7 MODES OF WRITING: KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
NARRATION AND DESCRIPTION
Points to Remember
1. Focus your narrative on the “story” in your story—
that is, focus on the conflict that defines the plot.
2. Vary the pace of your narrative so that you can
summarize some events quickly and render others
as fully realized scenes.
3. Supply evocative details to help your readers
experience the dramatic development of your
narrative.
4. Establish a consistent point of view so that your
readers know how you have positioned yourself in
you story.
5. Represent the events in you narrative so that you
story makes its point.
PROCESS ANALYSIS
Points to Remember
1. Arrange the steps in your process in an orderly
sequence.
2. Identify and explain the purpose of each of the
steps in the process.
3. Describe the special tools, terms, and tasks
needed to complete the process.
4. Provide warnings, where appropriate, about
the consequences of omitting, reversing, or
overlooking certain steps.
5. Supply illustrations and personal anecdotes to
help clarify aspects of the process.
DIVISION AND CLASSIFICATION
Points to Remember
1. Determine whether you want to (a) explain
an existing system of classification of (b)
create your own system.
2. Divide your subject into smaller categories
by applying the same principle of selection
to each category.
3. Make sure that your division is complete by
establishing separate and consistent types of
categories.
4. Arrange your categories (and the examples
you use to illustrate each category) in a
logical and emphatic sequence.
5. Demonstrate the significance of your system
by calling your readers’ attention to its
significance.
DEFINITION
Points to Remember
1. Remember that you are obligated to define
key terms that you use in your writing—
such as Marxism, alternative medicine,
nontraditional student.
2. Understand your purpose in defining: to
explain, to entertain, to persuade, to set
boundaries, or to establish a standard.
3. Understand how writers construct an
argument from a definition. For example,
by defining the good life or good
government, they argue for that kind of
life or government.
4. Know the several ways of defining: giving
examples, analyzing qualities, attributing
characteristics, defining negatively, using
analogies, and showing function.
5. Learn to use definition in combination
with other strategies, as a basis on which
to build an argument, or as supporting
evidence.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Points to Remember
1. Remember that in human events you can almost
never prove direct, simple, cause and effect
relationships, Qualify your claims.
2. Be careful not to oversimplify your cause and
effect statements, be cautious about saying that a
cause always produces a certain effect of that a
remedy never succeeds.
3. Distinguish between the immediate, obvious
cause of something and more long range, less
apparent causes for that effect.
4. Avoid confusing coincidence or simple sequence
with cause and effect; because B follows A
doesn’t mean that A caused B.
5. Build your cause-and-effect argument as a trial
lawyer would. Present as much evidence as you
can and argue for your hypothesis.
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
Points to Remember
1. Decide whether you want the pattern of your
comparison to focus on the complete units
(divided) or specific features (alternating).
2. Consider the possibility of combining the two
patterns.
3. Determine which subject should be placed in
the first position and why.
4. Arrange the points of your comparison in a
logical balanced, and dramatic sequence.
5. Make sure you introduce and clarify the
reasons for making your comparison.
ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION
Points to Remember
1. Remember that in order to argue well, you
must understand your audience and know
your purpose.
2. Understand the three principal kinds of
appeal emotional appeal, the appeal to
intelligence and reason; and ethical appeal,
the appeal from the character and
competence of the author. The most
effective arguments combine all three.
3. Construct an argument as a lawyer would
construct a case to present to a jury; state
your assertions and back them up with
evidence and reason, appealing to your
readers’ intellect and feelings.
4. Always assume your audience is intelligent,
although some members of it may be
uninformed on a particular issue.
5. Avoid three common pitfalls: (a) don’t
overstate your claims, (b) be careful not to
oversimplify complex issues; and (c) support
your arguments with concrete evidence, not
generalizations.