4 Types of Essay -Descriptive, Narrative, argumentative and expository Essays
Table of Contents
Writing in itself is an art of words; and just like any other art requires knowledge, information, tactic, and style.
This is why it is important to know the different types of write-ups/ essays we encounter in everyday life.
The various types of essays include:
Descriptive Essays
As the name implies, descriptive essays are write-ups that tell about a person, activity, place or a group of people.
It is used mainly in writing biographies of people.
To write a descriptive essay, you will need to be knowledgeable about what you intend to describe. This is why biographies are written by close relatives or friends (in the absence of a close relative).
Narrative Essays
This type of essay is commonly used when writing reports of events that occurred. It gives detail about an activity that has happened.
Whenever you read a narrative essay, you could even feel like you were present at the scene of the event.
Hence, narrative essays are usually written by eyewitnesses to an event. It is called an “eye witness’ statement”.
This is commonly used in the court of law, and is sometimes required by police departments.
It may be required by committees of schools and other institutions following an event in which further action may be required.
To write a narrative essay, you will need to take note of the following:
- Time of the event.
The time an event occurred is very essential when reviewing cases. If you cannot remember the exact time, you may state the period of the day the event occurred. - People present at the scene.
You will also need to take note of everyone present at the scene of the event. You will need to note what they wore, their age group – young, middle-aged or elderly, approximate height, and approximate age if possible. - The sequence of events.
This sequence is very important in judging cases.
For example, if you are narrating what happened at the roadside when an accident occurred, you will need to state how both cars were moving, which car probably deviated, and what happened afterwards in that sequence.
Sequence is important to avoid implicating yourself and others when narrating an experience. - Other things like objects present at the scene, words used that you can remember, etc will be included in your essay.
Argumentative Essay
This forms a major part of day to day conversations. Argumentative essays try to prove a point by the constructive use of words.
They are used majorly in debates, especially between lawyers. Take note of the following when writing or getting involved in an argumentative essay.
- Assume you are giving a debate and give the address you would have given to the panel of judges, timekeeper, and co debaters.
In some cases, this panel may not be present, but you will need to recognize the office of whoever will judge the case.
If this is in the court, you’ll hear phrases like “Your honour” or “My Lord” - There is always a notion for the argument. Be sure to state the notion, then state whether you are arguing for or against the notion. Do not change the notion to suit your argument.
For example; if a notion states “females are better than males”, and you are arguing that this notion is true, you simply say – I am here to support the notion that “females are better than males”.
If you are arguing against the notion, do not say – “I am here to argue that males are better than females”. Instead, say I am here to argue against the notion that “females are better than males”.
Notions are used commonly in debate competitions. - Be polite in your use of words. While trying to prove a point, be sure not to use abusive words against your opponent.
- Be factual. Ensure that every point you raise within the course of the argument is correct. If you raise an incorrect point, it may be used against you by your opponent.
Expository essay
Expository essays aim to explain a concept, an idea, or a topic. They talk about a topic in a very detailed format, as such; they may be longer than other types of essays.
Articles like this can fall under expository essays as it tells more about a topic.
When writing this type of essay, you must be sure to highlight all the important points and explain them in the shortest way possible.
Generally, use of language and tone plays a great role in writing. The aim of writing is to communicate, and any writing we make irrespective of type, must serve this purpose.
Hope you enjoyed reading the post on 4 Types of Essay which are Descriptive, Narrative, argumentative and expository Essays? Kindly use the comment box below for your comments.