English Expository Essay Reading / Writing Tsung-Ying Chen, 2026
An expository essay explains a topic clearly and logically. It presents facts, definitions, examples, or steps to help readers understand an idea, process, or concept. The writer stays objective, uses evidence, and organizes information with a clear thesis, supporting paragraphs, and a concise conclusion. No personal opinions dominate. The "Science" section in The New York Times has many examples - Reports on scientific findings are supposed to focus on single topics and explain things from an objective perspective. Here's one example "The Chimps Who Learned to Say Mama" to be analyzed in the current demo.
Good expository essays generally comes with a clear thesis statement in the opening paragraph - A very straightforward summary of the topic that is consistent with the title.
Good expository essays also build strong connections between every two sentences, which is referred to as cohesive writing. Cohesive writing is the key to organize complex information into simpler and understandable details.
For each subtopic in an expository essay, there will be supporting paragraphs. The strategy for connecting these supporting paragraphs in a logical way is known as coherent writing. Coherent writing helps avoid cofusion casued by sudden topic transitions.
Good expository essays always comes with a concise conclusion that helps summarize and reflect on the entire essay. This takeaway is frequently connected to the title to form a logical writing cycle.