e. Function of Exposition Text
As stated by Randall E. Decker in his book, Patterns of Exposition, there are some functions of exposition text, namely:
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a. The primary function of exposition is to itself merely to explain. It means that the main function of an exposition is to explain the writer’s intention to the
reader through a written material so that the reader can get what the reader or speaker intends to deliver.
b. To tell a story or relate a happening, because exposition often uses narration as one of many techniques. When exposition text uses narration in its delivering
technique it is often used by the writer to tell a story or relate a happening so that the reader can get the correlation between parts of the story.
c. To create vivid pictures for the reader about a story. Exposition text which uses description in its delivering technique often used to help the reader get
very clear images about the story that delivered through a written material. d. To convince or persuade the reader about the writer point of view. Exposition
text which uses logical argument and persuasion often used by writers to deliver their thought to the reader so that the reader can be convinced to agree
the writer’s point of view about certain problem.
f. Features of Exposition Text
There are four important elements that take account on an exposition text as described in details below.
a. Formal tone – in an exposition text, the writer avoids slang and colloquialisms and uses formal language wherever possible.
b. Third person – in an exposition text, the writer should not use “I” because the writer should present the arguments from third person point of view.
c. Opinion – exposition text writing must present the writer’s opinion about the topic. The opinion should be presented in formal tone and use third person
point of view.
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Randal E. Decker, Patterns of Exposition, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1966, p. xi.
d. Strict structure – exposition text should be written by considering a strict structure that will be discussed below.
g. Types of Exposition text
There are two types of exposition text, analytical exposition and hortatory exposition. As Goutsos notices, exposition is based on a thesis and supporting
reasons or arguments and can be either analytical “persuades that [the thesis is well formulated]” or hortatory “persuades to [do what the thesis
recommends]”.
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Hortatory exposition is a type text that is intended to persuade the readers that something should or should not happen.
Hortatory exposition text can be found in scientific books, journals, magazines, newspaper articles, academic
speech or lectures, research report etc. Analytical exposition is a kind of text that presents one side of an issue in
a form of arguments. The purpose of analytical exposition is to persuade the readers by presenting one side of an argument. Analytical exposition text can be
found in legal defenses, spoken arguments, advertisement, announcement, radio commercial and leaflet.
In analytical exposition, the concluding paragraph, which is called reiteration, is used to give emphasize on the writer’s opinion by restating point of
view. While in hortatory exposition, the concluding paragraph takes form as a recommendation that is used to give advice or such a suggestion to the readers to
make a choice by considering the presented arguments. Hortatory is similar to analytical exposition but if we have to differentiate
both from one to each other, we have one useful tool by making analysis on the generic structure. What makes hortatory different from analytical exposition is the
last finalizing step which analytical exposition is ended by a reiteration while hortatory exposition is finalized by certain recommendation.
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Dionysis Goutsos, Modelling Discourse Topic: Sequential Relations and Strategies in Expository Text, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1997, p. 37.
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