Types of writings
General Education. However, there are actually just four main types of writing styles, and together they cover practically all the writing you see, from textbooks to novels, to billboards and more. In this guide, we explain the four styles of writing, provide examples for each one, go over the one thing you need to know to identify writing style, and give tips to help you develop your own unique style of writing. There are four main different styles of writing.
Four Different Types of Writing Styles: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive, and Narrative
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Writing style is much like any other type of style in that it helps us express who we are. It is how the writer chooses to express himself or herself through writing. A little vague, right? Well, let's look at personal style for comparison. Each person has their own personal fashion style, whether they mean to or not. The clothes and accessories that we choose to wear each day can define personal style.
If someone throws on a T-shirt and jeans with some old flip flops, they are expressing a casual and laid back style. On the other hand, if someone chooses a button-down shirt and leather shoes, they are showing the world that they mean business.
The same goes for writing. So, should we start wearing leather shoes while we write? It could make it interesting, but no. That's not the point. Just like clothes, writing can express a specific style. There are four main types of writing - expository, persuasive, descriptive, and narrative - and each one has a specific style.
Expository writing is a general category that includes all types of essays with the exception of persuasive essays. The main purpose of expository writing is to explain a concept or idea while including details for support. Such writing is usually based on a subject and therefore requires facts, not opinions, for examples and supportive detail.
This type of writing is generally used in textbooks or 'how to' articles and essays. As such, these essays and articles follow an organized and logical sequence. An expository style of writing is more formal and straightforward, so the casual language or slang that you would use with friends is not acceptable.
Unlike jeans and a T-shirt, this writing is more dressed up. Slightly similar to expository writing, persuasive writing is usually found in article and essay form. It also relies on specific details and examples for support; however, persuasive writing does not rely heavily on facts. In a persuasive piece, the writer is often expressing an opinion and trying to persuade the audience to do something or to agree with the writer's point of view. It must be clear and concise, but it can also be a bit more forceful and dramatic to help convince the reader.
For example, sometimes writers will exaggerate their details to affect the reader in a more emotional way than in an expository essay. Fiction and poetry are filled with descriptive language, since the purpose is not to inform but to entertain. Someone may read this type of writing to enjoy the beauty of the language and writing itself. Therefore, this style tends to use more adjectives and adverbs, as well as figurative language and imagery, to create detail that allows the reader to envision the scenery and events in their minds.
Like descriptive writing, narrative writing aims to entertain the reader; however, instead of trying to entertain the reader with the beauty of its language, the writer is trying to tell a story. If an author adopts an expository writing style to tell a story, the author can quickly bore the reader. Narrative writing will use more descriptive language and imagery, because the author wants the reader to imagine the characters, scenes, and setting in order to become part of the story's world and to connect to its plot.
Narrative writers can also change their style depending on the type of story. For example, if a writer wants to create a suspenseful story, they might use short, choppy sentences to build up to the most exciting moment. Therefore, the genre or category of the narrative can influence the style of writing as well. In Savage Inequalities , Jonathan Kozol examines public education in our country and explains the negative role that socio-economic background has on teaching America's children.
Here, he discusses East St. Kozol writes:. East St. Louis - which the local press refers to as 'an inner city without an outer city' - has some of the sickest children in America.
Of 66 cities in Illinois, East St. Louis ranks first in fetal death, first in premature birth, and third in infant death. Since his purpose is to inform as well as to persuade the reader, he is going to use clear and concise language, as well as including facts and examples to support his ideas.
In The Bluest Eye , she describes a setting:. It does not recede into its background of leaden sky, nor harmonize with the gray frame houses and black telephone poles around it. Rather, it foists itself on the eye of the passerby in a manner that is both irritating and melancholy. Visitors who drive to this tiny town wonder why it has not been torn down, while pedestrians, who are residents of the neighborhood, simply look away when they pass it. Since Morrison is telling a story, she can take the time to describe a scene or setting in the novel.
She uses descriptive details like colors black, gray and emotions melancholy, irritating to create vivid imagery for the reader to imagine and become part of the setting. In comparison, Kozol does not describe in detail what East St. Louis looks like, because that is not his purpose. Since he is trying to inform us of a problem affecting the children of the city, too much description and imagery about the city would distract the reader from the information that Kozol wants us to attain.
