Hortatory Exposition

A Hortatory exposition is a type of spoken or written text that is intended to explain the listeners or readers that something should or should not happen or be done. To strengthen the explanation, the speaker or writer needs some arguments as the fundamental reasons of the given idea. In other words, this kind of text can be called as argumentation. Hortatory exposition text can be found in scientific books, journals, magazines, newspaper articles, academic speech or lectures, research report etc. Hortatory expositions are popular among science, academic community and educated people.

Purpose : to persuade the readers or listeners that something should or should not be the case.

Generic Structure of Hortatory Exposition

1. Thesis : Statement or announcement of issue concern
2. Arguments : Reasons for concern that will lead to recommendation
3. Recommendation : Statement of what should or should not happen or be done based on the given arguments

Generic Features of Hortatory Exposition

1. A Hortatory exposition focuses on generic human and non human participants, except for speaker or writer referring to self.
2. It uses mental processes. It is used to state what the writer or speaker thinks or feels about something. For example: realize, feel etc.
3. It often needs material processes. It is used to state what happens, e.g. ….has polluted… etc.
4. It usually uses Simple Present Tense and Present Perfect Tense.
5. Enumeration is sometimes necessary to show the list of given arguments: Firstly, secondly …, Finally, etc.

Language Features:

• The use of emotive words (e.g. worried, alarmed etc)
• The use of words that qualify statements (e.g. usual, probably etc)
• The use of words that link arguments (e.g. firstly, However, therefore etc)
• The use of compound and complex sentence
• The use of modals and adverbs (e.g. may, must, should, etc)
• The use of subjective opinions using pronouns I and we