This document provides supplementary material for expository writing from Islamic Azad University Tehran Central Branch. It discusses the different types of expository writing including cause and effect, comparison and contrast, definition, classification, problem and solution, and process. Examples are provided for each type. Tasks and questions are also included for students to practice different types of expository writing. References are listed at the end from online sources about problem-solution essays, academic writing, sample essays, and types of expository writing.

1. Supplementary Material For Expository Writing
Islamic Azad University Tehran Central Branch
Developed
By:
Ehsan Mohseni
ehsanmohseni42@googlemail.com
Kimia Golbakhsh nezhad
kimiagolbakhsh@gmail.com
Negar Aghajani
Advisor: Forouzan Dehbashi Sharif (Ph.D.)

3. Expository Writing
Expository writing , as its name implies, is writing
that exposes facts .In other words, it is writing that
explains and educates its readers, rather than
entertaining or attempting to persuade them.
When you read a scholarly article, or on
instructional guide, you are reading expository
writing .

4. Types of Expository writing
1)Cause and effect
2)Comparison and contrast
3)Definition
4)Classification
5)Problem and solution
6)Process

6. Cause and Effect Essay
This kind of essay describes how one step
Leads to a result. An example is a personal
Blog chronicling a workout regimen and
Documenting the results over time…….
Example

8.  1)Cause: The obsession of many young girls over their appearance or weight.
 Effect: Eating disorder / lack of self-esteem

 2)Cause: Eating disorder
 Effects: Serious health problem and Anorexia nervosa/ Bulimia nervosa/ Binge
 Eating or compulsive eating disorder

9. TASK
1.Explain the effects of music in your Life?
2.Explain the effects of music in People's mind?
3.What are the effects of having a good dietIn our
life?
4.What are the effects of listening on daily news?
5.What are the effects of having a bad Weather in
our health?

10. Comparison and contrast Essay
In a compare-and-contrast essay , You Present two or more
subjects and write About their similarities and differences.
Example

12. Comparison
 1)they both lived on the same land.
 Both groups were hunter-gartherers who followed their prey from place to
place.
 2)Both of them gathered seeds , berries , roots and leaves .
 CONTRAST
 1)The palio Indians lived at a time when the earth s climate was much colder .
 2)palio people used hand held sticks and Spears to hunt large animals But the
 Archaic people developed the atlatle to enable them to throw spears from a
longer Distance.




13. Task
 1. which brand of soda do you choose for Drinking?
 A)pepsi b)Coca Cola
 2.Do you prefer fast foods or traditional Foods?
 3.do you prefer knowledge or money?
 4)if you had to choose between 2 case which one do you prefer ?
 5)do you prefer to study online or in classroom ?

14. Definition Essay
In this style of writing , topics are defined by characteristics , traits , and
examples . A definition essay attempts to define a specific term. It could try to
pin down the meaning of a specific word, or define an abstract concept. The
analysis goes deeper than a simple dictionary definition; it should attempt to
explain why the term is defined as such. It could define the term directly, giving
no information other than the explanation of the term. Or, it could imply the
definition of the term, telling a story that requires the reader to infer the
meaning.
An encyclopedia entry is a kind of descriptive essay .
Example

15.  The Real Meaning of Honesty
I think it was my mother who taught me the meaning of honesty. Not because she actually was honest, but because
she lied all the time. She felt that the easiest way out of any given situation was generally the best way out. And, for
her, that generally meant telling a "little white lie." As a young child I thought it was kind of cool. And, naturally, when I
would come to her with a concern or question wondering what I should do, she generally advised me to lie.
"Mom, I told Theresa that I would go over to her house, but now I would rather go to Sue's house to play.“
"Tell Theresa you're sick," she would advise. And generally I did. But I didn't seem blessed with her lack of conscience.
On many painful occasions Theresa would find out that I really went to Sue's house without her. These occasions
taught me that it is more painful to be caught in a lie than it is to tell the truth in the first place. I wondered how it was
possible that my mother had never learned that lesson.
I started thinking of all the lies that I'd heard her tell. I remembered the time she told someone that her favorite
restaurant had closed, because she didn't want to see them there anymore. Or the time she told Dad that she loved
the lawn mower he gave her for her birthday. Or when she claimed that our phone lines had been down when she
was trying to explain why she hadn't been in touch with a friend of hers for weeks. And what bothered me even more
were all the times she had incorporated me into her lies. Like the time she told my guidance counselor that I had to
miss school for exploratory surgery, when she really needed me to baby-sit. And it even started to bother me when
someone would call for her and she would ask me to tell them that she wasn't there.
So, I started my own personal fight against her dishonesty. When I answered the phone and it was someone my
mother didn't want to talk to, I said, "Louise, mom is here, but she doesn't want to talk to you." The first time I did it, I
think she grounded me, but I refused to apologize. I told her that I had decided that it was wrong to lie. And the next
time it happened I did the same thing. Finally, she approached me and said, "I agree that lying is not the best thing to
do, but we need to find a way to be honest without being rude." She admitted that her methods weren't right, and I
admitted that mine were a bit too extreme.
Over the past few years, the two of us have worked together to be honest- and yet kind. Honesty should mean more
than not lying. It should mean speaking the truth in kindness. Though I started by trying to teach my mom the
importance of honesty, I ended up gaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of the term.

