four types of informative writing

• Forgot your Password?

First, please create an account

Types and characteristics of informative writing, 1. purpose of informative writing.

As you've learned, informative writing is a common form of essay writing. Some informative writing is also academic writing; some is not. Informative writing informs readers about something; it describes or explains something to them. It is intended to convey information without bias, unlike argumentative writing, for example, which is persuasive.

While the line between these two forms is sometimes crossed, informative writing usually refers to writing that's not meant to convince readers of anything.

Because the goal of informative writing is to inform readers about something, it's important for writers to be as objective as possible when writing in this way. They should do their best to set aside personal feelings and opinions and simply report information as clearly and as honestly as they can.

hint The best way to maintain objectivity is to use the rhetorical situation. Performing a meta-analysis of personal biases and assumptions, and addressing them accordingly, brings writers closer to an objective perspective, no matter the subject.

2. Types of Informative Writing

• Process writing
• Analytical writing
• Classification writing
• Definition writing
• Cause-and-effect writing

2a. Process Writing

Process writing describes the steps of a process in detail.

Process writing is used in a variety of settings. Following is a paragraph that details the steps in a process that is quite different from the one involved in the previous example.

When brewing beer, the first task is sanitization. When all equipment has been thoroughly cleaned to remove bacteria, the next steps are cooking the barley (or other grain) and making the wort (i.e., the sugar mix that the yeast uses to make alcohol).

2b. Analytical Writing

Analytical writing is often used in academic essays, especially those pertaining to composition and literature. Analytical writing evaluates a written work, an image, or a set of data.

The following piece of analytical writing is an excerpt from a review of the 2012 remake of the 1990s sci-fi movie Total Recall .

I could complain that the newest version of Total Recall fails to invoke the beautifully ambiguous, surreal quality of the first movie, but if I did, I'd have to admit that the story from which the "original" got its material (i.e., Phillip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale") is guilty of the same crime. This movie, like many before it, is another version of an older story, not the same story.

Note that this paragraph is not only about the surface details of the movie. It also considers the film's context and history, while informing readers about the current version. It's not a critique, which would require more judgment or argument than is provided in this excerpt.

2c. Classification Writing

Classification writing is used to divide or organize things into categories.

Read the following excerpt from an article about freshwater kayaks.

Many of those who have never tried it believe there's only one way to paddle a river: whitewater. But in places like South Dakota's Big Sioux River, you will see all kinds of watercraft during the summertime: touring kayaks loaded with gear, sporters strapped to their little six-foot boats, and longer, more stable, sit-on-top kayaks. There's a lot to choose from.

Classification writing does more than just list things in categories. It filters and interprets data, and accounts for readers' familiarity (or lack of familiarity) with the subject.

2d. Definition Writing

Definition writing characterizes and/or describes something. Good definition writing does so in new and thoughtful ways.

The following example of definition writing could be an excerpt from a magazine or website devoted to ranching or rodeos, settings in which the quarter horse is commonly found.

Not everyone considers the quarter horse to be a distinct breed, like the Arabian or Appaloosa, but there are qualities that all quarter horses share, like their small, stocky build and ability to outrun other breeds over short distances. The name "quarter horse" refers to their ability to cover distances of a quarter mile or less faster than other breeds.

2e. Cause-and-Effect Writing

Cause-and-effect writing details why or how a cause produces (or will produce) a specific effect.

The following paragraph is a less academic example of cause-and-effect writing. It is an excerpt from a fictitious letter to the editor about how city workers who paint over graffiti are less than effective.

Every time the city sends workers to repaint the underside of the bridge, the "artists" arrive right after they finish. Sometimes the walls remain gray for one night, as if the artists are waiting for the paint to dry so they can start again. From a graffiti-control standpoint, it's a waste of time, but maybe that's not the city's goal. Maybe this is how we fund the arts nowadays. I'll wait and see how long it takes for the art to reappear next time.

Although this passage does not identify graffiti as a problem, or specify a solution, it comes close to doing so. Simply stating a cause-and-effect relationship sometimes amounts to an argument about what should be done, even when the argument is only implied (as is the case in this passage).

summary In this lesson, you learned that the purpose of informative writing is to provide the reader with information in an objective tone. There are several main types of informative writing that you might encounter, both inside and outside of an academic context: process writing , analytical writing , classification writing , definition writing , and cause-and-effect writing . Best of luck in your learning!

Source: THIS TUTORIAL WAS AUTHORED BY SOPHIA LEARNING. PLEASE SEE OUR TERMS OF USE .

• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Terms of Use

© 2024 SOPHIA Learning, LLC. SOPHIA is a registered trademark of SOPHIA Learning, LLC.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

39 Introduction to Informative Writing

Amy Minervini

By Amy Minervini

Exposition is writing that explains, informs, or describes. This type of writing is also known as the informative mode in that the main objective is not to narrate a story or persuade readers of something but rather to convey factual information , including observations and personal/others’ experiences. However, when writing an expository essay, you can include elements from other modes (storytelling, analysis, writer impressions, persuasion, etc.) although these would be secondary aims or even implied. The expository composition is a practical, authentic kind of writing that can stand on its own or serve as the foundation for your more developed research essays.

Key Characteristics

Expository writing generally exhibits the following:

• Emphasis on facts, observations, or personal/others’ experiences
• Organization marked by a logical flow or progression of information; chronological, order of importance/priority, or the step-by-step approach are the most common; transitions that guide the reader
• Close attention paid to detail and description
• No noticeable writer bias

Essay types within this Chapter

• Process analysis (how-to)
• Illustration

Introduction to the General Expository Essay

The following is excerpted from Crystle Bruno’s Commonsense Composition 3.1 Expository Essay

The main aim of an expository essay is to provide an effective explanation of a topic. While a descriptive essay strives to describe a subject or a narrative essay seeks to show personal growth, an expository essay tries to explain a topic or situation. Thus, expository essays are written as if the writer is explaining or clarifying a topic to the reader. Since an expository essay is trying to clarify a topic, it is important that it provides the categories or reasons that support the clarification of the paper. Moreover, these categories and reasons also provide the framework for the organization of the paper.

Components of the expository essay as the parts of a house.

Much like the categories are essential to clarifying the topic, organization is the key to any well-developed essay. When composing your essay, think of its organization as a house, with each component of an essay representing a major part of a house. Just as the foundation provides support on which a house can be built, a thesis represents the foundation upon which to build an essay. The introductory paragraph then functions as both the door and framework for an expository essay. Like a house door, the introductory paragraph must allow the reader to enter into the essay. Additionally, just as walls are built upon the framework of a house, the body paragraphs of an essay are organized around the framework or organizational scheme, presented in the introductory paragraph. The body paragraphs, much like the walls of a house, must be firm, strong and complete. Also, there must always be as many body paragraphs as the framework of the introductory paragraph indicates otherwise your essay will resemble a house that is missing a wall. Finally, an essay must include a conclusion paragraph that tops off the essay much like a roof completes a house. As the roof cements the structure of the house and helps hold the walls in place, the conclusion paragraph must reiterate the points within your body paragraphs and complete an essay.

Although the overall organization of an expository essay is important, you must also understand the organization of each component (the introductory, body and conclusion paragraphs) of your essay. The chart below identifies the essential parts of each component of your essay, explaining the necessary information for each type of paragraph. While the guidelines listed below may feel constrictive, they are merely meant to guide you as a writer. Ultimately, the guidelines should help you write more effectively. The more familiar you become with how to organize an essay, the more energy you can focus on your ideas and your writing. As a result, your writing will improve as your ability to organize your ideas improves. Plus, focusing your energy on your argument and ideas rather than the organization makes your job as a writer more exciting and fun.

Introductory Paragraph:

• Introduce the issue.
• Present the topic and its explanation or clarification.
• Provide the categories used to explain the topic.
• Provide the thesis statement.

Body Paragraphs:

• Begin with a topic sentence that reflects an explanation of the paper and the category being discussed in the paragraph.
• Support the argument with useful and informative quotes from sources such as books, journal articles, etc.
• Provide 2-3 quotes that connect the category being discussed to the explanation
• Provide 2-3 sentences explaining each quote more full, drawing stronger connections between the category and the explanation.
• Ensure that the information in these paragraphs is important to the thesis statement.
• End each paragraph with a transition sentence which leads into the next body paragraph.

Concluding Paragraph:

• Begin with a topic sentence that reflects the argument of the thesis statement.
• Briefly summarize the main points of the paper.
• Provide a strong and effective close for the paper.

Introductory Paragraphs

A strong introductory paragraph is crucial to the development of an effective expository essay. Unlike an argumentative essay which takes a stand or forms an opinion about a subject, an expository essay is used when the writer wishes to explain or clarify a topic to the reader. In order to properly explain a topic, an expository essay breaks the topic being addressed into parts, explains each component in relation to the whole and uses each component to justify the explanation of the topic. Thus when writing an introductory paragraph, it is crucial to include the explanation or clarification of the topic and the categories or components used to produce this explanation.

Since the success of the paper rests on the introductory paragraph, it is important to understand its essential components. Usually, expository papers fail to provide a clear explanation not because the writer’s lacks explanations or clarifications but rather because the explanations are not properly organized and identified in the introductory paragraph. One of the most important jobs of an introductory paragraph is that it introduces the topic or issue. Most explanations cannot be clarified without at least some background information. Thus, it is essential to provide a foundation for your topic before you begin explaining your topic. For instance, if you wanted to explain what happened at the first Olympic Games, your introductory paragraph would first need to provide background information about how the first games happened. In doing so, you ensure that your audience is as informed about your topic as you are and thus you make it easier for your audience to understand your explanation.

Below is a table describing and explaining the main jobs of the introductory paragraph.

Introductory paragraphs introduce the topic and suggest why it is important.

Example:   An analysis of the essay exam results of the new English class shows that the new class format promotes close reading and better essay organization.

This sentence tells the reader both that the topic of the paper will be the benefits of the new English class and that the significance of these benefits is the improvement of close reading and essay organization.

Introductory paragraphs outline the structure of the paper and highlight the main ideas.

Example:   Considering the results of the High School Exit Exam, it is apparent that school curriculum is not properly addressing basic math skills such as fractions, percentages and long division.

This sentence indicates that main ideas (fractions, percentages and long division) of the essay and indicates the order in which they will be presented in the body paragraphs.

Introductory paragraphs state the thesis.

Example:   California high schools will require all students to take a resume and cover letter writing workshop in order to better prepare them for employment.

This thesis statement indicates the explanation of the paper.

In addition to introducing the topic of your paper, your introductory paragraph also needs to introduce each of the arguments you will cover in your body paragraphs. By providing your audience with an idea of the points or arguments you will make later in your paper, your introductory paragraph serves as a guide map, not only for your audience but also for you. Including your main sub-points in your introduction not only allows your audience to understand where your essay is headed but also helps you as a writer remember how you want to organize your paper. This is especially helpful if you are not writing your essay in one sitting as it allows you to leave and return to your essay without forgetting all of the important points you wanted to make.

Most importantly, when writing an introductory paragraph, it is essential to remember that you must capture the interest of your reader. Thus, it is your job as the writer to make the introduction entertaining or intriguing. In order to do so, consider using a quotation, a surprising or interesting fact, an anecdote or a humorous story. While the quotation, story or fact you include must be relevant to your paper, placing one of these at the beginning of your introduction helps you not only capture the attention or the reader but also introduce your topic and argument, making your introduction interesting to your audience and useful for your argument and essay.

Body Paragraphs

In an expository essay the body paragraphs are where the writer has the opportunity to explain or clarify his or her viewpoint. By the conclusion paragraph, the writer should adequately clarify the topic for the reader. Regardless of a strong thesis statement that properly indicates the major sub-topics of the essay, papers with weak body paragraphs fail to properly explain the topic and indicate why it is important. Body paragraphs of an expository essay are weak when no examples are used to help illuminate the topic being discussed or when they are poorly organized. Occasionally, body paragraphs are also weak because the quotes used complicate from rather than simplify the explanation. Thus, it is essential to use appropriate support and to adequately explain your support within your body paragraphs.

