Characteristics of Paragraph Types: Narration, Description and Expository Identifying Paragraph Types

There are some types of paragraph that have form or model of each. This post is going to give a brief explaination about several types of paragraph in English. Types of paragraph that we are going to discuse here are narrative, descriptive and exposition paragraph. Every type of paragraph has its own characteristics and function that different one each other. To be able to write a paragraph, we have to know the characteristic of the paragraph that we want to write. And here is a brief explaination about several types of paragraph.

1.    Narrative

Based on oxford dictionary, narrative is a spoken or written account of connected events; a story. Narrative has social function that is to tell stories (Smalley, and Ruetten, 1984). Narrative is an imagination story that used to intertain the reader. Narrative is used most often in: fables, myths, and legend. It consists of: orientation, complication, resolution and coda. This type using process verbs such as: tell, says, narrate etc. Then using past tense and also temporal conjunction. Shortly, this type is such a story.

2.   Descriptive

Based on oxford dictionary, descriptive is serving or seeking to describe. Descriptive paragraph is a representation the absent object being described (Dedi Turmudi, 2013). It used to explain or describe what a person or thing looks like. Whereas the generic structure of descriptive are: identification, then description. It using linking verb or verb of senses (look, smell, teste, see, seem), using attributive and identifying process. using adjective and classifiers in nominal group. using simple present tense. In short, descriptive is paragraph that consists of explaination or description about a person or a thing.

3.   Expository

Based on oxford dictionary, expository is intended to explain or describe something. A paragraph that explain or analyzes a topic is an expository paragraph (Smalley and Ruetten. At al., p100). Expository is used to give information, explain a subject, give directions, or show how something happens. It consists of: 1) topic sentence, 2)supporting sentences (example, detail, charts), and 3) concluding sentence. The language form of expository are: 1) using process verb (begin, start, continue), 2) using indefinite transitions, 3) using chart, graphics, and other visual aids, and 4) using present tense. Simply, one of the example is answering an essay test means write an expository paragraph.

Paragraph helps to break up the large content of the text and make it easier to be read. Those are a brief explaination about several types of paragraph in writting specifically for narrative, descriptive, and expository paragraph. Before we write those types of paragraph, we should know the characteristics of each. Basically, those three types of paragraph are completely different. Narrative is such a story that mostly using past form to entertain the reader. Descriptive is used to explain or describe something or a person with a specific object. And expository is to give information, explaination, facts or even illustration.