Glossary for the Expository Genre

English - Unit 5

Critique

is an evaluation or detailed analysis assessing something, usually a literary work, philosophical theory, or political view.

Details

are particular facts or pieces of information about something or someone often found in piece of literature to support an idea or to add elaboration to a description.

Diction

is the author’s choice of words, especially in regard to range of vocabulary, use of slang and colloquial language, and level of formality. The author of an academic article may use scholarly diction.

Expository

is a genre of writing that is used to explain, describe, or inform about a specific topic.

Evidence

is the support that shows a belief or opinion to be true.

Facts

are true piece of information that is used as evidence.

Hook

is the first two to three sentences of a text which serves as an introduction and works to grab the reader’s attention.

Main Idea

is the most important or central thought of a paragraph or larger section of a text, which tells the reader what the text is about.

Mood

is a technique that an author uses to establish the emotional feeling or atmosphere. The author may use diction, syntax, tone, or descriptive details to develop a mood. Often the mood can be described in a single word such as lighthearted, frightening, or despairing. Emily Bronte in Wuthering Heights creates a mood of despair when she pens these words “There was no moon, and everything beneath lay in misty darkness: not a light gleamed from any house, far or near all had been extinguished long ago: and those at Wuthering Heights were never visible…”

Organizational Pattern

denotes the type of structure used by an author to organize his details, opinions, and ideas. There are five commonly used structures: Cause/effect, Compare/contrast. Concept/definition, Problem/solution, Sequential

Cause/effect

is why something happened - effect is what happened (shows a relationship between the two).

Compare/contrast

shows how two or more things are alike and/or how they are different.

Concept/definition

structure includes the features, characteristics or examples of a person, place, idea, or thing.

Problem/solution

explains a problem (and sometimes says why there is a problem) and then gives one or more possible solutions.

Sequential

or chronological structure describes items or events in order or tells the steps to follow to do something or make something.

Author’s Purpose

is the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic, as well as whether the author intends to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain his ideas to the reader.

Significant Details

are the most important facts or pieces of information about something or someone.

Substantiated Idea

is one that has been established by proof or evidence.

Summarization

is a brief statement of the main points of a text.

Support

is the evidence that something is true and ties back to a main idea or thesis.

Syntax

is the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.

Tone

is the author’s attitude toward his or her audience or subject. The tone can often be described by a single adjective, such as formal, serious, or bitter. The tone in The Diary of Ann Frank is optimistic. Though she and her family are in hiding from the Nazis, she writes with hope and optimism.

Transitions

are words or phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. Transitions help make a piece of writing flow more fluently.

Unsubstantiated Idea

are those that have not been established by proof or evidence.

Voice

is the writer’s “sound” or way of “speaking” on the page. It is related to elements such as diction, syntax, and tone.