In order to create a body paragraph that is properly supported and explained, it is important to understand the components that make up a strong body paragraph. The bullet points below indicate the essential components of a well-written, well-argued body paragraph.

Body Paragraph Components

• Support the argument with useful and informative quotes from sources such as books, journal articles, expert opinions, etc.
• Provide 1-2 sentences explaining each quote.
• Provide 1-3 sentences that indicate the significance of each quote.
• Ensure that the information provided is relevant to the thesis statement.
• End with a transition sentence which leads into the next body paragraph.

Just as your introduction must introduce the topic of your essay, the first sentence of a body paragraph must introduce the main sub-point for that paragraph. For instance, if you were writing a body paragraph for a paper explaining the factors that led to US involvement in World War II, one body paragraph could discuss the impact of the Great Depression on the decision to enter the war. To do so, you would begin with a topic sentence that explains how the Great Depression encouraged involvement in the war because the war effort would stimulate certain aspects of the economy. Following this sentence, you would go into more detail and explain how the two events are linked. By placing this idea at the beginning of the paragraph, not only does your audience know what the paragraph is explaining, but you can also keep track of your ideas.

Following the topic sentence, you must provide some sort of fact that supports your claim. In the example of the World War II essay, maybe you would provide a quote from a historian or from a prominent history teacher or researcher. After your quote or fact, you must always explain what the quote or fact is saying, stressing what you believe is most important about your fact. It is important to remember that your audience may read a quote and decide it is indicating something entirely different than what you think it is explaining. Or, maybe some or your readers think another aspect of your quote is important. If you do not explain the quote and indicate what portion of it is relevant to your clarification, than your reader may become confused or may be unconvinced of your explanation. Consider the possible interpretations for the statement below.

Example:  While the U.S. involvement in World War II was not the major contributor to the ending of the Great Depression, the depression was one of the primary motives for entering the war.

Interestingly, this statement seems to be saying two things at once – that the Great Depression helped spark involvement in the war and that World War II did not end the depression alone. On the one hand, the historian seems to say that the two events are not directly linked. However, on the other hand, the historian also indicates that the two events are linked in that the depression caused U.S. involvement in the war. Because of the tension in this quotation, if you used this quote for your World War II essay, you would need to explain that the significant portion of the quote is the assertion that links the events.

In addition to explaining what this quote is saying, you would also need to indicate why this is important to your explanation. When trying to indicate the significance of a fact, it is essential to try to answer the “so what.” Image you have just finished explaining your quote to someone and they have asked you “so what?” The person does not understand why you have explained this quote, not because you have not explained the quote well but because you have not told him or her why he or she needs to know what the quote means. This, the answer to the “so what,” is the significance of your paper and is essentially your clarification within the body paragraphs. However, it is important to remember that generally a body paragraph will contain more than one quotation or piece of support. Thus, you must repeat the Quotation-Explanation-Significance formula several times within your body paragraph to fully explain the one sub-point indicated in your topic sentence. Below is an example of a properly written body paragraph.

Example of an expository body paragraph paired with an explanation of its parts.

Conclusion Paragraph

The conclusion paragraph of an expository essay is an author’s last chance to create a good impression. Hence, it is important to restate the thesis statement at the beginning of the paragraph in order to remind the reader of your topic and explanation. Since it is at the end of the paper, the conclusion paragraph also should add a sense of closure and finality to the clarification of the paper. It is important to re-emphasize the main idea without being repetitive or introducing an entirely new idea or subtopic. While you can conclude your conclusion paragraph by suggesting a topic for further research or investigation, do not make this question the focus of the paragraph. Thus, you should briefly and concisely reiterate the strongest clarifications of the paper, reminding the reader of the validity of your thesis or explanation and bringing closure to your paper.

You may feel that the conclusion paragraph is redundant or unnecessary; However, do not forget that this is your last chance to explain the significance of your argument to your audience. Just as your body paragraphs strive to present the significance of each fact or quote you use, your conclusion paragraph should sum up the significance of your argument. Thus, you should consider making a bold statement in your concluding paragraph by evoking a vivid image, suggesting results or consequences related to your argument or ending with a warning. Through using these components, you not only make your conclusion paragraph more exciting, but you also make your essay and your argument, more important.

  Review Questions

What are three of the main purposes of an introductory paragraph?

• What should you never do in an introductory paragraph?
• How should you refute counterpoints?
• What is the formula for a well-argued body paragraph?
• What should you include in a conclusion paragraph? What should never include in a conclusion paragraph?

Introduction to Informative Writing Copyright © 2020 by Amy Minervini is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

What is Informational Text?

Hello! Welcome to this video about informative/informational text!

It’s easy to think about informative text as writing that provides information, but it’s more than that. Not only does Informative text have its own style, but there are four types of informative text. We’ll go over that and more in this video.

Let’s start by answering the question, “What is informational text?”

Informational text educates the reader about a specific topic. It’s a unique type of writing; you’ll see it in a number of different mediums. A manual with instructions for putting together a desk. A book that provides information on a vacation to a specific place. A non-fiction book that examines World War II . All are examples of informative texts.

Informative text can appear in newspapers, textbooks, reference materials, and research papers. Informative text is always nonfiction. This type of writing also has certain characteristics that make this style easier to identify. Let’s take a look at those.

Characteristics

Informative text contains a number of aids that make it easier for readers to follow along and get the information they need. Written cues, graphics, illustrations, and organizational structure are all aids you’ll find in informative text. We’ll start by looking at written cues.

Written Cues

You’ll notice these written cues in books. The table of contents, at the front of the book, makes it easy for readers to quickly see where they can find specific information. The index , found at the end of the book, neatly lists all of the topics and the page numbers that denote the location of those topics. If you’re confused by what a word or phrase means, you can check the glossary of terms, which provides those definitions. There might even be an appendix, which provides additional informative text on a specific subject. So how is this informative text organized?

Organization

Informative text uses type, fonts, and labels to help readers find information. A bold word creates emphasis and tells readers, “This is important.” A phrase set in italics is similar; it adds extra emphasis on an important word or phrase. Numbered or bulleted lists set apart important information in an orderly fashion. Authors might use headings, subheadings, and labels to also denote importance. Those are all ways informative texts can organize content. What other techniques do authors use?

Informative text may contain graphics to help the reader understand the subject. Think of a biology book you’ve recently used. When studying the human body, you’ll see a diagram that shows the location of vital organs and systems, like the brain, heart, and lungs.

That’s an example of an informative diagram. It shows you the information while providing some explanatory text. In math books, you’ll see charts that explain how to analyze algebraic equations. You’ll find tables that explain the periodic table of elements. Those maps that show the location of countries? That’s also informative. Flow diagrams, sketches, and maps are all examples of other graphics used in informative texts. But graphics aren’t the only visual aids.

Illustrations

Illustrations provide additional visual techniques in informative texts. In the graphics section, I used the example of how authors can graphically represent the brain, heart, and lungs. With illustrations, we can take that one step further. For example, you can focus on one part of the heart by magnifying a specific area. That gives the reader even more information and the ability to study the pulmonary artery, the aorta, or the ventricles in greater detail. Photos are also used for illustrative purposes.

Written cues. Organization. Graphics. Illustrations. Those are all the characteristics of informative text. Now, let’s take a look at the four different types of informative text.

Informative Text Examples

Literary nonfiction.

Books can be excellent sources of informative text. Biographies on historical figures fall under the informative category. Technical books on computer software are also informative. So are picture books on astronomy or the earth. Literary nonfiction like memoirs, essays, and autobiographies also fall into these categories. While poetry is known for its allusion , this style of literature also lends itself to informative writing—so long as the poetry contains factual information. This type of informative literary nonfiction tends to be shorter. Expository writing has a different set of characteristics.

Expository Writing

Expository writing has those written cues we discussed at the beginning of the video. These books contain a table of contents, an index, and a glossary. These are all tools that let readers scan through material and pick what they want to read. The table of contents, organized by chapter, gives readers a chance to skip over certain types of information. For example, when reading a book about Earth, you may be fascinated by geology but not so much by geophysics. The table of contents will guide you to the geology portion of the book.

Argumentative/Persuasive Writing

Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player to ever live. Global warming is not fake. Dogs are better than cats. These are all argumentative positions, and the author must try to persuade the reader through data and analysis. The author produces the claims, makes the arguments, and hopes that readers believe he’s right in the end. The last type of informative text is much different from the argumentative style.

Procedural Writing

Procedural texts provide a step-by-step guide for the user. A cookbook is a good example of procedural text. The recipes provide an ingredient-by-ingredient guide to create a specific dish. If you’re hanging a television using a wall mount, the mount will come with step-by-step instructions. If you’re putting something together, chances are you’re looking at procedural writing.

So those are the four types of informative writing. Literary nonfiction, which tends to be shorter writing; expository writing, which has written cues that make it easier for readers to scan information; argumentative or persuasive writing, which advocates a point of view; and procedural writing, a step-by-step guide.

That’s our look at informative texts, the writing technique that seeks to inform with facts. I hope this overview was helpful.

See you guys next time!

• Classroom Connections: Informational Texts and the Common Core, by Terrell A. Young | Booklist Online. n.d.
• The University of Maine. 2011. “What Is Informational Text?” College of Education and Human Development. The University of Maine. 2011.
• Baker, Frank W. n.d. “What Are Informational Texts?” Media Literacy Clearinghouse.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is informational text.

The primary purpose of informational text is to provide the reader with nonfiction information about a literary work. Literary texts often tell a story or can be narratives such as novels, poetry, and even some short stories that contain elements of fiction or nonfiction.

What are the features of an informational text?

The informational text includes things like table of contents, glossaries, headers and footers, indices, pictures and captions, labeled diagrams, sidebars, and bold words that help to create the detailed text for the reader.

What is the purpose of an informational text?

Informational texts’ main purpose is to inform readers about the world around them.

Informational Text Practice Questions

  Which of the following is NOT considered to be an example of literary nonfiction?

The English dictionary

Anne Frank’s diary

A recipe for oatmeal cookies

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Choices A, B, and C are all examples of literature that is nonfiction. Romeo and Juliet , on the other hand, is a work of fiction.

  Which of the following is NOT considered to be an example of expository writing?

A high school physics textbook

A cause-and-effect essay

Choices B, C, and D are all examples of expository writing. Poetry, on the other hand, is an example of creative writing.

  Which of the following is NOT considered to be an example of persuasive writing?

An advertisement

A book review

A newspaper column

Choices A, B, and D are all examples of persuasive writing. A memoir, on the other hand, is an example of literary nonfiction.

  Which of the following is NOT considered to be an example of procedural writing?

An instruction manual

A rulebook for a board game

Choices B, C, and D are all examples of procedural writing. A cause-and-effect essay, on the other hand, is an example of expository writing.

Return to Writing Videos

by Mometrix Test Preparation | This Page Last Updated: December 27, 2023

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/essay-types/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to write an argumentative essay | examples & tips, how to write an expository essay, how to write an essay outline | guidelines & examples, unlimited academic ai-proofreading.

✔ Document error-free in 5minutes ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

Writing an Informative Essay

Informative essays engage readers with new, interesting, and often surprising facts and details about a subject. Informative essays are educational; readers expect to learn something new from them. In fact, much of the reading and writing done in college and the workplace is informative. From textbooks to reports to tutorials like this one, informative writing imparts important and useful information about a topic.

This tutorial refers to the sample informative outline and final essay written by fictional student Paige Turner.

Reasons to Write Informatively

Your purpose for writing and the audience for whom you are writing will impact the depth and breadth of information you provide, but all informative writing aims to present a subject without opinions or bias. Some common reasons to write informatively are to

• report findings that an audience would find interesting,
• present facts that an audience would find useful, and
• communicate information about a person, place, event, issue, or change that would improve an audience’s understanding.

