Expansion of Passages is just the opposite of Preci-writing. Preci-writing requires compression, whereas here we have to expand. A sentence or a short passage has to be expanded into a paragraph by adding examples, details or proofs to a simple statement. No strict rule can be set regarding the length of the expansion, but it must be neither too short nor too long. If it is too short, it can not be called an expansion; and if it is too long, it will become an essay. Generally, eighty to one hundred words should be aimed at.
Method of Procedure
1. Read the original sentence or passage carefully, until you are confident that you have clearly understood its meaning.
2. Having grasped the subject matter of the passage, start expanding it by adding illustrations, details, proofs, examples, etc., until a paragraph is made, which can very well be called a tiny essay.
3. The expansion must contain all that was included in the original passage. More can be added as long as it is strictly relavant to the subject.
4. The sentence for expansion is a conclusion or a finished product, and it is your responsibility to find out the steps by which this conclusion or thought has been arrived at.
5. If the sentence for expansion is a metaphor, explain its full meaning in simple language, and give reasons to support it.
6. Your expansion should be written in such a way, that it alone becomes a complete piece of composition, expressed in good English. It should, therefore, be clearly understood apart from the original passage. After you have written it, check it carefully to see that you have not omitted any important information.
7. Proofread the expansion. Correct all mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation.