Types of discourse

TYPES OF DISCOURSE

01

Narration is story telling. It involves relating a series of events, usually in a chronological order. Thus, a simple narrative may begin with "Once upon a time . . . " and end with "And they lived happily ever after." The events narrated may be fictional (a made up story) or nonfictional ( the events really occurred).

02

At its simplest, description tells what things are like according to the five senses. A descriptive essay, or a descriptive passage in a story, tells how things look, sound, feel, taste, and smell. Nouns and adjectives can show what a person, place, or thing are like in their material aspects.

Exposition

Exposition is the kind of writing that is used to inform. The prefix "Ex-" comes from Greek through Latin and means "out, or away from." The root of the word comes from the Latin verb ponere which means "to place." So translated literally, exposition means "to place out," and, of course, the thing that is placed out for us to see and understand is information.

04 Argument

The final mode of discourse is argument. The purpose of argument is to convince through logic. An argument is based on a belief or opinion that the writer holds as true. The statement of this opinion is called a "thesis." It is usually presented explicitly near the beginning of the argument

EXAMPLES

“For this particular Thursday game against Stanford, Fleming wears white gloves, a maroon sport coat with brass buttons, and gray slacks. Shiny silver-framed bifocals match the whistle pressed between the lips on his slightly wrinkled face, and he wears freshly polished black shoes so glossy that they reflect the grass he stands on”

Driver's license requirements are set by each state, not the federal government. Therefore, the legal driving age varies from state to state. All states, with the exception of Maine, allow drivers to have unrestricted licenses at the age of 18. Maine's age is 21. Most states allows teenagers as young as 16 to have restricted licenses, usually meaning they can drive as long as they are with a parent or guardian.

“The Olympic symbol consists of five interlocking rings. The rings represent the five continents - Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America - from which athletes come to compete in the games. The rings are colored black blue, green, red, and yellow. At least one of these colors is found in the flag of every country sending athletes to compete in the Olympic games.”

“I was seven years old when I first became aware of the terrible power of guilt. For piling our toys into a box, mother rewarded my brother and me with five shiny pennies. If I had ten pennies instead of five, I could have bought a gingerbread man with raisin eyes and sugar-frosted hair”

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