Expository Writing vs

Personal Narrative Writing

Quick look at each:Personal Narrative:

Retell about a life eventHook reader Connect to prompt in

lead and conclusion

Must remember life event well enough that writer can give details

Event should be important, meaningful, memorable

Expository:Purpose is to

explain a topicState your opinions

and defend them Use life experiencesWhat you have readWhat you have seenWhat you have

discovered through movies, music, the news, and history

is informational writing that explains by using details, examples, descriptions, definitions,

persuasion, and reasoning.

Expository Writing

Structure:PERSONAL

NARRATIVEAt least 3

paragraphs:Beginning (hook

and connection to prompt)

Middle (event frame by frame)

End (conclusion with reflection)

EXPOSITORY 3-5 paragraphs

Introduction (hook and state opinion on topic)

Body(s) (reasons for your opinion with supporting evidence to explain/show why you believe what you do)

Conclusion (restate belief in different words and give a final thought/statement or quote on subject)

KEY TO A GREAT ESSAYPERSONAL

NARRATIVE:Make sure you are

writing to the given PROMPT

You put the CONNECTION in the LEAD REFLECTION included in CONCLUSION

EXPOSITORY:MAKE SURE IT IS

BASED ON WHAT YOU TRULY KNOW AND UNDERSTAND!

Don’t try to talk about topic you don’t really “get” but you hear adults say BLAH, BLAH, BLAH on the topic, so you repeat it.

Point of View used:Personal Narrative:First person only!

It is a retelling of writer’s life event.

Writer must use “I”, “me”, “we”, “our” pronouns.

Expository:Can be told in 1st or 3rd

person.

READ the following quotation.  

A famous businessman once said, “Players win games; teams win championships.”

 THINK carefully about the following statement.

Sometimes you can accomplish good things by yourself but better things with other people.

WRITE an essay explaining whether it is better to work by yourself or with a group.

Expository Prompt Page:

Writer must make a choice of what side to defend