Characteristics of Informative Essays

Informative essays present factual information and do not attempt to sway readers’ opinions about it. Other types of academic and workplace writing do try to influence readers’ opinions:

• Expository essays aim to expose a truth about an issue in order to influence how readers view the issue.
• Persuasive essays aim to influence readers’ opinions, so they will adopt a particular position or take a certain course of action.

Expository and persuasive essays make “arguments.” The only argument an informative essay makes is that something exists, did exist, is happening, or has happened, and the point of the essay is not to convince readers of this but to tell them about it.

• Informative essays seek to enlighten and educate readers, so they can make their own educated opinions and decisions about what to think and how to act.

Strategies for Writing Informatively

Informative essays provide useful information such as facts, examples, and evidence from research in order to help readers understand a topic or see it more clearly. While informative writing does not aim to appeal emotionally to readers in order to change their opinions or behaviors, informative writing should still be engaging to read. Factual information is not necessarily dry or boring. Sometimes facts can be more alarming than fiction!

Writers use various strategies to engage and educate readers. Some strategies include

• introducing the topic with an alarming fact or arresting image;
• asserting what is true or so about the subject in a clear thesis statement;
• organizing the paragraphs logically by grouping related information;
• unifying each paragraph with a topic sentence and controlling idea;
• developing cohesive paragraphs with transition sentences;
• using precise language and terminology appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience; and
• concluding with a final idea or example that captures the essay’s purpose and leaves a lasting impression.

Five Steps for Getting Started

1. Brainstorm and choose a topic.

• Sample topic : The opioid epidemic in the United States.
• The opiod epidemic or even opiod addiction would would be considered too broad for a single essay, so the next steps aim to narrow this topic down.

2. Next, write a question about the topic that you would like to answer through research.

• Sample question : What major events caused the opioid crisis in the United States?
• This question aims to narrow the topic down to causes of the epidemic in the US.

3. Now go to the Purdue Global Library to find the answers to your research question.

As you begin reading and collecting sources, write down the themes that emerge as common answers. Later, in step four, use the most common answers (or the ones you are most interested in writing and discussing) to construct a thesis statement.

• Sample answers: aggressive marketing, loopholes in prescription drug provider programs, and economic downturn.

4. Next, provide purpose to your paper by creating a thesis statement.

The thesis attempts to frame your research question. The sample thesis below incorporates three of the more common answers for the research question from step two: What caused the opioid crisis in the United States?

• Thesis Statement : Aggressive marketing, loopholes in prescription drug provider programs, and economic downturn contributed to the current opioid crisis in the United States.
• Writing Tip : For additional help with thesis statements, please visit our Writing a Thesis Statement article. For help with writing in 3rd person, see our article on Formal Vs. Informal Writing .

5. Now follow each numbered step in the “Suggested Outline Format and Sample” below.

Sample answers have been provided for “I. Introduction” and “II. First Cause.” A complete sample outline can be seen here. A complete sample informative essay can be seen here.

Suggested Outline Format and Sample

I. INTRODUCTION

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the main topic: Sample topic sentence : There is a current prescription pain medication addiction and abuse epidemic possibly caused by an excessive over prescription of these medications.

B. Now provide a couple sentences with evidence to support the main topic: Sample sentence one with evidence to support the main topic : According to Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in testimony before the 115th Congress, “In 2016, over 11 million Americans misused prescription opioids … and 2.1 million had an opioid use disorder due to prescription opioids” (Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017, p. 2).

C. Sample sentence two with evidence to support the main topic : Volkow indicated “more than 300,000 Americans have died of an opioid overdose” since 2013 (Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017, p.2).

D. Sample sentence three with evidence to support the main topic : According to Perez-Pena (2017), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 25,000 people in the United States died in 2015 from overdosing on opioids Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone.

E. Toward the end of the introduction, include your thesis statement written in the 3rd-person point-of-view: Sample thesis statement : Potential solutions to the growing opioid epidemic may be illuminated by examining how opioid addiction is triggered through aggressive pharmaceutical marketing, how opioid addiction manifests among prescribed patients, and how economic downturns play a role in the increase of opioid addiction.

F. Write down the library sources you can use in this introductory paragraph to help support the main topic.

• Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017
• Perez-Pena, 2017
• Writing Tip : For more help writing an introduction, please refer to this article on introductions and conclusions .

II. FIRST CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the first cause of the opioid epidemic: Sample topic sentence that introduces the first cause : One issue that helped contribute to the opioid epidemic is aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the first cause: Sample sentence one with evidence that supports the first cause : Perez-Pena (2017) concluded that while the healthcare industry was attempting to effectively and efficiently treat patients with chronic pain, pharmaceutical companies were providing funding to prominent doctors, medical societies, and patient advocacy groups in order to win support for a particular drug’s adoption and usage.

C. Sample sentence two with evidence to support the first cause : In fact, pharmaceutical companies continue to spend millions on promotional activities and materials that deny or trivialize any risks of opioid use while at the same time overstating each drug’s benefit (Perez-Pina, 2017).

D. Next, add more information or provide concluding or transitional sentences that foreshadows the upcoming second cause: Sample concluding and transitional sentence that foreshadow the second cause : Although aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies played a large role in opioid addiction, patients are to blame too, as many take advantage of holes in the healthcare provider system in order to remedy their addiction.

E. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the first cause:

• Writing Tip : For more assistance working with sources, please visit the Using Sources page here.

III. SECOND CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the second cause.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the second cause.

C. Next, add more information or provide concluding or transitional sentences that foreshadows the upcoming third cause.

D. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the second cause:

• Writing Tip : Listen to Writing Powerful Sentences for information and features of effective writing.

IV. THIRD CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the third cause.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the third cause.

C. Next, add more information or provide a concluding sentence or two.

D. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the third cause:

V. CONCLUSION: Summary of key points and evidence discussed.

• Writing Tip : For more help writing a conclusion, refer to this podcast on endings .
• Writing Tip : Have a question? Leave a comment below or Purdue Global students, click here to access the Purdue Global Writing Center tutoring platform and available staff.
• Writing Tip : Ready to have someone look at your paper? Purdue Global students, click here to submit your assignment for feedback through our video paper review service.

See a Sample Informative Essay Outline here .

See a sample informative essay here., share this:.

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

2 Responses

• Pingbacks 0

dang bro i got an A

Having faith with all this mentioned, that i will pass my english class at a college. Thank you for posting.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive email notifications of new posts.

Email Address

• RSS - Posts
• RSS - Comments
• COLLEGE WRITING
• USING SOURCES & APA STYLE
• EFFECTIVE WRITING PODCASTS
• LEARNING FOR SUCCESS
• PLAGIARISM INFORMATION
• FACULTY RESOURCES
• Student Webinar Calendar
• Academic Success Center
• Writing Center
• About the ASC Tutors
• DIVERSITY TRAINING
• PG Peer Tutors
• PG Student Access

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

• College Writing
• Using Sources & APA Style
• Learning for Success
• Effective Writing Podcasts
• Plagiarism Information
• Faculty Resources
• Tutor Training

Twitter feed

If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.

4th grade reading & vocabulary

Course: 4th grade reading & vocabulary   >   unit 1.

• Summarizing nonfiction | Reading
• What is a main idea? | Reading
• What language shows cause and effect? | Reading

The structures of informational texts | Reading

• Superheroes: reading informational text; Superheroes around the World 4

Want to join the conversation?

• Upvote Button navigates to signup page
• Downvote Button navigates to signup page
• Flag Button navigates to signup page

Video transcript

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, understanding the 4 writing styles: how to identify and use them.

General Education

A piece’s writing style can help you figure out what kind of writing it is, what its purpose is, and how the author’s voice is unique. With so many different types of writing, you may think it’s difficult to figure out the specific writing style of a piece or you'll need to search through a long list of writing styles.

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.  Whether you’re studying writing styles for class or trying to develop your own writing style and looking for information, we’ve got you covered.

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.

The 4 Types of Writing

There are four main different styles of writing. We discuss each of them below, list where you’re likely to see them, and include an example so you can see for yourself what each of the writing styles looks like.

Writers who use the narrative style are telling a story with a plot and characters. It’s the most common writing style for fiction, although nonfiction can also be narrative writing as long as its focus is on characters, what they do, and what happens to them.

Common Places You’d See Narrative Writing

• Biography or autobiography
• Short stories
• Journals or diaries

“We had luncheon in the dining-room, darkened too against the heat, and drank down nervous gayety with the cold ale. ‘What’ll we do with ourselves this afternoon?’ cried Daisy, ‘and the day after that, and the next thirty years?’    ‘Don’t be morbid,’ Jordan said. ‘Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.’ ‘But it’s so hot,’ insisted Daisy, on the verge of tears, ‘and everything’s so confused. Let’s all go to town!’ - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

You can quickly tell that this passage from the novel The Great Gatsby is an example of narrative writing because it has the two key traits: characters and a plot. The group is discussing eating and drinking while trying to decide what to do for the rest of the day.

As in this example, narrative writing often has extended dialogue scenes since the dialogue is used to move the plot along and give readers greater insight into the characters.

Writers use the expository style when they are trying to explain a concept. Expository writing is fact-based and doesn’t include the author’s opinions or background. It’s basically giving facts from the writer to the reader.

Common Places You’d See Expository Writing

• Newspaper articles
• Academic journals
• Business memos
• Manuals for electronics
• How-to books and articles

“The 1995/1996 reintroduction of gray wolves (Canis lupus) into Yellowstone National Park after a 70 year absence has allowed for studies of tri-trophic cascades involving wolves, elk (Cervus elaphus), and plant species such as aspen (Populus tremuloides), cottonwoods (Populus spp.), and willows (Salix spp.). To investigate the status of this cascade, in September of 2010 we repeated an earlier survey of aspen and measured browsing and heights of young aspen in 97 stands along four streams in the Lamar River catchment of the park’s northern winter range. We found that browsing on the five tallest young aspen in each stand decreased from 100% of all measured leaders in 1998 to means of <25% in the uplands and <20% in riparian areas by 2010. Correspondingly, aspen recruitment (i.e., growth of seedlings/sprouts above the browse level of ungulates) increased as browsing decreased over time in these same stands.” -”Trophic cascades in Yellowstone: The first 15 years after wolf reintroduction” by William J. Ripple and Robert L. Beschta

This abstract from an academic journal article is clearly expository because it only focuses on facts. The authors aren’t giving their opinion of wolves of Yellowstone, they’re not telling a story about the wolves, and the only descriptions are number of trees, streams, etc. so readers can understand the study better.

Because expository writing is focused on facts, without any unnecessary details or stories, the writing can sometimes feel dense and dry to read.

Descriptive

Descriptive writing is, as you may guess, when the author describes something. The writer could be describing a place, person, or an object, but descriptive writing will always include lots of details so the reader can get a clear and complete idea of what is being written about.

Common Places You’d See Descriptive Writing

• Fiction passages that describe something

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or eat: it was a hobbit hole and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted...” - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the opening passage of the novel The Hobbit . While The Hobbit is primarily an example of narrative writing, since it explores the adventures of the hobbit and his companions, this scene is definitely descriptive. There is no plot or action going on in this passage; the point is to explain to readers exactly what the hobbit’s home looks like so they can get a clear picture of it while they read. There are lots of details, including the color of the door and exactly where the doorknob is placed.

You won’t often find long pieces of writing that are purely descriptive writing, since they’d be pretty boring to read (nothing would happen in them), instead many pieces of writing, including The Hobbit , will primarily be one of the other writing styles with some descriptive writing passages scattered throughout.

When you’re trying to persuade the reader to think a certain way or do a certain thing, you’ll use persuasive writing to try to convince them.  Your end goal could be to get the reader to purchase something you’re selling, give you a job, give an acquaintance of yours a job, or simply agree with your opinion on a topic.

