THE ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE EXPOSITORY WRITING
1. Quality of Content
2. Clarity of Thesis
3. Organization
4. Development
5. Unity and Coherence
6. Word Choice
7. Sentence Variety
8. Tone
9. Emphasis and Rhythm
10. Grammar and Sentence Clarity
11. Punctuation and Mechanics
12. Reader Adaptation
1. Quality of Content
The purpose of expository writing is to explain something, that is, to provide readers with
information worth knowing and thinking about. Thus, the phrase "quality of content" refers to
the significance of the writer's topic, the depth of the writer's knowledge and analysis of the
topic,* and the appropriateness of the writer's discussion and treatment of the topic.
*Depth of analysis is also the main feature of strong development.
2. Clarity of Thesis
A thesis concisely states the central point of the essay. It is often called the controlling idea
or main idea because every subsequent part of the essay should support it. The thesis
usually appears in an essay's opening paragraphs so that the reader will know exactly what
point the essay will discuss. Often, professional writers state their topic and direction in the
introduction but reveal the full thesis as the essay progresses.
3. Organization
(1) Introductory Paragraph with Thesis Statement
Introductory paragraphs attempt to arouse reader interest by providing background
information on the topic, stressing the significance of the topic, or presenting one or more
startling facts. Introductory paragraphs should lead logically to the thesis, which usually
appears at the end of the introductory paragraph or paragraphs, though not always.
(2) Middle (Supporting) Paragraphs
Each middle paragraph has its own main point and supporting sentences that support
that point. Often the main point can be found in a topic sentence, which may appear
anywhere in the paragraph or be implied. Of course, all middle paragraphs must
ultimately support the essay's thesis.
(3) Concluding Paragraph
The concluding paragraph of an essay may draw a conclusion, make a prediction,
provide a summary, or use a combination of these strategies.
4.Development
A well-developed essay demonstrates depth of analysis and discussion. It includes a sufficient
number of representative and accurate facts, examples, details, and explanations to convince
readers that the thesis is significant and worth their consideration. The reasoning must be clear,
logical, and free of error (no important information or assumptions are left out; compared things
are comparable; generalizations are qualified and based on sufficient evidence).
5. Unity and Coherence
Unity: All sentences in a paragraph must relate to and support the point of the paragraph; all
paragraphs in an essay must relate to and support the thesis of the essay. Irrelevant
material disrupts the reader's attention.
Coherence:
When paragraphs and essays have coherence, readers can easily understand the relationship
between the ideas in one sentence and those in the next and between the ideas in one paragraph
and those in the next. In order to achieve coherence, writers should always place their
sentences and paragraphs in a logical order. In addition, writers should provide smooth
transitions between two sentences or paragraphs in one or both of the following ways: (1) by
using connective words and expressions, such as in addition to or in contrast and (2) by
repeating or referring to key words, phrases, events, or ideas that have already been
introduced.
6. Word Choice
Writers should choose words that are consistent with standard English usage and
appropriate for the context. They should also be sure that the words they choose convey the
meaning intended. Slang, clichés, vague words (nice, fine) and the overuse of any one term
should not appear in the writing.
7. Sentence Variety
Writers who use the same length and type of sentence to express each thought miss two
vital points: variety helps convey meaning and increases reader interest. In the paragraph
below, the writer uses a variety of sentence lengths and types to convey an important
message.
The best students are not always those who memorize every fact in their school books,
score well on multiple-choice tests, and raise their hands during every lecture to pin down each
definition. The best students are thinkers. These are the students who grasp the larger picture,
filling in details as they relate to the whole. They look for connections, differences, patterns,
and analogies among ideas. They ask about causes and effects, never consider any answer
complete or final, and never stop wondering. The best students combine logic and imagination
to propose, test, and refine ideas; they are constantly revising their picture of the world. The
best students understand that learning how to think is the most important thing to know.
8. Tone
The tone of an essay conveys the writer's attitude toward the subject and the audience. The tone
may be enthusiastic, optimistic, humorous, friendly, matter-of-fact, serious, sincere, concerned,
impassioned, cynical, pessimistic, or hostile, to name just a few possibilities. Tone results from the
combined effect of word choice, sentence style, imagery, emphasis, and rhythm. It is important for
writers to be aware of their tone because tone is often a deciding factor in how well their ideas are
received.
9. Emphasis and Rhythm
Emphasis Writers emphasize their most important ideas by developing them well . They also
use the three rules below to their advantage.
1. The sentence or paragraph that contrasts most in length or structure usually receives
more emphasis than surrounding sentences or paragraphs.
2. When Ideas are arranged in climactic (ascending) order, the resulting contrast
underscores the importance of the final point. Notice the difference in the following two
sentences:
a. The hurricane ravaged the beaches, destroyed hundreds of homes, and took at least
fifty lives.
b. The hurricane took at least fifty lives, destroyed hundreds of homes, and ravaged the
beaches.
