4 Types of Different Writing Styles
There are 4 different types of writing styles. Also with different styles each of them has different forms too. There is a bit of disagreement about how many major forms of writing there are.
Basically, it depends on which source a person turns to, he/she might be told there are only four different styles of writing or might be told there are as many as 12 forms of writing. There isn’t any right or wrong answer to this question as the matter is subjective, but four is the most commonly accepted answer. Here, is a brief discussion of ‘the 4 types of writing’ and, along the way, an explanation of the ways that some choose to further subdivide those forms of writing.
Let’s get started by defining all the major different types of writing.
Each of all four writing genres has a distinct aim, and they all need different types of writing skills. Readers might also have heard them referred to in an academic setting as modes of discourse or rhetorical modes.
Institutions with higher learning explain nine traditional rhetorical modes, however, the majority of pieces everyone is called upon to write will have one of these four main purposes only.
There are four main different types of writing styles. Each has its own distinct purpose.
- Expository – writing in this style signifies explaining or exposing a topic.
- Narrative – writing in this style signifies telling a story.
- Persuasive – writing in this style signifies convincing the reader of something.
- Descriptive – writing in this style signifies creating an image in the reader’s mind.
The key to understanding when and how to use all the above styles is mostly about being aware of what a writer wants to convey to his/her reader.
Thus, there are 4 different types of writing and all are elaborated below as follows;
Narrative writing
The narrative writing style is descriptive and specifies a clear story with a beginning, interval, and end. Many of the writers in the narrative style use foreshadowing and flashbacks as key tools to engage with their audience. They’ll also use characters and dialogue to narrate a complete story. In the workplace, a sales team can use the narrative writing style to give a sales pitch.
Any reader may find writers use the narrative style in:
- Novels
- Short stories
- Memoirs
- Biographies
- Poems
- Screenplays
Descriptive writing
Descriptive writing is primarily focusing on details of things like a group of characters, a setting or an event in all ways. The goal of this writing style is to make the reader feel as if they are actually experiencing the events from the storyline for themselves.
A person may use metaphors and similes to provide vivid images to the reader. With this descriptive language, the reader is better able to use all five senses to imagine a detailed image of the story. Many times, descriptive writings are very personal, subjective, and short.
In the workplace, an example of a descriptive writing style would be the biographies or autobiographies used to introduce an employee or any well-known personality. The descriptive writing style provides information about an event and it incorporates sensory details into the specifics of the event, objects, or things the writer is featuring.
Here are some of the examples of where you may find descriptive writing:
- Poetry
- Personal journals
- Descriptive passages
- Diaries
Persuasive writing style
The persuasive writing style is used to convince the readers or any decision-makers to have faith in the content it is produced. Persuasive writing is basically grounded in research and logical reasoning. Thus, the writer tries to convince the readers to agree with their views, justification, and logical points.
Such a style of writing appeals to the reader’s emotional connection and makes an attempt to persuade them to adopt the writer’s opinions. As the primary objective of persuasive writing is to sway a reader’s thoughts, this style of writing is many times grounded in bias.
The persuasive writing style is used in
- Company brochures
- Advertisements
- Opinion columns
- Business proposals
- Cover letters
- Recommendation letters
- Reviews
Expository writing
The expository writing style uses a very basic technique of writing to inform the reader or describe something to them. Such a style of writing is based on facts and never accounts for a writer’s personal opinions on the subject. Not only this but expository writing answers readers’ questions with the figures and descriptions that support the topic. Expository writing also usually follows a logical order, so it’s quicker and very easy for the reader to understand the content and collect the information they need or want.
A reader can find the expository writing style used in:
- Textbooks and educational articles
- Newsletters
- Instruction manuals
- Business, technical and scientific writing
- Recipes
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