expository vs narrative essay

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Exploring different types of essays: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive.

Welcome to the vibrant world of essays, a realm where words weave realities, narrate tales, invite debate, and enlighten minds. Whether you’re a student, an educator, or a curious learner, understanding the different types of essays is fundamental to mastering the art of written communication. This article delves into the heart of descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive essays, offering insights into their unique characteristics and tips on how to craft them effectively. So, let’s embark on this literary journey together, exploring the diverse landscape of essays.

Understanding Essays

At its core, an essay is a structured piece of writing that presents the author’s argument or perspective on a particular topic. Essays serve as a powerful tool in the arsenal of education and communication, bridging the gap between thought and expression. They encourage critical thinking, creativity, and the development of coherent arguments, making them indispensable in both academic and professional settings. If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by the task at hand, wondering who can write my essay , you’re not alone. This sentiment is shared by many who aim to master the art of essay writing.

Types of Essays

The world of essays is rich and varied, with each type serving a distinct purpose and requiring a unique approach. There are many types of essays . Here, we explore the four main types: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive.

1) Descriptive Essays

Imagine painting with words; that’s what descriptive essays are about. They aim to bring a person, place, thing, or event to life through detailed observation and vivid language. The goal is not just to describe but to evoke the senses, enabling the reader to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste the essence of the subject.

Features of Descriptive Essays

• Vivid Imagery: Use of metaphorical and descriptive language to create vivid images.
• Sensory Details: Inclusion of details that appeal to the five senses.
• Focused on Details: Emphasis on specific details to enhance the reader’s experience.

Descriptive Essay Tips

• Engage the Senses: Make extensive use of sensory details to immerse the reader in the scene.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Use vivid descriptions to show the reader what you’re describing, rather than simply telling them.

2) Narrative Essays

Narrative essays are the storytelling giants of the essay world. They recount a real or imagined event in a way that captivates the reader, often weaving in personal experiences or insights. The narrative essay is not just about telling a story; it’s about crafting a journey that resonates emotionally with the audience.

Key Elements of Narrative Essays

• Plot: The sequence of events in the story.
• Characters: The individuals who play roles in the narrative.
• Setting: The time and place where the story unfolds.
• Point of View: The perspective from which the story is told.

Narrative Essay Tips

• Develop a Strong Narrative Arc: Ensure your story has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• Include Dialogue: Dialogue can add depth to characters and enhance the storytelling.

3) Expository Essays

Expository essays are the informers. They explain, clarify, or instruct, shedding light on a topic in a clear, concise, and logical manner. Unlike descriptive or narrative essays, expository essays are grounded in facts and devoid of personal emotions or opinions.

Structure of Expository Essays

• Introduction: Presents the topic and thesis statement.
• Body: Contains paragraphs that explain the topic in detail.
• Conclusion: Summarizes the information and reinforces the thesis.

Expository Essay Tips

• Stay Objective: Keep your writing free from personal bias or opinion.
• Organize Logically: Present information in a logical order that’s easy for the reader to follow.

4) Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays are the debaters, designed to convince the reader of a particular viewpoint or argument. They require the author to take a stand on an issue, present evidence, and use logic and reason to persuade the reader to adopt their perspective.

Characteristics of Persuasive Essays

• Clear Position: Clearly states the author’s stance on the issue.
• Logical Argumentation: Uses logic and reason to support the position.
• Evidence: Incorporates facts, statistics, and examples as evidence.
• Writing Tips for Different Essays

Persuasive Essay Tips

• Know Your Audience: Tailor your argument to appeal to your audience’s values and beliefs.
• Use Rhetorical Devices: Employ ethos, pathos, and logos to strengthen your argument.

Comparing and Contrasting Essay Types

While each essay type serves a unique purpose, they all require clarity, coherence, and a structured approach. The key differences lie in their objectives and the techniques used to achieve them.

Choosing the Right Type of Essay

Selecting the appropriate type of essay depends on your objectives, audience, and the message you intend to convey. Whether you aim to describe, narrate, explain, or persuade will guide your choice.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Essay Writing

To excel in essay writing, be wary of common pitfalls like straying off topic, neglecting the audience, or weak structuring.

The Role of Research in Essay Writing

Research underpins effective essay writing, providing the factual basis for expository and persuasive essays, and enriching descriptive and narrative ones.

Improving Your Essay Writing Skills

Practice is key to mastery. Engage in regular writing exercises, seek feedback, and utilize resources like writing workshops or online courses.

Exploring the nuances of different essay types enriches your writing repertoire, enabling you to articulate thoughts and stories more effectively. Embrace the diversity of essays and harness their unique strengths to communicate your ideas compellingly.

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Narrative vs. Expository Writing

Creating a paper is an exciting process because you can share your own experience, reveal your research results, or narrate your life story. There are many things to write about, and that's why we have such a great variety of essay types. Which of them you will choose depends entirely on your preferences and purpose.

In this article we are going to focus on "narrative vs. expository" question, compare their differences and similarities and decide when each type suits you best.

Every essay type has its purpose, which might be persuading, informing, conducting an experiment, etc. You should figure out what your aim is and then decide what is more suitable for you. However, to be able to make an informed choice, you should know everything about all those types. Hence, before looking at the difference between the narrative and expository writing, let's go deeper into the meaning, purpose, and features of both essays.

The features of a narrative essay

If you go for a narrative essay, you should ask yourself a question: What is a narrative essay? And it is not until you learn about all its peculiarities that you can proceed with the actual writing.

A narrative essay is a piece of writing which demands one to tell a story, usually of a personal kind. The primary purpose of narrative writing is to share an experience which can somehow help the reader or relate to their feelings. This type of essay often includes characters, chronology, stylistic devices and might have a moral conclusion.

Having characters is very important because they help you animate your story and draw a vivid picture. You should clearly show their main qualities, personality, and mood by describing their appearance or behavior in specific situations, paying particular attention to details. If a person reads your essay and feels like he or she is the character of the story, it means that you did a great job.

A narrative essay should be written in chronological order. Use words like 'before,' 'later,' 'meanwhile,' 'afterward,' etc. and develop your story smoothly.

Stylistic devices

Using metaphors, epithets, similes, and idioms will make your essay more linguistically rich and exciting to read. Sometimes, feelings are really hard to convey properly. Hence, stylistic devices can help you find the right phrases to express yourself.

Moral of the story

Being one of the essential parts of the essay, the moral of the story shows the primary goal of your essay. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand what the writer meant, and in this case, pointing out this lesson that you teach through the essay is really helpful.

Authors usually enjoy writing this kind of essay because they do not have to do any research or persuade anyone - you can just write your own story. It is really awesome to share your experience and thoughts with others, thus letting them relate to it.

When you're working on a narrative essay, do not forget that:

• You should always try to involve the readers in your story. It will make them feel as if they were the main characters and fully immersed in all the major events.
• It's advisable to use the first-person pronoun (however, third-person pronouns like 'he,' 'she,' 'it' are also acceptable).
• You should always generalize the story at the end, thus helping the readers understand your point of view.

The features of expository writing

Firstly, let's find out what an expository essay is. It is a writing piece that exposes a specific idea with the help of thorough analysis. It gives a clear conception of the theme and provides reliable evidence. Additionally, the expository essay might include various instructions. To master this type of writing, you have to do extensive research and outline the main ideas.

There are different types of expository essay: process, problem-solution, comparison and contrast, definition, and classification. Each of them has its own peculiarities:

• in the definition essay the author writes the explanation of a complicated term that various people may understand differently;
• the comparison and contrast essay the author writes about the similarities and differences between the two subjects;
• the cause and effect essay is concentrated on the reasons which caused something and the consequences;
• in the problem and solution essay the writer focuses on a particular problem and proposes a solution they consider the best;
• in the classification writing a broad topic is split into different groups and subcategories;
• the process essay explains how to do something following a step-by-step guide.

All of these essays have similarities, and as such, they are broadly defined as expository writing.

Here are the common features of an expository essay:

• It is illustrative. This feature is essential because to understand the subject fully you need to look through some examples.
• It is analytical. Only through thorough analysis, you can explore the topic extensively.
• It is clear. The thoughts of the writer should always be understandable and cohesive.
• It is impersonal. The essay does not include first-person pronouns and biased opinions.
• It is explanatory. Explanations are required in this type of essay as the name implies.
• It is descriptive. This feature is one of the most important because it allows for better comprehension.

As a rule, an expository essay has your good old five paragraphs in its structure: the introduction, three main body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.

The opening section of the essay is, naturally, the introduction. Here you should familiarize the readers with your thesis, as well as the issue you are going to dissect.

The body paragraphs usually contain specific evidence to support your key points.

Finally, in the end, we always place a conclusion part which should give the reader a brief synopsis of the topic.

How do narrative and expository writing differ?

How do we distinguish between expository vs. narrative essays? Actually, it is not that difficult.

First of all, let's take a look at a narrative essay. It is a story which can relate to the author's personal experience or may be fictional.

A narrative essay:

• Is creative - the author can come up with a unique story, creating something new and exciting.
• Is personal - your own experience can be mentioned.
• Uses various linguistic "decorations" to make the story more compelling.
• Usually, develops in chronological order with rare flashbacks.
• Can contain personal pronouns.

