Expository Writing Flashcards
Grade 9 · English · Flashcards
Core vocabulary, structural concepts, and writing strategies for expository essays.
Flashcards
- Expository writing
- Writing that explains, informs, or analyzes a topic objectively using evidence and logical structure.
- Thesis statement
- A specific, arguable sentence that states the essay's central claim and previews its supporting points; usually the last sentence of the introduction.
- Topic sentence
- The first sentence of a body paragraph; announces the paragraph's focus and ties it to the thesis.
- PIE structure
- Point + Illustration + Explanation — a framework for writing focused, evidence-based body paragraphs.
- Evidence
- Facts, data, quotations, or examples used to support a claim; always followed by analysis in strong writing.
- Analysis
- The writer's explanation of how evidence supports the thesis; the 'so what' that gives evidence its meaning.
- Objective tone
- Neutral, impersonal voice; avoids first-person opinions, emotional language, and colloquial expressions.
- Transition words
- Words or phrases that connect ideas: additive (furthermore), causal (consequently), contrasting (however), exemplifying (for instance).
- Coherence
- The quality of an essay where all parts connect logically to one another and to the thesis, creating a unified argument.
- Synthesis
- Bringing together multiple ideas to show their combined significance; the goal of a strong conclusion.
- Claim
- An arguable statement that requires evidence and reasoning to support; the backbone of any expository or analytical essay.
- Counterargument (in expository)
- Acknowledging an opposing perspective and explaining why the essay's position still holds; strengthens credibility.
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