16. Criteria for Assessing the example
1. Does the extended definition contain three types of
definitions?
2. Is the extended definition rhetorically successful--Does
it meet the needs of the audience(s) and the context in
which it will be used?
3. Is the style plain and simple?
4. Is the definition accurate?
5. Has the writer cited sources within the text and
included a bibliography at the end?
6. Is the definition free of grammatical and mechanical
errors?
7. If the definition uses visuals, and are they clearly
designed?

17. TASK
1)Define the meaning of a good family ?
2)How can we define the meaning of
death?
3)Define the meaning of the true love ?
4)Define the meaning of the extended
family?

18. Classification Essay
A Classification Essay is an essay in which you select a category,
genre, or large idea and separate it into appropriate categories A
classification essay organizes things, people, places, etc. into
categories/classes/types/kinds and presents examples and qualities of
the subjects things matter that fit into each class.
In a classification piece , you write about the characteristic of
multiple subjects within one category . For example , you might write
a blog post about the types of expository writing , in that blog post
,you explain each type of expository writing , covering their
differences as well as their similarities .
Example

19. Classification Essay Structure:
I. Introduction – States thesis
II. Body – Identifies, in separate
paragraphs, the various categories,
with examples
III. Conclusion – Restates the categories
of the thesis and, as a significance or
answer to the question “so what?”
implied in any composition, stresses
the value of this classification system

20. Types of Friends
Human beings are social animals. Most of us usually have numerous friends because we need friends not only to have an
enjoyable life but also to grow as individuals. Our friends share our sorrows and joys and they help us better understand
ourselves. Not all friendships are created equal because we form friendships with others for a variety of reasons. It may be
appropriate to classify our friends into three groups, i.e. acquaintances, social friends, and best friends.
Acquaintances are friends we just happen to know in life. They may be our school fellows, our work colleagues, our
neighbors, or just someone we met in a social setting. Our interactions with acquaintances are often formal and short. We
may know basic details about them but we tend to avoid learning about their more personal matters. It could be argued
that the acquaintances are the weakest form of friendship, and we make very little, if any, emotional investment in this
form of friendship. The circle of acquaintances is usually the biggest among all types of friends because we simply tend to
know lot more people than those we interact with on a regular basis such as social friends and best friends.
The second type of friends is social friends. The social friends could be defined as people whose company we enjoy. We
may spend lot of time with them and we may know more about them than we know about acquaintances, but we
usually avoid discussions about more personal issues unless given a signal or permission. Social friends have the potential
to become one of our best friends over time but such friendships are not initially built on deep trust as much as they are
built on common interests or shared social lifestyles. Our relationship with social friends is usually of higher quality than our
relationship with acquaintances.
The third type of friendship is best friends. Our relationship with best friends is the deepest among all types of friends. We
may share our deepest concerns and secrets with best friends that we may not share with social friends or acquaintances.
Our best friends also have the most influence over us among all types of friends because we trust them. The circle of best
friends tends to be the smallest among all types of friends because there are only so many people we can trust on a deep
personal level. It is not uncommon for us to invest years in best friendships because longer time periods enable us to know
people better.
We are social animals which may explain the presence of friends in our lives. The friends can be divided into three main
categories which are acquaintances, social friends, and best friends. Acquaintances are people we happen to know,
social friends are people whose company we enjoy, and best friends are people who have earned our trust. The circle of
acquaintances tends to be the biggest for many people while the circle of best friends tends to be the smallest.