As far as an expository essay is concerned, it should be mentioned that it explores a specific topic in depth. This type is very informative and usually includes different instructions and raw facts. You can't put a personal story into this essay type.

Expository writing:

• Includes many facts which prove the thesis statement.
• Contains verified information, concerning a particular topic.
• Is organized in a logical manner.
• Gives the writer's opinion on the matter, backed by proof.
• Explains the reasons behind processes.

So, we see that these types of writing are not very similar, and the key difference between them is their style. In the narrative essay, you write a fictitious or your own story, and you can be as creative as you want. On the contrary, when writing the expository essay, you should abide by strict structuring rules, give facts, specific information, instructions and, of course, explanations.

How are expository and narrative writing similar?

Narrative and expository essays have few similarities. It should come as no news to you that, basically, the essays' structure is the same. Almost any paper should have the five-paragraph organization. That is the first main similarity.

The second one is that they both require thorough research of the subject. Every essay demands exploration and extensive knowledge because, without it, you will not be able to write something good.

Both are interesting in their own way. Which one to choose depends on your task or preferences if a type is not indicated in the requirements. An expository essay is more formal and supplies people with detailed information, while in a narrative one you can share your experience or tell a personal or fictional story. Regardless of what you need to write, you can always rely on our professionals. Have no time or desire? Order your essays from us!

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Memory and comprehension of narrative versus expository texts: A meta-analysis

• Theoretical Review
• Open access
• Published: 06 January 2021
• Volume 28 , pages 732–749, ( 2021 )

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• Raymond A. Mar   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5307-7031 1 ,
• Jingyuan Li 1 ,
• Anh T. P. Nguyen 1 &
• Cindy P. Ta 1  

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We acquire a lot of information about the world through texts, which can be categorized at the broadest level into two primary genres: narratives and exposition. Stories and essays differ across a variety of dimensions, including structure and content, with numerous theories hypothesizing that stories are easier to understand and recall than essays. However, empirical work in this area has yielded mixed results. To synthesize research in this area, we conducted a meta-analysis of experiments in which memory and/or comprehension of narrative and expository texts was investigated. Based on over 75 unique samples and data from more than 33,000 participants, we found that stories were more easily understood and better recalled than essays. Moreover, this result was robust, not influenced by the inclusion of a single effect-size or single study, and not moderated by various study characteristics. This finding has implications for any domain in which acquiring and retaining information is important.

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Introduction

Reading is an important part of everyday life, as it is often the way in which we acquire new information (Stanovich & Cunningham, 1993 ). The texts we read take a variety of different forms, however, with the two broadest genres being narrative and expository texts. Stories and essays differ in many ways, including how they present and organize content. This has led many to theorize that narrative and expository texts might differ in their potential for readers to retain and comprehend the information presented. More specifically, a number of theories predict that narratives should be easier to recall and comprehend than expository texts. However, empirical examinations of this idea have been mixed. Some studies find this theorized advantage for stories in terms of memory and comprehension, but others have found an advantage for essays or no difference at all. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize the available literature and uncover whether there is overall support for a difference in the memorability and comprehensibility of narrative and expository texts.

Narrative versus expository texts

Narrative texts are written stories that most often take the form of novels or short stories. These have the goal of entertaining readers (Weaver & Kintsch, 1991 ) and possess a familiar structure. Events are focused on the actions, interactions, and development of characters, with these events organized based on temporal sequence and causal relations (Graesser, Golding, & Long, 1991 ; Tun, 1989 ; Zabrucky & Moore, 1999 ; Zabrucky & Ratner, 1992 ). Story events can thus be considered to follow a set structure known as a story grammar (Graesser et al., 1991 ; Kintsch, 1982 ), which includes the setting, theme, plot, and resolution (Thorndyke, 1977 ). Setting refers to the story’s time and place (Graesser et al., 1991 ; Graesser & Goodman, 1985 ), with the plot centred around the goals of the central character (i.e., the protagonist); these goals drive character actions and emotional reactions. In a story, the goals of different characters inevitably conflict, creating a tension that builds to a climax (De Beaugrande & Colby, 1979 ), followed by a resolution in which goals are either achieved or remain out of reach (Graesser et al., 1991 ). In this way, stories possess a clear and familiar structure, most commonly progressing through a chronological order of goal-centred events (Berman & Nir-Sagiv, 2007 ).

Expository texts, in contrast, are primarily intended to inform rather than entertain, communicating information and ideas about a specific topic (Decker, 1974 ; Graesser et al.,1991; Medina & Pilonieta, 2006 ). These texts can take the form of essays, textbooks, or manuals (Kintsch, 1982 ; Tun, 1989 ; Weaver & Kintsch, 1991 ), and contain descriptions, definitions, ideas, and explanations that are structured and supported by arguments (Boscolo, 1990 ; Mosenthal, 1985 ). The structure of exposition often resembles a pyramid, with the theme introduced first (i.e., the tip of the pyramid) and this theme subsequently elaborated on at length (Collins & Gentner, 1980 ; Graesser & Goodman, 1985 ).

Theoretical differences between narratives and exposition

Based on these differences between stories and essays, researchers have long theorized that narratives might have an advantage over expository texts when it comes to memory and comprehension. Stories are more familiar than essays in many ways, including their resemblance to everyday experience, prevalence throughout human history, and precedence developmentally. In addition, stories are often more emotional than essays, and emotion can aid memory.

Stories may be easier to remember and comprehend than essays because stories resemble our everyday experiences (Bruner, 1986 ; Graesser et al., 1991 ). People experience life in the real world as temporally ordered causal events, organized around personal goals, with the encountering and overcoming of obstacles to these goals resulting in emotional experiences; this parallels the structure of stories (Graesser, McNamara, & Louwerse, 2003 ; Graesser, Singer, & Trabasso, 1994 ). In contrast, expository texts employ different structures depending on their purpose (Meyer, 1985 ), making them less familiar and less predictable. Exacerbating this problem, essays rarely contain the necessary linguistics markers that connect ideas and provide cues regarding the organization of content (e.g., connectives such as “because”; Graesser et al., 2003 ).

Not only the structure but also the content of stories map closely onto our everyday experiences. Stories are predominantly about social relationships: human psychology, interpersonal interactions, and the conflicts that inevitably result from conflicting goals (Mar & Oatley, 2008 ). As a result, the most common themes of stories are intimately familiar to us, topics such as friendship, interpersonal conflict, love, and separation from close others (Hogan, 2003 ; McNamara, Ozuru, & Floyd, 2017 ). Readers have direct, or indirect, experience with these topics and possess ample knowledge of these situations as a result (Gardner, 2004 ). This includes the vocabulary employed to describe these situations (e.g., words for traits, conflicts, and emotions) as they are all things we discuss in everyday life (Gardner, 2004 ). This close parallel between narratives and how we communicate our own experiences has led to stories being described as close to the “language of the mother tongue” (Graesser & Goodman, 1985 ).

In contrast, the content of exposition is often less familiar than what is found in stories, making it more difficult to comprehend and recall. Expository texts often communicate ideas that are new to the reader, and as a result they can contain unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary (Graesser et al., 2003 ; Weaver & Kintsch, 1991 ; Zabrucky & Moore, 1999 ). Furthermore, the content of essays is often complex and abstract, often focusing on situations that readers have not experienced (directly or indirectly) (Best, Floyd, & McNamara, 2008 ; Graesser et al., 2003 ; Hall, Sabey, & McClellan, 2005 ). Because essay content tends not to directly reflect everyday human experience, the vocabulary employed is often informational, scientific, and content-based, and therefore more difficult to understand than that found in stories (Gardner, 2004 ).

Familiarity with the structure and content of a text is referred to as relevant “prior knowledge” (Dochy, Segers, & Buehl, 1999 ), and stories might be more memorable and comprehensible thanks to readers having greater prior knowledge. Prior knowledge aids in the generation of inferences that support comprehension (Shapiro, 2004 ; Trabasso & Magliano, 1996 ) and recall. Readers generate more knowledge-based inferences when reading narratives compared to exposition (Clinton et al., 2020 ; Graesser & Clark, 1985 ), with these inferences explaining events in a text, bringing coherence to the content (Graesser et al., 1994 ; Trabasso & Magliano, 1996 ). For example, in a story, a reader can easily infer that a character will feel hurt if not invited to a party held by friends, without the author having to state this explicitly. This understanding stems from our familiarity with human psychology, even if only through second-hand experiences.

Readers are less likely to benefit from prior knowledge while reading an essay, relative to stories, and are therefore less likely to benefit from easy inferences. This combination could easily put expository texts at a disadvantage when it comes to memory and comprehension (Coté, Goldman, & Saul, 1998 ; McNamara, 2004 ). Readers often encounter expository texts when they do not know much about the content topic (Grabe, 2002 ). In schools, for example, readers are expected to learn new concepts from expository texts, based on little prior knowledge (Armbruster & Nagy, 1992 ; Barton, 1997 ; Grabe, 2002 ). With expository texts, it is rare that readers can rely on common knowledge to generate inferences. Rather, readers must rely on content knowledge of the domain in question (Graesser et al., 2003 ), potentially making essays harder to understand and recall than stories (Graesser et al., 2003 ; McKeown, Beck, Sinatra, & Loxterman, 1992 ; McNamara, Kintsch, Songer, & Kintsch, 1996 ).