Common Places You’d See Persuasive Writing

• Advertisements
• Cover letters
• Opinion articles/letters to the editor
• Letters of recommendation
• Reviews of books/movies/restaurants etc.
• Letter to a politician

“What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’ - “This was their finest hour” by Winston Churchill

In this excerpt from his famous “Their finest hour” speech, Prime Minister Winston Churchill is clearing trying to convince his audience to see his viewpoint, and he lays out the actions he thinks they should take. In this case, Churchill is speaking to the House of Commons (knowing many other British people would also hear the speech), and he’s trying to prepare the British for the coming war and convince them how important it is to fight.

He emphasizes how important the fight will be (“Upon this battle depends the survival of the Christian civilization.” and clearly spells out what he thinks his audience should do (“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties…”).

Common Writing Styles to Know

Each of the four main types of writing styles has multiple subsets of styles within it. Here are nine of the most common and important types of writing you’ll see.

Narrative Writing

Character voice.

Character voice is a common writing style in novels. Instead of having an unknown narrator, the audience knows who is telling the story. This first-person narrator can help the reader relate more both to the narrator and the storyline since knowing who is telling a story can help the reader feel more connected to it. Sometimes the narrator is completely truthful in telling what happens, while other times they are an unreliable narrator and will mislead or outright lie to readers to make themselves look better. 

To Kill a Mockingbird (Scout is the narrator) and The Hunger Games (Katniss is the narrator) are two examples of this writing style.

Stream-of-Consciousness

This writing style attempts to emulate the thought process of the character. Instead of only writing about what the character says or does, stream-of-consciousness will include all or most of the characters thoughts, even if they jump from one topic to another randomly or include incomplete thoughts.

For example, rather than writing “I decided to take a walk to the ice cream shop,” an author using the stream-of-consciousness writing style could write, “It’s pretty hot out, and I feel like I should eat something, but I’m not really that hungry. I wonder if we have leftovers of the burgers Mom made last night? Is Mom staying late at work tonight? I can’t remember if she said. Ice cream would be a good choice, and not too filling. I can’t drive there though because my car is still in for repairs. Why is the repair shop taking so long? I should have listened when David said to check for reviews online before choosing a place. I should text David later to see how he is. He’ll think I’m mad at him if I don’t. I guess I’ll just have to walk to the shop.”

James Joyce and William Faulkner are two of the most well-known writers to have regularly used the  stream-of-consciousness writing style.

Epistolary writing uses a series of documents, such as letters, diary entries, newspaper articles, or even text messages to tell a story. They don’t have a narrator, there’s just whoever purportedly gathered the documents together. This writing style can provide different points of view because a different person can be the author of each document.

Well-known examples of epistolary writing include the novels Dracula  (written as a series of letters, newspaper articles, and diary entries) and Frankenstein (written as a series of letters).

Expository Writing

You’ll find this style in textbooks or academic journal articles. It’ll focus on teaching a topic or discussing an experiment,  be heavy on facts, and include any sources it cited to get the information. Academic writing often assumes some previous knowledge of the topic and is more focused on providing information than being entertaining, which can make it difficult to read and understand at times.

Business writing refers to the writing done in a workplace. It can include reports, memos, and press releases. Business writing typically has a formal tone and standard formatting rules. Because employees are presumably very busy at work, business writing is very concise and to the point, without any additional flourishes intended to make the writing more interesting.

You’ll see this writing style most commonly in newspaper articles. It focuses on giving the facts in a concise, clear, and easy-to-understand way. Journalists often try to balance covering all the key facts, keeping their articles brief, and making the audience interested in the story.

This writing style is used to give information to people in a specific field, such as an explanation of a new computer programming system to people who work in software, a description of how to install pipes within a house for plumbers, or a guide to new gene modifications for microbiologists.

Technical writing is highly specialized for a certain occupational field. It assumes a high level of knowledge on the topic, and it focuses on sharing large amounts of information with the reader. If you’re not in that field, technical writing can be nearly impossible to understand because of the jargon and references to topics and facts you likely don’t know.

Descriptive Writing

Poetry is one of the most challenging styles of writing to define since it can come in many forms. In general, poems use rhythmic language and careful word choice to express an idea. A poem can be an example of descriptive writing or narrative writing, depending on whether it’s describing something or telling a story. Poetry doesn’t need to rhyme, and it often won’t follow standard grammatical or structural rules. Line breaks can, and often do, occur in the middle of sentences.

Persuasive Writing

Copywriting.

Copywriting is writing that is done for advertising or marketing purposes. It’s attempting to get the reader to buy whatever the writer is trying to sell. Examples of copywriting include catalogs, billboards, ads in newspapers or magazines, and social media ads.

In an attempt to get the reader to spend their money, copywriters may use techniques such as descriptive language (“This vanilla was harvested from the lush and exotic island of Madagascar"), exciting language (Stop what you’re doing and learn about this new product that will transform your life!”) and exaggeration (“This is the best cup of coffee you will ever taste!”).

Opinion 

People write opinion pieces for the purpose of stating their beliefs on a certain topic and to try to get readers to agree with them. You can see opinion pieces in newspaper opinion sections, certain blog posts, and some social media posts. The quality of opinion writing can vary widely. Some papers or sites will only publish opinion pieces if all the facts in them can be backed up by evidence, but other opinion pieces, especially those that are self-published online, don't go through any fact-checking process and can include inaccuracies and misinformation.

What If You’re Unsure of a Work’s Writing Style?

If you’re reading a piece of writing and are unsure of its main writing style, how can you figure which style it is? The best method is to think about what the purpose or main idea of the writing is. Each of the four main writing styles has a specific purpose:

• Descriptive: to describe things
• Expository: to give facts
• Narrative: to tell a story
• Persuasive: to convince the reader of something

Here’s an example of a passage with a somewhat ambiguous writing style:

It can be tricky to determine the writing style of many poems since poetry is so varied and can fit many styles. For this poem, you might at first think it has a narrative writing style, since it begins with a narrator mentioning a walk he took after church. Character + plot = narrative writing style, right?

Before you decide, you need to read the entire passage. Once you do, it’ll become clear that there really isn’t much narrative. There’s a narrator, and he’s taking a walk to get a birch from another man, but that’s about all we have for character development and plot. We don’t know anything about the narrator or his friend’s personality, what’s going to happen next, what his motivations are, etc.

The poem doesn’t devote any space to that, instead, the majority of the lines are spent describing the scene. The narrator mentions the heat, scent of sap, the sound of frogs, what the ground is like, etc. It’s clear that, since the majority of the piece is dedicated to describing the scene, this is an example of descriptive writing.

How Can You Develop Your Own Writing Style?

A distinctive writing style is one of the hallmarks of a good writer, but how can you develop your own? Below are four tips to follow.

Read Many Different Styles of Writing

If you don’t read lots of different kinds of writing, you won’t be able to write in those styles, so before you try to get your own writing style, read different writing styles than what you’re used to.  This doesn’t mean that, if you mostly read novels, you suddenly need to shift to reading computer manuals. Instead, you can try to read novels that use unreliable narrators, stream-of-consciousness writing, etc.

The more you read, the more writing styles you’ll be exposed to, and the easier it’ll be able to combine some of those into your own writing style.

Consider Combining Multiple Types of Writing Styles

There’s no rule that you can only use one style for a piece of writing. In fact, many longer works will include multiple styles. A novel may be primarily narrative, but it can also contain highly descriptive passages as well as expository parts when the author wants the readers to understand a new concept.

However, make sure you don’t jump around too much. A paper or book that goes from dense academic text to impassioned plea for a cause to a story about your childhood and back again will confuse readers and make it difficult for them to understand the point you’re trying to make.

Find a Balance Between Comfort and Boundary-Pushing

You should write in a style that feels natural to you, since that will be what comes most easily and what feels most authentic to the reader. An academic who never ventures outside the city trying to write a book from the perspective of a weathered, unschooled cowboy may end up with writing that seems fake and forced.

A great way to change up your writing and see where it can be improved is to rewrite certain parts in a new writing style.  If you’ve been writing a novel with narrative voice, change a few scenes to stream-of-consciousness, then think about how it felt to be using that style and if you think it improved your writing or gave you any new ideas. If you’re worried that some writing you did is dull and lacking depth, add in a few passages that are purely descriptive and see if they help bring the writing to life.

You don’t always need to do this, and you don’t need to keep the new additions in what you wrote, but trying new things will help you get a better idea of what you want your own style to be like.

The best way to develop your own writing style is to expose yourself to numerous types of writing, both through reading and writing. As you come into contact with more writing styles and try them out for yourself, you’ll naturally begin to develop a writing style that you feel comfortable with.

Summary: The 4 Different Styles of Writing

There are four main writing styles, and each has a different purpose:

If you’re struggling to figure out the writing style of a piece, ask yourself what its purpose is and why the author wants you to read it.

To develop your own writing style, you should:

• Read widely
• Consider mixing styles
• Balance writing what you know and trying new things

What's Next?

Literary devices are also an important part of understanding writing styles. Learn the 24 literary devices you must know by reading our guide on literary devices.

Writing a research paper for school but not sure what to write about?   Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you. 

Are you reading  The Great Gatsby for class or even just for fun?  Then you'll definitely want to check out our expert guides on the biggest themes in this classic book, from love and relationships to money and materialism .

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Student and Parent Forum

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Writing curriculum

Informational Writing Unit

We invite both STEM and humanities teachers to consider ways to inject more life into what is perhaps the least-loved genre of academic writing.

By The Learning Network

To learn more about other writing units, visit our writing curriculum overview.

Of the three broad types of writing that the Common Core State Standards emphasize — argument, informational/explanatory and narrative — informational writing may be the category that gets the least love from writing teachers.

Sure, students are writing explanatory pieces all the time, whether in response to questions, in notebooks, in formal papers and on tests. They are also doing this kind of writing across subjects, perhaps in science or history class as much as in English. But as former teachers ourselves, we have found that writing instructors tend to shine the spotlight more brightly on the two sister genres. After all, making a strong argument and telling a compelling story might feel like more interesting tasks than just explaining something clearly and accurately.

But informational writing is the style of writing that dominates The New York Times as well as any other traditional newspaper you might read, and in this unit we hope to show students that it can be every bit as engaging and compelling to read and to write as other genres. Via thousands of articles a month — from front-page reporting on politics to news about athletes in Sports, deep data dives in The Upshot, recipes in Cooking, advice columns in Style and long-form investigative pieces in the magazine — Times journalists find ways to experiment with the genre to intrigue and inform their audiences.

For this unit, however, we are focusing on just one broad area of informational writing — that with a STEM theme. Not only can students find daily models in The Times’s Science, Tech and Health sections, but we have also teamed up with Science News and Science News for Students as a partner for our contest so we can provide an even bigger range of writing examples at different reading levels.

But if you’re a humanities teacher and you’re feeling left out, please know that this contest and our four mentor-text lesson plans are relevant to you, too.

First of all, your students can take on any topic they like under the broad umbrellas of science, technology, engineering, math and health, and we hope they will choose issues and ideas that have real relevance to their lives. But more to the point, the writing skills we want this contest to teach — how to write clearly and engagingly about complex topics — obviously span subject areas. And the specific requirements of the contest — that students have an engaging “hook” as an opening, that they weave in quotations from experts and studies, and that they explain why the topic matters — are elements they will need to master for all kinds of writing tasks.

Below, we provide the core ingredients for our unit, which can be used and adapted whether you are participating in our contest or not.

Start with a writing prompt that will help inspire students to investigate topics that matter to them.

When reporting on STEM-related issues, journalists often start by asking a question about what’s happening in the world around them:

Just how safe is vaping ? Can exercise make us smarter ? How does facial recognition technology work? Why are wildfires becoming infernos? If you touched the moon, what would it feel like ?

Their articles are answers to those questions — or at least attempts to answer.

To begin this unit, we invite students to brainstorm their own questions by responding to our writing prompt: What Questions Do You Have About How the World Works?

