3. What is the purpose of expository writing?
To inform, teach, or explain
Five commonly used
patterns:
Definition
Time Order
Simple Listing
Comparison and Contrast
Cause and Effect
Classification
4. Pattern 1: Definition
• Includes a key term:
• usually highlighted in bold face, color type, or italics
• followed by a detailed definition that can consist of several sentences
• Frequently includes examples or illustrations to make the meaning
clearer
• Authors highlight the term they are defining.
5. Example 1:
• Nineteen-century America was guided by the concept of Manifest
Destiny, the belief that the United States was on a mission of God to
occupy North America from coast to coast.
6. Example 2:
• The greenhouse effect is the name for
what happens when excessive carbon
dioxide and other gases build up in the
Earth’s atmosphere.
7. Taking Notes
The definition pattern should include 3 or 4 of
the following elements:
1. The term being defined
2. A complete definition
3. At least one example
4. Any other details that
might help clarify the
definition