Narratives are not only more familiar than essays as a function of their parallel with human experience, they also occupy a more prominent and familiar role throughout human history (Graesser et al., 1991 ; Graesser & Ottati, 1995 ). Before written texts existed, oral storytelling was the primary mode of communication, used to retain and transmit information from generation to generation (Graesser & Ottati, 1995 ; Rubin, 1995 ; Schank & Abelson, 1995 ). Stories were the basis of oral traditions and human memory was the sole vehicle for preserving these traditions, through frequent retelling (Graesser & Ottati, 1995 ; Rubin, 1995 ). For these reasons, stories and storytelling may have afforded our early ancestors with key benefits, including the dissemination of survival-relevant information (Bietti, Tilston, & Bangerter, 2019 ; Boyd, 2009 ; Scalise Sugiyama, 2001 ). Importantly, it is its resemblance to human experience that likely made stories so memorable, and so effective at disseminating complex surivival knowledge across generations of ancestors.

Stories also hold precedence over exposition at the timescale of individual development, perhaps resulting in greater familiarity. We are exposed to stories from the very beginning, from early childhood, often before we even have the capacity to speak or read (Baker & Stein, 1978 ; Spiro & Taylor, 1987 ). This early exposure to narratives continues throughout childhood, with narratives being the most common type of text encountered during early schooling (Leslie & Caldwell, 2017 ). In contrast, there is a relative lack of early exposure to expository texts, with students first being exposed to essays around third grade and onwards (around ages 8–9 years; Spiro & Taylor, 1987 ). From this point, students increasingly encounter expository texts as they progress through school and, eventually, exposition becomes the predominant type of text in high school (Kent, 1984 ). Their late introduction might be another reason why expository texts could be less familiar, and therefore less likely to be remembered and comprehended compared to narrative texts.

A final reason to believe that narratives may be more memorable than expository texts hinges on the ability of emotions to facilitate memory (Hamann, 2001 ). Affectively charged recollections have been dubbed “flash-bulb” memories, to communicate the idea that emotional events are deeply imprinted on the mind, like a flash aiding photography (Winograd & Neisser, 1992 ). This emotional facilitation of memory appears to result from a prioritizing of emotional material when it comes to attention and perception (Brosch, Pourtois, & Sander, 2010 ), with personal relevance playing a key role (Levine & Edelstein, 2009 ). To the extent that stories are better able to evoke strong emotions than expository texts (cf. Mar, Oatley, Djikic, & Mullin, 2011 ), we would expect stories to be better recalled than exposition. The idea that stories are emotional in nature seems obvious, so much so that this is simply assumed by lay people and researchers alike (Oatley, 1991 ). Researchers, for example, use stories to elicit mood for experimental manipulations (e.g., Kazui et al., 2000 ). Empirical evidence for the emotional nature of stories also exists, with one diary study finding that roughly 7% of all emotions were elicited while engaging with narrative (Oatley & Duncan, 1992 ). Similarly, readers experience and mentally represent the emotional states of story protagonists (Gernsbacher, Goldsmith, & Robertson, 1992 ; Laszlo & Cupchik, 1995 ; Oatley, 1999 ), and report emotions occurring frequently while reading (Larsen & Seilman, 1988 ). Notably, studies on emotional memory have also employed stories as stimuli and confirmed that emotional content is better remembered than neutral content (e.g., Cahill, Babinsky, Markowitsch, & McGaugh, 1995 ; Carstensen & Turk-Charles, 1994 ; Kazui et al., 2000 ; McGaugh, 2000 ). It is difficult to imagine that expository texts, in general, have the capacity to elicit emotions to the same extent, or with the same variety, as narratives. This is because exposition lacks the close parallel with human experiences found in stories. Lastly, it should be stressed that this emotional account of why stories might be better understood and remembered than essays is not mutually exclusive to the structural and organizational accounts presented above. Several factors could play independent roles in any observed advantage for narrative. In addition, it should also be noted that not all texts fit easily into these broad categories, such as narrative journalism, which bridges the two approaches (van Krieken & Sanders, in press ).

Empirical research on narrative and expository texts

In light of these theoretical advantages for narrative over exposition, when it comes to memory and comprehension, a number of researchers have investigated this topic using experiments. To do so, researchers randomly assign participants to read either a narrative or an expository passage (a between-subjects design), or read both (a within-subjects design). In some studies, participants listen to audio versions of these texts, rather than read them. But in all cases, comprehension and memory for the texts is measured. Unfortunately, these experiments have yielded mixed results. Some studies do indeed find greater recall or comprehension of narrative texts relative to expository texts (e.g., Best et al., 2008 ; Dal Martello, 1984 ; Tun, 1989 ; Zabrucky & Moore, 1999 ). In contrast, other studies find just the opposite: that expository texts are more easily comprehended and better recalled than narratives (e.g., Diakidoy, 2014 ; Moè & De Beni, 2005 ; Saadatnia, Ketabi, & Tavakoli, 2017 ; Wolfe & Woodwyk, 2010 ). A few studies also report finding no difference between the two genres (e.g., Cunningham & Gall, 1990 ; Kintsch & Young, 1984 ; Roller & Schreiner, 19856 ). Based on these conflicting results, it is evident that a meta-analysis is necessary to establish whether it is possible to detect an overall effect based on the extant evidence. A recent meta-analysis on inferential comprehension found that narrative had an advantage over exposition (Clinton et al., 2020 ). Here, we report the results of a broader, more inclusive meta-analysis, synthesizing the results of existing studies for both memory and comprehension, to uncover whether narrative and exposition differ in this regard.

Identifying and retrieving articles

To identify relevant empirical papers, an extensive literature search was conducted in August 2018. This was then updated in November 2019, when unpublished articles were also solicited from listservs. We systematically searched the following online databases for suitable articles: PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Web of Science. In each database, we searched the following terms: narrat* OR story AND exposit* OR prose OR essay OR summary AND recall OR retention OR recognition OR remember OR comprehension OR comprehend OR schema OR retrieval. Results were limited to articles published in English. When possible, the search was confined to empirical studies (i.e., PsycINFO and PsychARTICLES) or journal articles (for Web of Science).

The first search in 2018 yielded a total of 871 articles, with the removal of duplicates resulting in 689 unique papers, including two articles added based on our own expert knowledge. This search was repeated in November 2019 to locate any new papers published since the previous search. This second search employed the same search terms used previously, but was limited to the time period following the previous one. However, it did not result in the identification of any new articles. At this time, we also solicited unpublished work on this topic from several academic listservs (i.e., the Society for Text and Discourse , the Psychonomic Society , the International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature and Media , and the UK Literary Association ). We were consequently able to include two unpublished studies, thanks to the generous collaboration of other researchers.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

To be eligible for our meta-analysis, a study was required to meet a set of inclusion criteria. Included studies had to: (1) allow for the comparison of memory and/or comprehension performance between narrative and expository texts; (2) be a true experiment, with proper random assignment and counterbalancing; (3) include a measure of memory (e.g., immediate, delayed, free, or cued recall) or comprehension (e.g., open-ended or closed comprehension questions, sentence verification); and (4) examine non-clinical populations (i.e., no special populations, such as those with a reading disorder).

A set of exclusion criteria was also established. Studies were excluded if: (1) text order was not randomized for a within-subjects design (or randomization was not explicitly mentioned), producing a confound between genre and order; (2) the two genres were read at very different points in time for a within-subjects experiment (e.g., on different days), creating a potential confound between genre and time (i.e., history effects; Campbell & Stanley, 1963 ); (3) studies employed different measures of memory or comprehension for the two genres (e.g., free recall tested for stories, but cued recall for essays); (4) the procedures did not approximate typical leisure reading (e.g., asking participants to read aloud or focus on certain story elements); and (5) no relevant statistics for our purposes were reported (i.e., it was impossible to calculate the requisite effect-size). Although our primary interest was reading, we also included studies employing auditory presentations so that we could explore whether presentation modality moderates any effects.

Coding procedure

Articles were screened for inclusion and coded in early 2019, extracting the statistics required to calculate an effect-size. This entailed the means and standard deviations of task scores, recorded as percentage correct to allow for a direct comparison between text genres. When studies reported standard errors instead of standard deviations, the former were converted into the latter using the following formula: \( \mathrm{SD}=\mathrm{SE}\times \sqrt{\mathrm{n}}. \)

To maximize the information gleaned from each study, all possible relevant comparisons were extracted. For example, if a study employed two measures of memory, genre comparisons for both measures were extracted. Similarly, if the study reported separate statistics for subsets of the sample (e.g., male scores and female scores), these sub-scores were chosen instead of the aggregate. When experiments employed a control condition with no intervention, both pre-test and post-test scores were taken. However, if an experimental intervention was included (e.g., to improve comprehension), only pre-test scores were taken. As a result of this inclusive approach, each article yielded several relevant comparisons. Our statistical approach to meta-analysis models the dependence between effect-sizes, making it possible to include multiple effects per sample.

