Identifying the Four Different Writing Styles

Identifying Writing Styles:
The definitions of these words can help you to quickly categorise writing into one of them.

(1) Expository: Also called informative writing, this style of writing attempts to relay facts for the sole purpose of spreading information. Expository writing's main purpose is to explain.


The writer does not impart his or her opinion, attempt to make a subjective reflection, or offer a description from a particular point of view. This type of writing is common to textbooks, research papers, news stories, encyclopedias, and instruction manuals.

(2) Persuasive: Also referred to as argumentative writing, persuasive writing attempts to convince a reader of a certain idea or position on an issue. Persuasive writing's main purpose is to convince. Unlike expository writing, persuasive writing contains the opinions and biases of the author.

This writing is characterised by its focus on arguments supported through reasoning and facts. Persuasive writing does not include writing that merely states what other people's opinions are without adding their own commentary. For example, news articles that explain presidential candidates opinions on an issue is not persuasive but expository. Persuasive writing is common to editorials, speeches, business ideas, complaints, critiques, and reviews.

(3) Descriptive: This writing style attempts to describe a particular action, object, person, place, event, or sense. In contrast to expository writing, it's description is often more romantic, extraordinarily detailed, personal, and subjective. Descriptive writing's main purpose is to describe.

However, it's main goal is to allow the reader to sense, see, and feel everything that a particular phenomenon evoked in the writer. To distinguish between an expository and descriptive explanation, evaluate whether the writing is more personal or distant. Distant writing is expository while personal writing is descriptive. An expository description of the moon, for instance, will state it's size, perceived colour, consistency, and sound relatively scientific. A descriptive writer will describe all of that but also relate the emotions felt, state the memories summoned, compare it to cheese, ponder at its mysteriousness, assign it unique and arguable characteristics, and perhaps even observe some introspective truth. Descriptive writing truly attempts to captivate the reader. The descriptive type of writing is common to poetry, diaries, parts of larger stories, and love letters.

(4) Narrative: The author attempts to tell a story in narrative writing complete with characters, actions, dialogue, plot, and setting. Narrative writing's main purpose is to tell a story.

It is usually fictional, but can be non-fictional as well if presented correctly. For example, a documentary on the end of the Aztecs may be narrative if it elaborates on relationships, events, mentions impact, subtly speculates, and chooses specific facts to add to the story. In narrative writing, the story is central, not the facts. It will feel more like a story in which the Aztec Empire happened to crumble. An expository writing on the fall of the Aztecs will present all contributing reasons but will not endeavour to tell a story; it will sound like a textbook. A persuasive paper on the fall of the Aztecs will argue a point throughout such as which factor was most important, whether it was inevitable, etc. Narrative writing focuses on telling a story and is often found in novels, screen scripts, plays, stories, and legends.