Compare/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Definition, Argument/Persuasion

Name: ______

Patterns of Discourse

Narrative, Description, Example, Process, Classification/Division,

Compare/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Definition, Argument/Persuasion

Broad Subject:

Narrative / As a rule, narrative essays are personal essays dealing with a significant personal conflict. Narrative essays, like short stories, are organized around a central conflict. The essay develops a series of crises related to the central conflict which culminate in a moment of climax.
Description / Descriptive essays are organized around a dominant impression, usually personal, about some subject. The essay develops through the accumulation of concrete and specific details revealing the subject as it is seen (felt, experienced) by the narrator. Descriptive essays often conclude by emphasizing the personal value and importance of the subject to the narrator.
Example / Expository essays explain the significance, importance, relevance, or value of some topic. An illustration or example essay does this by providing examples in support of a thesis. The thesis provides the reason for discussing the subject, its significance, importance, relevance, or value. The examples illustrate that significance, importance, relevance, or value. Examples, therefore, provide the evidence that "proves" the thesis.
Process / In a process essay, the thesis deals with the significance, importance, relevance, or value of the process. The body of the essay describes the process in detail. Generally, the conclusion of the essay returns to the significance, importance, relevance, or value of the process. For a process essay to be effective to a general audience, the significance, importance, relevance, or value for the reader cannot be isolated to a single location or community--it must, in some sense, be universal.
Classification
/Dvision / The classification essay organizes supporting details into three or more groups with each group having its own identifying characteristics. For this reason, classification essays rely heavily on description and example as supporting details or evidence, description providing the means for identifying distinguishing characteristics and examples illustrating the members of each class. In division essays, writers break down their subjects into parts for the purpose of understanding the subject. The relationship of these parts to the whole is then explained. Division essays often deal with systems and subsystems.
Compare/
Contrast / In the comparison/contrast paper, the significance, importance, relevance, or value of the essay lies in the reason for doing the comparison/contrast, and this is where the thesis will focus attention. If you are writing a comparison/contrast essay, there must be a clear reason for comparing or contrasting the items in the essay.
Cause/
Effect / The cause and effect essay explains why something happened. The cause and effect essay focuses on the relationships between actions, motivations, or attitudes and the consequences which follow. The thesis of the cause and effect essay focuses on the significance, importance, relevance, or value of those consequences.
Definition / A definition essay defines the characteristics of a thing. In simplest terms, it defines what something is.
Argument / Persuasion / In one sense, every essay is an argument essay in that the writer is providing evidence in support of a thesis. However, writers generally see argument essays as essays that seek either a change in behavior or a re-orientation in thinking. Argumentative pieces are usually classified as: debate, Rogerian, or persuasive.