In addition, we coded several aspects of each study to examine potential moderators. This included information about the study design (e.g., between- or within-subjects), demographic variables (e.g., age of participants), stimuli characteristics (e.g., whether researchers attempted to control for content or difficulty), and dependent variables (e.g., delay between reading and testing). Table 1 provides a description of all the moderator variables that were included in the final analysis.

Coding outcome

Titles and abstracts for the 689 papers were first examined for relevance, resulting in 93 articles selected for closer reading. Based on full-text screening, 80 articles were considered for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Screening and coding of these 80 articles was carried out by 13 independent coders, who each coded a subset after receiving extensive training. Any uncertainty during coding was discussed among the group and a consensus was established. Following the second literature search in 2019, all coding was double-checked and a consensual coding again established. In the end, statistics from a total of 37 articles were extracted, resulting in the compilation of 150 separate effect-sizes, based on 78 different samples, for a total sample of 33,078 participants (Table 2 ). Figure 1 illustrates our process. All of our data are publicly available at: https://osf.io/jx78v/ .

Process for identifying and selecting studies

Statistical analysis

We first calculated effect-sizes for all comparisons (Hedge’s g , with positive values indicating an advantage for narrative), then conducted a three-level random-effects meta-analysis of these effects. All analyses were done in R (version 3.5.1; R Core Team, 2018), based on a script provided by Dodell-Feder and Tamir ( 2018 ), with the help of the metafor package (Viechtbauer, 2010 ).

Three-level meta-analysis

Because most articles contained multiple comparisons (and therefore multiple effect-sizes), in addition to multiple studies per article in some cases, it is necessary to model the nested nature of these data. It is likely that effect-sizes drawn from the same study are intercorrelated, and this dependency must be taken into account. To incorporate multiple dependent effect-sizes, we used a three-level random-effects meta-analysis model, accounting for variance among the effect-sizes (level 1), variance in effect-sizes within a single study (level 2), and the variance between different studies (level 3). This three-level model mirrors the hierarchical structure of our data, clustering effect-sizes nested within a study. Importantly, the sampling error within clusters is dependent, due to the overlap in samples (e.g., comparisons between genres for both recall and comprehension, within a single study). To account for this dependency we calculated cluster-robust standard errors, statistical tests, and confidence intervals (CIs) for our estimates from the three-level model.

A high degree of variability among effect-sizes can tell us whether study characteristics influence the effects observed. This heterogeneity among effect-sizes can be quantified and assessed using the Q statistic. A statistically significant Q value tells us that effect-sizes differ from each other more than what is expected based on sampling error alone. As a result, we can conclude that differences in effect-size may be due to some aspect of the studies. The main shortcoming of the Q statistic is that it does evaluate the extent of heterogeneity observed, assessing only its presence or absence (Huedo-Medina, Sánchez-Meca, Marín-Martínez, & Botella, 2006 ). To address this shortcoming, we use τ 2 to quantify the heterogeneity for level 2 (within studies) and level 3 (between studies) of our meta-analysis (Cheung, 2014 ). Large τ 2 values indicate that a large amount of variance in effect-sizes is not due to chance and might be caused by other factors that should be investigated, using a moderator analysis for example. On the other hand, small τ 2 values indicate that the effect-sizes are similar to one another, with differences between them likely due to chance. We estimated τ 2 by using restricted maximum-likelihood estimation (REML), the default in the metafor package (Viechtbauer, 2010 ). Note that τ 2 depends on the effect-size used, so unstandardized τ 2 values are not comparable across meta-analyses (Huedo-Medina et al., 2006 ). Fortunately, Higgins and Thompson ( 2002 ) proposed the I 2 index to overcome these shortcomings. The I 2 index can be interpreted as the percentage of total variability that is due to true heterogeneity rather than sampling error. We report total I 2 , with I 2 Level 2 and I 2 Level 3 representing within- and between-study heterogeneity, respectively. Large I 2 values indicate that a large proportion of the variance in effect-sizes is likely caused by systematic differences in study-level factors. This indicates that a moderator analysis may help to explain study-level variability. Low I 2 values indicate that the variability in effect-sizes is small and likely due to chance. We interpret the I 2 values by using the benchmarks provided by Higgins and Thompson ( 2002 ).

Sensitivity analyses

To examine whether our results are robust, and do not change based on small differences in what effect-sizes or studies are included, we conducted a series of sensitivity analyses. Effect-sizes that deviate markedly from others are potential outliers, with those that meaningfully impact coefficients known as influential outliers . These cases can distort results and lead to false conclusions. We defined influential outliers as effect-sizes with a standardized residual exceeding 3.0 that also have values for Cook’s distance exceeding .027, the latter based on the formula 4/( n - k -1), where k = number of predictors (Fox, 1991 ; as cited in Dodell-Feder & Tamir, 2018 ). If influential outliers exist, we planned to re-estimate our model after excluding them. To further examine the impact of each effect-size and study, we also conducted another sensitivity analysis: the leave-one-out procedure. This involves re-running the model multiple times, leaving out a different effect-size each time. A similar analysis was conducted leaving out one study each time. In this fashion, effect-sizes or studies whose inclusion dramatically influences the results can be identified.

Moderator analysis

If we find substantial variance among effect-sizes based on the Q statistic and I 2 values, we can then ask whether this variability can be explained by systematic differences between studies. Observed heterogeneity in effect-sizes was formally investigated via moderator analyses, incorporating study characteristics that vary both within studies (e.g., outcome measures) and between studies (e.g., adults or non-adult participants). One study characteristic–type of outcome measure – can vary both within and between studies. To be more specific, six studies measured both recall and comprehension, whereas other studies only measured one of these outcomes. To investigate any possible confound introduced by differences between studies, we also conducted follow-up analyses using only those studies that measured both recall and comprehension to re-estimate the model.

Publication bias

Lastly, we examined the possibility of publication bias: that studies identifying a difference or effect are more likely to be published, skewing our results. To diagnose publication bias, we produced a funnel plot depicting the relation between effect-sizes and their standard errors, with the latter representing the precision of the effect-size estimates. More precise results should be at the top of the plot and cluster tightly around the true effect (i.e., the vertical line on the plot), whereas less precise studies should be at the bottom and scatter widely around the mean, forming a funnel shape. A lack of symmetry in the plot indicates that publication bias may exist (e.g., few studies on the left side), possibly inflating the estimated overall effect-size. Studies with statistically significant findings should be located on the right side, with an over-representation of studies at the right bottom indicating evidence for publication bias. This pattern represents the presence of statistically significant, but low-powered, findings with equally likely statistically nonsignificant findings not being published. Although funnel plots are informative, they do not account for the multilevel structure of our data, which can also lead to clustered portions on the plot and therefore produce asymmetry that could be misinterpreted as bias. For this reason, we also conducted an Egger's regression test by including the standardized error of the effect-sizes as a moderator in the three-level models. In other words, we evaluated whether the precision of the effect was related to the effect-size magnitude. If standardized error coefficients predict effect-size, this indicates that there is a systematic difference between effect-sizes from studies with low versus high precision, indicating the presence of publication bias. The code to replicate our analyses and reproduce our figures can be accessed here: https://osf.io/jx78v/ .

Meta-analysis

Our primary research question was whether memory and comprehension differ for narrative versus expository texts. Our three-level random-effects meta-analysis of 150 effect-sizes found that, on average, memory and comprehension of narrative texts was superior to that for expository texts. The mean effect-size was a Hedge’s g of .55, with a 95% CI ranging from .31 to .79, p < .001 (Table 3 ). Thus, the average size of this effect was estimated to be just more than half a standard deviation in magnitude. Forest plots summarizing all effects are presented for our two main sample groups, adults (17 or more years of age) and non-adults (≦ 16 years) (Figs. 2 and 3 ).

Forest plot for adult participants

Forest plot for nonadult participants

With respect to variability in these effect-sizes, the Q statistic was statistically significant, indicating the presence of heterogeneity, Q (149) = 2884.68, p < .001. The Total I 2 was 98%, indicating a large proportion of true heterogeneity rather than sampling error, the majority of which came from between-study variance ( I 2 level 3 = 67%), with within-study variance being relatively low, I 2 level 2 = 31%. Because these differences among effect-sizes are largely caused by factors that vary between studies, we examined possible moderators, after first establishing the robustness of our main finding with a series of sensitivity analyses.

To ensure that our results are reliable and do not change as a function of small changes in what effect-sizes or studies are included, we conducted a series of sensitivity analyses. First, we examined whether there were any influential cases among our effect-sizes, but this process did not identify any influential outliers (based on the criteria described in our methods). Next, we performed a leave-one-out analysis at the level of individual effect-sizes. The meta-analysis was re-run multiple times, each time removing one effect-size, but the estimate of the overall effect barely changed ( g range = .54–.57). This analysis also found that the true variance of effect sizes remained substantial, lowest I 2 = 97% ( I 2 Level 2 = 35%, I 2 Level 3 = 63%); highest I 2 = 98% ( I 2 Level 2 = 30%, I 2 Level 3 = 68%). Likewise, the leave-one-out analysis at the study-level also illustrated that the effect was robust and not driven by any one particular study ( g range = .48–.59). The overall effect remained medium in size and statistically significant. In addition, the true variance of effect-sizes also remained substantial, lowest I 2 = 96% ( I 2 Level 2 = 30%, I 2 Level 3 = 66%); highest I 2 = 98% ( I 2 Level 2 = 30%, I 2 Level 3 = 68%). These sensitivity analyses demonstrate that these results are not driven by one effect-size or one study.

