Expository Writing Glossary

D. Expository Writing Glossary

In an expository paragraph you give information. You explain a subject, give directions, or show how something happens. In expository writing, linking words like first, second, then, and finally are usually used to help readers follow the ideas (except for our purposes those words cannot be used).

This paragraph, like the others, organizes itself around three parts. A topic sentence allows the reader to understand what you are writing about. The middle part of the paragraph contains sentences that follow one another in a logical sequence of steps. The final sentence closes your subject with an emphasis on the final product or process desired by the topic.

There are six kind of expository writing glossary; concluding or transitional sentence, concrete detail, context, interesting creating device, major support, quotation, statement of organization, topic sentence, and the last is transision.

1.      Concluding or Transitional Sentence

A sentence that concludes each body paragraph should restate topic sentence idea and can transition in new idea of next body paragraph. A concluding or transitional sentence can also be placed at the end of the introduction.

Example:

a.       In conclution, Lizabeth illustrates one of life’s gretest gains and losses as she moves from childhood innocence to adult reality.

b.      Finally, there are all kinds of special fees added onto the bill at registration time. A college student might have to pay a $50 insurance fee, a $20 activity fee, a $15 fee to the student government association and anywhere from $500 to $100 for parking. There is another fee if a student decides to add or drop classes after registration. The fees required to attend college never seem to end.

c.       In conclution, cars should be banned from the city for the reasons listed.

2.      Concrete Detail

A specific reference to a particular event or detail in the literature.

Example:

a.       When she childishly taunts Miss Lottie during an attack on the old lady’s beautiful marigolds, she confesses, “I lost my head entirely”

b.      When he looking for me, at the middle of night, he mentioned “I will kill you at this time”, suddenly, my mother open my door’s room.

3.      Context

It introduces the quotation or concrete detail and informs the reader where in the story the quotation occurs.

Example:

a.       When she childishly taunts Miss Lottie during an attack on the old lady’s beautiful marigolds, she confensses, “I lost my head entirely”

b.      When she exchanges her ignorance for compassion, she can only stand and face Miss Lottie and look “beyond myself and into the depths of another human being”.

4.      Interest Creating Device (ICD)

Used at the beginning of a paragraph to attract the attention of the reader. It must be relevant to the paragraph’s topic, it must be smoothly transitioned, through analysis or explanation, into the topic.

5.      Major Support

Focuses on one important aspect of the topic.

Example:

a.       In Eugenia Collier’s short story “Marygolds,” Lizabeth gaints a new awareness of comparison. Early in the story, Lizabeth is a self-centered child.

b.      Chocolate cake with vanilla/almond frosting provides a tasty treat for any occasion. Follow the directions for making any flavor of chocolate cake.

6.      Quotation

A passage copied exactly from another text, enclosed in quotation marks, and cited properly.

Example:

a.       When she childishly taunts Miss Lottie during an attack on the old lady’s beautiful marigolds, she confensses, “I lost my head entirely”.

b.      In Lizabeth eyes, Miss Lotie transforms from a witch to a “broken old woman” who had “dared to create beauty” in her poverty-striken surroundings.

c.       When she exchanges her ignorance for compassion, she can only stand and face Miss Lottie and look “beyond myself and into the depths of another human being”.

7.      Statements of Organization

Three separate sentences placed in the introduction (in a five-paragraph essay with three body paragraph) which function are as the arguable topic sentences of the body paragraphs. Statements of organization should relate to each other and should work together to argue thesis.

8.      Topic Sentence

States the main point to be argue/proved in the paragraph. The topic sentence is the most general statement of the paragraph. It is the key sentence because it names the topic and the central idea: the writer’s main idea, opinion, or feeling about that topic.

The topic sentence can come at the beginning or at the and of the paragraph, or even in the middle. It is even possible not to have a topic sentence at all, and then we say that the topic sentence is implied or suggested. As a beginning writer, you should write a topic sentence at the beginning of your paragraph for two reasons. First, it will thell the reader what are you going to say. Second, you can look back at the topic sentence often as you write the supporting sentences. It will help you stick to the topic as you write.

A topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea. It names the topic and then limits the topic to a specific area to be discussed in a single paragraph. The statement that limits the topic in a topic sentence is called the controlling idea. Let’s take a topic like badminton. There are too many things to say about badminton to put in a single paragraph. Therefore you need to limit your discussion about badminton to a specific aspect of it. The following example

illustrate what has just been explained. Study them carefully and you will see why you should limit a topic to a specific area only.

Example:

a.       In Eugenia Collier’s short story “Marygolds,” Lizabeth gaints a new awareness of comparison. Early in the story, Lizabeth is a self-centered child. (M.s)

b.      Chocolate cake with vanilla/almond frosting provides a tasty treat for any occasion. Follow the directions for making any flavor of chocolate cake. (M.s)

c.       A disease that causes chronic gastrological disorders, IBD, is envisioned in a spectrum of severities. Cats can vomit heavily, and suffer from continuous diarrhea.

d.      There are so many subject to study at university, it is difficult to choose one for my major. I’ve always made good grades in match, but i don’t like it very much.

e.       Cars should be banned in the city. As we all know, cars create pollution, and cause a lot of road deaths and other accident.

9.      Transition

A word or phrase used to logically connect two or more ideas, sentences, or paragraph. o improve your writing you need to make sure that your ideas, both in sentences and paragraphs, stick together or have coherence and that the gap between ideas is bridged smoothly. One way to do this is by using transitions - words or phrases or techniques that help bring two ideas together. Transitional words and phrases represent one way of gaining coherence. Certain words help continue an idea, indicate a shift of though or contrast, or sum up a conclusion. Check the following list of words to find those that will pull your sentences and paragraphs together.

To show location:
	Above across against along among around	away from behind below beneath beside betwen	beyond by down in back of in front of inside	into near off onto on top of outside		over throughout to the right under
To show time:
	About after at before during	first * second * third * till until	meanwhile today tomorrow next week yesterday	soon * later * afterward immediately finally		then * next * as soon as when
To compare things:
	in the same way similarly	likewise like	as also
To contrast things:
	But on the other hand	otherwise however	although yet	even though still
To emphasize a point:
	for this reason to emphasize	again to repeat	truly in fact
To conclude or summarize:
	as a result therefore	finally * last / lastly *	to sum up * all in all	in conclusion * in summary *
To add information:
	Again also additionally equally important	in addition another and	besides for example for instance	moreover next * likewise		finally * as well along with
To clarify:
	in other words	put another way	for instance	that is

Example: (the used of transition in paragraph)

The Road to Experience

In Eugenia Collier's short story "Marigolds," Lizabeth gains a new awareness of compassion.  Early in the story, Lizabeth is a self-centered child. When she childishly taunts Miss Lottie during an attack on the old lady's beautiful marigolds, she confesses, "I lost my head entirely". As a child, Lizabeth does not think of the consequences of her actions or the effect of her outburst on Miss Lottie.  Instead, she acts on impulse, as one without experience is apt to do.  Because Lizabeth has no experience of cruelty and believes selfishness is the only form of contentment, she has no compassion.  Hence, Lizabeth's taunting of Miss Lottie reveals her lack of compassion. Suddenly, however, she understands the extent of the damage she has done. In Lizabeth's eyes, Miss Lottie transforms from a witch to a "broken old woman" who had "dared to create beauty" in her poverty-stricken surroundings. After Lizabeth returns to completely demolish the marigolds, she sees Miss Lottie in this new light.  For the first time Lizabeth feels shame and remorse for her actions. Finally, Lizabeth feels for someone else for the first time. When she exchanges her ignorance for compassion, she can only stand and face Miss Lottie and look "beyond myself and into the depths of another human being. Due to the haggard look on Miss Lottie's face, Lizabeth realizes that another human being suffers, that all people suffer. From this new insight, she gains empathy. In conclusion, Lizabeth illustrates one of life's greatest gains and losses as she moves from childhood innocence to adult reality.

Reference:

·         M. Syafi’i S, M. Fauzan Ansyari and Jonri Kasdi. The Effective Paragraph Developments: The Process of Writing for Classroom Settings. Pekanbaru : English Language Institute, july 2011.