Writing Assignment Types
Four General Purposes
When we have something to say and we sit down to express it through the written word, we are not usually thinking why we’re writing or what techniques we’re employing. We’re focused, instead, on a particular message we feel compelled to communicate.
In general, we write to entertain, to express our feelings, to explain something, or to persuade our readers to think or feel as we do about some subject or another. Even though these purposes are not singular or isolated and often overlap, one of them pushes ahead of the rest and drives our choices for tone, vocabulary, supporting details, and examples.
Exposition
Exposition comes from a Latin word meaning “to explain or set forth.” In this course, we focus on expository writing, meaning our purpose is to explain and to inform.
Using examples, facts, and other evidence, we want to make an idea, concept, or process clear to our readers so they will understand it the way we do.
Argument
Similarly, argumentative writing also uses examples, facts, and other evidence. Instead of informing and explaining, however, our purpose is to persuade readers to think or feel the way we do.
Of course, we often must explain and inform in order to lay a foundation for an argument, but our intent is to convince readers to at least consider a topic from our point of view. We don’t want to educate them and stop there. We want to take them to an additional level and convince them.
Typical Assignments
Both expository and argumentative assignments often ask for specific structures and strategies. Depending on the way the question is posed to you, your essay will take on different forms.
The following words often appear in writing assignment prompts and are likely to direct the way you think about your essay topic:
Discuss…
Describe…
Analyze…
Report…
Interpret…
Explain…
Define…
Evaluate…
Argue…
Responses