To investigate the potential causes of heterogeneity between studies, we examined several study characteristics as potential moderators (Table 1 ). Independent-samples t -tests were conducted to compare effect-sizes between conditions for each moderator. The effect was larger for memory than comprehension ( G diff = .24), and when tests were administered verbally rather than in a written format ( G diff = .43). However, both moderators fell just above the traditional threshold for statistical significance (Table 3 ). Non-adults also exhibited a larger benefit from narrative texts compared to adults ( G diff = .23), but this difference was also not statistically significant. Little difference was observed for listening relative to reading ( G diff = .07), when researchers reported an attempt to control the difficulty ( G diff = .03) or content across the genres ( G diff = .02), or for the timing of the test (immediately or after a delay; G diff = .03). Note that some of these differences are non-trivial in magnitude, and therefore failure to attain statistical significance may be a function of small sample sizes and/or large amounts of variability. In addition, the Q statistic was calculated for each moderator, which represents the residual heterogeneity in effect-sizes when the moderator was taken into account. In all cases, heterogeneity remained after considering the moderator (Table 3 ).

Because most of these studies measure either memory or comprehension, this introduces a potential confound into our moderator analysis for type of test. To control for this, we conducted a follow-up analysis re-estimating the model using only those six studies that measure both memory and comprehension, effectively controlling for other differences between studies that examine only one or the other. However, results remained the same with the difference between memory and comprehension failing to attain statistical significance ( p = .31).

To diagnose potential publication bias, we produced a funnel plot (Fig. 4 ), with the lighter region indicating the pseudo 95% confidence limits (± 1.96 × SE ). When publication bias and heterogeneity are absent, 95% of the effect-sizes should fall within this region and be distributed roughly symmetrically on either side of the average estimate. If publication bias is present, we would expect to see an asymmetry, whereby low precision studies contribute to larger effects, producing more points in the bottom right quadrant, with few matching points in the bottom left quadrant (small effects for low precision studies). In our funnel plot, there is some small evidence of publication bias, with 3 points found in the bottom-right quadrant, but no accompanying points in the bottom-left. In addition, the three largest effect-sizes (values greater than 3, for the standardized mean difference in favour of narrative) are not accompanied by points of equivalent magnitude in the other direction (in favour of expository texts) at the same level of precision.

Funnel plot

To further investigate the possibility of publication bias, we conducted an Egger’s regression test, to examine if the standard error of the effect-sizes acts as a moderator of the effect-sizes. Indeed, higher standard errors did predict larger effect-sizes, b = 2.68 (95% CI: .57, 4.80), SE = 1.04, p = .01. In other words, studies with lower precision do tend to find larger effects; in the absence of publication bias, standard error should not be related to the size of an effect. This result is therefore evidence of publication bias within our sample of studies, with studies reporting an advantage for narrative over expository texts when it comes to memory and comprehension perhaps being more likely to be published than null results or the inverse.

Our meta-analysis of 150 effect-sizes (from over 75 unique samples and more than 33,000 participants) found that people had an easier time comprehending and recalling narrative texts compared to expository ones. The average magnitude of this effect was more than a half a standard deviation, with a 95% CI ranging from just more than one-quarter to slightly more than three-quarters of a standard deviation. Moreover, this result appears to be robust, and not driven by any one particular effect-size or study. There was a great deal of variability in these effects, however, almost all of which represents true heterogeneity and not random sampling error. This variability originated primarily from differences between studies. Despite this fact, none of our tests for moderation were statistically significant. This may, however, have been a function of low statistical power. For many of our potential moderators, the difference in effect-sizes for the two groups in question appear to be non-trivial. As an example, the advantage afforded by narrative texts to memory (compared to comprehension) was equivalent to almost one-quarter of a standard deviation ( g = .24). It is likely a combination of both low sample sizes and large amounts of variability that result in these differences being statistically nonsignificant. The largest difference observed for a moderator was the advantage for verbal testing compared to a written format. This particular finding should be interpreted cautiously, however, as only 21 effect-sizes were based on a verbal test (from six studies), and the CIs around these estimates remain large.

This meta-analysis also provides important guidance for interpreting past studies and guiding future research. For example, there appears to be little evidence that controlling for the difficulty or content across texts has an impact on the effect-size for comprehension and memory. Past work that failed to enact these controls, therefore, may perhaps be viewed in a kinder light based on our results. That said, it cannot be ignored that only a minority of our effect-sizes came from studies in which content was controlled (28%), and more studies with this type of control would be appreciated. In addition, there are clearly topics that are currently under-researched. We located only four studies that examined comprehension or memory after a delay, and only six studies that employed a verbal test of memory or understanding. Both of these areas would benefit from greater attention. Lastly, only eight studies had participants listen to audio versions of the texts, and those that did tended to find a strong advantage for the narrative format. This might also be a good direction for future research.

In general, our confidence in these results is heightened by their convergence with a recent meta-analysis of genre differences for inferential comprehension by Virginia Clinton and her colleagues (Clinton et al., 2020 ). Their estimated advantage in inferencing for narrative texts is rather similar in magnitude ( G = .36; 95% CI: .07, .66; based on 38 effect-sizes) to what we observed for our studies of comprehension, more broadly defined ( G = .48; 95% CI: .21, .75). Similar to our own results, these researchers also did not find evidence of moderation based on age or whether the texts were matched in difficulty. This concordance between the comprehension aspect of our meta-analysis and their work on textual inferences is highly encouraging, especially as it emerged despite different sampling criteria, different meta-analytic methods, and a complete independence of efforts.

Our meta-analysis also uncovered some evidence of publication bias, with asymmetry observed in our funnel plot and the precision of effect-sizes positively predicting effect-size magnitude. That said, gathering and interpreting evidence of publication bias is a difficult undertaking, even more so when there is substantial between-study variability in effect-sizes (Lau, Ioannidis, Terrin, Schmid, & Olkin, 2006 ). Heterogeneity among effect-sizes can contribute to a statistically significant Egger’s regression test, and an asymmetrical funnel plot, and so these methods may not be appropriate under the conditions observed for our meta-analysis (Terrin, Schmid, Lau, & Olkin, 2003 ). To explore this evidence for publication bias a bit further, we repeated the Egger’s test on the two sub-samples most likely to contribute to this heterogeneity, separating effect-sizes pertaining to memory from those for comprehension. Based on this test, there was no evidence for publication bias for tests of comprehension ( b = 1.62; 95% CI: -1.56, 4.81; SE = 1.55, p = .30), but the same could not be said for memory, b = 2.91; 95% CI: .53, 5.29; SE = 1.09, p = .02. It thus appears that evidence for publication bias originates primarily from investigations of memory. This is also consistent with the prior meta-analysis for inferential comprehension, which found no evidence of publication bias (Clinton et al., 2020 ). Whether stories are better recalled than essays would therefore appear to warrant further investigation. If additional unpublished research on this topic emerges, it can easily be added to our public data and these analyses re-run based on our posted code.

One limitation of our meta-analysis is that we took a quite broad and inclusive approach. Both comprehension and memory were broadly defined, and were combined in our primary analysis. To be clear, we acknowledge that memory and comprehension are two distinct and unique processes, although they are related. These were combined in our central analysis as they are closely associated in this context, and the theoretical predictions for both were the same. Moreover, we did not find evidence for moderation based on whether memory or comprehension was tested, although the advantage for narrative was stronger for memory. That said, it would not be at all surprising if some readers disagreed with our decision to combine these studies of memory and comprehension. However, we provide estimates for memory and comprehension separately, in reporting our moderation analyses (Table 3 ). In addition, a real strength of our meta-analysis is that all our data and analysis script are publicly available for download. This means that researchers who disagree with any of our inclusions, categorizations, and groupings can easily make their own decisions and re-run the analysis. Similarly, adding new studies and re-estimating the average effect-size will be a simple process in the future.

In closing, the totality of the evidence available finds that people have an easier time comprehending and recalling information presented in a story compared to that presented in an essay. This has potential implications for a number of disciplines, not least of which is the realm of education. Because texts are an important way in which we encounter new information (Stanovich & Cunningham, 1993 ), successfully comprehending and retaining this information to build our knowledge of the world is immensely important. To that end, the advantage afforded to narratives over exposition in this domain should be considered whenever possible. We must emphasize, however, that these results should not be interpreted as a suggestion to force all information into a narrative form for pedagogical purposes, especially when such information is not typically presented in this way. Future research is needed to identify the boundary conditions of this narrative advantage, as well as to identify which aspects of a narrative presentation are most important (e.g., prior knowledge, coherence, text schemas, familiarity). It is quite possible that mixed genres like narrative journalism, for example, could hold the key for leveraging the advantages of narrative–its ability to capture interest and communicate experience through imagination – to meet the goals of exposition to inform and educate (van Krieken & Sanders, in press ).