The questions they come up with can serve as starting points for the research and writing of their own informational texts for our STEM-related Informational Writing Contest.

Whether they ultimately participate in our contest or not, we hope your students have fun responding to this prompt — and then enjoy reading the questions posed by other students, commenting on them and maybe even hitting that “Recommend” button if they read a response they especially like.

All our prompts are open for comment by students 13 and up, and every comment is read by Times editors before it is approved.

Read mentor texts and try some of the ‘writer’s moves’ we spotlight.

The goal of our mentor-text series is to demystify what good writing looks like and to encourage students to experiment with some of those techniques themselves. We do that by asking both professional science writers and teenage winners of our contests to tell us about their work.

For this unit, we created three mentor-text lesson plans that focus on the individual elements we’re asking student writers to include in their contest submissions. We also invited a science journalist to annotate one of his own articles to take us behind the scenes of his research and writing process and show us how he has woven in those elements.

Here are the mentor texts:

Annotated by the Author: “Tiny Tyrannosaur Hints at How T. Rex Became King”

Hooking the Reader Right From the Start: The Times Trilobites Column

Quoting and Paraphrasing Experts and Research: The Times Tip Column

Explaining Why a Topic Matters: The Times Personal Health Column

And, of course, we always recommend that you read the work of our previous student winners. In 2020, winners wrote about bacteria bombs, fat tongues and microrobots . In 2021 they wrote about star polymers, space origami and singing finches . The video embedded above can give you a glimpse into the process.

What do your students admire about these pieces? What “writer’s moves” might they borrow for their own work?

Enter our STEM Writing Contest.

By the end of the unit, your students will have brainstormed ideas for research, gone behind the scenes of one journalist’s process and practiced key elements of informational writing themselves.

Now we invite them to produce one piece of polished writing that brings it all together.

This contest asks students to choose an issue or question in science, technology, engineering, math or health that interests them, then write a 500-word explanation that will engage and enlighten readers.

All student work will be read by our staff, volunteers from the Times newsroom and Science Times, and/or by educators from around the country. Winners will have their work published on our site and, perhaps, in the print New York Times.

The Third Annual Contest will run from Feb. 2 to March 9, 2022, and we will link to the announcement here when it is live. Until then, check out the Second Annual Contest since we will abide by the same rules and guidelines.

Additional Resources

While the core of our unit is the prompts, mentor texts and contest, we also offer additional resources to inspire and support teachers, including lesson plans and great ideas from our readers around STEM reading and writing.

Our Lessons of the Day that concern STEM-related topics

Reader Idea: ‘Article Days’ and ‘Aha Moments’ Transform Science and Art Classes

Lesson Plan: Teaching Science with the ‘Trilobites’ Column

Register for our on-demand webinar Teaching Informational Writing or watch an edited version below.

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Essay Writing

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The Modes of Discourse—Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation (EDNA)—are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these approaches and students’ need to understand and produce them.

This resource begins with a general description of essay writing and moves to a discussion of common essay genres students may encounter across the curriculum. The four genres of essays (description, narration, exposition, and argumentation) are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres, also known as the modes of discourse, have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these genres and students’ need to understand and produce these types of essays. We hope these resources will help.

The essay is a commonly assigned form of writing that every student will encounter while in academia. Therefore, it is wise for the student to become capable and comfortable with this type of writing early on in her training.

Essays can be a rewarding and challenging type of writing and are often assigned either to be done in class, which requires previous planning and practice (and a bit of creativity) on the part of the student, or as homework, which likewise demands a certain amount of preparation. Many poorly crafted essays have been produced on account of a lack of preparation and confidence. However, students can avoid the discomfort often associated with essay writing by understanding some common genres.

Before delving into its various genres, let’s begin with a basic definition of the essay.

What is an essay?

Though the word essay has come to be understood as a type of writing in Modern English, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the English language through the French influence on Middle English; tracing it back further, we find that the French form of the word comes from the Latin verb exigere , which means "to examine, test, or (literally) to drive out." Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic.

Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition. As is evidenced by this list of attributes, there is much to be gained by the student who strives to succeed at essay writing.

The purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing with the direction of little more than their own thoughts (it may be helpful to view the essay as the converse of a research paper). Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise and require clarity in purpose and direction. This means that there is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from his or her purpose; the writing must be deliberate and interesting.

This handout should help students become familiar and comfortable with the process of essay composition through the introduction of some common essay genres.

This handout includes a brief introduction to the following genres of essay writing:

• Expository essays
• Descriptive essays
• Narrative essays
• Argumentative (Persuasive) essays

Types of Writing Styles

There are four main types of writing: expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative. Each of these writing styles is used for a specific purpose. A single text may include more than one writing style.

Expository writing is one of the most common types of writing. When an author writes in an expository style, all they are trying to do is explain a concept, imparting information from themselves to a wider audience. Expository writing does not include the author’s opinions, but focuses on accepted facts about a topic, including statistics or other evidence.

Examples of Expository Writing

• How-to articles
• News stories (not editorials or Op-Eds)
• Business, technical, or scientific writing

Descriptive

Descriptive writing is often found in fiction, though it can make an appearance in nonfiction as well (for example, memoirs, first-hand accounts of events, or travel guides). When an author writes in a descriptive style, they are painting a picture in words of a person, place, or thing for their audience. The author might employ metaphor or other literary devices in order to describe the author’s impressions via their five senses (what they hear, see, smell, taste, or touch). But the author is not trying to convince the audience of anything or explain the scene – merely describe things as they are.

Examples of Descriptive Writing

• Journal/diary writing
• Descriptions of Nature
• Fictional novels or plays

Persuasive writing is the main style of writing you will use in academic papers. When an author writes in a persuasive style, they are trying to convince the audience of a position or belief. Persuasive writing contains the author’s opinions and biases, as well as justifications and reasons given by the author as evidence of the correctness of their position. Any “argumentative” essay you write in school should be in the persuasive style of writing.

Examples of Persuasive Writing

• Cover letters
• Op-Eds and Editorial newspaper articles
• Reviews of items
• Letters of complaint
• Advertisements
• Letters of recommendation

Narrative writing is used in almost every longer piece of writing, whether fiction or nonfiction. When an author writes in a narrative style, they are not just trying to impart information, they are trying to construct and communicate a story, complete with characters, conflict, and settings.

Examples of Narrative Writing

• Oral histories
• Novels/Novellas
• Poetry (especially epic sagas or poems)
• Short Stories

About Writing: A Guide Copyright © 2015 by Robin Jeffrey is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

• Words with Friends Cheat
• Wordle Solver
• Word Unscrambler
• Scrabble Dictionary
• Anagram Solver
• Wordscapes Answers

Make Our Dictionary Yours

Sign up for our weekly newsletters and get:

• Grammar and writing tips
• Fun language articles
• #WordOfTheDay and quizzes

By signing in, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy .

We'll see you in your inbox soon.

4 Fundamental Types of Writing Styles (With Examples)

• DESCRIPTION narrative, descriptive, persuasive, expository writing styles
• SOURCE Dynamic Graphics / Dynamic Graphics Group / Getty Images Plus

Depending on your purpose, you’ll want to use one of the four main types of writing styles: descriptive, expository, narrative, and persuasive. Each style has its own purpose, and you may find some styles are more natural for you than others. These writing style examples and tips will help you become a pro at all four.

What Are the Different Styles of Writing?

There are four main types of writing styles. Each has a distinct purpose.

• expository - Write in this style to explain or expose a topic.
• narrative - Write in this style to tell a story.
• persuasive - Write in this style to convince the reader of something.
• descriptive - Write in this style to create an image in the reader’s mind.

The key to knowing when and how to use these styles is mostly about being aware of what you want to convey to your reader.

Expository Writing: Explain or Expose

When you want to convey information to your reader or help the audience better understand something, use expository writing. There are several types of expository writing, including compare and contrast, cause and effect, and analysis, among others.

Types of Expository Writing

There are several kinds of expository writing. In every type of expository writing, the style is all about converting facts with clarity and focus. In great expository writing, nothing is confusing or unclear.

• business writing
• expository essays
• how-to/instructional articles
• news writing/journalism
• scientific reports
• technical writing

Expository Writing Examples

Great news reporting is expository in nature, as is writing that is focused on providing instruction or education. It tells the facts and explains details the reader needs to understand those facts. Even better, it exposes or “sheds light on” things the reader needs to know. A great example is the Watergate reporting done by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in 1972 for The Washington Post . Notice how the reporters add detail and background information while keeping the article on-topic in this Pulitzer prize-winning example :

"President Nixon's assistant for congressional relations and two officials of the President’s re-election committee were among the persons sent memos describing wire-upped conversations of Democratic Party officials, according to Alfred C. Baldwin III. Baldwin, the ex-FBI agent who says he transcribed the wiretapped conversations of Democratic officials in the Watergate, is known to have told the FBI that memos summarizing some of the conversations were addressed to the following persons, among others ..."

For more insights, consider these brief examples of expository writing:

• The resolution passed by a significant majority, with all but two of the 15 committee members voting in favor of it. The new rules will be effective as of June 1, 2022. Details about enforcement are expected to be released next week.
• The most common relative adverbs are where, when and why. To choose the correct one, decide if you need to provide information on location (where), time (when) or reason (why).
• To grow your own plants, you'll need seeds, potting soil, a small container, and water. Fill the container with potting soil. Use your finger to create a few small holes. Place one seed in each hole, then lightly cover with soil. Lightly water the soil and place in a sunny location. Water every few days.

Tips for Writing in an Expository Style

When you use this writing style, it's important to keep in mind your purpose: you are writing to explain and illuminate. Don't add your own opinion or make anything up.

• Choose a topic and narrow your focus.
• Create a thesis statement or main idea.
• Only include information that directly relates to your topic or provides necessary background context.
• Consider what your reader knows about your topic and decide what you need to explain.
• Include facts and concrete details. Connect these back to your main idea with clear statements.

Narrative Writing: Tell a Story

Narrative writing tells a story, real or fictional. Whether or not the events described really happened, this type of writing is all about presenting the story in a way that readers will enjoy and understand. The events don’t have to happen in chronological order, but they must capture and hold the reader’s attention.

Types of Narrative Writing

Narrative writing can take many forms. It can be your own story, such as a memoir or a personal essay . It can also be the story of a historical event or a work of fiction, such as a short story or novel.

• oral history
• short stories

Narrative Writing Example

In this type of writing, the goal is to tell the reader what happens in a way that is compelling. This can involve creating characters and describing settings in a way that makes the story more realistic. However, while descriptive details are part of narrative writing, this type of writing is not solely about description. This is about what happens in the story. You can see this in action in this example from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

"Not having a very clearly defined notion of what a live board was, Oliver was rather astounded by this intelligence, and was not quite certain whether he ought to laugh or cry. He had no time to think about the matter, however; for Mr. Bumble gave him a tap on the head to wake him up, and another on the back to make him lively, and bidding him follow, conducted him into a large whitewashed room where eight or ten fat gentlemen were sitting round a table, at the top of which, seated in an armchair rather higher than the rest, was a particularly fat gentleman with a very round, red face."

Consider a few original examples of narrative writing.

• Seeing eight missed calls from her nephew first thing in the morning filled her with dread. Surely she knew what he wanted to tell her. The moment in time that they had been dreading for so long had finally come to pass. She dialed even though she knew what he was going to say. "It's done," he said. She replied, "I know."
• She checked her email, hoping against hope to receive some positive news about her job search. She noticed a message in her inbox from a company she applied to work with. Good news or bad news? She wasn't sure. But there was only one way to find out. With hope and trepidation, she clicked the message.
• The little dog looked suspiciously at the dog door. She had never seen such a thing. Being a shelter rescue she was accustomed only to the bars of a crate, with a door fully opened or fully closed, with no ability to move about freely. The pup pushed the flap gently with her nose but did not know what to do.

Tips for Writing in the Narrative Style

If you’re writing a narrative, keep in mind that you are telling a story. Include details and information that will keep your reader engaged.

