Table of Contents
We explain what an expository text is, its types, structure and other characteristics. Also, various examples.
What is an expository text?
The expository text is that text that offers the reader explicit information on a specific topic, objectively, that is, without the author’s opinion or their positions on the subject at any time. Consequently, you also don’t need to use argumentation to convince.
The sole intention of the expository texts is to exhaust the subject, that is, to transmit information to the reader. Commonly, the expository texts are limited to the topic they are addressing, without going beyond it and without generally resorting to emotional content. They can be understood as a display of information only, which may well be of two types, depending on your ideal audience:
- Disclosure texts. These are expository texts that are aimed at a wide audience, without specialized prerequisites, and therefore address issues of general interest, usually from a simple, accessible and democratic perspective.
- Specialized texts. On the contrary, they are intended for a small and specialized audience, which is why they are handled in a technical language, difficult or demanding with the reader, which is only handled by experts, which implies a need for prior knowledge on the part of the reader.
Characteristics of an expository text
The expository texts are characterized by:
- Have the sole purpose of transmitting information specific, whether common or specialized.
- Aspire to objectivity That is, do not involve points of view or arguments of any kind, since they do not seek to convince, but to inform.
- You can use rhetorical figures and other mechanisms to present your information more efficiently, as long as that does not tarnish its clarity and precision.
- They usually use grammatically a timeless present and indicative mode from Spanish.
Structure of the expository texts
The structure of the expository texts is simple, and consists of three successive parts:
- Introduction, in which the reader is given the necessary context to know the subject in question, know how it will be treated, in what terms, etc.
- Development, which constitutes the body of the text, where the exposition of the information is carried out in a clear and organized manner.
- Conclusion, where the fundamental aspects of the subject are summarized and a brief synthesis of what has been said is recapitulated or summarized.