Expository Text

When we read fiction novels, we are taking in narrative text. This type of text tells a story and generally uses a lot of emotion. The opposite of this is expository text, which exists to provide facts in a way that is educational and purposeful. The text is fact-based with the purpose of exposing the truth through a reliable source. True and deliberate expository text will focus on educating its reader. Other descriptors of exposition are clear, concise, and organized writing. Expository text gets to the point quickly and efficiently.

Imagine a parent is exposing a child to the thrill of riding a bicycle. They would speak in the form of expository text, providing directions that are fact-based and focused: hands on the bars, one foot on the pedal, push off… and so forth. Most likely, this would have to be done and repeated several times before a child could be off biking alone, but the same phrases would be repeated and the child would be learning.

If a parent tried to teach a child to ride a bike in narrative form, such as only telling the story of when and how they themselves learned to ride or what the weather was like that day, the bike-riding lesson would be less successful. The child would get frustrated and not be exposed to necessary skills for riding a bike. Emotions would take over through the narrative (story telling). The lesson and facts would be a failed attempt.

Examples

Expository text is information-based text. Some common examples are:

Textbooks

News articles

Instruction manuals

Recipes

City or country guides

Language books

Self-help books