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The Four Main Types of Essays Used in College

Most agree that there are four major types: narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. It is important to realize, however, that these are broad categories that encompass a number of more precise styles. For example, a definition coursework could be classified in a broader sense as a narrative or descriptive piece, dependent on the context in which information is included. However, before any approach is taken, the student must first determine which type of style will best suit their needs. And to do so, you must first be aware of the purposes intended for these four types.

Narrative: Storytelling

The narrative approach which characterizes narrative context is best defined as storytelling. In a narrative essay a story is told based on real-life experiences or those of others they have witnessed. The story should be as vivid and memorable as possible, and used as a means to express/prove the author’s thesis or overall point of view.

Descriptive: Painting a Picture

The descriptive essay is not totally dissimilar to the narrative style. Both convey their intentions by presenting the explanatory model with descriptive information by means of descriptive words and phrases, and both can be utilized as approaches to constructing a definition paper. When a person describes people, places, events, etc. in a way that is memorable and thought-provoking, readers typically understand the basis of such papers and are far more likely to acknowledge the author’s point of view.

Expository: Balance View

A properly written expository essay is extremely dissimilar to other works such as definition works. An expository piece is, in fact, used to present a balanced view of the characteristics present in the topic of the paper. Additionally, the expository assignment is far-removed from narrative, descriptive, and definition works in that it typically presents expository facts in a concise manner, with very few embellishments added by the author.

Persuasive: Presents Facts

The persuasive essay is similar to the expository paper in that it presents facts in a detached manner in order to prove a thesis and inform readers of supportable evidence proving the author’s overall point of view. However, a persuasive piece should simply identify facts relevant to the chosen subject matter in most cases; while the persuasive paper attempts to present supportable facts in order to convince readers of the thesis points and relative opinions.

All these major types of essays should be fully understood and contemplated by the author in order to utilize the best available approach to the construction of their paper.