21. Based on the Classification Structure:
I. Define the statement thesis in Introduction
II. In the body part of the article, what did the
author Identified, in separate paragraphs, the
various categories, with examples
III. In the conclusion did the writer restated the
categories of the thesis and, as a significance—or
answer to the question “so what?” implied in any
composition, stresses the value of this classification
system

22. TASK
1.When you want to manage your money how
do you classification it?
2.How do you classification the people around
you?
3.How do you classification you books in you
library?
4.Tell me how do you classification work,
personal things, reading books , sleeping ,
resting , studying

23. Process Essay
When you need to explain how a process works or the steps the
reader needs to follow to assemble something or complete
another task , you write out the process step by step , providing
as much explanation as necessary for each step.
Example
Suppose you have to write the process essay on how to make
tea .
First , address the problem and then explain the main steps
involved in making tea .

24. TASK
1.Explain how do you cook pizza ?
2. Tell me the process of studying for an
exam .
3.What is the process of getting driving
license ?
4.What is the process of working and
studing together and how can you
handle it?

25. Problem and Solution Essay
In a problem and solution piece , you
explain on existing problem and then
explore the most effective solution for that
problem . this kind of structure can also be
found in persuasive writing . It is generally
used in trouble shooting guides and to
explain how specific problems have been
solved .
Example

26. No More Traffic Jams
There is nothing worse than being trapped in your car, waiting in the middle of a traffic jam. It is frustrating, knowing that there is
nothing you can do and that you are going to be late to work. Traffic jams often occur during rush hour or right after a large event
because there are more cars on the road than normal. Traffic jams can also be caused by car accidents or road construction. They
usually occur on major roads that many people use to travel to work or school. Traffic jams are a problem because they make people
late for work or school, they can cause car accidents, and they are frustrating. How can we reduce the number of traffic jams? Possible
solutions include carpooling or using public transportation. The best way to solve traffic jams is by using public transportation because it
will be efficient, economical, and reliable.
First, using public transportation is efficient. A bus is a very efficient way to move lots of people from one place to another using only
one vehicle. Instead of having one vehicle for each person on the road, busses take many cars off the road as people ride together.
Trains are even more efficient at reducing the number of cars on the road. Because trains have their own dedicated rail system to get
people around, all of the cars are eliminated without adding any more traffic to the roads. Not only are busses and trains more efficient
at carrying passengers, but time spent on a bus or a train is more efficient for the passenger. This encourages more people to use public
transportation. It is easy to see how efficient public transportation is and the impact that it has on reducing traffic.
Another reason that public transportation is the best solution to traffic jams is because it is so economical. People want to use public
transportation instead of driving their own car because they can save money. Public transportation usually does not cost very much,
especially for people who use it often. There are discounts for seniors and students, which makes it an even more economical way for
these groups to travel around town. Using public transportation also eliminates the need to pay for parking, car insurance, and car
maintenance, not to mention gasoline. All of the expenses related to owning a car are replaced with one simple fare. Because it is so
economical, public transportation is a good solution to traffic jams by encouraging more people to travel together and reduce the
number of cars on the road.
Finally, public transportation is the best solution because it is reliable. Many people set up carpools to reduce traffic, but this is only a
temporary solution. Every time someone has a change in their schedule, the carpool needs to be adjusted. For example, if someone has
to go to the doctor or sleeps in, the carpool will not work that day. If someone changes jobs or transfers to a new school, the carpool will
need to be adjusted again. Public transportation, on the other hand, is more reliable. The bus and train schedules don’t change every
time that one rider needs to go to the doctor. The schedules are set and people can plan on them. People who use public transportation
will find that it is reliable and can help limit the number of cars on the road.
Because it is efficient, economical, and reliable, public transportation is the best way to reduce the number of traffic jams. There are
other possible ways to address this problem, but using public transportation is clearly the best. Traffic jams during very busy hours on the
road can be reduced and more people can get to work on time and avoid the frustration caused by sitting in the middle of a long line
of cars. Cities and governments should consider ways to improve their public transportation system and encourage more people to use
it. If they do, they will surely see fewer traffic jams on their roads and much happier drivers.

27. Answer the following questions
1. Label the introduction paragraph, the body
paragraphs, and the conclusion paragraph.
2. Circle the hook.
3. What is the general topic of the essay?
4. Underline the thesis.
5. Underline each of the topic sentences.
6. Do each of the topic sentences support the thesis?
7. Does the conclusion paragraph start by restating
the thesis?

28. TASK
1.whats the problem of having a relationship with bad friends ? What
should we do?
2.what should we do with having a polluted air?
3.how to deal with a rude child?

29. References
https://owlcation.com/humanities/100-Problem-Solution-Essay-Topics-
with-Sample-Essays
https://edtechbooks.org/academic_a_writing
https://mypaperwriter.com
https://www.collegeessay.org/blog/types-of-expository-writing