• Include all the pieces of the story. How did it start? What happened to make it exciting? How did it end?
• Know why you’re telling the story. Even though the story is the purpose, keep your reason for telling it in mind.
• Keep the point of view consistent throughout the story.
• Stick to the story. Avoid extraneous details that will distract the reader.

Persuasive Writing: Convince the Reader

Persuasive writing is unique because it has a very clear and important purpose: convincing the reader to do something or think something. To succeed at this type of writing, you need a clear goal. Know what you want the reader to do or believe after reading your work.

Types of Persuasive Writing

Any writing designed to sell readers on something is an example of persuasive writing . It can take many forms.

• advertisements
• business proposals
• college admissions essays
• cover letters
• elevator pitches
• letters of recommendation
• opinion/editorial articles
• product reviews
• sales pitches

Persuasive Writing Example

Persuasive writing is only successful if you are clear about your goal and then support that goal with relevant points. This builds a case for your reader. You can see this type of writing in action in this excerpt from the Declaration of Independence .

"The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them ..."

Review a few more modern examples of persuasive writing.

• Are you ready to grow in your career? Is your lack of skill working with modern technology holding you back? Register today for the Computer Tech training program and master the applications you need to know to attain the career of your dreams.
• Do you love the great outdoors? Did you choose to live here because of the proximity to lakes, rivers and white sand beaches? Are you concerned with protecting the natural beauty of the local environment? Show your commitment by joining Environment Now today.
• My background makes me uniquely suited for the position you are seeking to fill. Not only do I have experience teaching Interpersonal Communication classes, but I also have direct experience teaching this course via the same online platform your institution uses.

Tips for Writing in the Persuasive Style

Whether you’re writing a persuasive essay or creating a speech, this type of writing requires a clear purpose and good organization.

• Select an angle that will help you accomplish your goal.
• Decide what will help convince the reader that your goal should also be their goal.
• Research supporting details.
• Adjust the tone of your writing to appeal to the reader. Aristotle’s methods of persuasion can help. Know whether you’re appealing to emotion, logic, or ethics.
• End with a clear call to action. Tell the reader what to do next.

Descriptive Writing: Form a Picture for the Reader

This type of writing is about sharing perspective. In effective descriptive writing, you create a picture in the reader’s mind using your descriptions. Often, this type of writing includes vivid imagery and involves many of the five senses.

Types of Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing can be fiction or nonfiction. It often uses figurative language , but also provides concrete information. There are many types of descriptive writing.

• first-person accounts
• freewriting
• journal writing
• product descriptions
• reflective writing
• statement of teaching philosophy
• travel writing

Descriptive Writing Example

An example of descriptive text can help you understand how this type of writing works. Bringing in sensory details can create a much more vivid picture for the reader, as you can see in this example from Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler. In the space of two short paragraphs, she uses descriptive sensory details from four of the five senses.

"The car drew in around them like a room. Their breaths fogged the windows. Earlier the air conditioner had been running and now some artificial chill remained, quickly turning dank, carrying with it the smell of mildew. They shot through an underpass. The rain stopped completely for one blank, startling second. Sarah gave a little gasp of relief, but even before it was uttered, the hammering on the roof resumed. She turned and gazed back longingly at the underpass. Macon sped ahead, with his hands relaxed on the wheel."

Peruse a few brief examples of descriptive writing.

• When she entered the house, she observed what seemed to be a spotless environment. The counters were clear and the floors were spotless. The furniture was perfectly aligned. Not a single thing was out of place and she could smell bleach in the air.
• The hiking trail appeared very well kept. The gravel trail was even, with no accumulation of leaves or debris. Trees lined both sides of the trail. She could make out the river just to the east of the trees.
• Traffic on the interstate seemed heavier than usual. There was a line of cars filling both lanes ahead as far as the eye could see. There were cars behind her vehicle as well, stretching out as far as was visible. Traffic was moving steadily, though below the speed limit.

Tips for Writing in the Descriptive Style

When you use this style of writing, you are creating an image for your reader. Don’t include details that distract the reader from the image you are creating.

• Before you begin your description, imagine you're in the scene. Consider what you experience with your senses.
• Use sensory descriptions instead of adverbs as much as possible.
• This writing style requires thought, so take your time.
• Focus on details that are important to the story.

Each Type of Writing Style Has a Purpose

Each of the four main types of writing styles has a different purpose. Keep that purpose in mind when you choose the style for your writing. Then, consider closely related elements like examples of tone and examples of mood to help convey your message to readers in an appropriate manner. Vary the literary devices you use, adjusting as needed for different types of writing.

The 4 Main Writing Styles: Definitions, Examples, and Techniques

by Kaelyn Barron | 2 comments

Most written work falls under one of four writing styles: expository, descriptive, narrative, or persuasive.

If you don’t remember taking a quiz on these in the fifth grade, don’t worry. More than likely, you’re already internalized some of their key characteristics without even realizing it.

A quick review of these styles and their techniques can help you become a better writer, while also becoming a more conscious reader.

The 4 Writing Styles

Before you get to punching away at your keyboard, you should ask yourself: Why am I writing this? Is it to explain? Describe? Teach? Persuade? Entertain?

You may achieve several of these in one piece, but focusing in on one purpose can help you to identify the appropriate style, and therefore the right techniques.

Knowing the differences between these four styles and their most common techniques won’t just make you a more effective writer—you’ll also be a more conscious reader. For example, you’ll be able to readily identify persuasive techniques in advertisements, and easily separate facts from opinions.

In this post, we’ll discuss the four main styles of writing, their traits, common examples, and tips for how you can practice each of them more effectively.

Style 1: Expository Writing

Expository writing is written with the intent of explaining or describing something. (That may seem easy to confuse with descriptive writing, but we’ll clarify the difference in the next section.)

If you’re writing an expository piece, you’ll rely almost exclusively on facts to answer the questions of what, why, and how.

Most forms of journalism, for example, fall under the expository category because the writing is intended to “expose” the facts. It’s also the style being used in this post, because the purpose is to inform you of the four writing styles and their qualities, and not to persuade you to use one over the other.

Other examples of expository writing include:

• News articles • Manuals • How-To/Self-Help books • Textbooks • Research journals and articles • Instructional guides • Cookbooks • Encyclopedia articles • Historical research

If expository writing is your intended style, be careful to avoid inserting your own opinions, which is called editorializing. Unfortunately, this part can sometimes be tricky.

Note, for example, that articles titled “5 Great Benefits of Meditation” or “10 Reasons You Should Start the Keto Diet” carry positive connotations. Even if you reference dozens of facts to support your claim, such articles should still be considered persuasive writing.

Self-help books can also be examples of expository writing, but only when they consist of researched facts. Someone might present an excellent sales pitch for their newly developed diet plan, but if they adorn their facts with persuasive language, we can’t consider their book an expository piece.

To prevent this conflation between expository and persuasive styles, try using neutral phrases, like: “Studies show that meditating five minutes a day is linked to lower blood pressure.”

In this way, you can still list the “benefits” of something, but you’ll leave it to your audience to decide if that’s the right label.

Tips for Solid Expository Writing

• Present facts, not opinions • Answer a what, why, or how question • Reference experts or trusted sources when possible • Leave your personal bias at the door • Include descriptive details, but use neutral adjectives

Style 2: Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing allows much more creative freedom than expository, because writers are free to use imaginative language to describe a subject.

The main purpose of descriptive writing is to paint a picture in the reader’s mind of a person, place, or thing. This is best achieved through imagery and other literary devices, including similes, metaphors , and personification.

While writers have more freedom with the adjectives they choose, some words, such as “beautiful,” might not be the best descriptors. Instead, try to include more sensory details to really paint a picture for your readers.

For example, what makes the girl “beautiful”? Is it her thick, raven hair? Her melodic laughter? The loping way she walks? These details help create a more vivid image in the reader’s mind, as opposed to simple adjectives that can be open to interpretation.

By being as detailed as possible, descriptive writing can pull readers into an experience. This makes it an ideal style for many forms of fiction, including poems and songs.

Other examples of descriptive writing include:

• Personal diaries • Travel journals • Product descriptions in catalogs

Writers should take care to not overwhelm their readers with adjectives, however. Piling detail on top of detail can start to feel ridiculous. Focus instead on using powerful language to describe a handful of details that really help build the image. Literary devices like similes or metaphors can also be great alternatives to laundry lists of adjectives.

Tips for Solid Descriptive Writing

• Use sensory details: don’t just tell readers how something looks; when possible, tell them how it feels, sounds, smells, moves, or tastes • Use literary devices, such as similes and metaphors • Don’t overdo it—sometimes a little can go a long way

Style 3: Narrative Writing

Narrative writing includes most novels and works of fiction. Unlike most poems or other types of descriptive writing, narrative style involves a much more developed plot and characters.

To develop a plot, you’ll have to think about many factors: the setting, the characters, the main conflict, the resolution, the timeline, and the relationship between all of these.

Whereas descriptive writing can be considered a window through which we can view a character or thing, narrative writing should typically present the full picture.

Other examples of narrative writing include:

• Novels • Film or television screenplays • Epic poems • Memoirs • Short stories • Fables

It is worth noting that narrative writing isn’t limited to just fictitious content. Even stories of real-life events, along with memoirs and biographies, can be considered narrative writing so long as they tell a story with a plot, character(s), and setting.

While it would require another post to tell you everything about writing a great novel , here are some things to remember when starting to write a narrative:

• Take time to develop your storyline and characters, complete with a conflict, resolution, and setting • Think about the sequence of events and how everything will flow • Determine the point of view —whose story will it be?

Style 4: Persuasive Writing

Persuasive techniques are often used by politicians, salespeople, critics, and—most likely—by you, if you’ve ever wanted to convince someone of something.

Unlike expository writing, persuasive writing can demonstrate the writer’s biases and opinions. However, using facts to support your ideas and claims can be a very effective technique.

The goal of persuasive writing is to get the reader to take action—by agreeing with you, by voting a certain way, by buying a product, or by giving you whatever it is you’re asking for.

Examples of Persuasive Writing include:

• Editorials • Policy proposals • Advertisements and marketing • Cover letters

It’s not enough to simply tell readers what you want and what you think; unless you’re their customer, you’re going to have to appeal to them on a deeper level.

Persuasive Writing Tips and Techniques

Appeal to ethics (aka ethos ): Refer to an expert or respected authority in the field to demonstrate credibility in your argument. Appeal to emotion (aka pathos ): Use a powerful anecdote or passionate plea to get an emotional response from your audience. Appeal to logic (aka logos ): Use reason to appeal to your audience through indisputable facts or statistics. Cite your sources: Prove that your information is reliable and give your readers access to more information. Consider your audience’s needs and wants: By appealing to their needs and wants, they will feel personally invested in the issue.

Learning to master these persuasive techniques can help you with your writing, as well as your professional goals. Try using them in your next cover letter or marketing proposal!

Practice These Writing Styles

While you probably prefer some of these styles over the others, practicing every type can keep great writers on their toes. Check out some of our helpful writing exercises to keep your writing game at its best!

What is your favorite writing style? Feel free to share in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

• 10 Creative Writing Exercises for Beginners and Writers
• How Writing Prompts Can Boost Your Creative Writing Skills
• Find Your Hook: How to Engage Your Readers When Your Topic Is Boring
• Weasel Words: Get Rid of These Words to Improve Your Writing

As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.

This is a great piece!

Very nice and helpful.

Thanks, Ruth! We’re glad you found it helpful.

