Writing Well

You Got Some 'Splaining to Do, Lucy: Exposition

Writing Well

As you learned, exposition is writing that instructs, explains, shows, or tells. Most of the writing you do in school and in life is expository. Exposition is writing that shows, explains, and tells by giving information about a specific topic. In this section, you'll discover the different forms that exposition can take: cause and effect, classify-divide, comparison-contrast, definition, and process analysis. By the time you finish this section, you'll be equipped to organize the information in your expository letters, memos, e-mails, essays, and reports to best suit your topic, purpose, and audience.

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Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Well © 2000 by Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D.. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

To order this book direct from the publisher, visit the Penguin USA website or call 1-800-253-6476. You can also purchase this book at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

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