Chapter 3: Complex Rhetorical Modes

Process analysis

is a rhetorical mode that’s used by writers when they want to explain either how to do something or how something was done.

Sequence

is chronological and usually fixed—think of recipes.

Cause and effect

explains the processes responsible for the process.

Description

can help make expository or argumentative writing lively and interesting and hold the reader’s interest, which is vital, of course.

narrative

is a story in which pieces of information are arranged in chronological order. 

Narration

can be an effective expository technique.

Induction

is a process in which specific examples are used to reach a general conclusion.

Deduction

involves the use of a generalization to draw a conclusion about a specific case.