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Mar, R.A., Li, J., Nguyen, A.T.P. et al. Memory and comprehension of narrative versus expository texts: A meta-analysis. Psychon Bull Rev 28 , 732–749 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-020-01853-1

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What's the Difference Between Narrative and Exposition?

The ProWritingAid Team

Sometimes, narrative and exposition are used synonymously to explain parts of a novel that “narrate” pieces of information for the reader. They are, in fact, different devices used to give the reader information. Used appropriately, narrative and exposition affect the pacing of your story.

What is Narrative?

What is exposition, when to use them, final thoughts.

Narrative is the way you, as the writer, give your readers information that’s non-essential or non-active. It’s a way to inform your reader without really moving the story forward.

Some stories begin with a bit of narrative. Take, for example, Dean Koontz’s One Door Away From Heaven . It begins with this paragraph:

• The world is full of broken people. Splints, casts, miracle drugs, and time can’t mend fractured hearts, wounded minds, torn spirits.

Narrative tells you something, perhaps a character revelation, but it merely tells. It doesn’t describe. That’s the work of exposition.

This is where you give important information that will give your reader better insight and help to move your story forward. Think of exposition as “showing” your reader something important.

Using Koontz’s same novel from before, consider the following exposition:

• Face to the sun, eyes closed, striving to empty her mind of all thought, yet troubled by insistent memories, Micky had been cooking for half an hour when a small sweet voice asked, “Are you suicidal?”

Unlike narrative that tells you something, exposition shows your reader using description to inform and move the story forward.

All of your writing should be a balance between narrative, exposition, and dialogue. Narrative lets you set the scene and give background information. It slows the pace. Here’s a spot of narrative from Koontz’s novel that breaks the tension in a dialogue between two characters:

• She hadn’t cried since childhood. She’d thought that she was beyond tears, too tough for self-pity and too hardened to be moved by the plight of anyone else.

He follows it brilliantly with some exposition that gives you insight into the two characters in this scene:

• Geneva, who knew her niece’s stoic nature, nevertheless didn’t seem surprised by the tears. She didn’t comment on them, because she surely knew that consolation wouldn’t be welcome.

You learn a lot about each character from those few choice words set in between the dialogue between the two.

Most scenes in your story will be made up of all three elements: narrative, exposition, and dialogue.

Use just enough narrative to give your reader a breather between action-packed scenes or dialogue. Use exposition to show your reader in a descriptive way. So narrative is telling, exposition is showing. Interspersed with dialogue, you’ll achieve just the right balance with narrative and exposition to compel and interest your readers.

If you enjoyed this post, check out The Writing Process Blog or these articles from our archive:

• How to Construct a 3D Main Character
• Are You Ready to Draft Your Story Arc?
• How to Create Your Story’s World
• How to Create a Compelling Character Arc
• Are You Ready to Draft Your Plot?
• 4 Plot Pitfalls You Need to Avoid
• Map Out Your Character’s Transformation Using the 9 Enneagram “Levels of Development”
• The Four Drafts Your Novel Needs (and Why You Probably Won't Use a Single Word of Your First Draft!)

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Types of Text: Narrative, Expository, Technical & Persuasive

Texts can be grouped into categories based on their structure and purpose. These categories include narratives, expository texts, technical texts and persuasive texts, which can be distinguished by examining what the author's intent and how the author goes about achieving the intended result. Knowing the features of each type of text allows you to choose the format that best suits your work.

Narrative Text

Narratives are accounts of past events, either real or fictional. A narrative essay, which tells about real incidents, must have a clearly defined setting, characters, plot and point of view. It must include an introduction, a climax and a conclusion. The author's purpose in writing a narrative essay is to communicate an important lesson learned during the story -- such as the importance of knowing how to swim when the author nearly drowned -- and not just recount past events.

Expository Text

The purpose of an expository text is to give information about a specific topic. It is not storytelling, but a straightforward discussion of a topic, such as population increase in New England, the reasons behind it and its effects. According to Professor Arnetha F. Ball of Stanford University, the author of an expository text cannot assume that the reader has prior knowledge of the topic; therefore, the writer must use plain language and an easy-to-follow structure.

Technical Text

The author of a technical text also has the purpose of explaining a specific topic, but a technical text's language and structure distinguish it from other expository types. A technical text contains specific terminology to address the text's issues and avoids colloquial terms, humor and critical language. In addition, vague terms and figurative language have no place in a technical text, in which authors use few, if any, interrogative sentences -- sentences that are questions and imperative sentences -- sentences that are commands.

Persuasive Text

The author of persuasive text tries to convince the audience of the validity of the author's opinion. This type of text can employ a number of different persuasive methods. These techniques include the use of rhetorical questions, repetition, emotive language, exaggeration, addressing the readers directly and using facts as a means of backing up a point. The writer must mention the issue clearly and must express an opinion on it explicitly.

• Purdue University; The Narrative Essay; Jack Baker, et al.; March 23, 2011
• Stanford University; Information about Expository Writing; Dr. Arnetha F. Ball
• Visualization Strategies to Strengthen Comprehension; Linda Ziegler; Jerry Johns
• Plymouth City Council: Persuasive Writing Techniques

Tasos Vossos has been a professional journalist since 2008. He has previously worked as a staff writer for "Eleftheros Tipos," a leading newspaper of Greece, and is currently a London-based sports reporter for Perform Sports Media in the United Kingdom. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication and media from the University of Athens.

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What Is the Difference Between Narrative and Expository Essay?

When facing a task of writing a narrative or expository essay, the first thing you should do is understand the difference between these types of papers.

Narrative Essays: Tell a Story

In simple terms, a narrative essay is a story meant to entertain the readers. This writing style is extremely versatile, because it has almost no limitations. Every piece of fiction out there is an example of a narrative essay.

However, this doesn’t mean that these stories are purely fictional. If the author tells a story based on personal experience or historical facts, it will still be considered a narrative essay, as long as the work complies with the essential requirements that pertain to this style of writing. They are:

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• Switching between points of view of different characters (optional)
• Combination of concrete and abstract language
• No definite chronology of events, flashbacks, etc. (optional)
• Abundance of personal pronouns
• Simple structure common for fiction stories (setting, characters, conflict, plot, resolution)
• When you are writing a narrative essay on some particular subject, the story should be centered on it without deviating to other areas.

Expository Essays: Inform and Explain

There is no room for fiction and descriptive literary tools in expository essays. These papers are fine examples of informative articles and instructions.

The style of expository essays is concise and simple. All in all, an author should aim to make the essay as clear as possible and edit it in order to remove all information that isn’t strictly necessary.

The most common examples of expository essays are:

• Directions, scientific articles and other texts that follow the cause-effect structure.
• Recipes, biographies, history texts that follow some definite chronology.
• Speeches (mostly political) and other types of texts that are based on the pros versus cons structure.
• Some newspaper articles that provide detailed descriptions of events.
• Medical and scientific texts that follow the problem-solution structure.
• Speeches for debates and other events that are based on the position-reason structure.

In general, expository essays can be characterized by lack of descriptive elements and simple structure. They must be based on facts and require extensive research of the subject.

In Conclusion

The core difference between narrative and expository essays is their style. While narrative paper allows the author to be creative and tell a story in a way he or she likes, expository essays follow some strict rules that one must abide.

Narrative texts are versatile in structure and style, but they also require some thorough research of the subject.

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Difference between Expository & Argumentative Essays

When your teacher tells you to write an ‘expository’ or ‘argumentative’ essay, you might just freak out, clamp up, and say “What does the word expository even mean!?”

Sometimes these words just make it harder to understand what you need to do. So, in this article, I’m going to show you the exact difference between an expository and argumentative essay .

Let’s first look at what each of these essay types are and some examples of essay questions for each. Then, I will present you with a table clearly breaking down the differences into columns.

What is an Expository Essay?

An expository essay is the most common form of essay at university level.

‘Expository’ means, simply, to give an explanation of something.

But, it’s not that easy. If you just give a dictionary definition of an idea and move on, you’re not going to get a very good mark. Read on to learn how to get a top mark on an expository essay.

An expository essay presents an informative and balanced exploration of an issue. This type of essay does not require you to take a stance on an issue. Instead, you should present a range of evidence, facts and statistics on a topic.

Your teacher will ask you to write an expository essay in order to prove your deep knowledge and understanding of an issue. This is why these essays are so common at university level.

Let’s say the topic of your course is “Depression amongst Elderly People”. Your teacher will ask you to write an expository essay about depression amongst elderly people not to convince them that it is an issue (they already know that). The teacher just wants you to show-off how deep your knowledge is about the topic.

