Types of Writing Styles: When and Where to Use Each?

There are literally millions of writing pieces — and plenty of ways to write. However, you can use just four existing writing styles to express your thoughts.

Do you know what style should be used for what matters? Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Expository

Such kind of writing includes tons of facts and not much of storytelling. Its goal is instructing or informing the audience about the topic. It is not supposed to change the reader’s mind.

If you are wondering how to prepare for an exam, or when a specific historical event took place, or where the Polish lavender fields are located, you are likely in search of a piece of expository writing.

The most popular examples include news articles, textbooks, instruction manuals, medical research, cookbooks.

It involves various links, citations, tables to highlight the main points. It typically keeps the instructions short and understandable. You will not find bold opinions or judgments in it, but only straightforward information.

Descriptive

Descriptive writing simply describes something. It often includes metaphors, plenty of adjectives, adverbs, words, and phrases that activate the reader’s senses.

You can often find a descriptive style of writing in poetry, nature writing, and diary entries.

On its own, descriptive writing is typically short — but it also can be used as an element of such lengthier styles, as:

Narrative

Narrative writing usually just tells a story. Its particular feature is a plot with a beginning, middle, and end.

The typical examples of such a writing style are novels, mythology, screenplays, creative nonfiction, etc.

It runs longer than strictly descriptive writing but often includes descriptive passages, like when the author pauses to detail a character’s appearance or a setting’s architecture. The same may sometimes go for expository sections full of facts.

Persuasive

As can be understood from the name, persuasive writing has a goal to persuade the readers to take a particular viewpoint. It builds an argument and presents evidence to support the opinion. Often, it leads to a call for action.

It is mainly used in academic papers, advertisements, product reviews, cover letters, etc.

Persuasive writing can unite and even resemble other styles. For example, political speech sometimes involves narrative elements. And whereas expository writing aims to deliver information, persuasive writing presents facts selectively to build its case.