Discourse

• Discourse


  Any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence
• Discourse cannot be confined to sentential boundaries. It is something that goes beyond the limits of the sentence. In other words, discourse is any coherent succession of sentences, spoken or written
• Discourse

  One (1) of the four (4) systems of language, the others being vocabulary, grammar, and phonology. It is any piece of extended language (language that is more than one [1] sentence), written or spoken, that has unity, meaning, and purpose
• Forms of Discourse

  • Narration
  • Description
  • Exposition
  • Argumentation
• Narration

  • Description of an event, which occurs in chronological order
  • Uses pronouns like "I" and "me"
  • Includes an action
  • Follows a chronological order
• Elements of Narration

  • Setting
  • Character
  • Actions
• Types of Narration

  • Simple - narrative of events which really happen
  • Plotted - fictional, results of the author's invention or ingenuity
• Description

  • Fiction-writing mode for transmitting a mental image of the particulars in the story
  • Can go hand in hand with narration and makes the events in the story more vivid
• Patterns of Description

  • Spatial
  • Vertical
  • Horizontal
  • Circular
  • Affective
  • Temporal
• Kinds of Description

  • Informative (Scientific and Technical)
  • Artistic (Suggestive / Evocative or literary)
• Exposition


  A type of oral or written discourse used to explain, describe, or give information
• The creator of an expository text cannot assume that the reader or listener has prior knowledge or prior understanding of the topic that is being discussed
• Exposition vs Argumentation

  Exposition gives the reader a balanced amount of the subject and it uses a neutral, objective tone. Argumentation convinces the reader of the writer's overall point and suggests wider implication
• Patterns of Exposition

  • Circumlocution
  • Narrative Interspersion
  • Recursion
  • Description
  • Sequence
  • Comparison
  • Cause and Effect
  • Problem and Solution
• Outline of Exposition

  • Topic Sentence
  • First Point
  • Support
  • Second Point
  • Support
  • Third Point
  • Support
  • Concluding Sentence
• Types of Exposition


  • Exposition of a Process
  • Exposition of an Abstract Term
  • Character Sketch
  • Essay
  • Comment and Criticism
  • Classification and Partition
  • Summary
• Argumentation


  The form of composition that aims to convince others of the truth or falsity of a disputed matter. It appeals to the understanding
• The three (3) goals of critical argumentation are to identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments
• People who make use of argumentation always appeal – whether explicitly or implicitly – to some standard of reasonableness
• Suggested Argumentative Paper Format


  • Introduction
  • Background Paragraph
  • Supporting Evidence Paragraph # 1
  • Supporting Evidence Paragraph # 2, 3, 4, etc.
  • Counterargument Paragraph
  • Conclusion Part 1: Sum Up Paragraph
  • Conclusion Part 2: Your "So What": Paragraph
• The author's purpose is to inform the reader about the importance of reading.