Purpose

Narration

to explain information about your topic as a series of events in story format

Description

to create a picture of works to help the reader visualize something a writer experiences

process analysis

to explain a process by giving directions about how to do something or how something is done

exemplification/illustration

to discuss a topic by using several examples to go into depth on one extended example

comparison and contrast

to show how two or more areas of your topic are similar or different or both

classification and division

to break a topic into categories and explain what goes together and why they go together

definition

to define a word in a way that ensures the reader and speaker have a common understanding of what it means- then demonstrate how the word does or doesn’t fit that definition

cause and effect

to explain what caused something to happen; answers why something happened as a result of something else