a pattern of essay development in which a writer attempts to support a controversial point or to defend a position on which there is difference of opinion
audience
the group of readers for whom the writer writes; purpose and audience must always be kept in mind when writing (to write effectively), and when analyzing pieces of writing (to understand correctly)
cause and effect
a pattern of essay development in which the causes and/or effects of an event are analyzed; form of exposition
comparison and contrast
a pattern of essay development in which two or more things are compared or contrasted; form of exposition
definition
a pattern of essay development in which a term or concept is defined; form of exposition
description
a pattern of essay development: verbal picture of a person, place, or thing
division and classification
a pattern of essay development; form of exposition
examples
a pattern of essay development in which a writer provides examples that support his/her point; form of exposition
exposition
an essay form in which the writer provides information about and explains a certain subject; examples, process, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, definition, and division and classification are forms of exposition
first-person point of view
writing of one’s own experience and speaking in one’s own voice, using "I’ and "we"; often considered too informal for college writing, except in narration
narration
a pattern of essay development: a story told of a past event
peer review
evaluation of a student’s piece of writing by a classmate or other student
personal review
self-evaluation of writing, using (for example) the guidelines on the four bases of good writing (unity, support, coherence, sentence skills)
point of view
the stance or approach a writer takes in writing. There are three different points of view in writing: first-person, second-person, and third-person
process
a pattern of essay development in which the procedure for doing or making something is detailed; form of exposition
purpose
a writer’s reason for writing; the three most common purposes in writing are to inform, to persuade, and to entertain
second-person point of view
writing directly to the reader, using "you"
third-person point of view
writing without making direct reference either to oneself or to the reader, using "he," "she," "it," "they," etc.; the most common point of view in academic writing
