Expository TextBy Ms. Rich and The Write Path

What is it?• Expository text - a type of

informational text that clarifies or

explains something

• It’s the OPPOSITE of a story

Examples• Nonfiction books (the books against

the wall in the library)

• Encyclopedias

• Textbooks

• Newspaper/magazine articles

• Dictionaries

• Atlas

SOAPSToneAn introduction to Analyzing Writing

What is SOAPSTone?• Speaker: The voice that tells the information

• Occasion: The time and the place of the piece;

the context that prompted the writing.

• Audience: The group of readers to whom this

piece is directed

• Purpose: The reason behind the text

• Subject: The topic of the piece of writing

• Tone: The attitude of the author

Speaker• While reading the text, ask yourself this major question:

WHO IS SPEAKING?

• Don’t confuse the author with the speaker. They are two different voices; sometimes two different personas. For example, Jim is a reporter for the NY Times, but the speaker is a man trying to influence readers to steer clear of a new product.

• Who is speaking to the reader? Is it an economist? A fashion guru? A teacher? A lawmaker?

• Ask yourself: What’s the point of a speaker? Why do we care who is speaking? How does it influence the text? How does it influence the reader?

Occasion• While reading, it’s important to determine WHAT EVENT

INFLUENCED THE TEXT.

• Why do we write? Why does it matter? Do we just write about anything and everything, or are we influenced to write?

• Ask yourself: Why is this person writing this text now? What major event or occurrence inspired this piece of writing?

• Are they writing in response to a new law? An ongoing war? A celebrity mishap? A major world crisis?

Audience• While reading the text, it is important to determine WHO

THE SPEAKER IS TRYING TO REACH.

• Don’t think an article on the health risks of elementary school cafeteria food is an article for just anyone. Who could an article like that be targeting?

• Ask yourself: Who is the intended audience for this text? Why write to this specific audience? Why cant a piece of writing be meant for EVERYBODY?

• Is the audience the financial experts of the business world? Stay-at-home mothers? College students? Athletes?

Purpose• While reading the text, it is necessary to understand

the PURPOSE OF THE TEXT.

• Ask yourself: What’s the purpose of the writing? What is it intended to do? What is the speaker

hoping to achieve? Is there a goal?

• Are they trying to influence consumers to buy a

certain product? Vote for a specific politician? Save

their money by investing? Send their kids to private

school?

Subject• While reading the text, determine the SUBJECT OF

THE TEXT.

• Ask yourself: What is this piece of writing about?

What topic(s) does it concern? Why does it matter?

• Are they writing about the war in Iraq? A new law

that just passed? A hot, new celebrity?

Tone• While reading the text, one of the most important

questions is WHAT’S THE TONE OF THE TEXT?

• How is the speaker saying what he’s saying? What is the speaker’s attitude towards the subject?

Towards the audience?

• Is he angry? Biased? Persuasive? Neutral?