Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Your audience and writing purpose will determine your writing style.
The four main types of writing styles are persuasive, narrative,
expository, and descriptive. In this blog post, we’ll briefly explore the
defining features of these four writing styles. For more help using these
writing styles, schedule an appointment at the GWC!
Persuasive: For this writing style, the writer is trying to convince the
reader of the validity of a certain position or argument. Persuasive
writing includes the writers’ opinions, and provides justifications and
evidence to support their claims.
Examples: Letters of recommendation; cover letters; Op-Eds and
Editorial newspaper articles; argumentative essays for academic
papers
Narrative: Often seen in longer writing samples, the purpose of this
writing style is to share information in the context of a story.
Narratives should include characters, conflicts, and settings.
Examples: Short stories; novels; poetry; historical accounts
Expository: This type of writing is used to explain a concept and share
information to a broader audience. Expository writing provides
evidence, statistics, or results and focuses on the facts of a certain
topic. This type is not meant to express opinions.
Examples: How-to articles; textbooks; news stories (not editorials or
Op-Eds); business, technical, or scientific writing
Descriptive: This type of writing is used to depict imagery to create a
clear picture in the mind of the reader. This method helps the readers
become more connected to the writing by appealing to their senses.
Descriptive writing employs literary techniques such as similes,
metaphors, allegory, etc to engage the audience.
Examples: Poetry; fictional novels or plays; memoirs or first-hand
accounts of events
Irony:
o Verbal Irony: When someone says, "Oh, great! Another rainy
day," on a day filled with sunshine.
o Situational Irony: A fire station burning down during a fire is an
example of situational irony.
o Dramatic Irony: In a movie, when the audience knows a
character's secret, but the character does not, creating tension
and anticipation.
Metaphor:
o "Her smile was a ray of sunshine." Here, the metaphor compares
the smile to sunshine to convey its warmth and brightness.
Alliteration:
o "Sally sells seashells by the seashore." The repetition of the "s"
sound at the beginning of words creates alliteration.
Oxymoron:
o "Jumbo shrimp" combines contradictory words to emphasize a
paradox, highlighting the contrast between "jumbo" and
"shrimp."
Foreshadowing:
o In Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," when Juliet says, "My
grave is like to be my wedding bed," it foreshadows the tragic
events that will unfold.
Symbolism:
o In George Orwell's "Animal Farm," the farm and its animals
symbolize the Russian Revolution and its aftermath.
Theme:
o In "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, one of the central
themes is racial injustice, which is explored throughout the story.
Conflict:
o In "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, the protagonist,
Katniss, faces both external conflict (survival in the arena) and
internal conflict (her feelings for Peeta and Gale).
Satire:
o "The Daily Show" uses satire to mock and criticize current
events and political issues through humor and irony.
Character Development:
o In J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, the character of Severus
Snape evolves from being perceived as a villain to a complex,
multi-dimensional character with a heroic side.
Plot Twist:
o In the movie "The Sixth Sense," the revelation that the
protagonist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe, has been dead throughout the
story is a dramatic plot twist.
Moral Dilemma:
o In the "Trolley Problem" thought experiment, one must decide
whether to divert a runaway trolley to save five people but
sacrifice one, raising ethical questions about the value of human
life.
Whether you're writing an essay, report, article, email, or any other form of
communication, a well-structured piece of content is more likely to
effectively convey your message and keep the reader engaged. Structure
helps the audience navigate and understand your ideas with ease.
**Thankyou**