The audience is comprised of readers, and the purpose is what you are trying to accomplish as a writer. Just like fashion style may change depending on the audience or purpose for the day, so does writing style. Someone would not show up to a business meeting in flip flops and jeans because the audience is comprised of professionals and the purpose is to be taken seriously.
Likewise, with expository or persuasive pieces, writers want their audiences to take them seriously and believe their facts and details, because the purpose is to inform or to convince. Therefore, the style has to be concise, clear, and straight to the point. Descriptive, flowery language would distract the reader from the purpose, which is to inform.
On the flip side, if a writer is trying to describe the main setting in a short story, they don't want to start spouting facts and statistics about the changes that have occurred in the town's population and the weather patterns over the last decade because the audience will become confused and probably bored.
Unless it is directly related to the characters or main plot in the story, that information will not help the reader imagine the setting, but it will distract from the story. Therefore, the style of a piece of writing is vital in determining the author's main objective as well as what type of writing one is trying to accomplish. Writing style is how the writer chooses to express himself or herself through writing. It also relies on specific details and examples for support; however, persuasive writing does not rely heavily on fact.
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There are four different types of writing styles: expository, descriptive, persuasive and narrative. Learn the definitions of each and the key. Learn the Types of Writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive, and Narrative. Catherine Traffis · · Basics. Whether you write essays, business materials, fiction,.
November 07, by Teach. The common core might seem intimidating—all new standards, shifts in ideas and expectations—but it really isn't so bad. But one area that teachers might need a little more help on is the three kinds of writing.
Writing is everywhere. It can take on a great number of forms depending on what the writer wants to create.
Most people have this notion that the way we speak is the way we write and the way we write is all the same but that is not true. Its high time, we as a whole ought to comprehend that there is a whole lot of difference between writing too. In fact, the concept of writing has changed a lot with time and it has turned out to be far more intricate than it used to be.
4 Types of Writing
This helped a lot with my homework! Thanks for making this because without it I would be failing my class and I would be stupid! I am confused about what type of writing to use when a short story is given but its incomplete n am ask to complete the short story. It sounds like your assignment involves narrative writing. If I understand you correctly, your teacher is asking you to finish a story. Ask your teacher if it is supposed to be factual or fictional.
What is Writing Style? - Types & Examples
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 79, lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Already registered? Log in here for access. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Log in or Sign up. Writing style is much like any other type of style in that it helps us express who we are. It is how the writer chooses to express himself or herself through writing. A little vague, right?
Whether you write essays, business materials, fiction, articles, letters, or even just notes in your journal, your writing will be at its best if you stay focused on your purpose.
Have you ever noticed how some stories sound completely different from others? There are many different types of writing out there, all with different aims and meanings. By knowing the different types of writing you will start to recognize them in everything you read.
The Three Types of Common Core Writing Defined
In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blogs which have posts related to Business Writing. Scan down the blog's page to see various posts. Also see the section "Recent Blog Posts" in the sidebar of the blog or click on "next" near the bottom of a post in the blog. Library's Communications Blog. The style that you choose depends what you want to accomplish with your audience. Thus, before writing, it is very important that you carefully plan and organize your writing before you start the writing itself. See Planning and Organizing Your Writing. Here are more descriptions of the major styles of writing. Examples of additional styles include formal vs informal, concise vs detailed, commercial vs literary, and factual vs opinioned. Academic writing is usually about research and theories and, thus, is written in a formal structure that is concise, orderly and specific. If it is in regard to research, it can include specific references to other writing, as well as citations to specific pages or quotes in the other writings. Academic writing also conforms to certain style guides, including the American Psychological Association style guide. Business writing usually includes proposals, memorandums and email, as can also include various sales publications, such as brochures and catalogs.
Learn the Types of Writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive, and Narrative
However, every piece writers write is for a specific purpose—for example, writers may want to explain how something works or persuade people to agree with their point of view. While there are as many writer's styles as there are writers, there are only four general purposes that lead someone to write a piece, and these are known as the four styles, or types, of writing. Knowing all four different types and their usages is important for any writer. Expository writing's main purpose is to explain. It is a subject-oriented writing style, in which authors focus on telling you about a given topic or subject without voicing their personal opinions. These types of essays or articles furnish you with relevant facts and figures but do not include their opinions. This is one of the most common types of writing.
