Expository Writing
Essential Knowledge and Skills for Essay Writing - A Practical Guide for ESL and EFL Undergraduates - Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen
Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen [+ ]
Thammasat University
Neil Bowen is an Associate Professor at Thammasat University and an ESRC Doctoral graduate from Cardiff University. He holds a PhD in Language and Communication, an MA in Applied Linguistics, and a BA in English and TEFL. His research focuses on process–product relationships in writing using a combined cognitive and Systemic Functional Linguistics approach. His 2019 article, “Unfolding choices in digital writing: A functional perspective on the language of academic revisions,” was the runner-up for the 2022 John R. Hayes’ best article award given by the Journal of Writing Research. His work can also be seen in other prominent journals such as Journal of Second Language Writing, TESOL Quarterly, Written Communication, Computers and Composition, Teaching and Teacher Education, System, and others.
Description
Unit 4 marks a switch to more formal, factually based writing. Students are introduced to the key skills and language features of expository writing, such as elaborating, enhancing, and extending upon key information, sequencing information, and using organizational templates (block method and point-by-point) to populate an outline. Students are then challenged to write three different expository texts—Compare/contrast, Classification, Cause-effect—and are given helpful tips and exercises along the way. At key stages within the unit, students are tasked with writing paragraphs and essays for each expository text type using the seven stages of the writing process.