Can someone please explain what is expository writing in the simplest way possible?

[Dacota]

I'm going to be totally honest here—I'm a first-year college student, and I've heard the term "expository writing" like a million times in the past two weeks. My professors keep saying it. My syllabus says it. My writing center appointment said it. But I still don't really get it! Like, isn't ALL writing explaining something? I'm so confused! Is expository writing just... regular writing? Help!

I tried Googling it, but the definitions are so fancy: "a genre of discourse that aims to inform, explain, describe, or define." What does that actually MEAN in real life? Give me examples! Give me something I can hold onto!

Here's what I THINK I've figured out so far (please correct me if I'm wrong!):

• It's NOT telling a story (that's narrative)
• It's NOT convincing you of something (that's persuasive)
• It's just... giving information? Like a textbook?

My first expository essay is due in two weeks on "the causes of the Industrial Revolution" and I have NO idea how to structure it. Do I need an opinion? Do I just list facts? How do I make it interesting if I'm not supposed to persuade anyone? If anyone has a super simple explanation of what expository writing actually IS, plus tips for writing my first one, I will be forever grateful! Also, if you have examples of what NOT to do, that would be amazing too. I'm a visual learner—I need to SEE it to understand it!

Please help this very overwhelmed freshman!

 

[Peterson]

Expository writing is literally just explaining stuff clearly.

For your Industrial Revolution essay, here's a dead-simple structure:
Intro – "The Industrial Revolution was caused by three main factors: agricultural changes, technological innovation, and population growth."
Body para 1 – Explain agricultural changes (facts only)
Body para 2 – Explain technological innovation (facts only)
Body para 3 – Explain population growth (facts only)
Conclusion – Summarize what you just explained

That's it! No opinion. No persuasion. Just clear, organized information.