In an examination of effective presentation and practice of English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) instruction, this paper focuses on the ways that teachers can use examples as instructional techniques. The purpose of the paper is to clarify both the process of exemplification and its agent, examples, as they are used in ESL teaching and especially as they appear in published teaching materials. The following questions are addressed: (1) What is exemplification and what is an example? (2) How are examples used in professionally published ESL/English as a Foreign Language teaching materials? (3) How do ESL students use examples from their textbooks and in their language learning? and (4) What is a good example? It is concluded that while good examples are powerful tools for language teachers and language learners, the complexity of effective exemplification means that most teachers and materials writers will need much time and practice to learn to create good examples. Further thought must be given to how ESL teachers can best use examples, how language learners use examples as part of their battery of learning skills, and how the process of exemplification can be used as a basic strategy both in communication and in second language acquisition. Contains 24 references. (LB)