Therefore, you’re going to want to delve very deeply into the topic and explore some major themes. Here’s some tips the help go deep in your expository essay:

• Get Great Information. Use your lecture notes , assigned readings and readings you find from google scholar to show that you have a very deep and detailed understanding of the issue;
• Compare Ideas. Ensure you present two sides of an argument and compare them. Use critical thinking strategies like pros and cons lists and Venn diagrams to assist you in thinking deeply about the topic;
• Avoid dictionary definitions. Instead, use scholarly definitions from textbooks or journal articles . If there are multiple definitions of a term or topic , compare each of them.
• Be objective. You should avoid using first person language (I, we, us, you, our) and do not take a position on the issue. Your job is to inform, not convince.

The essay question in an expository essay usually asks you to compare, contrast, explain how things work, define concepts, or classify them. Note that it does not ask you to ‘convince’ or ‘take a side’, because all you’re doing is presenting your knowledge in an unbiased manner.

Expository Essay Examples

Here is a list of potential expository essay questions:

The ‘How To’ Expository Essay

• Explain how emergency room nurses triage patients based on need.
• Provide a clear explanation of how an internal combustion engine produces motion.
• Explore with evidence how carbon dating approximates the age of the earth.
• Examine, with examples, the ways in which nuclear engineers prevent nuclear meltdowns in power plants.
• Explore how the judicial system is designed to ensure justice is served in western democracies.
• Provide a clear and detailed explanation of how subjective mental health disorders are diagnosed and treated.
• Examine the process behind ensuring the structural integrity of bridges in the United States.

The ‘Classification’ Expository Essay

• What are the major types of rocks within the earth’s crust?
• What are the key fields of study under the broad umbrella of ‘Psychology’?
• Identify and classify the different animal species on earth today.
• What are the five most influential approaches to art theory in European history?
• Explore and explain the different learning styles proposed by Howard Gardner.
• How can the Bristol Stool Chart help to categorize and diagnose illness and disease?
• What are the main categories of financial assets that help produce wealth in Capitalist societies?

The ‘Cause and Effect’ Expository Essay

• How does the cash bail system in the United States disadvantage minorities?
• What are the effects of inserting fluoride into public water systems?
• What are the multiple projected effects of lowering the corporate tax rate?
• What impact does lowering the age of voting have on participatory democracy?
• What are the long-term impacts of the death of a parent when a child is very young?
• What are the impacts of stereotypical gender representations in Disney films?
• How would a carbon tax of $40 a tonne impact the economy?

The Comparative Expository Essay

• Compare modernist and post-modernist approaches to art.
• What are the major differences between socialism and communism?
• What are the key differences between string theory and quantum mechanics?
• Examine the advantages and disadvantages of moving from a manufacturing economy to a services economy.
• Explore the two major competing explanations for the fall of the Soviet Union.
• What are the core differences between Catholicism and Protestantism?
• Compare the healthcare systems of Canada and the United states on the key metrics of value for money, social justice, life expectancy and individual liberty.

The Problem and Solution Expository Essay

• Examine five potential solutions to the problem of automation taking the jobs of truck drivers in the mid-west.
• What solutions are on the horizon for bureaucratic bloat in the European Union?
• What are the three key ways society can overcome resource scarcity in the coming century?
• What are the major viable solutions to the opioid crisis in the United States?
• Which approaches to foreign policy could present a solution to the oppression of women in some East African nations?
• How can society help to increase the democratic participation of children?
• Explore three potential diets that could help prevent diabetes among middle-aged men.

What is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is also often called a persuasive essay. Persuasive / argumentative essays take a position on an issue and try to convince their readers to accept your arguments.

In other words, the major difference between expository and argumentative essays is that argumentative essays try to convince, while expository essays do not.

In an argumentative essay you can take a position. You can say things like:

• “This essay will show that the best course of action is…”
• “It is evident that the best course of action is…”
• “The position of this essay is that…”

Argumentative Essay Tip #1: Avoiding Bias

Just because you need to take a position, that doesn’t mean you can be biased in an argumentative essay. ‘Bias’ means to be prejudiced or narrow-mindedly convinced by only one side, despite evidence to the contrary.

To avoid bias in argumentative essay, you need to convince your reader that you have taken a close and open-minded look at the evidence on both sides of an issue, weighed them up, and come to your conclusions based on an informed understanding of all the issues.

Argumentative Essay Tip #2: Going Deep

You should show deep insights into the topic to avoid bias in both expository and argumentative essays. To show an in-depth understanding of the topic in an argumentative essay, you can compare and contrast two ideas and then make a value judgement after showing all sides of the issue.

My favourite approach to help you go deep is to use a pros and cons list for each of the different sides of an argument. You could, for example, brainstorm different perspectives like this:

Here, you can brainstorm a ton of different things to discuss about the topic. Then, once you have shown a thoughtful discussion of both perspectives, you can take an informed position.

Showing deep understanding and comparing perspectives before taking a position makes your argumentative essay … more persuasive !

Argumentative Essay Examples

• Take a position on the argument between raising and lowering taxes on the wealthy.
• What is the best course of action for obtaining peace in Syria?
• Persuade your reader about the importance of decreasing the voting age to 16.
• Take a position on the statement: “There should be more men in nursing.”
• Are current drug laws good or bad for young men of colour?
• Who should be the next nominee for the Supreme Court and why?
• What is the most appropriate management style for improving productivity, health and job satisfaction in your workplace?
• What is the best course of action for decreasing the amount of plastics in the Pacific Ocean?
• Should there be laws mandating the installation of solar panels on all new homes built in California?
• Should GMOs be banned?
• Should there be limits to freedom of speech?
• Should Pluto’s status as a Planet be reinstated?
• How many refugees should the United Kingdom accept per year, and why?
• Convince your reader of the relevance or irrelevance of Freud’s ideas about child development for the 21 st
• Should financial advisors be forced to take a course on ethics before taking clients?
• After weighing up the benefits and negatives of the issue, take an issue on whether we should colonize Mars.

What’s the difference between Argumentative and Expository Essays?

Now, let’s take a look at a summary of the key differences and similarities between expository and argumentative essays:

As you can see, there are more similarities between an argumentative and persuasive essay than differences. Remember, your argumentative essay and expository essay both provide in-depth, balanced information on the topic. However, the argumentative essay goes one step further and lets you take a personal position on the issue once you have presented the key information.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Social-Emotional Learning (Definition, Examples, Pros & Cons)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ What is Educational Psychology?
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ What is IQ? (Intelligence Quotient)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University

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Narrative vs Descriptive Writing: Understanding the Key Differences

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on May 13, 2023

Categories Storytelling , Writing

Narrative and descriptive writing are two of the most common writing styles used in literature. Both styles are used to convey a story, but they differ in their purpose and approach. Narrative writing is designed to tell a complete story, while descriptive writing conveys an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative writing involves telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end. It is often used in novels, short stories, and memoirs. Narrative writing can entertain, inform, or persuade the reader. It is a powerful tool for writers to convey their message and connect with their audience.

On the other hand, descriptive writing creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind. It is often used in poetry, descriptive essays, and travel writing. Descriptive writing allows the writer to use sensory details to create a picture in the reader’s mind. It is a powerful tool for writers to create a mood or atmosphere. Descriptive writing can entertain, inform, or persuade the reader.

Narrative Writing

Narrative writing is a style of writing that tells a story or describes an event. It can be fiction or non-fiction and is often written in the first-person point of view. The purpose of narrative writing is to entertain, inform or persuade the reader.

Narrative writing aims to engage the reader by telling a story that captures their attention. Narrative writing is often used in fiction writing, but it can also be used in non-fiction writing, such as memoirs or personal essays. The purpose of narrative writing is to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and make them feel like they are part of the story.

Narrative writing has several key elements that help to create a compelling story. These elements include characters, plot, point of view, narration, chronological order, action, setting, and theme. Characters are the people or animals that are involved in the story. The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story. Point of view is the perspective from which the story is told. Narration is how the story is told, such as first-person or third-person narration. Chronological order is the order in which events occur in the story. Action is the events that take place in the story. The setting is the time and place in which the story takes place. The theme is the underlying message or meaning of the story.

Examples of narrative writing include novels, short stories, and narrative essays. In fiction writing, the protagonist is the main character who drives the story forward. In a narrative essay, the writer tells a personal story that has a point or lesson to be learned. Narrative writing often uses first-person narration to create a more personal connection between the reader and the story.

In summary, narrative writing is a style of writing that tells a story or describes an event. It has several key elements that help to create a compelling story, including characters, plot, point of view, narration, chronological order, action, setting, and theme. Narrative writing can be used in fiction and non-fiction and is often used to entertain, inform, or persuade the reader.

Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing is a type of writing that aims to provide a detailed description of a person, place, object, or event. It uses sensory details to create an image in the reader’s mind. The writer tries to make the reader feel like they are experiencing the scene.

Descriptive writing aims to create a vivid and detailed picture in the reader’s mind. It is often used to set the scene in a story or to provide a detailed description of a character or place. Descriptive writing can also create an emotional response in the reader.

Descriptive writing uses sensory details to create an image in the reader’s mind. It should be written in a logical order, so the reader can easily follow along. The following elements are commonly used in descriptive writing:

• Sensory detail (smell, taste, sight, sound, touch)
• Appearance and characteristics of the subject
• Description of the place or object
• Exposition of the subject
• Figurative language (metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia)

Here are a few examples of descriptive writing:

• The sun was setting over the mountains, casting a warm glow across the valley. The air was filled with the sweet scent of wildflowers and birds singing in the trees.
• The old house sat at the end of the street, its peeling paint and broken shutters a testament to its age. The front porch creaked as I stepped onto it, and the door groaned as I pushed it open.
• The chocolate cake was rich and decadent, with a moist crumb and a smooth, velvety frosting. Each bite was like a little slice of heaven, the flavors blending perfectly.

In conclusion, descriptive writing is a powerful tool for creating vivid and detailed images in the reader’s mind. The writer can transport the reader to another time and place using sensory details and logical order.

Narrative vs. Descriptive Writing

Differences.

Narrative writing and descriptive writing are two distinct forms of writing that have different purposes. Narrative writing is used to tell a story, while descriptive writing is used to describe something in detail. The following table summarizes some of the key differences between the two:

In narrative writing, the writer is trying to convey a specific message or theme through the story they are telling. In contrast, descriptive writing is more concerned with creating a sensory experience for the reader. Descriptive writing often uses figurative language, such as metaphors and similes, to create vivid images in the reader’s mind.

Similarities

Despite their differences, narrative writing and descriptive writing also share some similarities. Both forms of writing require the writer to use descriptive language to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Both can also be used in both fiction and non-fiction writing.

Another similarity is that both forms of writing can create emotional connections with the reader. In narrative writing, this is achieved by creating relatable characters and situations. Descriptive writing is achieved by using sensory details to create a visceral experience for the reader.

In conclusion, while narrative writing and descriptive writing have different purposes, they require the writer to use descriptive language to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Understanding the differences and similarities between these two forms of writing can help writers choose the appropriate style for their writing project.

Narrative Writing Techniques

Narrative writing is a form of storytelling that conveys a series of events or experiences through a particular perspective. This section will explore some of the key techniques used in narrative writing.

The narrator is the voice that tells the story. They can be a character within the story or an outside observer. The narrator’s perspective can greatly affect the reader’s interpretation of events. For example, a first-person narrator may provide a more personal and subjective account of events, while a third-person narrator may offer a more objective perspective.

Dialogue is the spoken or written words of characters within the story. It can reveal character traits, advance the plot, and provide insight into relationships between characters. Effective dialogue should sound natural and reflect the character’s personality and background.

Point of View

Point of view refers to the perspective from which the story is told. It can be first-person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. The choice of point of view can affect the reader’s understanding of the story and its characters.

The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story. It should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, with each event building upon the previous one. A well-crafted plot should be engaging and keep the reader interested.

Characterization

Characterization is the process of creating and developing characters within the story. This can be achieved through various techniques, including dialogue, actions, and inner thoughts. Effective characterization should create characters that are believable and relatable to the reader.

In conclusion, narrative writing techniques are essential for creating a compelling and engaging story. Using techniques such as a well-developed narrator, natural-sounding dialogue, and effective characterization, writers can create stories that captivate and entertain their readers.

Descriptive Writing Techniques

Sensory details.

One of the most critical aspects of descriptive writing is the use of sensory details. This means including information that appeals to the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Sensory details help the reader experience the scene or object being described, making the writing more vivid and engaging.

For example, instead of simply stating that a flower is beautiful, a writer might describe the vibrant colors of its petals, the sweet fragrance it emits, and the soft texture of its petals. This level of detail allows the reader to fully imagine the flower and feel like they are experiencing it themselves.

Logical Order

Descriptive writing should also be organized in a logical order. This can mean starting with a general description and moving on to more specific details. For example, describing a room starts with an overview, then moves on to describe individual items.

It’s also important to consider the perspective of the reader. For example, if describing a landscape, the writer should consider the reader’s viewpoint and describe the scene from left to right, top to bottom, or in another logical order that makes sense for the reader.

Descriptive writing should create a clear mental image in the reader’s mind. This can be achieved through the use of vivid imagery and figurative language. For example, a writer might describe a sunset as a “golden blanket draped over the sky” or a forest as a “lush, green cathedral.”

It’s important to balance detailed descriptions and allow readers to use their imagination. The goal is to provide enough detail to create a mental image but not so much that the reader feels overwhelmed or bored.

Finally, descriptive writing should aim to evoke emotions in the reader. This can be achieved through descriptive language conveying a mood or feeling. For example, a writer might describe a storm as “fierce and unrelenting,” creating a sense of danger and foreboding.

It’s important to consider the emotions that the reader should feel based on the subject being described. For example, if describing a peaceful meadow, the writer should use language that conveys a sense of calm and relaxation.

By using these techniques, writers can create engaging and vivid descriptions that allow the reader to experience the scene or object being described fully.

Narrative vs. Descriptive Essays

When it comes to writing essays, there are two main types: narrative and descriptive. While they may seem similar, they have distinct differences in purpose, structure, and examples.

The purpose of a narrative essay is to tell a story. It typically includes characters, a plot, and a setting. It is meant to engage the reader and create an emotional response. Narrative essays can be based on real-life experiences or fictional stories.

On the other hand, the purpose of a descriptive essay is to provide a detailed description of a person, place, or thing. It is meant to paint a picture in the reader’s mind and create a sensory experience. Descriptive essays can be based on real-life experiences or imaginary scenarios.

Narrative essays typically have a chronological structure, meaning they follow a timeline. They often include dialogue and sensory details to create a vivid picture for the reader. The structure of a narrative essay can vary depending on the story being told.

On the other hand, descriptive essays typically have a spatial structure, meaning they describe something in a specific order. They often use sensory details and figurative language to create a vivid picture for the reader. The structure of a descriptive essay can vary depending on the topic being described.

A narrative essay example could be a personal experience, such as a memorable vacation or a life-changing event. It could also be a fictional story, such as a short story or novel.

A descriptive essay example could be describing a favorite place, such as a beach or a park. It could also be a description of a person, such as a family member or a celebrity.

In conclusion, narrative and descriptive essays have distinct differences in purpose, structure, and examples. It is important to understand these differences when deciding which type of essay to write.

Argumentative Essays

Argumentative essays are a type of writing that requires the writer to take a position on a topic and defend it using evidence and reasoning. This type of essay is often used in academic settings, such as in college courses or on standardized tests like the GRE or SAT.

An argumentative essay aims to persuade the reader to agree with the writer’s point of view. To do this, the writer must present a clear and compelling argument supported by evidence. The writer must also anticipate and address counterarguments to strengthen their argument.

An argumentative essay typically follows a five-paragraph structure, which includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should include a clear thesis statement that states the writer’s position on the topic. Each body paragraph should focus on a single point that supports the thesis statement. The conclusion should summarize the essay’s main points and restate the thesis statement in a new way.

Rhetorical Analysis

To write an effective argumentative essay, it is important to consider the rhetorical situation. This includes the audience, purpose, and context of the essay. The writer should also consider using ethos, pathos, and logos in their argument. Ethos refers to the writer’s credibility, pathos refers to emotional appeals, and logos refers to logical appeals.

Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the most important part of an argumentative essay. It should be clear, concise, and specific. The thesis statement should state the writer’s position on the topic and provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay. It should also be arguable, meaning there should be evidence and reasoning to support the writer’s position.

Expository Essays

Expository essays are a common type of academic writing that aims to inform or explain a topic to the reader. This section will discuss the purpose, structure, and examples of expository essays.

The purpose of an expository essay is to present a balanced analysis of a topic or issue. The writer aims to explain or clarify the topic to the reader, using evidence and facts to support their arguments. Unlike narrative or descriptive writing, expository writing is focused on presenting information clearly and concisely.

The structure of an expository essay typically follows a five-paragraph format. The first paragraph is the introduction, which includes a thesis statement that summarizes the essay’s main point. The following three paragraphs are the body, which presents the evidence and arguments to support the thesis. Finally, the last paragraph is the conclusion, which restates the thesis and summarizes the essay’s main points.

Here are some examples of topics that could be covered in an expository essay:

• The causes and effects of climate change
• The history and significance of a particular event or invention
• The benefits and drawbacks of a particular technology or practice
• The process of learning a new skill or language

In conclusion, expository essays are academic writing that aims to inform or explain a topic to the reader. They follow a five-paragraph structure and present a balanced analysis using evidence and facts.

In conclusion, narrative and descriptive writing are two important styles of writing that serve different purposes. Narrative writing tells a story and conveys events, while descriptive writing paints a vivid picture of a person, place, or thing. Both styles can be used in various types of writing, such as fiction, poetry, biographies, and human interest stories.

When it comes to narrative writing, it is important to consider the basic elements of a story, such as the characters, plot, setting, and theme. Dialogue can also be used to add depth and realism to the story. On the other hand, descriptive writing focuses on sensory details, such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind.

It is important to note that narrative and descriptive writing are distinct styles, but they can also be used together to create a more engaging and compelling piece of writing. For example, a narrative essay can include descriptive elements to enhance the reader’s understanding and emotional connection to the story.

Overall, the key to effective narrative and descriptive writing is to use clear, concise, and engaging language. By mastering these styles, writers can create powerful and memorable works that resonate with readers long after they have finished reading.