cost
 After this conclude
Using examples
 Make sure they are relevant
 Make the connection for your reader
 Tell the whole story
Causes and effects
 Focus on closely related causes and effects
 Make connections explicit
 Look for the chain of causality
 Present evidence
 Cause #4
Cause #1
Cause #5
Cause #3

Your subject
Effect #3
Effect #1
Effect #4

Effect #5
Analysis and classification
 To analyze means to break a complex topic into its
constituent parts
 To classify means to group together individuals on
the basis of some common characteristic
 Be clear about how you define the principles that
create your categories
 Analyse –to divide
Note the difference between
denotation and connotation.

Connotation

Denotation is Dictionary Definition

Connotation is implied meaning