Expository Essay

A.    Definition of Expository Essay

Expository essay deals with facts, ideas, and beliefs. It explains, analyze, define, compare, illustrate. It answers questions like: What? Why? How? What was the cause? The effect? Like what? Unlike what?

In expository, the writer explains a topic, defines term, or gives up-to-date information. These essays are often called research reports because the writer usually searches out information about his or her topic in a library, on internet, or from other resources. The information on the following pages will help you research, organize, and document a variety of expository essays.

So, Expository essay is an essay which explaining, describing, or exposing an object, concept, or ideas.

• Kinds of expository essays

Each expository essay below presents your audience with specific kind of information and organization:

• ·        A historical essay is about a person or event from the past. These essays are usually organized by the order of event. However, be careful not to turn the essay into a boring list of dates. A successful historical essay is like a good story that shows readers what it was like to know a person or witness an event from long ago.

• ·        A current events essay is about an issue, person, or event that is now in the news. You do not present your opinion about the topic. Instead you explain why people think the issue is important and describe their different points of view. Sometimes a current events essay is organized chronologically. Other times, you will organize these essays around people who are for and against an issue, or around the benefits (pros) and risks (cons) of a proposed action.

• ·        A process essay describes how to do something. For example, scientists often write process essays to describe how they performed an experiment. Process essay also can be used for everyday purpose, such as giving friends directions to your house. Use the steps it takes to complete the process to organize this kind of essay

• ·        A definition essay gives the reader information about the unique features of a topic. For example, an essay about African elephants tells readers what makes these animals different from other animals. Organize a definition essay around important features of your topic. For an essay about African elephants, these main ideas may include physical characteristics such as body parts and size, and behaviors such as habitat and diet.

B.     Why is making expository essay?

This type of writing typically aims to inform the reader. It may also explain, describe or give information.

C.     Example

Handwriting Analysis

Understanding the personality of other people can be helpful in many situations. Employers are always interested in the personalities of job applicants. It can even help family members get along with each other better. Here is a means of understanding personality that is now becoming popular in the U.S.; it has already been widely used in European countries (especially in German). It is Handwriting Analysis. In fact, there are several interesting aspects of Handwriting Analysis.

The first interesting aspect of Handwriting Analysis in the number of details that it can tell us about someone’s personality. According to people’s handwriting, we can determine if they are humorous, ambitious, self-confident, stubborn, generous, and sociable, as well as about 100 other personality traits. Although it’s not 100 percent specific, we can get a fairly detailed picture of how a person will act in various situations. According to an article in The Westerly Magazine, “A good handwriting analysis should be extremely honest because that’s the only way to help people discover their strengths and weakness. People can then make good use of their strong point and perhaps improve on their weak ones if they truly understand themselves”.

Second, the techniques themselves use to analysis handwriting are quite amazing. Using various rulers and other means of measurement, an analyst studies many features such as the slant and size of letters. I, for example, have very small handwriting. Tiny writing indicates that the writer is focused. My focus and concentration are so powerful that, while studying, I often do not hear the phone ring, even when I am sitting right next to it. This information helped me realize that I should probably not try to become a secretary. The handwriting analyst also looks at loops. Someone who puts big loops on letters like “h” and “g” has a good imagination. Often, artists and actors have big loops. Apparently, imagination helps them in their creative work. Writing that gets smaller at the end of words shows diplomacy. A friend of mine works at a store, where she is very popular with costumers. It’s not surprising that she is good with people, because her handwriting gets smaller at the end of words, which shows that she is tactful. Since there are so many details to consider, a trained analyst may take one and a half hours studying just one page of writing.

Finally, there are some practical uses for handwriting analysis. Companies, especially in Europe, have handwriting of applicants analyzed. In my country, Canada, applicants automatically include handwritten information when they apply, this makes it possible for companies to fit each employee into the most suitable type of job. If an employer is looking for someone with a specific characteristic, for example, the ability to work with details, they could find this information from the applicant’s handwriting. In addition, a college student could find out if their roommate is good at keeping secrets. Also, two people who are dating could learn a lot about each other before deciding to get married. The couple could learn, for example, whether either of them tends to worry a lot, needs an active social life or is sensitive to criticism. Imagine that a couple, Tom and Sue, were considering marriage and that Tom is “the jealous type”. This might mean that he would not want Sue to go out shopping or have lunch with her friends. As a result, if Sue married Tom, she might feel trapped and regret her decision to marry him. However, if they had had their handwriting analyzed before getting married, Sue would be aware of Tom’s tendency to be jealous.

In conclusion, handwriting analysis is fascinating for several reasons. First, it can help us get some insights into each other’s character. Second, the ways that an analyst evaluates handwriting are surprisingly detailed and complete. And last, it is useful in some specific situation, such as when choosing an employee or when trying to understand a friend or family member. After all, as Reed Hayes Say in his book Between the Lines, “Handwriting never lies”.