FORMAL & INFORMAL ESSAYS CHARACTERISTIC Authors viewpoint INFORMAL ESSAY Usually first person Directly addresses reader

er Frequently drawn from life of the writer and everyday events FORMAL ESSAY Usually uses thirdperson and does not address the reader More commonly drawn from shared historical events or literature or other forms of knowledge Frequently more Tends to be removed personal and subjective from the subject and appears to be objective May be ironic, amusing, thoughtful, angry or May be ironic, serious amusing, thoughtful, angry, or serious, but tends to hold emotions in check and express concerns through strong arguments and powerful rhetorical devices Appears more loosely Follows a fairly rigid structured structure that focuses on the development of one clear argument at a time to support a clearly stated thesis May appear anywhere in Usually stated explicitly the essay Usually located in the May not be explicitly 1st or 2nd paragraph stated A number of stylistic A number of stylistic devices used to engage devices likely used to the reader engage the reader Vocabulary tends to be Vocabulary tends to be drawn from everyday more academic and usage may contain some unfamiliar words Entertainment, gentle Provokes thought, reflection serious reflection, and sometimes action

Subject/Content (sources of evidence)

Tone

Structure

Location of Thesis

Style

Purpose

TYPES OF ESSAYS
1. Expository Essay: inform, explain, clarify, define or instruct. Describes or

explains a topic. For example, an essay entitled The Care and Maintenance of a Bicycle would be an expository essay. The general characteristics of expository writing include:

focus on main topic logical supporting facts details, explanations, and examples strong organization clarity unity and coherence logical order smooth transitions

Expository writing appears in and is not limited to letters, newsletters, definitions, instructions, guidebooks, catalogues, newspaper articles, magazine articles, manuals, pamphlets, reports and research papers.
2. The Narrative Essay: Uses a single, well-told story as the basis for drawing a

conclusion or making a statement of opinion. For example, My Most Exciting Bicycling Adventure would be a narrative essay. The general characteristics of narrative writing include:

plot structure o introduction o rising action o climax o falling action o resolution conflict characterization setting theme point of view sequencing transition

Narrative writing appears in and is not limited to novels, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, historical accounts, essays, poems, and plays.