3. Independent clauses receive more stress than dependent clauses. Notice the shift in
emphasis in the two sentences that follow.
a. The supporting actors, who seldom get the recognition or pay they deserve, received
excellent reviews from the critics.
b. The supporting actors, who received excellent reviews from the critics, seldom get
the recognition or pay they deserve.
Rhythm: A rhythmic essay reads smoothly. Its pace may vary from quick to slow, but at all times
the writing should flow gracefully. In addition to strong coherence and appropriate emphasis,
other factors that interact to produce a pleasing rhythm are variations in word and sentence
length, variations in sentence structure, and parallelism.
Parallelism refers to the use of similar constructions to express equal or closely related ideas.
Here are two examples:
The author is clear, creative, and enthusiastic.
Writing well involves understanding the audience, knowing the subject, and working
hard to bring the two together.
A Final Note: An essay should have a pleasing rhythm because readers are more likely to
respond favorably to a clearly written, rhythmic essay than to one whose sentences are choppy
and whose thoughts seem disconnected.
10.Grammar and Sentence Clarity
Grammatical errors, illogical constructions, and choppy sentences make writing difficult to
read and, therefore, unconvincing. During the revision process, writers should attempt to
make the intended meaning of each sentence clear by experimenting with a variety of
sentence structures until the best structure by which to express each idea is found. During
the proofreading process writers should look carefully for all of the errors listed below.
Beginning writers should look for only one or two of these errors at a time, a task which unquestionably takes patience but which must be done if the writer is a serious student and
wants his or her work to be effective.
a. Sentence Fragments
b. Run-Together Sentences (Comma Splices and Fused Sentences)
c. Subject-Verb/Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Errors
d. Incorrect Verb Forms
e. Pronoun Usage Errors
f. Adjective and Adverb Errors
g. Lack of Sentence Variety
h. Wordiness
I. Awkward or Confusing Constructions
j. Parallelism Errors
k. Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers
l. Omitted Words
11. Punctuation and Mechanics
The use of proper punctuation is important not because it reflects the writer's sophistication,
but because it serves as a guide to the reader by conveying intended meaning. A period, for
example, tells a reader that a thought has been completed. Similarly, a semicolon (;) indicates
that two thoughts are closely related, and a colon (:) tells the reader that an explanation of the
previous thought is to follow. Commas are especially important in keeping thoughts from
becoming confusing. Notice the difference between the two following statements:
a. After everyone sang the song that won first place in the contest was announced.
b. After everyone sang, the song that won first place in the contest was announced.
Proofreading for correct punctuation and mechanics should include the items listed below.
Punctuation Mechanics
a. The Comma a. Capitalization
b. The Semicolon b. Abbreviations
c. The Colon c. Numbers
d. The Apostrophe d. Italics (Underlining)
e. Quotation Marks e. Spelling
f. The Dash, Parentheses, f. The Hyphen
Brackets, Ellipsis Marks g. Manuscript Form
12. Reader Adaptation
If a paper is well adapted to the reader, it provides allneeded information and states that information in a clear, convincing manner that is appropriate for the intended audience.
All too often beginning writers insist that what they have written is perfectly clear, not realizing that they possess much more knowledge about what they intended to say thantheir readers do. Remember this rule:
All good writers learn to look at their work from the reader's point of view.
Information about the topic and visual aid.
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For substances, composition means the constituent materials or elements. For writing or music, composition is the act of composing or creating, combining the separate elements or aspects into a whole.
Composition in writing refers to the arrangement of elements such as words, sentences, and paragraphs to form a cohesive and meaningful piece of writing. This includes organizing ideas, creating structure, and shaping language to effectively communicate the intended message to the reader. Good composition ensures clarity, coherence, and readability in written work.
Composition is the relationship of all of the parts of a piece of artwork to each other. It can be a conscious choice by the artist, or it can be a product of the artist's process. One component of composition is balance, a tree on one side of a painting could balance a person on the other side if they were both the same height, color, or weight.
In a writing composition there is a prompt to write about.An Expository prompt is about writing about othersPersonal Narrative is about yourself.
The difference between technical writing and composition writing is that the technical writing deals with writing off on the basis of rules that must be thoroughly proofread, while composition writing deals with writing from your imagination, with no guidelines or rules.
For substances, composition means the constituent materials or elements. For writing or music, composition is the act of composing or creating, combining the separate elements or aspects into a whole.
A composition is a short essay. Composition also refers to how you structure your writing using the correct grammar rules and rhetoric.
Joseph A. Alvarez has written: 'Elements of composition' -- subject(s): English language, Rhetoric 'Politics in America' -- subject(s): Juvenile literature, Political parties, Politics and government 'Elements of Technical Writing' -- subject(s): Technical writing
Essay is a type of composition....
This is the composition of a chemical compound expressed in contained chemical elements.
how to analyse
English Composition Writing for an Audience - 2001 was released on: USA: 2001