MODES OF DISCOURSE

Descriptive Narrative Expository Argumentative Persuasive

Examples of ● Novels, short ● Novels, short stories ● Educational texts ● Debates ● Speeches
use stories ● ‘How-to’ guides e.g. ● ‘How-to’ guides ● Academic essays ● Advertisements
recipes ● Informative brochures ● Editorial articles

Purpose of To describe, give a metal To narrate, tell a story, To explain, inform, educate, To argue, to assess, to criticize, To convince, motivate, inspire,
Discourse impression of something identify events in their highlight, identify to convince
sequence
Appeals to… ● Senses ● Imagination ● Logic ● Logic ● Emotion
● Imagination ● Logic

Commonly ● Spatial ordering ● Temporal ordering ● Analysis ● Analysis ● Analysis

used ● Anecdotes
organisational ● Classification
strategies
● Comparison/Contrast
● Cause and effect
● Illustrations
● Definition
● Process analysis
● Problem/solution
● Anecdotes
● Classification
● Comparison/Contrast
● Cause and effect
● Illustrations
● Definition
● Process analysis
● Problem/solution
● Anecdotes
● Classification
● Comparison/Contrast
● Cause and effect
● Illustrations
● Definition
● Process analysis
● Problem/solution

Commonly ● Appeal to the ● Action verbs ● Neutral tone ● Firm yet rational tone ● Biased, emotional tone
used language senses (use of ● Words and ● Use of denotative ● Use of denotative ● Words that appeal to
techniques imagery) expression that language language emotion
● Adjectives, describe time and ● Reference to statistics ● Reference to statistics ● Repetition
adverbs the passage of time ● Reference to historical ● Reference to historical ● Rhetorical questions
● Connotative data data ● Connotative language
language ● Literary devices
● Literary devices ● Words that suggest
movement