Expository writing is structured as a back-and-forth movement of abstract → concrete → abstract: it presents an abstract claim, supports it with specific examples or data, and returns to an abstract conclusion. Keeping this movement in mind prevents you from getting lost in long specific examples.
Basic Rules
Pay attention to signal words connecting the abstract and the concrete:
- Transition from abstract to concrete: for example / for instance / such as / a case in point / consider the following
- Transition from concrete to abstract (summary): in short / in other words / this suggests that / this illustrates / overall, / to sum up
- Characteristics of abstract sentences: generalized subjects (“Studies show” “Research indicates” “People tend to”), adverbs showing frequency (often, generally, typically)
- Characteristics of concrete sentences: proper nouns, specific numerical values, particular periods, and individual episodes
The practical reading skill is to continually ask yourself, while reading a specific example, “Which abstract claim does this example support?” You do not need to remember every detail of a specific example (numbers and proper nouns); it is enough to grasp the abstract point it indicates.
Cultural context shapes how people interpret emotional expressions. For instance, a study comparing Japanese and American participants found that Japanese viewers paid more attention to surrounding facial expressions when judging emotion, while American viewers focused mainly on the central face. This suggests that emotional perception is not purely biological but also culturally learned.
(Cultural context shapes how people interpret emotional expressions. For instance, a study comparing Japanese and American participants found that Japanese viewers paid more attention to surrounding facial expressions when judging emotion, while American viewers focused mainly on the central face. This suggests that emotional perception is not purely biological but also culturally learned.)
Analysis: abstract (Sentence 1) → concrete (the study following For instance) → abstract (the summary following This suggests)
Points to Note
① Few questions ask about the numbers or proper nouns in a specific example; many ask “What does this specific example show (what is its abstract implication)?” During reading, prioritize “What is this an example of?” over the concrete details.
② One abstract → concrete → abstract cycle may not fit within one paragraph and may extend over several paragraphs. You need the flexibility to postpone returning to the abstract until a summary sentence such as “This suggests that” appears.
③ When asked “What claim does the specific example in the passage support?” the fastest solution is to look for the abstract sentence (the topic sentence or summary sentence) immediately before or after the example.
④ When several specific examples are presented in a row, they support the same abstract claim from different angles. Do not rush to a conclusion based only on the first example; identify what the parallel examples have in common as a whole.
- Expository writing is structured as a back-and-forth movement from abstract to concrete to abstract
- for example / for instance signal specification; in short / this suggests signal a summary
- Prioritize “What is this an example of?” over the details of a specific example
- For the question “What claim does the specific example support?”, look for the abstract sentence immediately before or after it
- Extract the common abstract element from several parallel specific examples
Practice
- Explain the difference in the roles of for instance and in other words.
- What should you always ask yourself when reading a specific example?
- Create a short example of about three sentences with an abstract → concrete → abstract structure.