Learn More About

• Fiction (223)
• Nonfiction (71)
• Blogging (46)
• Book Promotion (28)
• How to Get Reviews (9)
• Audiobooks (17)
• Book Design (11)
• Ebook Publishing (13)
• Hybrid Publishing (8)
• Print Publishing (9)
• Self Publishing (70)
• Traditional Publishing (53)
• How to Find an Editor (11)
• Fitness (4)
• Mindfulness and Meditation (7)
• Miscellaneous (116)
• New Releases (17)
• Career Development (73)
• Online Courses (46)
• Productivity (45)
• Personal Finance (21)
• Podcast (179)
• Poetry Awards Contest (2)
• Publishing News (8)
• Readers Choice Awards (5)
• Reading Tips (145)
• Software (17)
• Technology (15)
• Contests (4)
• Grammar (59)
• Word Choice (64)
• Writing a Book (62)
• Writing Fiction (195)
• Writing Nonfiction (68)

• school Campus Bookshelves
• menu_book Bookshelves
• perm_media Learning Objects
• login Login
• how_to_reg Request Instructor Account
• hub Instructor Commons
• Download Page (PDF)
• Download Full Book (PDF)
• Periodic Table
• Physics Constants
• Scientific Calculator
• Reference & Cite
• Tools expand_more
• Readability

selected template will load here

This action is not available.

1.1: Types of Writing Styles

• Last updated
• Save as PDF
• Page ID 5786

• Robing Jeffrey
• Klamath Community College

There are four main types of writing: expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative. Each of these writing styles is used for a specific purpose. A single text may include more than one writing style.

Expository writing is one of the most common types of writing. When an author writes in an expository style, all they are trying to do is explain a concept, imparting information from themselves to a wider audience. Expository writing does not include the author’s opinions, but focuses on accepted facts about a topic, including statistics or other evidence.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\):

Examples of Expository Writing

• How-to articles
• News stories (not editorials or Op-Eds)
• Business, technical, or scientific writing

DESCRIPTIVE

Descriptive writing is often found in fiction, though it can make an appearance in nonfiction as well (for example, memoirs, first-hand accounts of events, or travel guides). When an author writes in a descriptive style, they are painting a picture in words of a person, place, or thing for their audience. The author might employ metaphor or other literary devices in order to describe the author’s impressions via their five senses (what they hear, see, smell, taste, or touch). But the author is not trying to convince the audience of anything or explain the scene – merely describe things as they are.

Example \(\PageIndex{2}\):

Examples of Descriptive Writing

• Journal/diary writing
• Descriptions of Nature
• Fictional novels or plays

Persuasive writing is the main style of writing you will use in academic papers. When an author writes in a persuasive style, they are trying to convince the audience of a position or belief. Persuasive writing contains the author’s opinions and biases, as well as justifications and reasons given by the author as evidence of the correctness of their position. Any “argumentative” essay you write in school should be in the persuasive style of writing.

Example \(\PageIndex{3}\):

Examples of Persuasive Writing

• Cover letters
• Op-Eds and Editorial newspaper articles
• Reviews of items
• Letters of complaint
• Advertisements
• Letters of recommendation

Narrative writing is used in almost every longer piece of writing, whether fiction or nonfiction. When an author writes in a narrative style, they are not just trying to impart information, they are trying to construct and communicate a story, complete with characters, conflict, and settings.

Example \(\PageIndex{4}\):

Examples of Narrative Writing

• Oral histories
• Novels/Novellas
• Poetry (especially epic sagas or poems)
• Short Stories

Informative Speeches — Types, Topics, and Examples

What is an informative speech?

An informative speech uses descriptions, demonstrations, and strong detail to explain a person, place, or subject. An informative speech makes a complex topic easier to understand and focuses on delivering information, rather than providing a persuasive argument.

Types of informative speeches

The most common types of informative speeches are definition, explanation, description, and demonstration.

A definition speech explains a concept, theory, or philosophy about which the audience knows little. The purpose of the speech is to inform the audience so they understand the main aspects of the subject matter.

An explanatory speech presents information on the state of a given topic. The purpose is to provide a specific viewpoint on the chosen subject. Speakers typically incorporate a visual of data and/or statistics.

The speaker of a descriptive speech provides audiences with a detailed and vivid description of an activity, person, place, or object using elaborate imagery to make the subject matter memorable.

A demonstrative speech explains how to perform a particular task or carry out a process. These speeches often demonstrate the following:

How to do something

How to make something

How to fix something

How something works

How to write an informative speech

Regardless of the type, every informative speech should include an introduction, a hook, background information, a thesis, the main points, and a conclusion.

Introduction

An attention grabber or hook draws in the audience and sets the tone for the speech. The technique the speaker uses should reflect the subject matter in some way (i.e., if the topic is serious in nature, do not open with a joke). Therefore, when choosing an attention grabber, consider the following:

What’s the topic of the speech?

What’s the occasion?

Who’s the audience?

What’s the purpose of the speech?

Common Attention Grabbers (Hooks)

Ask a question that allows the audience to respond in a non-verbal way (e.g., a poll question where they can simply raise their hands) or ask a rhetorical question that makes the audience think of the topic in a certain way yet requires no response.

Incorporate a well-known quote that introduces the topic. Using the words of a celebrated individual gives credibility and authority to the information in the speech.

Offer a startling statement or information about the topic, which is typically done using data or statistics. The statement should surprise the audience in some way.

Provide a brief anecdote that relates to the topic in some way.

Present a “what if” scenario that connects to the subject matter of the speech.

Identify the importance of the speech’s topic.

Starting a speech with a humorous statement often makes the audience more comfortable with the speaker.

Include any background information pertinent to the topic that the audience needs to know to understand the speech in its entirety.

The thesis statement shares the central purpose of the speech.

Demonstrate

Preview the main ideas that will help accomplish the central purpose. Typically, informational speeches will have an average of three main ideas.

Body paragraphs

Apply the following to each main idea (body) :

Identify the main idea ( NOTE: The main points of a demonstration speech would be the individual steps.)

Provide evidence to support the main idea

Explain how the evidence supports the main idea/central purpose

Transition to the next main idea

Review or restate the thesis and the main points presented throughout the speech.

Much like the attention grabber, the closing statement should interest the audience. Some of the more common techniques include a challenge, a rhetorical question, or restating relevant information:

Provide the audience with a challenge or call to action to apply the presented information to real life.

Detail the benefit of the information.

Close with an anecdote or brief story that illustrates the main points.

Leave the audience with a rhetorical question to ponder after the speech has concluded.

Detail the relevance of the presented information.

Before speech writing, brainstorm a list of informative speech topic ideas. The right topic depends on the type of speech, but good topics can range from video games to disabilities and electric cars to healthcare and mental health.

Informative speech topics

Some common informative essay topics for each type of informational speech include the following:

Informative speech examples

The following list identifies famous informational speeches:

“Duties of American Citizenship” by Theodore Roosevelt

“Duty, Honor, Country” by General Douglas MacArthur

“Strength and Dignity” by Theodore Roosevelt

Explanation

“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” by Patrick Henry

“The Decision to Go to the Moon” by John F. Kennedy

“We Shall Fight on the Beaches” by Winston Churchill

Description

“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Pearl Harbor Address” by Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“Luckiest Man” by Lou Gehrig

Demonstration

The Way to Cook with Julia Child

This Old House with Bob Vila

Bill Nye the Science Guy with Bill Nye

• Games, topic printables & more
• The 4 main speech types
• Example speeches
• Commemorative
• Declamation
• Demonstration
• Informative
• Introduction
• Student Council
• Speech topics
• Poems to read aloud
• How to write a speech
• Using props/visual aids
• Acute anxiety help
• Breathing exercises
• Letting go - free e-course
• Using self-hypnosis
• Delivery overview
• 4 modes of delivery
• How to make cue cards
• How to read a speech
• 9 vocal aspects
• Vocal variety
• Diction/articulation
• Pronunciation
• Speaking rate
• How to use pauses
• Eye contact
• Body language
• Voice image
• Voice health
• Public speaking activities and games
• About me/contact
• Types of speeches

The 4 types of speeches

Informative, demonstrative, persuasive and special occasion.

By:  Susan Dugdale  | Last modified: 01-31-2024

There are four main types of speeches or types of public speaking.

• Demonstrative
• Special occasion or Entertaining

To harness their power a speaker needs to be proficient in all of them: to understand which speech type to use when, and how to use it for maximum effectiveness.

What's on this page:

An overview of each speech type, how it's used, writing guidelines and speech examples:

• informative
• demonstrative
• special occasion/entertaining
• how, and why, speech types overlap

Return to Top

Informative speeches

An informative speech does as its name suggests: informs. It provides information about a topic. The topic could be a place, a person, an animal, a plant, an object, an event, or a process.

The informative speech is primarily explanatory and educational.

Its purpose is not to persuade or influence opinion one way or the other. It is to provide sufficient relevant material, (with references to verifiable facts, accounts, studies and/or statistics), for the audience to have learned something. 

What they think, feel, or do about the information after they've learned it, is up to them.

This type of speech is frequently used for giving reports, lectures and, sometimes for training purposes. 

Examples of informative speech topics:

• the number, price and type of dwellings that have sold in a particular suburb over the last 3 months
• the history of the tooth brush
• how trees improves air quality in urban areas
• a brief biography of Bob Dylan
• the main characteristics of Maine Coon cats
• the 1945 US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• the number of, and the work of local philanthropic institutions
• the weather over the summer months
• the history of companion planting 
• how to set up a new password
• how to work a washing machine

Click this link if you'd like more informative topic suggestions .  You'll find hundreds of them.

And this link to find out more about the 4 types of informative speeches : definition, description, demonstration and explanation. (Each with an example outline and topic suggestions.)  

Demonstration, demonstrative or 'how to' speeches

A demonstration speech is an extension of an informative process speech. It's a 'how to' speech, combining informing with demonstrating.

The topic process, (what the speech is about), could either be demonstrated live or shown using visual aids.

The goal of a demonstrative speech is to teach a complete process step by step.

It's found everywhere, all over the world: in corporate and vocational training rooms, school classrooms, university lecture theatres, homes, cafes... anywhere where people are either refreshing or updating their skills. Or learning new ones.

Knowing to how give a good demonstration or 'how to' speech is a very valuable skill to have, one appreciated by everybody.

Examples of 'how to' speech topics are:

• how to braid long hair
• how to change a car tire
• how to fold table napkins
• how to use the Heimlich maneuver
• how to apply for a Federal grant
• how to fill out a voting form
• how to deal with customer complaints
• how to close a sale
• how to give medicine to your cat without being scratched to bits! 

Resources for demonstration speeches

1 . How to write a demonstration speech   Guidelines and suggestions covering:

• choosing the best topic : one aligning with your own interests, the audience's, the setting for the speech and the time available to you
• how to plan, prepare and deliver your speech - step by step guidelines for sequencing and organizing your material plus a printable blank demonstration speech outline for you to download and complete  
• suggestions to help with delivery and rehearsal . Demonstration speeches can so easily lurch sideways into embarrassment. For example: forgetting a step while demonstrating a cake recipe which means it won't turn out as you want it to. Or not checking you've got everything you need to deliver your speech at the venue and finding out too late, the very public and hard way, that the lead on your laptop will not reach the only available wall socket. Result. You cannot show your images.

2.  Demonstration speech sample outline   This is a fully completed outline of a demonstration speech. The topic is 'how to leave an effective voice mail message' and  the sample covers the entire step by step sequence needed to do that.

There's a blank printable version of the outline template to download if you wish and a YouTube link to a recording of the speech.

3.  Demonstration speech topics   4 pages of 'how to' speech topic suggestions, all of them suitable for middle school and up.

Persuasive speeches

The goal of a persuasive speech is to convince an audience to accept, or at the very least listen to and consider, the speaker's point of view.

To be successful the speaker must skillfully blend information about the topic, their opinion, reasons to support it and their desired course of action, with an understanding of how best to reach their audience.

Everyday examples of persuasive speeches

Common usages of persuasive speeches are:

• what we say when being interviewed for a job
• presenting a sales pitch to a customer
• political speeches - politicians lobbying for votes,
• values or issue driven speeches e.g., a call to boycott a product on particular grounds, a call to support varying human rights issues: the right to have an abortion, the right to vote, the right to breathe clean air, the right to have access to affordable housing and, so on.

