Inha University
Expository Writing
Listening Comprehension III
Academic Listening and Note-Taking Skills
Instructor Chris Gunn
• In today’s class we are going to look at a
some basic expository writing.
• Expository writing means writing to
explain or to inform.
• Other types of writing include:
Persuasive writing- writing to convince
Narrative writing- telling a story
• Expository writing is the type of writing
that is required for the Teacher’s Exam.
• Most academic writing is expository
writing so developing good writing habits
will help you in other areas as well.
• In particular. we are going to look at some
basic structures that can be used for
much of the expository writing that you
are likely to encounter on the exam.
The Most Basic Structure
Topic
Supporting Sentence 1
Details: Example/Evidence/Explanation
Supporting Sentence 2
Details: Example/Evidence/Explanation
.
.
.
Final Supporting Sentence
Details: Example/Evidence/Explanation
General to Specific
• Note: the structure of your writing goes
from:
general to specific
topic  supporting sentences details
• Last class, I asked you to write a summary
paragraph on the characteristics of happy
people.
Topic
The lecturer discusses the common
characteristics of happy people.
Psychologists have examined the
characteristics of happy people.
The lecture covered the characteristics of
happy people.
Supporting Sentence + Details
• One important characteristic of happy
people is family and friends. Studies have
shown that happy people tend to have
strong connections with family and
friends and make time to spend with
them.
Supporting Sentence + Details
• Another characteristic of happy people is
religious beliefs. Believing in something
bigger than themselves helps people find
meaning in their lives.
Supporting Sentence + Details
• Setting goals is a third characteristic of
happy people. Happy people tend to
establish goals for themselves in their
work and personal lives around things
that are interesting or use their strengths.
Supporting Sentence + Details
• Surprisingly, having lots of money is not
a characteristic of happy people. As long
as someone has enough money to provide
the essentials for life, having more money
did not bring extra happiness.
Supporting Sentence + Details
• High education is also not a characteristic
of happy people. Studies have shown that
people with low education are just as
happy as people with high education.
Supporting Sentence + Details
• Finally, youth is another feature that was
not a characteristic of happy people. In
fact, research has shown just the opposite,
that people aged 60-64 years old tended
to be happier than people aged 20-24.
• In short, there are characteristics of
happy people that can be identified, but
they are not always the characteristics
that you might guess.