Interpretations of Expository Text

What is Descriptive Writing?

Another type of nonfiction writing is descriptive writing, which is used to describe a person, place, object, or event in a visual way for the reader.

Good descriptive writing can be characterized by the following:

  • precise, vivid details that go beyond the typical description
  • extensive use of sensory details that create a single impression
  • details that enable the reader to envision what the writer is describing

For a better idea of descriptive writing, read the following excerpt from a letter written by Abigail Adams to her daughter about the new and unfinished White House:

The river, which runs up to Alexandria, is in full view of my window, and I see the vessels as they pass and repass. The house is upon a grand and superb scale, requiring about thirty servants to attend and keep the apartments in proper order, and perform the ordinary business of the house and stables; an establishment very well proportioned to the President’s salary. The lighting of the apartments, from the kitchen to parlors and chambers, is a tax indeed; and the fires we are obliged to keep to secure us from daily agues is another very cheering comfort.

Mrs. Adams uses sensory details in her letter to give her daughter a clear picture of what her new home is like. In a few descriptive sentences, Mrs. Adams successfully provides an impression of a large, busy home with warm fires and amazing views.

 

What is Narrative Writing?

Narrative writing, which can be factual or fictional, tells a story or recounts a personal experience. The details in narrative writing should come together to create a central theme.

Narrative writing is usually characterized by the following:

  • story elements such as, plot, characters, and setting
  • clear and consistent point of view, usually first- or third-person narrator
  • dialogue
  • events involving conflict
  • events in chronological order

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