Exemplification/Illustration

One of the expository modes or strategies of writing (writing

intended to explain, inform, or teach)

Definitions:

– an item or incident that is representative of a rule, a type, or an abstraction

Definitions:

– an item or incident that is representative of a rule, a type, or an abstraction

– A parallel or closely similar case serving as a representative or model

Definitions:

– an item or incident that is representative of a rule, a type, or an abstraction

– an item or incident that is representative of a rule, a type, or an abstraction

– an instance serving to illustrate a rule or precept

4 reasons to use examples

• We use them to persuade, explain, or engage

4 Reasons to use examples

• We use them to persuade, explain, or engage– they validate your argument or position, giving

you credibility (persuade)

4 Reasons to use examples

We use them to persuade, to explain, or to engage • they validate your argument or position, giving

you credibility• they carify the meaning of a general

statement or abstract idea (explain)

4 Reasons to use examples

We use them to persuade, to explain, or to engage • they validate your argument or position, giving

you credibility• they clarify meaning that is otherwise unclear• they eliminate unintended ambiguity (explain)

4 Reasons to use examples

We use them to persuade, explain or engage • they validate your argument or position, giving

you credibility• they clarify meaning that is otherwise unclear• they eliminate unintended ambiguity• they make the writing interesting and

applicable to the real world of experience (engage the reader)

Examples should be

– relevant

Examples should be

– relevant– meaningful, graphic, engaging

Examples should be

– relevant– meaningful, graphic, engaging– accurate

Examples should be

– relevant– meaningful, graphic, engaging– accurate– representative

Examples should be

– relevant– meaningful, graphic, engaging– accurate– representative– specific

Examples should be

– relevant– meaningful, graphic, engaging– accurate– representative– specific– sufficient

We can classify examples in two ways:

• By length/development– undeveloped (a few words, a pithy phrase, or a

sentence)

We can classify examples in two ways:

• By length/development– undeveloped (a few words, a pithy phrase, or a

sentence)– developed (multisentence passage)

We can classify examples in two ways:

• By length/development– undeveloped (a few words, a pithy phrase, or a

sentence)– developed (multisentence passage)– extended (working through a whole essay or a

long multiparagraph passage

We can classify examples in two ways:

• By source– personal experience (nonfiction)

We can classify examples in two ways:

• By source– personal experience (nonfiction)– typical case (nonfiction)

We can classify examples in two ways:

• By source– personal experience (nonfiction)– typical case (nonfiction)– hypothetical (invented)