Models of the persuasive process

The most frequently cited model we have for effective persuasion is thousands of years old.  Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, 384–322 BC , explained it as being supported by three pillars: ethos, pathos and logos. 

Briefly, ethos is the reliability and credibility of the speaker. How qualified or experienced are they talk on the topic? Are they trustworthy? Should we believe them? Why?

Pathos is the passion, emotion or feeling you, the speaker, bring to the topic. It's the choice of language you use to trigger an emotional connection linking yourself, your topic and the audience together, in a way that supports your speech purpose.

(We see the echo of Pathos in words like empathy: the ability to understand and share the feels of another, or pathetic: to arouse feelings of pity through being vulnerable and sad.)

Logos is related to logic. Is the information we are being presented logical and rational? Is it verifiable? How is it supported? By studies, by articles, by endorsement from suitably qualified and recognized people?

To successfully persuade all three are needed. For more please see this excellent article:  Ethos, Pathos, Logos: 3 Pillars of Public Speaking and Persuasion 

Monroe's Motivated Sequence of persuasion

Another much more recent model is Monroe's Motivated Sequence based on the psychology of persuasion.

It consists of five consecutive steps: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization and action and was developed in the 1930s by American Alan H Monroe, a lecturer in communications at Purdue University. The pattern is used extensively in advertising, social welfare and health campaigns.

Resources for persuasive speeches

1.   How to write a persuasive speech Step by step guidelines covering:

• speech topic selection
• setting speech goals
• audience analysis
• empathy and evidence
• balance and obstacles
• 4 structural patterns to choose from

2. A persuasive speech sample outline using Monroe's Motivated Sequence

3. An example persuasive speech written using Monroe's Motivated Sequence  

4.  Persuasive speech topics : 1032+ topic suggestions which includes 105 fun persuasive ideas , like the one below.☺ 

Special occasion or entertaining speeches

The range of these speeches is vast: from a call 'to say a few words' to delivering a lengthy formal address.

This is the territory where speeches to mark farewells, thanksgiving, awards, birthdays, Christmas, weddings, engagements and anniversaries dwell, along with welcome, introduction and thank you speeches, tributes, eulogies and commencement addresses. 

In short, any speech, either impromptu or painstakingly crafted, given to acknowledge a person, an achievement, or an event belongs here.

You'll find preparation guidelines, as well as examples of many special occasion speeches on my site.

Resources for special occasion speeches

How to prepare:

• an acceptance speech , with an example acceptance speech 
• a birthday speech , with ongoing links to example 18th, 40th and 50th birthday speeches
• an office party Christmas speech , a template with an example speech
• an engagement party toast , with 5 examples
• a eulogy or funeral speech , with a printable eulogy planner and access to 70+ eulogy examples
• a farewell speech , with an example (a farewell speech to colleagues)
• a golden (50th) wedding anniversary speech , with an example speech from a husband to his wife
• an impromptu speech , techniques and templates for impromptu speaking, examples of one minute impromptu speeches with a printable outline planner, plus impromptu speech topics for practice
• an introduction speech for a guest speaker , with an example
• an introduction speech for yourself , with an example
• a maid of honor speech for your sister , a template, with an example
• a retirement speech , with an example from a teacher leaving to her students and colleagues
• a student council speech , a template, with an example student council president, secretary and treasurer speech
• a Thanksgiving speech , a template, with an example toast
• a thank you speech , a template, with an example speech expressing thanks for an award, also a business thank you speech template
• a tribute (commemorative) speech , with a template and an example speech
• a welcome speech for an event , a template, an example welcome speech for a conference, plus a printable welcome speech planner
• a welcome speech for new comers to a church , a template with an example speech
• a welcome speech for a new member to the family , a template with an example

Speech types often overlap

Because speakers and their speeches are unique, (different content, purposes, and audiences...), the four types often overlap. While a speech is generally based on one principal type it might also have a few of the features belonging to any of the others. 

For example, a speech may be mainly informative but to add interest, the speaker has used elements like a demonstration of some sort, persuasive language and the brand of familiar humor common in a special occasion speech where everybody knows each other well.

The result is an informative 'plus' type of speech. A hybrid! It's a speech that could easily be given by a long serving in-house company trainer to introduce and explain a new work process to employees.  

Related pages:

• how to write a good speech . This is a thorough step by step walk through, with examples, of the general speech writing process. It's a great place to start if you're new to writing speeches. You'll get an excellent foundation to build on.
• how to plan a speech - an overview of ALL the things that need to be considered before preparing an outline, with examples
• how to outline a speech - an overview, with examples, showing how to structure a speech, with a free printable blank speech outline template to download
• how to make and use cue cards  - note cards for extemporaneous speeches 
• how to use props (visual aids)    

And for those who would like their speeches written for them:

• commission me to write for you

speaking out loud 

Subscribe for  FREE weekly alerts about what's new For more see  speaking out loud  

Top 10 popular pages

• Welcome speech
• Demonstration speech topics
• Impromptu speech topic cards
• Thank you quotes
• Impromptu public speaking topics
• Farewell speeches
• Phrases for welcome speeches
• Student council speeches
• Free sample eulogies

From fear to fun in 28 ways

A complete one stop resource to scuttle fear in the best of all possible ways - with laughter.

Useful pages

• Search this site
• About me & Contact
• Blogging Aloud
• Free e-course
• Privacy policy

©Copyright 2006-24 www.write-out-loud.com

Designed and built by Clickstream Designs

Expository Essay

Types Of Expository Writing

Types of Expository Writing - Definition and Examples

11 min read

People also read

Complete Guide to Expository Essays: Writing Help and Topics

Interesting Expository Essay Topics For Your Next Paper

How to Write an Expository Essay Outline Like a Pro

Free Expository Essay Examples For Students

Ultimate Guide to Writing an Expository Essay About a Person

Learn to Write an Expository Essay About Yourself

Learn the Basics of Crafting an Expository Essay about a Book

Learn to Write Expository Essay About Mental Health - Examples & Tips

How to Write an Expository Essay about Bullying: A Guide

Expository Essay About Dogs: Steps, Examples & Topics

A Guide to Writing an Expository Essay about Education

Expository Essay About Friendship: A Writing Guide

Discover How to Write Expository Essays About Music – A Step-by-Step Guide

Writing an expository essay is quite more difficult than any other type of essay. Creating an impressive essay requires time, thorough research, skills, and knowledge. 

There are 10 main types of expository writing, each of which has a unique objective. They all are similar in nature but serve a different purpose. 

Read on to learn what are the different types of expository writing and what purpose they serve.

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

• 1. Expository Writing Definition
• 2. What are the Types of Expository Writing?
• 3. Types of Expository Writing Examples
• 4. Tips for Expository Writing

Expository Writing Definition

Expository writing is a genre of writing that is used to explain, describe, inform, or clarify a particular expository essay topic to the reader. 

Unlike other forms of writing that may involve personal opinions or persuasion, the characteristics of expository writing include a focus on providing factual information in a clear and organized manner.

Expository essay writing is a very common form of writing; journals, newspaper articles, and essays usually demonstrate this type of writing.

While writing an expository essay, you need to explain everything in detail to make the idea clear for the reader. You can take help from  expository essay examples  to see what elements make a perfect expository essay.

What are the Types of Expository Writing?

There are 10 types of expository essay writing, including:

• Compare and Contrast Essay 

Cause and Effect Essay

• Problem and Solution Essay 

Process Essay

Definition essay.

• Classification Essay 
• Descriptive Writing
• Exploratory Writing
• Anecdotal Evidence
• Sequential Writing

Let’s take a look at common types of expository writing one by one.

Compare and Contrast Essay

The  compare and contrast essay  is a type of essay in which the writer compares and contrasts two things. The writer compares the similarities between the two selected subjects and contrasts the differences in those subjects. The subjects should belong to the same category.

In the  cause and effect essay , the writer tries to find the cause of something; why did something happen? and what effects it might have. This type of essay has built around the reason that caused something to happen and its possible impacts.

There are two ways to structure a cause and effect essay:

• Block structure:  All the causes are presented first, and then all of their effects.
• Chain structure:  Each of the causes is followed by its effect straight away.

This essay could be based on assumptions or could be based on facts, but either way, they should be validated.

Problem and Solution Essay

In the  problem solution essay , the writer identifies a problem and then proposes its solution. The writer examines the particular subject from various aspects and perspectives prior to providing a solution. This essay is somewhat similar to the cause and effect essay.

The process essay refers to the process of something, i.e., how to make an apple pie. This type of writing includes a step-by-step process of making or doing something.

This is how you write a process essay; it provides the complete process of doing something. The goal is to provide the process in such a way that the reader can follow the sequence without any mistakes.

The  definition essay  is a type of expository essay that gives a complete description of the topic. It explains what the term or the topic of the essay exactly means. Some terms have concrete meanings like glass, book, etc. Whereas some have abstract meanings like love, respect, honor, etc.

The definition essay revolves around explaining the purpose, what, why, and how aspects of the topic of the essay. This essay could start with the dictionary definition and ultimately provide the extended definition.

Classification Essay

Classification essays are a type of expository writing that categorizes and organizes objects, people, ideas, or concepts into distinct groups based on shared characteristics, features, or criteria. The goal is to help readers better understand the relationships and differences between these categories. 

Descriptive Writing 

Descriptive writing is a type of expository writing that aims to paint a vivid picture of a person, place, object, event, or concept in the reader's mind. It uses sensory details and vivid language to create a sensory experience for the audience. 

Exploratory Writing 

Exploratory writing aims to investigate a topic or question from multiple angles, often without taking a definitive stance. It allows the writer and reader to explore various viewpoints and ideas. 

Anecdotal Evidence 

Anecdotal evidence refers to personal stories, individual accounts, or isolated examples that are used to support a claim or argument. While anecdotal evidence can be compelling and relatable, it is based on personal experiences and may not reflect broader trends or realities. 

Sequential Writing 

Sequential writing, also known as chronological writing, involves organising information or events in a clear, time-based order. This approach is often used when presenting a series of actions, or events in a logical sequence, making it easier for readers to understand a process.

Types of Expository Writing Examples

You can use these types of expository writing PDF examples as a guide when writing your own paper. These examples show you what types of information to include and how it all comes together in one cohesive piece.

Types of Expository Writing Middle School

Types of Expository Writing Structure

Expository Writing Examples Pdf

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Tips for Expository Writing

The following are some easy types of expository writing strategies and tips. They will help you write an amazing essay.

• Write your introduction in the most interesting way possible. Start with a hook, thesis statement, or exciting detail to make readers want more.
• Make your essay clear and concise so that it doesn't confuse readers.
• There are many ways to support your topic. You can use facts, data, and authentic sources.
• It is important to consider the audience of your paper before you start writing.
• Use authoritative sources to gather data for your paper.
• To avoid any errors in the essay, proofread and edit it before submitting it.

As we've explored various types of expository writing, it's clear that each type serves a unique purpose. 

By choosing the right type, you can engage readers and make complex ideas accessible to a wide audience.

Still, if you need help with an expository essay or any other type of essay, you can hire a professional essay writer. 

My PerfectWords.com  is an online writing service that you can rely on for getting quality essay help. 

Our  expository essay writing service has a team of experts that can create a perfect essay in no time. They can cater to all of your expository essay writing needs. From choosing a topic to crafting an expository essay outline to essay writing, they do it all.

So request " write my essay for me online ' and get your essay in no time!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 4 characteristics of expository text.

The four main characteristics of expository text are;

• Informative
• Organization of the text

What are the five elements of expository writing?

The main five elements of expository writing are;

• Topic sentence
• Organization
• Transitions
• Evidence and examples 

How many types of expository writing are there?

There are generally eight common types of expository writing:

• Process/How-To Writing
• Cause and Effect Writing
• Compare and Contrast Writing
• Problem-Solution Writing
• Definition Writing
• Classification Writing

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading