1 Don't be afraid of the expository essay. Expository is just a fancy word that has to do with explaining a subject/topic. An expository essay, then, is a written explanation of a subject. The goal is to share information with the reader. It may be abstract or concrete in nature. That is, it may be about an idea (the U.S. system of checks and balances) or about a real take-a-photo-of-it subject (making a toothpick model of the Golden Gate Bridge).
2 Your expository essay will exhibit your knowledge of a subject. That knowledge may be familiar to you already, or it may require research. It will be fact-based and not opinion-based. It will be without first and second-person pronouns. Focus your attention on the topic and not yourself or the reader.
3 Explanations can be presented in a variety of methods, such as the following:
Explain a step-by-step process
Compare and/or contrast two items
Explain with examples
Divide and classify
Identify a cause-effect relationship (causal analysis)
