Expository WritingPreparing for HSPE

Anecdote #1ANECDOTES – An anecdote is a

short narrative inserted into an essay that develops an idea or argument.

Once when I was in middle school, the kids would always. . . .

Hey, I remember the time when I had to carry my . . .

Anecdote Example If I could be any age I would be eight…

[At] eight years old [I] was always the baby of the family. Once my oldest sister was pregnant with her first child, that all changed. My sister’s name is B__ M__ and she was 27 when she gave birth to J__. It was a cold, rainy day on January 3rd, when we got the call. My mother’s voice slowly erupted into a holler of joy. She ran into the other room to tell my sister, V__, and me that we were now aunts. We were so overjoyed and it was only moments later that we were on our way to the hospital. I remember walking into a room and looking into B__’s arms to see this little person wearing a blue knitted hat and a small blue outfit. It’s so amazing that such a little person can change your entire life, like it did to mine. From then on I became Aunt O__ and wanted to show this baby off to the entire world. I wanted everyone to hear that this baby J__ A__ M__ was my nephew and that he meant everything to me.

Scenario #2Scenario– An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events (think hypothetical, something that could or might happen).

Scenario Example [If I were] twenty-five, I could have a

family. I would be old enough and smart enough to take care of my children and to be a wonderful wife. I would not have to depend on the government or my mother to take care of my kids. I would have a steady paying job, and my kids would have a great home that they would be proud of.

Example # 3 EXAMPLES – provide more specific

information about an idea.

The cats were all acting like they were crazy. For example, one jumped at me …

We had a barrage of different weather last week: hail, rain, snow, and sunshine.

My brothers always seem to pick on me.

For instance, they hide my soccer shoes before

a game.

An example, example If I could be age 12, I would have the time of my

life… In 1998, when I was 12, I had a friend (he was my best friend). His name was D__ C__; he was 11 years old. We had the best times together. Some of the many things we did were riding our bikes along the dirt dike. [We] also played with my Lego’s building underwater scenarios, along with Ninja castles and race car jumps. We used to build forts which were blankets stapled and pinned together – and mounted on the ceiling and walls. We used to climb in them and wait for my siblings with their friends to come along. Then we would scare them by shooting Nerf darts at them with our Nerf guns.

Definitions #4 DEFINITIONS -- are a restatement of an

unfamiliar word or phrase to tell the reader what it means.

The best part of our hot lunch program is the A La Carte. What I mean is the little deli line-up past the lunch line where you can buy cookies, slushies, and candy bars.

Definition Example Looking back, it was the age [6] of

ignorance. You weren’t required to understand everything around you, which gave you a chance to use the expansive imagination that you had discovered only a few years earlier. A car didn’t have to be a car. It could be a magic train that expanded to a mile long at the snap of your fingers.

Stat and Fact #5 STATISTICS and FACTS -- are the

numbers (data) and information that help support your idea or argument.

Mom, did you know that 98% of all my friends get to stay up until 1:00 AM on weekends?

Well, Son, did you know that 3 out of

every 4 parents would have grounded you for

staying out so late?

Kids who smoke at an early age

are prone to heart attacks later in life.

Statistics and Facts Example

…Students having access to … candy and sugar-filled beverages in school is a rising problem…There is another issue with sugar in the student’s body. Statistics show that there is a correlation between sugar and rising diabetes in teens. When your system is filled with too much glucose (sugar), the body doesn’t know what to do with it. After time your body can’t even attempt to process it. That’s when you become diabetic.

Quotation #6 QUOTATIONS -- are words someone

says that can help support your idea or argument.

Dr. Stein, the veterinarian

from the animal shelter,

agreed when he said,

“Spaying or neutering dogs and cats is the single best gift a pet owner can give.”

Quotation Example

…Schools should promote and sell healthier foods at school.Along with fewer dentist visits, healthier foods at school would help students learn to manage a proper diet both at home and school, in turn affecting exercise rates. The United States Surgeon General has repeatedly stated, “U.S. students are eating very unhealthy foods; they have unbalanced diets which in turn cause them to gain unnecessary weight.”

Descriptions #7 DESCRIPTIONS—are a way to create

vivid images for the reader.

The sound of my phone cut through the silent class, and I anxiously dug into my backpack to grab it before Mrs. Schuman, the writing teacher, noticed. Pawing through Chapstick, lipstick, gum wrappers and rubber hair wraps, my hand darted around the deep pockets of my

backpack. “Must shut off ringer,”I thought.

Description Example My second item [for a time capsule] is a tongue ring. This

accessory will represent the vast varieties of styles students possess. Students alter their natural appearances everyday drastically or in a small manner. Hair is dyed colors not of their own, from hot pink and blue to just-a-shade-lighter blonde. Hair is cut, permed, curled, crimped, straightened, hair-sprayed back or shaved into a design. Clothes are worn tight and revealing whether a fit figure is shown or not. Jeans and sweaters much too large for one’s body are also popular. Some people opt for wearing their pajamas or a solid black outfit accompanied by a pair of fish-net stockings. . . . When looking at a person, don’t be surprised to find a piercing somewhere, especially on girls. Ears, noses, eyebrows, lips, chins, and bellybuttons have all been altered by sticking decorative metal pieces through them. Everyone looks different and expresses him/herself in various ways. Style is a major part of students’ lives in school as well as out.