expository writing by eguriase s. m. okaka

Expository Writing

By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Expository writing is any writing that explains and gives information in details. Examples of expository essays occur in textbooks, encyclopedias, autobiographies and biographies. In this write-up, you will learn more about expository writing. Expository is meant to give a detailed explanation of the subject. The paragraphs should be clearly focused to present the needed information so that the reader will be able to understand it. Examples of expository essay topics are” My favorite pet, How to prepare my favorite dish, A busy market, My favorite hubby, Our traditional marriage ceremony and The tradition of my people. Features of expository essay • Use topic sentences to start your paragraphs. This helps you to decide what details, examples or facts to use to support the sentence. It also makes it easy for the reader to understand your explanation very well and identify the main ideas. • Use adequate details – examples or facts to support your topics sentence. • The present tense is most often used to write expository essays. Write simple, clear sentences in the present tense. • Expository essay calls for a detailed explanation of the subject matter; hence there is need for thorough planning before writing. It requires an adequate knowledge of the subject matter. • Descriptive words and phrases should be used to make your explanations clear enough. Exercise Discuss with your partner an important traditional festival of your people. Write down ten important points you know about the festival. The following questions about the festival will be of help to you. • What is the name of the festival? • When and where is it celebrated? • Why is it celebrated? • Who are the people that play the most active roles? • What role do children play during the festival? • How is the festival celebrated? • What are the benefits of celebrating it? • What traditional items are needed for the celebration? • What is your personal opinion about the festival? • How do you think your people can improve it? After, show your work to your teacher. Merge some of your points. Arrange them to form an outline on an important traditional festival of my people. The well-written sample below will be of help to you. Show your work to your teacher thereafter. Get more details from your parents about the festival before writing your first draft. Remember to edit and proof-read before revising and writing your final draft. Show your work to your teacher in the next English lesson. Let us consider this composition: The New Yam Festival in Mbaise before the new yam The New Yam Festival is an important festival that is celebrated all over Imo state. It is celebrated at different times in each town every year before the new yams are eaten. The Mbaise people of Imo state celebrate their own New Yam Festival on the 15th of August every year. Everyone looks forward to this great day because the celebration of the new yam festival brings joy and promotes a communal lifestyle among the people. The origin of the festival dates back to the time of our forefathers when yams were seen as the most important crop and anyone that had huge barn was seen as an important person in the society. Before the new yam was eaten, our forefathers would offer sacrifices to the earth goddess for her generosity and protection. Today, however, the majority of the people are Christians and thanksgiving services are held in churches to thank God for the New Yam Festival. The preparation starts weeks before the festival. Pathways are cleared by men and youths, compounds are tidied and bushy trees are cut down. Some people beautify their houses in readiness for the occasion as many visitors are expected. Women do their hair in the latest hairstyle. The palm wine is usually needed for the occasion. Invitation cards are sent out to friends and relatives. On the festival day, the celebration starts off with thanksgiving services in various churches. The new yams are blessed and are now ready to be eaten. After, the service, everyone goes home to get ready for the celebration. The women and theirs are the busiest people on this day as they spend a lot of time pounding already cooked yams and preparing the delicious vegetable soup that goes with it. The elders and the young men in every compound roast the new yams as the women are cooking. The roasted yams are eaten with fresh red palm oil and washed down with fresh palm wine. Also Ugba, known as African salad, made from oil bean seeds, is another important delicacy that is eaten on this day. The Mbaise people are known for their skill in preparing the Ugba salad. As the women are cooking the guests start arriving one after another and are welcomed by the young men and heads of families. They are usually friends, relatives and married daughters and their husbands and children. After the cooking the guests feast on pounded yam and vegetable soup, Ugba and roast yam and palm wine. A lot of food is also reserved for guests at the village square. Everyone has enough to eat and drink. Towards evening, everyone goes to the village square for the last phase of the celebration. Here, the elders take their seats at the high table and pray before the roast yams are eaten, everyone in the arena is given their own share of the roast yam. Men and women who are to be honored are honored. Afterwards, the young men and women dance their traditional dances to entertain the guests. The popular Abigbo dance is a sight to behold on this occasion. They thrill the guests with their wonderful dance steps and their songs through which they condemn evils in their society. Women also dance Omurunwa, a very captivating dance that praise women and motherhood. The gathering at the village square offers everyone the opportunity to see friends and relatives, some of whom they might not have seen for a whole year. The New Yam Festival in Mbaise is a very important festival that everyone loves and looks forward to. It gives the people the opportunity to come together and learn about their culture and promote it. Mbaise is always a place to be during the celebration of the New Yam Festival. In most African cultures, one cannot eat the New Yam until it has been celebrated by the king and the farmers as a mark of respect to the goddess of fertility. The New Yam Festival must be celebrated first before you can eat the new yam and the necessary thanks must be given to those it belongs to according to an elder in the land. There is this story about a young man who harvested yams from his farm and ate it before the new festival was celebrated. He fell sick with boles all over his body. He later confessed that he ate new yams before the festival was conducted. That is to say that the new yam festival is held sacred by some Africans villages. By Eguriase S. M. Okaka