Hajvery University

Faculty of Language and Literature

BS/MS Hon’s
ENGLISH COMPOSITION WRITING (II)
COMPOSITION
In the literary sense, the word composition has its origin in Latin
language that means "to put together". Composition means the creation
of a written work.
Composition is the way a writer assembles words and sentences to create
a coherent and meaningful work.

ENGLISH COMPOSITION

English composition refers to the way a writer structures a piece of

writing that include, paragraphs, applications, emails, critical analysis,
essays and other literary works in English language.

The four modes of composition of English are description, narration,

exposition, and argumentation.

Good writing can include elements of a single mode of composition or

multiple modes of composition.
Since the 19th century, English writers and teachers have been grappling
with ways to classify forms and modes of writing. After decades of
struggle, rhetoricians ended up with four categories of writing that still
make up the mainstream of Composition that are: Description,
Narration, Exposition, and Argumentation.

Types of Composition Writing 

The four types/modes of composition are:

1. Description
2. Narration
3. Exposition
4. Argumentation

Good writing can include elements of a single mode of composition or

multiple modes of composition.

1. Description

A descriptive writing is a portrayal and representation of a person, place,

an object, a thing or anything in detail.

A description, or descriptive writing, is a statement that describes

something or someone, listing its/his/her/their characteristic features and
significant details to provide a reader with an overall portrayal of the
subject in words.

Example:

A description of ‘a rose’ might include the color of the petals, the aroma
of its perfume, its shape, where it exists in your garden, whether it is in a
plain terracotta pot or a hothouse in the city.
 2. Narration

A narration, or narrative writing, is a personal account, a story that the

writer tells his or her reader. It can be an account of a series of facts or
fictional events, given in order and establishing connections between the
narrations. It can also be dramatic, in which case you can present each
individual scene with actions and dialogue.

The narrative writings are composed in an organized manner with a

proper beginning, middle and end. The organization of a narrative
writing can be in a strict/formal order, or it can include flashbacks also.

Example: The examples of narrative writings include, novels (fictional,

realistic and autobiographic), essays, and short stories/stories.

3. Exposition

Exposition, or expository writing, is the act of explaining a person,

place, thing, or event. Your purpose is not to just describe something,
but to provide a realistic documentation about it in your own words.
Expository writings also demand the interpretations, of the ideas of the
author on what that thing means.

In simpler words expository writing/narrative is the realistic/factual

detailing of an object.

Example: An exposition on a homeopathic medicine might include its

classification, formula, what it’s scientific and common names are, who
developed it, what the impact/outcome/results were when it was tested
on patients and how it was promoted and distributed to the public and
patients.
 4. Argumentation 

Also called argumentative writing, is a writing that refutes against the

writer’s idea.

An argumentation is basically an exercise in comparing and contrasting.

It is the methodological presentation of both sides of an argument using
logical or formal reasoning. The end result is formulated to persuade
why thing B is better than thing A.

Parts of an Argument Essay

1. Idea/Stance/Claim: The writer’s stance or idea/ The topic.

2. Reasons: Discussion that use logic or reasoning to justify the
writer’s stance/idea/topic.
3. Counterclaim: Our claim/idea/stance that refutes/disagrees with
the writer’s stance or idea/the topic.
4. Reasons: Discussion that use logic or reasoning to justify our
stance/idea/topic.

Argumentation applied to a clothing brand might be why one particular

clothing brand (Nishat Linen) is better than the other one (Sana Safinaz).

The Value of Composition

What these four classical modes do is to provide writers a way to

purposefully direct their writings, a structure on which to form a good
English composition. The four modes of composition serve as tools to
gain practice and direction in your writing, and they play a vital role in
forming the structure of an English composition.
Sources

 Bishop, Wendy. "Keywords in Creative Writing." David Starkey,

Utah State University Press, University Press of Colorado, 2006.
 Conners, Professor Robert J. "Composition-Rhetoric:
Backgrounds, Theory, and Pedagogy." Pittsburgh Series in
Composition, Literacy, and Culture, Hardcover, New ed. Edition,
University of Pittsburgh Press, June 1, 1997.
 D'Angelo, Frank. "Nineteenth-Century Forms/Modes of Discourse:
A Critical Inquiry." Vol. 35, No. 1, National Council of Teachers
of English, February 1984.
 Hintikka, Jaakko. "Strategic Thinking in Argumentation and
Argumentation Theory." Vol. 50, No. 196 (2), Revue Internationale
de Philosophie, 1996.
 Perron, Jack. "Composition and Cognition." English Education,
The Writing Teacher: A New Professionalism, Vol. 10, No. 3,
National Council of Teachers of English, February 1979. 
 Stein, Gertrude. "Sacred Emily." Geography and Plays, Letters of
Note, 1922.