Descriptive, Narrative and Expository Writing

Different purposes require different approaches to writing. Three fundamental forms are descriptive, narrative, and expository writing.

These forms can also be combined.

1. Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing creates a clear picture of a person, place, object, event, or experience.

It answers questions such as:

• What does it look like?
• What does it sound like?
• What does it feel like?
• What is its atmosphere?
• What characteristics make it distinctive?

2. Sensory Description

Effective description may appeal to the five senses:

• sight
• sound
• smell
• taste
• touch

Compare:

The market was busy.

with:

Vendors called out to customers while the smell of freshly baked bread mixed with the sounds of traffic and conversation.

The second sentence provides more sensory information.

3. Specificity

Strong description uses precise details.

Instead of:

It was a large building.

we might write:

The four-storey stone building occupied the corner of the square.

Specific details help readers form a clearer mental image.

4. Narrative Writing

Narrative writing tells a story or recounts events.

It commonly involves:

• characters
• setting
• events
• conflict
• sequence
• point of view

Narratives may be fictional or nonfictional.

5. Chronological Order

Narratives frequently follow time order:

First we reached the station. Then the train arrived. A few minutes later, we boarded.

However, writers may deliberately alter chronology through:

• flashbacks
• foreshadowing
• parallel events
• shifts in time

6. Point of View

Narrative writing can use different perspectives.

First person:

I opened the letter.

Third person:

She opened the letter.

The choice of viewpoint affects how readers receive information.

7. Expository Writing

Expository writing explains, informs, or examines a subject.

Common examples include:

• textbooks
• explanatory articles
• reports
• essays
• educational materials

Its purpose is generally to make information understandable.

8. Organization in Expository Writing

Expository writing may use:

• definition
• classification
• comparison and contrast
• cause and effect
• problem and solution
• process explanation
• examples

For example, an article about climate change might explain its causes, effects, evidence, and possible responses.

9. Combining Writing Modes

A single piece of writing can use several modes.

A travel article may:

• describe a city
• narrate a journey
• explain its history

A scientific article may explain a process while using description to clarify its components.

10. Choosing the Appropriate Mode

The writer should ask:

Am I trying to show, tell, explain, or argue?

• Show: descriptive writing
• Tell what happened: narrative writing
• Explain: expository writing
• Convince: argumentative/persuasive writing

Key Principle

Writing mode should follow purpose. Good writers select the structure and language that best serve what they want the reader to understand or experience.